There is Generalized Minimum Variance Control(GMVC) in one of the design methods of Self Tuning Control(STC). In general, STC is applied discrete-time design. According to selection of sampling period, discrete-time design has possibilities to generate unstable zero and odd time-delay, and fail to get a clear grasp of the controlled object at all times. Then, we propose continuous-time design of GMVC. For this reason it is called CGMVC. Because continuous-time design need not choose sampling period, CGMVC is easire design method than GMVC. In this paper, we confirm some advantage of CGMVC, and denote numerical example.


Recent studies have shown that the benefits gained by using graphite-epoxy composite structures may not be realized without some risk. The graphite fibers are very good electrical conductors and fibers released into the environment during a fire create a possible hazard to electrical equipment. Several graphite-epoxy hybrids were exposed to a fire and simulated explosion and their graphite fiber retention characteristics were examined. Several low melting-temperature glasses which wet and clump graphite-fibers and a glass/graphite fabric which reduced impact damage were identified as promising hybridizing components to minimize graphite fiber release.


This paper discusses the feasibility of three automated trucks scenarios on a single highway lane. Assessment is conducted on the basis of the capacity-safety compromise. Effects of truck evolution, parameters accuracy, platooning and autonomy are examined.


Much effort has been devoted to updating the practice of pathology in the current management of cancers, arising from increasing knowledge and availability of new technologies. In addition to a wide variety of new tools entailing molecular analysis and immunohistochemistry with ever-expanding lists of antibodies, there has also been a significant evolution in the conventional practice of histopathology. This has occurred, in parallel with the evolving changes in the practice of surgery, medicine, and other subspecialties. In this issue of the Hong Kong Medical Journal, two papers1,2 on the practice of pathology highlight such changes in routine practice in the management of cancers.


This research analyzed the factors that determine the probability of being adequately employed graduates of economics at the National University of Altiplano in 2014. For that proposed we performed descriptive and analytical analysis estimating a probabilistic model such as logit, which concluded that the relevant variables in the model were area where the graduate works (esector), complementary activities (otroempl), income (ingreso) and type of contract (contrato). Also, (the characteristics of graduates from economy on your employment situation) 70% of graduates is adequately employed, and the remaining 30% are unemployed and underemployed; and the length of employment of 1-3 years of the employees properly is 76% and 52% of unemployed graduates underemployed-employment remains in a period of 1 year. Finally, the probability of being employed properly has a direct relationship with esector variables, income and type of contract of 43.8%, 13.06% and 42,255 respectively; and it has a ratio of probability with indirect variable otroempl 23.21%.


An ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is widely used as bearing material in artificial joints, however, UHMWPE wear particles are considered to be a major factor in long-term osteoly...


Studying chemical disturbances during neural differentiation ofmurine embryonic stem cells (mESC) has been established atZEBET as an alternative in vitro testing approach for the identificationand classification of developmental toxicants. Manystudies have shown an essential role of microRNAs in posttranscriptionalregulation of gene expression during developmentand ESC differentiation. Thus, neural differentiation of ESC invitro allows investigation of the role of miRNAs in chemicalmediateddevelopmental toxicity. The main goal of this projectwas to analyze the expression of neural-specific miRNAs duringneural differentiation of mESC while being exposed to thedevelopmental neurotoxicants. The substances we mainly focusedon comprise valproic acid (VPA), arsenic and curcumin.All these substances have been shown in vitro and/or in vivo toexert effects on miRNA expression and to affect neural development.The developmental neurotoxicity of these substances aswell as their effects on miRNA expression during neural differentiationof mESC will be discussed. We could demonstrate thatneural-specific or enriched miRNAs show different expressionpatterns during neural differentiation of mESC when cells arebeing exposed to VPA. So, the expression of mir-128a and mir-124a decreased with increasing VPA concentrations, whereaslet-7c was 2-fold upregulated. The downregulation of mir-128aand mir-124a in cells treated with VPA was stronger comparedto the concurrent downregulation of the neuron-specific markerƒAIII-tubulin. The effects of VPA on neuron-specific mir-124aexpression may point to possible compound-mediated mechanismsexerted through mir-124a-dependent regulation pathways.


A female patient with recurrent "torsades de pointes" and a long QT interval was successfully treated with i.v. magnesium sulfate. This work provides further support of the use of magnesium sulfate in this particular arrhythmia.


Objective To identify and characterize antigenic epitopes on the ORF2-enceded protein p166Chn of Hepatitis E virus (HEV)genotypeⅣ.Methods Mouse monoclonal antibodies(McAb) against the p166Chn were prepared.Neutralizing activities of these McAbs were examined by an in vitro PCR-based HEV neutralization assay.The antigen specificity of these McAbs was examined against 7 recombinant p166 proteins from different HEV genotypes and subtypes.The epitope mapping was carried out against 22 truncated forms of the recombinant p166Chn protein in different length.Results One McAb,named B4 and specific for p166Chn,was obtained.The McAb B_4 could not react to the recombinant proteins derived from different genotypes of HEV other than that from genotypeⅣ.McAb B_4 could neither neutralize HEV infection to targeted cells nor competitively block the binding of a known neutralizing McAb 5G5 to the recombinant p166Chn. Detailed epitope mapping was performed which showed reactivity of the McAb B4 to the truncated proteins of pN452、pN460、pN462、pN463、pN464、pN465、pN466、pN468、pN470 and pN472,but not to pN482、pN492、pC587、pC597、pC599、pC600、pC601、pC603、pC605、pC607、pN465-C601 and pN460-C605.One or more amino acids from both the regions of 472 to 482 and 607 to 617 contributed to the recognition by McAb B4.Conclusion A genotypeⅣspecific McAb B4 is produced which recognizes a conformation-dependent and non-neutralizing epitope on HEV.The epitope is located at positions between amino acids 472 and 617 of the ORF2 of HEV gcnotypeⅣ.


We report a theoretical research for the condition of
 electromagnetic shield breaching when a narrow aperture is punctured in
 thin metal film. To calculate electromagnetic field transmission through a
 narrow slit, a Rayleigh wave expansion has been applied for free standing,
 thin metal film. We found that the DC electric field allows perfect
 transmission when the length of the slit is infinite, regardless of the
 other geometrical factors such as slitwidth and thickness. Slitwidth
 dependent transmission spectra as a function of frequency shows a cutoff
 frequency that decreases almost linearly to the slitwidth, giving that
 almost successful shielding is only possible when the slitwidth is smaller
 than 1 micron.


This paper undertakes an empirical assessment of how the master plan on ASEAN connectivity (MPAC) impacts air passenger flows and air cargo throughput, thereby contributing to enhance regional institutional connectivity. The empirical analysis employed in this paper involves a combination of time trend analysis as well as an extension of the classic gravity model of international trade to understand the impact of MPAC on air passenger flows in the ASEAN region. Evidence from the gravity model points to the challenges of achieving regional institutional harmonisation, proxied in this paper by intra-ASEAN bilateral air passenger flows and air cargo throughput. This paper is one of the first in the related literature to provide such an examination, offering valuable lessons for policy makers in the region, especially viewed in the context of the importance of air transport industry for the development of the region to realise the goals of the MPAC.


Recently, AC distribution systems have experienced high harmonic pollution due to the wide use of power electronic loads. These non-linear loads generate harmonies which degrade the distribution systems and may affect the communication and control systems. Harmonic frlters, in general, are designed to reduce the effects of harmonic penetration in power systerns and they should be installed when it has been determined that the recommended hannonic content has been exceeded. Two approaches have been proposed to reduce the effect of the harmonic distortion, namely active filtenng approach and passive filtering approach. Passive filters have the dements of large size, resonance and fixed compensation. In the active filtering approach, the harmonic currents produced by the nonlinear loads are extracted, and their opposites are generated and injected into the power line using a power converter. Several active filtenng approaches based on different circuit topologies and control theories have been proposed. Most of these active filter systems consist mainly of a single PWM power converter with a high rating which takes care of al1 the harrnonic components in the distorted signal. The combination of high power and high switching frequency results in excessive amounts of power losses. Furthemore, the reliability of the existing active filters is a major concern, as the failure of converter resuIts in no compensation at dl. Active power line filtering can be performed in the time domain or in fiequency domain. A distinct advantage of the fiequency-domain techniques is the possibility of selective harmonic elimination, tfianks to the availability of information on individual harmonic components. The objective of this research is to develop an efficient and reliable modular active harmonic filter system to realize a cost-effective solution to the harmonic problem. The proposed filter system consists of a nurnber CSC modules, each dedicated to filter a specific harmonic of choice (Frequency-Splitting Approach). The power rating of the modules will decrease and their switching fiequency will increase as the order of the harmonic to be filtered is increased. The overall switching losses are minimized due to the selected harmonic elimination and balanced a "power ratingW-"switching frequency" product. Two ADALINES are proposed as a part of the filter controller for processing the signals obtained from the power-line. One ADALINE (the Current ADALINE) extracts the fundamental and harmonic components of the distorted cument. The other ADALENE (the Voltage ADALINE) estimates the line voltage. The outputs of both ADALINES are iised to constmct the modulating signals of the filter modules. The proposed controller decides which CSC filter module(s) is connected to the electnc grid. The automated connection of the corresponding filter module(s) is based on decision-making rules in such a way that the IEEE 519-1992 lirnits are not violated. The information available on the magnitude of each harmonic component allows us to select the active filter bandwidth (i.e., the highest harmonic to be suppressed). This will result in more efficiency and higher performance. The proposed controller adjusts the Idc in each CSC module according to the present magnitude of the corresponding harmonic current. This results in optimum dc-side current value and minimal converter losses. The comparison of the proposed modular active filter scheme and the conventional one converter scheme on practical use in industry is presented. This comparison shows that the proposed solution is more economical, reliable and flexible compared to conventional one. High speed and accuracy of ADALINE, self-synchronizing harmonic tracking, intelligence and robustness of the controller, optimum Id, value, minimal converter losses, and high speed and low dc energy requirement of the CSC, are the main features of the proposed active filter system. Simulation results using the EMTDC simulation package are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed modular active filter system.


Regarding ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) as a probe and extra dimensions as a possible ingredient of the fantastic ultrahigh- energy world, we discuss possible interplay between them. On the one hand small extra dimensions and KK bursts present a feasible way to the origin of UHECRs. On the other hand large extra dimensions may change various interactions between particles at ultrahigh energies and therefore impact on air showers created by UHECRs. Conversely, UHECR data may tell us secrets veiled in extra dimensions.


Intra-tumoral heterogeneity is a hindrance to curing malignant disease. By employing all MM-active drugs upfront, TT was designed to overcome such obstacle by targeting all potential MM sub-clones broadly. We are reporting on long-term results of phase-2 TT1, phase-3 TT2 and phase-2 TT3a trials, with median follow-up times of 21yr, 12yr and 9yr, respectively. Five year estimates of OS, PFS and CR duration (CRD) increased from 58%, 28% and 40% with TT1 to 65%, 42% and 50% with TT2's control arm (TT2-), to 68%, 56% and 58% with TT2's thalidomide arm (TT2+), and to 74%, 65% and 74% with TT3a (all p As MM usurps the bone marrow micro-environment (ME) for its growth and survival, we reasoned that ME alterations reflecting an angiogenic switch may persist beyond the state of clinical CR and even MRD. We therefore performed GEP analyses of bone marrow biopsies in CR and compared findings with age- and sex-matched controls. Indeed, biopsy "normalization" was linked to superior CR duration and is being developed as an early "cure surrogate" marker to help define the length of maintenance therapy in future trials. Although about 50% of CR patients treated with TT3a can be considered cured, the median PFS in high-risk MM of 2yr has not improved with successive TT trials. Reasoning that cytokine storms emanating after myelosuppressive therapies to restore normal hematopoiesis may be growth-stimulatory to MM cells, we applied non-myelotoxic metronomic therapy (Papanikolaou, Haematologica, 2014). Six newly diagnosed transplant-ineligible high-risk patients were offered an extended 28-day course of low-dose metronomic therapy with bortezomib, thalidomide, dexamethasone and continuous infusions of doxorubicin and cisplatin, to which were added arsenic trioxide and vincristine infusions. Remarkably, 5 of 6 achieved CR status after a single course and remain disease-free without further therapy 6-8 months later. Our results attest to the curability of MM with TT and, given the short PFS of 2yr in high-risk MM, such patients should be the focus of future novel interventions that yield information in a timely manner. Disclosures van Rhee:Janssen: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Millenium: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees. Heuck:Celgene: Honoraria; Foundation Medicine: Honoraria; Millennium: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees.


These questions were used in the trial from which the deposition and court testimony in Appendices F and G were taken. They have been edited for publication, with much of the plaintiff 's personal information having been removed. The answers contained after the questions were the anticipated answers to Levy's questions; like any lawyer, Ms. Levy knows the essence of the answer before asking the question. In this context, they are not suggested answers for the reader's expert witness, but to give an idea of the kind of testimony on the direct examination of the expert witness in this particular trial. The questions are open-ended and permit the entry of several exhibits to help the judge and/or jury make sense of the information being provided.


This paper presents the development, implementation and evaluation of a novel distance learning model integrated with local workshop sessions. The model was developed for a large-scale in-service teacher training, and applied to introduce a new computer science curriculum and its didactic approach. The model evaluation showed a significant success, both in terms of participants' attitudes, and the assimilation of the subject matter and its didactic approach.


The present invention discloses a composite thyristor switch comprises a bidirectional thyristor SCR and a first electromagnetic switch K1, a bidirectional thyristor SCR having a control terminal G and the first main terminal T1 and the second main terminal T2, and the bidirectional controlled in parallel with the first main terminal T1 and ends silicon SCR K1-1 normally open contact T2 of the second main terminal of the first electromagnetic switch K1, and which: K2 further comprises a second electromagnetic switch and a resistor R & lt; second electromagnetic switch K2 of the normally open contact K2-1 in series with a resistor R; the second ends by a normally open electromagnetic switch K2 contact K2-1 series circuit and the resistor R is connected in parallel to constitute a first normally open switch K1 electromagnetic ends of contacts K1-1. The present invention has the thyristor current zero, and the cut out process more reliable.


There is increasing evidence from string theory that effective field theories are only reliable over approximately sub-Planckian field excursions. The two most promising effective models for early universe cosmology, inflation and ekpyrosis, are mechanisms that, in order to address cosmological puzzles, must operate over vast expansion/energy ranges. This suggests that it might be appropriate to describe them using scaling laws. Here we combine these two ideas and demonstrate that they drive inflation and ekpyrosis to their extremes: inflation must start at ultra-slow-roll, and ekpyrosis at ultra-fast-roll. At face value, the implied spectra are overly tilted to the red, although in both cases minor departures from pure scale freedom bring the spectral indices within current observational bounds. These models predict a significant spectral running at a level detectable in the near future (αs ≈ −10−3). Ekpyrotic models with minimal coupling are nevertheless ruled out, as they lead to levels of non-Gaussianity that are at least an order of magnitude too large. No such restrictions apply to models with a kinetic coupling between the two ekpyrotic scalar fields, and these remain the most promising ekpyrotic models. An additional swampland criterion that was recently proposed for the slope of the scalar field potential would however rule out all ultra-slow-roll models of inflation. Finally, we speculate on the existence of corresponding restrictions on the slope at negative potential values, which might lead to similarly severe constraints on ekpyrotic models.


A negative capacitance effect has been observed in metal‐semiconductor contacts. This phenomenon is explained by considering the loss of interface charge at occupied states below Fermi level due to impact ionization. A modified Shockley–Read treatment is proposed to interpret the experimental observations. In particular, a two‐energy‐level simplified model is presented to simulate the capacitance spectrum. The results are in good agreement with the experimental data.


Angrites are among the oldest basalts in the solar system and their unique mineral chemistry has stimulated great interest in their controversial origins. LEW86010 and LEW87051 are individual samples discovered in the Antarctic, and classified as angrites with chemical affinities to the first known angrite, Angra dos Reis [e.g. 1-51. Major constituent minerals of LEW angrites are Ca-rich olivine, fassaitic clinopyroxene, and anorthite. Although fassaites in LEW86010 are zoned, olivines are homogeneous except for exsolution lamellae of kirschsteinite. On the other hand, both fassaite and olivine in LEW87051 show chemical zonings. This evidence suggests that LEW87051 cooled morerapidly than LEW86010. Cooling ratecalculations employing Femgzoning profile of LEW87051 olivine indicate that a cooling rate of at least 1000°C/yerir cooling rate is necessary to preserve the chemical zoning of Fe/Mg, which is much faster than the previously estimated cooling rate of LEW86010 [6] and in line with the textural evidence of both meteorites. The Fe/Mg zoning profile of LEW87051 olivine also suggests fractional crystallization as a closed system. Several olivines in LEW87051 have been pointed out to have relict cores [7,8]. Microprobe analysis of these olivines reveals that more Mg-rich olivine has larger core area. This fact supports the hypothesis that these are relict grains which survived the melting stage. The outer part of them would simultaneously crystallize with other porphyritic olivines without the relict core, because both show similar zoning profiles and their compositions are nearly identical.


This paper presents a new elliptical structure detection method, combining the advantages of the multiscale Hessian, and the scale space Radon transform (SSRT) for an ellipse. The advantage of the former is twofold: highlighting the lines defining the ellipses present in the image and reducing the search space for these ellipses in the SSRT space, which will discard the false SSRT maxima. The subsequent application of the SSRT permits, in turn, to alleviate the computation load and to obtain, moreover, a good detection of thick ellipses when they are not threadlike. Experiments carried out on synthetic and real images have shown good detection of thick ellipses, with low computational overhead compared to the Elliptical Radon transform.


This report contains the results of hydraulic testing and monitoring, geophysical logging, and water analysis of test well USW H-5, one of a group of test wells drilled in the vicinity of Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy to investigate the suitability of the area to store and isolate high-level radioactive waste. The test well was drilled to a depth of 1,219 meters; all rocks penetrated are of volcanic origin and of Tertiary age. Depth to water in the test well was 704 meters; the hydraulic head had no measurable variation with depth below land surface; altitude of the water surface was about 774 meters above sea level. Production during hydraulic testing of the test well was about 10 liters per second. The Bullfrog Member of the Crater Flat Tuff, which ranged in depth from 690 to 836 meters, has the most permeable zone penetrated by the test well; this zone yielded about 90 percent of the water during pumping. The Tram Member of the Crater Flat Tuff, ranging in depth from 836 to 1,040 meters, and an unnamed dacitic (?) lava, from 1,043 meters to total depth, yielded minor quantities of water. Drawdown response to pumping was consistent with two alternative conceptual models. Use of a model for an unconfined, anisotropic aquifer indicated transmissivity is about 35 meters squared per day. Use of a finite-conductivity, vertical-fracture model indicated that fracture conductivity may be large and nonradial flow responses need to be considered. Chemical character of water from the test well was typical of that from tuffaceous rocks in southern Nevada; dissolved solids were about 200 milligrams per liter. Carbon-14 activity of the water was 21.4 percent of modern, yielding an apparent age of 12,400 years before present. Manuscript approved for publication September 14, 1988 INTRODUCTION The U.S. Geological Survey has been condu Mountain, Nevada, to determine the hydrologic site for storage of high-level nuclear waste i tory. These investigations are part of the Yu the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigation ducted in cooperation with the U.S. Department Office, under Interagency Agreement DE-AI08-78] a principal method of investigation. This repi hydraulic testing of test well USW H-5. Test well USW H-5 is in Nye County, Nev., Vegas in the southern part of the State (fig. 233,661 m and E. 170,358 m in the Nevada State (lat 36°51'22 tf N.; long 116°27 I 55" E.), is on forming Yucca Mountain. Altitude of the Tand 1,478.5 m above sea level. ting investigations at Yucca nd geologic suitability of the , an underground mined reposica Mountain Project, formerly project, and are being conof Energy, Nevada Operations T44802. Test drilling has been rt presents the results of about 140 km northwest of Las ). The site, located at N. Coordinate System Central Zone op of the principal ridge ;urface at the well site is Data from the drilling, testing, and monitoring of the test well were included in a report by Bentley and others (19J here, were analyzed and interpreted in this in\ 3). The data, repeated in part 'estigation. The test well was nd lava of Tertiary age. drilled to a total depth of 1,219 m into tuff Hydraulic tests were conducted after the test veil had been drilled to total depth, cased to a depth of 790 m, and perforated below 704 m; depth to water was about 704 m. Drilling of the test well began on May 19, 1982; total depth of 1,219 m was reached on June 23, 1982, and testing was completed by August 1, 1982. The rotary-drilling fluid was air foam, consisting of air, detergent, and water. Well construction is shown in figure 2. Maximum borehole deviation from vertical was l°45 f ; this deviation and the figure 3 were derived from a gyroscopic survey. be subtracted to obtain true depths from measured depths; this factor ranges from 0.08 m near the water table to 0.14 m near test well at total depth is about 13 m southwest of the surface location. A summary of operations and borehole report by Fenix & Scisson, Inc., 1 Mercury, Nev. Department of Energy), September 3, 1982, is horizontal drift shown in A correction factor needs to total depth of the well. The conditions, part of an administrative (consultant to the U.S. here: presented 762 mm (30") casing was set at 11.6 m (33') in a 914 mm (36") hole drilled to 11.6 m (38') with conventional circulation using water. The annul us was cemented to surface iii 3 stages with 5.61 m3 (198 ft3 ) of cement slurry. Calculated annular volume was 2.35 m3 (83 ft3 ). 508 mm (20") hole was drilled to 94.8 m (311') using air foam. Caliper, induction and formation density logs were run 05-25-82. The average curve on the caliper log indicated hole erosion from 14.3 m (47') to 63.4 m (208') 1Use of firm or trade names in this report only and does not constitute endorsement by the with maximum hole is for identification purposes U.S. Geological Survey. 36*45' A / ^-UE-25b#1 :* /NEVADA USWH-4 TEST Amargosa Valley (Lathrop Wells) Base from U.S. Geological Survey 1:250000, Death Valley. California and Nevada, 1970 10 15 KILOMETERS


The equilibrium geometries, binding energies, electronic structure, and magnetic properties of small stoichiometric MnO clusters are presented for the first time. The results are based on first-principles self-consistent calculations performed within the framework of density functional theory and the generalized gradient approximation. The nature of bonding between manganese and oxygen atoms is partly ionic. The charge transfer between Mn and O atoms, as well as the average Mn−O bond distance, remains insensitive to cluster size. However, the magnetic properties of these clusters exhibit very unusual characteristics. In contrast to their bulk behavior, the small clusters of MnO are ferromagnetic with magnetic moments per MnO molecule varying between 4 and 5 μB. Almost all of these moments are localized at the Mn site. The (MnO)8 cluster exhibits magnetic bistability, with ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic configurations being nearly degenerate. The structural growth of these clusters also differs substa...


The dynamics of H2O, CO2, and glycine (GLY) colliding with highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) have been explored with beam-surface scattering techniques and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations that were carried out using a reactive force field. A supersonic, continuous molecular beam containing H2O, CO2, and GLY with incidence translational energies of 38.9, 87.5, and 149.5 kJ mol–1, respectively, was directed at an HOPG surface held at a temperature of 677 K. Angular and translational energy distributions of the inelastically scattered molecules were derived from time-of-flight distributions collected with a rotatable mass spectrometer employing electron bombardment ionization. The experimental results indicated that H2O and CO2 retained their incident parallel energy during the gas–surface interaction. The scattering dynamics of GLY were more complicated, as a substantial fraction of the molecules exchanged a significant amount of energy during the gas–surface interaction but did not come into th...


This study examined the effects of performance information from the ratee's coworker both on rater's perceptions of the information and ratings of the ratee's performance. As part of a managerial role-play exercise, subjects were required to rate an employee's performance. Audiotaped interactions of the ratee and customers were manipulated to reflect either good or poor performance. In addition, the ratee's coworker provided performance information which varied on (a) who was the initiator of the report and (b) the favorability of the information. Results revealed that while performance information from the ratee's coworker did not significantly affect ratings of performance when it was consistent with the rater's direct observations, ratings were affected when the information from a coworker was inconsistent with the rater's direct observations even though the information from a coworker was perceived as less accurate and of less use. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In this paper, optimization and verification of the current-mode multiple-valued digit ORNS arithmetic circuits are presented. The multiple-valued digit ORNS is the redundant number system using digit values in the multiple-valued logic and it realizes the full-parallel calculation without any ripple carry propagation. First, the 4-bit addition and multiplication algorithms employing the multiple-valued digit ORNS are optimized through logic-level analyses. In the multiplier, the maximum digit value and the number of modulo operations in series are successfully reduced from 49 to 29 and from 3 to 2, respectively, by the arrangement of addition lines. Next, circuit components such as a current mirror are verified using HSPICE. The proposed switched current mirror which has functions of a current mirror and an analog switch is effective to reduce the minimum operation voltage by about 0.13 volt. Besides an ordinary strong-inversion region, the circuit components operated under the weak-inversion region show good simulation results with the unit current of 10 nanoamperes, and it brings both of the lower power dissipation and the stable operation under the lower supply voltage.


Several herpes-like virus infections have been reported since 1991 among different bivalve species around the world (Nicolas et al., 1992; Comps and Cochennec, 1993; Renault et al., 1994; Hine and Thome, 1997; Hine 1997). To date, detection of these infections has been strongly correlated with severe losses of oyster larvae and spat. The virus infections are currently diagnosed by laborious histologicai and transmission electron microscopical examinations. These techniques, however, facilitate neither rapid diagnosis nor the ability to analyse large sample numbers.


Th is article presents a qualitative study of the experiences of a sample of Afghan refugees who have settled in Canada. Using Anthony Giddens's concepts of structure and agency, the author analyzes interview data to explore how the respondents express their agency within the structural constraints of refugee life. In light of the research fi ndings, it is argued that Afghan refugees form a diverse and heterogeneous population, in stark contrast to the essentialized and homogenous portrayals of silent, suff ering victims of circumstance as found in popular media and policy discourse.


"Spatial Information and Digital Technology" is a new specialty,which belongs to the domain of Surveying and Mapping,and is outside the national college and university undergraduate catalogue.This new major is confronted with great pressure in terms of its survivorship and the employment of the students.From the perspective of the development of the discipline and market demand,this paper aims to show that the key issues for the sustainable development of the specialty include the further identification of specialty orientation,the perfection of the training scheme and the practice teaching system,the enhancement of the teaching force and the students' innovative ability,the expansion of the supporting system of the discipline,and the improvement of teaching quality and market competitiveness.


Poor error-tolerance and polynomial taps restriction are the main issues of Walsh Hadamard Transform estimation method. This article is devoted to these issues and a novel soft fast PN sequence estimation algorithm based on weighting Walsh Hadamard Transform is proposed. Firstly, the theoretical analysis about error-tolerance likelihood bound of sequence hard-decision and restrictive factor of estimation polynomial taps is performed. Based on the analysis, the sequence soft information is introduced into sequence frequency-coefficient to improve estimation performance, and the Walsh Hadamard matrix is column-weighted to change its binary property, which can decrease the influence of polynomial taps to estimation performance. Meanwhile, the sequence control state is chosen to decrease the estimation polynomial taps in essence. Simulation results illustrate that our proposed method is irrelevant with the order and tap of generation polynomial and can yield a performance gain of more than 1.5dB compared to WHT.


In this paper a simple fusion experiment for the production and control do deuterium-tritium-ignited plasmas for scientific study is considered. The basic elements of fusion product alpha-particle containment is rather high even with the assumption of significant levels of toroidal asymmetries. Production of thermally stable plasmas is possible because of the low-beta thermal damping provided by electron cyclotron emission. The stability of internal kink modes, high-number ballooning modes, and toroidicity-induced shear Alfven eigen-modes is investigated in the presence of fusion alpha particles. These modes can be either stable or unstable depending on the selected operational regime at ignition.


This guide includes the summer 2016 reading assignment for all Newington High School students as well as resources for choosing a great book. Additional assignments for students entering grade 9.


Governing through Standards: An Introduction S.Ponte, P.Gibbon & J. Vestergaard The Rise of Banking Standards and Their Limits K.Young The New Standard in Banking Regulation -From Basel II to Basel III M.Hojland & J.Vestergaard Reforming Global Banking Standards: Back to the Future? R.Lall Moving Beyond Nuts and Bolts: The Complexities of Governing a Global Profession through International Standards C.Humphrey & A.Loft On the Pre-history of ISO 9000: The Making of a Neo-liberal Standard P.Gibbon & L.Henriksen ISO 26000, Alternative Standards, and the 'Social Movement of Engineers' Involved with Standard-Setting C.N.Murphy & J.Yates Standard-setting, Certifying and Benchmarking: A Governmentality Approach to Sustainability Standards in the Agro-Food Sector M.Djama, E.Fouilleux & I.Vagneron Multi-stakeholder Initiatives for Sustainable Agriculture: The Limits of the 'Inclusiveness' Paradigm E.Cheyns Competition, 'Best Practices' and Exclusion in the Market for Social and Environmental Standards S.Ponte & L.Riisgaard The Local Instrumentality of Global Standards: How Mexican Indigenous Communities Use FSC Certification to Foster a Furniture Production Network D.Klooster Conclusion: The Current Status, Limits and Future of 'Governing through Standards' S.Ponte, P.Gibbon & J.Vestergaard


Abstract Introduction Significant changes to sleep occur during perinatal periods. Existing research focuses on sleep duration and quality, but not sleep timing or chronotype. This study investigated change trajectories of sleep timing and chronotype from late pregnancy to two years postpartum, and examined associations between chronotype and insomnia, sleep-related impairment, and mood at seven different perinatal time-points. Methods Data were from a 2-arm randomised controlled trial testing behavioural sleep and diet interventions. A community sample of nulliparous females without severe sleep/mental health conditions participated. Participants self-reported bedtime, rise-time, chronotype (short Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire), Insomnia Severity Index, and PROMIS Depression, Anxiety, and Sleep-Related Impairment over seven time points: gestation weeks 30 and 35, and postpartum months 1.5, 3, 6, 12 and 24. Results 163 participants (mean age 33.4±3.4 years) took part. Mixed effects models adjusting for age and group allocation showed that both bed- and rise-times became progressively earlier by approximately 20–30 minutes over time (p<.001); chronotype shifted progressively towards more morningness (p<.01). After adjusting for covariates (sleep duration and efficiency, mental health history, social support, age, group allocation), greater morningness was significantly associated with lower symptoms of insomnia and sleep-related impairment over time (p-values<.001); at each time-point, associations between chronotype and symptoms of depression and anxiety were non-significant (p-values>0.65). Conclusions Sleep timing and chronotype became progressively earlier over the first two postpartum years. Greater morningness was associated with less sleep complaints and sleep-related daytime impairment during the postpartum period. The mechanisms of these findings may be investigated through further research.


Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (Walhi) of East Java noted that 30% of forest in East Java is deforested every year due to land conversion, illegal logging, fire, and erosion. In fact, East Java has a legal policy in the form of local regulations that have a spirit against deforestation. However, the policy of such law substantially contains problematics, for example, the equation of formulation of criminal acts with the Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 18 of 2013 on Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction, which resulted in the regional regulations will be ruled out. Therefore, this conceptual study offers an idea of the need for an update to the criminalization policy on deforestation in the local regulation. In the future, the criminalization policy on deforestation in regional regulations in East Java should contain specific and unregulated formulations of criminal acts in the law, for example, prohibit any form of action that results in the capacity of communities to participate in the prevention and eradication of deforestation practices.


A semiconductor package, an electronic device including the same, and a manufacturing method of a semiconductor package are provided to simplify a process of a semiconductor package by performing only one encapsulation process and only one via process after mounting a plurality of semiconductor chips in a carrier. A first semiconductor chip(110) is mounted on a carrier(102). The first semiconductor chip is encapsulated by a first insulation film. A part of each semiconductor chip is exposed by forming a first via inside the first insulation film. A first conductive pattern is filled in the first via, and is connected to each semiconductor chip. An external terminal(160) is connected to the first conductive pattern. A second semiconductor chip(120) is smaller than the first semiconductor chip, and is laminated on a central part of the first semiconductor chip.


The ITEA project MAGELLAN involves the efficient combination of application-layer adaptation and end-to-end network management, taking into account the required quality of service (QoS) level needed for video content delivery. While MAGELLAN focused on gamingon-demand services, similar solutions can be imagined for video-streaming applications such as high-definition TV-on-demand services over IP TV networks.


In the development of organic reference materials, a purity evaluation by the freezing point depression method, which is regarded as one of primary methods of measurement, is used to ensure traceability to the International System of Units (SI). However, because this method is difficult to apply to some organic compounds, a subtraction method based on chromatographic techniques under ISO Guide 35 : 2006 was developed for purity evaluation. The subtraction method was based on subtracting every impurity detected from 1. Since the detection of every impurity is impossible, validation of the subtraction method is necessary. To validate our subtraction method based on chromatographic techniques, the purities of 4-n-nonylphenol, 4-n-heptylphenol, and 2,4-dichlorophenol were determined using both the subtraction and freezing point depression methods, and then compared. The purities obtained by the subtraction method were comparable, within the range of uncertainties, to the purities determined using the freezing point depression method. Moreover, validation of our subtraction method was confirmed using international comparisons, which play an important role in ensuring mutual recognition of national reference materials, related to purity evaluation. Therefore, these data suggest that our subtraction method used for purity evaluation of alkylphenols is a reliable technique.


Ezine cheese is a nonstarter and long-ripened cheese produced in the Mount of Ida region of Çanakkale, Turkey, with a protected designation of origin (PDO) status. The nonstarter fermented foods serve as sources for the isolation of novel strains. The present study aimed to report the novelty of the bacteriocinogenicEnterococcus lactisPMD74 strain and thein vitroassessment of its potential as a probiotic candidate. Additionally, the present study aimed to describe the technological and safety-related properties of the aforementioned strain. The strain exhibited high viability at pH 3.0, in the presence of pepsin, pancreatin, and bile salts (0.3% and 0.5%), and considerable survival passage through the stimulated digestion tests. The strain PMD74 exhibited substantial autoaggregative (41%) and coaggregative properties, which increased as a function of time. The highest coaggregation percentage was obtained withSalmonella entericaserotype Typhimurium SL1344 (23%), followed byStaphylococcus aureusATCC 6538 (10.3%) andEscherichia coliATCC 26922 (7.4%), respectively. The strain PMD74 was able to inhibit the growth of a number of Gram-positive bacteria, includingListeria monocytogenes,Lactobacillus sake,Staphylococcus aureus, andE. faecalis. The antimicrobial activity of the proteinaceous compound was calculated as 6400 AU·mL−1by the critical dilution method againstE. faecalisATTC 29212.γ-Hemolytic PMD74 was observed to be sensitive to vancomycin, ampicillin, penicillin, gentamicin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and tylosin. Among the four genes tested,E. lactisPMD74 was observed to be positive for three virulence determinants,ace,sprE, andgelE, and negative foresp. The amino acid decarboxylase activities were detected negative for histidine, tyrosine, and ornithine.E. lactisPMD74 was classified as a low acidifier, which suggested its possible role as an adjunct culture.E. lactisPMD74 exhibited considerable survival ability (8.86 log CFU·mL−1) in the acidic condition of fermented milk for a four-week-long storage period.


In vitro developmental competences of post thaw vitrified bovine cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were studied. Good qualities COCs were cryopreserved using vitrification solution comprising of 15 or 20% ethylene glycol (EG) + 15% or 20% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) + 0.6 M sucrose in tissue culture medium 199 (TCM199) with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). Immediately they were plunged in LN2 for ultrarapid freezing using open pulled straw. Thawing and dilution were made stepwise. Post thaw normal vitrified and non vitrified oocytes were subjected to in vitro maturation and fertilization. The performance in respect of post thaw survivality and in vitro maturation on the basis of cumulus cell expansion was more than 80%. In comparison, the non-vitrified COCs group, in vitro maturation performance was 93.12%. The in vitro fertilization performances of vitrified immature and mature post thaw oocytes were recorded as 50.65% and 56.16% with 17.95% and 19.51% of blastocysts formation, respectively. Ultra rapid freezing protocol using vitrification with open pulled straw technique i.e. 7.5 or 10% EG + 7.5 or 10% DMSO for equilibration at room temperature for 3 min and 15 or 20% EG + 15 or 20% DMSO + 0.6M sucrose as vitrification solution within 1 min, on immature bovine oocyte yielded acceptable in vitro oocyte growth and embryonic development.


Improving water management in water stressed‐regions requires reliable seasonal precipitation predication, which remains a grand challenge. Numerous statistical and dynamical model simulations have been developed for predicting precipitation. However, both types of models offer limited seasonal predictability. This study outlines a hybrid statistical‐dynamical modeling framework for predicting seasonal precipitation. The dynamical component relies on the physically based North American Multi‐Model Ensemble (NMME) model simulations (99 ensemble members). The statistical component relies on a multivariate Bayesian‐based model that relates precipitation to atmosphere‐ocean teleconnections (also known as an analog‐year statistical model). Here the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI), and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) are used in the statistical component. The dynamical and statistical predictions are linked using the so‐called Expert Advice algorithm, which offers an ensemble response (as an alternative to the ensemble mean). The latter part leads to the best precipitation prediction based on contributing statistical and dynamical ensembles. It combines the strength of physically based dynamical simulations and the capability of an analog‐year model. An application of the framework in the southwestern United States, which has suffered from major droughts over the past decade, improves seasonal precipitation predictions (3–5 month lead time) by 5–60% relative to the NMME simulations. Overall, the hybrid framework performs better in predicting negative precipitation anomalies (10–60% improvement over NMME) than positive precipitation anomalies (5–25% improvement over NMME). The results indicate that the framework would likely improve our ability to predict droughts such as the 2012–2014 event in the western United States that resulted in significant socioeconomic impacts.


Machine maintenance is a critical task to assure operations' efficiency, reliability, and safety. As manufacturing becomes more globalized, the challenge is how to leverage information technologies to sustain high-quality and just-in,-time maintenance services to global facilities.
 This paper introduces a methodology for implementing a teleservice engineering system. This methodology provides manufacturers with a multi-level systematic framework to monitor any highly complex manufacturing system such as a distributed automated storage and retrieval or materials handling system.


This article identifies three ways in which alternative dispute resolution (ADR) innovations are adopted by organizations in Ireland: improvisation, incrementalism and strategy, and examines how external and internal influences shape different patterns of ADR innovation. The article contributes to the literature in three ways. First, it highlights the limitations of typologies of innovation based on simple dichotomies, such as reactive/proactive and of prevailing understandings of how ADR may interact with strategy. Second, the article develops an integrated framework for the analysis of influences on patterns of innovation that distinguishes between the features of markets and commercial strategies, organizations, stakeholders and champions and institutions, laws and public policies. Third, the article questions the central premise underlying the literature that a strategic approach to ADR equates with the adoption of conflict management systems.


Generally, commodity prices immediately after harvest tend to be low because of supply glut and rise over time away from harvest as supply shrinks and demand remains virtually unchanged. Unfortunately, because many Malawian farmers do not have effective storage, they do not have any commodity for sale when prices are high. To help improve the income Malawian farmers may generate from their activities, this thesis explored the feasibility of hybridizing the two forms of price risk management systems in Malawi to minimize their individual weaknesses and enhance their collective benefits. The two risk management systems are forward contracts and warehouse receipt systems. Forward contracts allow farmers and their buyers to agree on a future delivery date and commodity price. On the agreed date, the farmer delivers the commodity and receives the agreed price. It allows farmers to pass downward price risk to buyers and guarantees a fixed price. As private transactions, forward contracts are not regulated by the Government, and present opportunism and enforcement challenges. Warehouse Receipt System (WRS) enables farmers to deposit their crop in the care of a warehouse operator and sell the crop when and where they choose. Farmers, therefore, incur both upside and downside price movement but avoid some of the opportunism and enforcement challenges presented by forward contracts. The thesis explored the net benefits of developing a hybrid system that allow forward contracts with warehouse receipt enforcement mechanisms. Thus, farmers are guaranteed a minimum price at some future date and the deposited commodity is used as the security supporting the guaranteed minimum price. The buyer also deposits a performance bond as commitment to purchase the commodity. The costs associated with these transactions are real and could affect participation. The thesis provides a process for assessing these transaction costs and incorporating them into the effectiveness of forward contracts, warehouse receipt systems and the hybrid program. The mathematical model example has proved that the hybrid system guarantees a fixed margin to the farmer over and above the harvest price and WRS cost as opposed to fluctuating margins under WRS alone. The thesis has identified three factors that can lead to the successful implementation of this hybrid system in Malawi and they include: the availability of the warehouse receipt bill, reliable warehouse certification which is done by AHCX and ACE on third party warehouse operators; and the availability of performance guarantee assuring that the quantities and quality of goods match those specified by the warehouse receipt. The thesis has also identified two factors that could hinder a successful implementation of this hybrid program and they include: first, low scale of warehousing operations under WRS which could deny most farmers a chance to access and benefit from this hybrid sytem and the commodity exchanges may not benefit from the economies of scale provided by large volumes of commodities produced in rural areas. Second, the absence of a harmonized national grading standard which possess a challenge when engaging in international trade. Finally, the thesis has made three recommendations for the successful implementation of the hybrid program as follows: Taking the system close to the producers to mitigate potentially high transportation costs; educating and selling the system to the stakeholders to increase adoption rate; and push for the implementation of national standardized grading regulations. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................ viii Chapter I: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 1.1  Background and Problem Statement ......................................................................... 1 1.2  Research Question ..................................................................................................... 3 1.3  Research Objectives .................................................................................................. 3 Chapter II: Literature Review .............................................................................................. 5 2.1 Commodity Price Risk ............................................................................................. 5 2.2 Forward Contracts .................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Transaction costs in contracts .................................................................................. 9 2.3.1 Theoretical overview ........................................................................................... 9 2.3.2 Search and switching cost and the default option ............................................ 12 2.4 Market-supporting institutions ............................................................................... 13 2.5 Warehouse Receipt System .................................................................................... 16 2.5.1 Overview of Warehouse Receipt System ......................................................... 16 2.5.2 Meaning of WRS .............................................................................................. 17 2.5.3 Key players of WRS and their roles ................................................................. 18 2.5.4 Benefits of WRS ............................................................................................... 19 2.5.5 Key requirements to ensure a successful WRS ................................................ 20 2.6 Warehouse Receipt System in Malawi .................................................................. 22 2.6.1 Auction Holdings Commodities Exchange ...................................................... 23 2.6.2 Agriculture Commodity exchange for Africa (ACE) ...................................... 24 220.127.116.11 ACE Progress report ...................................................................................... 25 2.6.3 Summarized extract of the process for issuing and redeeming a WR ............. 28 2.6.4 Warehouse Receipts Bill ................................................................................... 29 2.7 Empirical Studies .................................................................................................. 31 Chapter III: Research Methods .......................................................................................... 34 3.1 Governance Mechanism of Forward Contracts and WRS in Malawi .................. 34 v 3.2 Transaction Costs and decisions in Forward Contracts ......................................... 34 3.2.1 Approach, techniques, and tools for data analysis ........................................... 34 3.2.2 Data .................................................................................................................... 35 3.3 Cost-benefit analysis of Warehouse Receipt System ............................................. 36 3.3.1 Data .................................................................................................................... 36 3.3.2 Approach, techniques, and tools for data analysis ........................................... 36 3.4 Hybridizing forward contracts and WRS ............................................................... 37 3.4.1 Approach and techniques .................................................................................. 37 Chapter IV: Results and Discussions ................................................................................ 38 4.1  Governance Mechanism of Forward Contracts in Malawi .................................... 38 4.2  Transaction Costs and decisions in Forward Contracts.......................................... 39 4.3  Governance and Operational Mechanism of WRS in Malawi ............................... 42 4.4  Cost-Benefit analysis of WRS ................................................................................ 44 4.4.1 Cost of WRS ...................................................................................................... 44 4.4.2 Price Movement of Soybeans ........................................................................... 46 4.4.3 Cost-Return structure of Warehouse Receipt System ...................................... 47 4.4.4 Sensitivity analysis on cost-return structure of WRS ...................................... 48 4.5 Hybridizing forward contracts and WRS ............................................................... 51 4.5.1 Mathematical Example of the Hybrid Risk Management Tool ....................... 55 Chapter V: Conlcusion and Recommendation ................................................................. 58 5.1 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 58 5.2 Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 60


This study purposes to consider Lawrence's demon, or the Holy Ghostthe essential self-which has assumed control of both art and life by the writing of Birds, Beasts and Flowers. Lawrence is obviously mythmaking when he introduces the demon(or the Holy Ghost) to explain the unconscious creative urge and give a name to the unknown, unique self that refuses conventional determination. The demon is the quintessential revolutionary who seeks always to overturn and renew life from beneath. The demon speaks in "The Revolutionary," in the guise of a blind Samson, who tugs at the pillars of "pale-face authority."
The emphasis in Birds, Beasts and Flowers falls upon an exploration of darkness―the darkness of underworld, the darkness of blindness and tactile sensibility, the darkness of womb and the tomb―this darkness is never treated as the whole of life: the seeds push up from the ground; Persephone returns from Hades; Dionysus becomes whole again; sunset yields to sunrise. As "Medlar and Sorb-Apples" indicated, the underworld is the realm of corruption, separation/division, decay, sexuality, and death―all conventional associations with the underworld and all generally viewed as evil within the Christian paradigm.
In "The Red Wolf", Lawrence comes face to face with the essential self, demon. What the speaker confronts in the desert twilight is himself as other. This primary confrontation unites him with his demonic self and through him with all creatures, represented totemically by the red wolf. Aware now of his true identity and accepting it, he acknowledges his role as a forerunner.


In this paper, characteristic wave speeds in the solar corona are made based on published models of a coronal hole and streamer. It is found that the Alfven speed varies from over 4000 km/s at the center of the coronal hole at 2.0 solar radii down to about 100 km/s in the center of the streamer at 5.0 solar radii. Taking into account the bias in the streamer model, a more realistic estimate of the minimum Alfven speed is 800 km/s at the same location. The sound speed lies between 100 and 200 km/s everywhere between 2.0 and 5.0 solar radii while the flow speed is generally less than the sound speed at 2.0 solar radii and greater than the sound speed at 5.0 solar radii.


A new method for the design of the optimal linear feedback control of the general bilinear system is presented. The design procedure is based on the method of successive approximations. The linear feedback control obtained stabilizes the closed loop system and minimizes a quadratic performance criterion.<<ETX>>


In the context of modern organizational theory many models and theories about how to make companies more competitive in the market, there appear terms maquilas or outsourcing, timeshare, and because the labor flexibility, given all them associated with human management department of business, but which is really the conception that the directors of these departments, what their intentions to implement these mechanisms and what are its consequences is what this project aims to show, for this study depth interview in 22 Colombian companies which aims to answer the question of what is the conception that human management areas of Colombian companies on labor flexibility and how is your application was performed ?


Along with the our city changes a process continues to accelerate,various city problems follow close on succession,among which the most prominent is a city traffic,and appeared the parking " a hard to find ".In order to solve this problems,with the advent of the era of Internet of things,we can all the technical application of the Internet of things,coupled with the government guidance,establish intelligent parking guidance system,make more efficient,more intelligent parking.


For the application of Miao and Dong silver production of folk anaglyph in class, it effectively promotes heritage and development of this material culture, and also makes it become the subject curriculum with local characteristics, and make the students understand our national culture, meanwhile, it improves the students' abilities of observation, thinking operation and their learning interest.


Archaeology
The transition into the New Stone Age, or Neolithic period, in Great Britain and Europe was characterized by a change from hunter-gatherers to farmers. However, the early stages of this transition are not well understood. Smith et al. studied archaeological remains at an 8000-year-old


The enthalpy,Gibbs free energy and equilibrium constants for the direct synthesis of ethylene glycol from synthesis gas were calculated.The temperature dependence of equilibrium constant was presented.It showed that Gibbs free energy is more than zero and the reaction is difficult when the temperature is above 345.7K.Low temperature and high pressure are favored to the reaction.The study results provided a theoretical basis for further research and development of this reaction process.


A past study by the authors proposed a method to estimate maritime freight flows using metric tons and the twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU). In order to clarify the accuracy of the estimation method, this paper describes the characteristic of the existing freight flow statistics shown in Japan, Indonesia and Hong Kong, and the characteristic of the estimation results for those three countries/regions. From the relation between the characteristic of statistics and the characteristic of estimation results, the authors show that the accuracy of the estimation results is not different from existing statistics.


We present an effective backhaul transport optimization algorithm for wireless networks and its implementations. The algorithm minimizes transport cost of wireless networks by multiplexing and chaining base transceiver stations (BTSs) to their base station controllers (BSCs) or switches. The algorithm guarantee certain level of network redundancy while minimizing transport cost. We assume that the locations of BTSs and BSCs are given, and the amount of traffic from each BTS is known. Upon this information the algorithm can determine the optimum chaining strategy among BTSs, MUX locations and the number of MUXs at each location, and the optimum connectivity scheme between BTS and MUX locations such that transport cost of the network is minimized. The implementations indicate that our optimization algorithm can significantly reduce backhaul cost of wireless networks with certain guarantees in network redundancy.


Objective To investigate the regulating effects of sericin on expression of extracellular matrix(ECM)related factors plateletderived growth factor(PDGF)and connective tissue growth factor(CTGF)in kidney of type 2 diabetes mellitus rats.Methods A total of 48 adult healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups(n =12):normal control group,diabetes mellitus model group,sericin treatment group and positive control group.Type 2 diabetes mellitus rat model was established by injecting streptozotocin into the peritoneal cavity continuously,and then the rats were respectively lavaged with sericin(2.4 g.kg-1.d-1)in sericin treatment group and metformin(55.33 mg.kg-1.d-1)in positive control group.The type Ⅰ collagen(Ⅰ-C)and fibronectin(FN)content in serum of rats were detected by ELISA.Western Blotting and RT-PCR were used to determine the expression of PDGF and CTGF in kidney.Results Compared with rats in diabetes mellitus model group,the 24 hours urine protein,Ⅰ-C and FN content in serum of rats in sericin treatment group was decreased obviously;the expression of PDGF and CTGF in rat kidney decreased significantly in sericin treatment group(P 0.01,P 0.05).Conclusion Sericin can recover the balance of ECM synthesis and degradation by down-regulation of the PDGF and CTGF expression in kidney of diabetes mellitus rats,which further delay the development of glomerulosclerosis and renal interstitial fibrosis and protect kidney injury during diabetes mellitus.


This paper mainly discusses the use of mutual information (MI) and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) for Uyghur Web text classification and digital forensics process of web text categorization: automatic classification and identification, conversion and pretreatment of plain text based on encoding features of various existing Uyghur Web documents etc., introduces the pre-paratory work for Uyghur Web text encoding. Focusing on the non-Uyghur characters and stop words in the web texts filtering, we put forward a Multi-feature Space Normalized Mutual Information (M-FNMI) algorithm and replace MI between single feature and category with mutual information (MI) between input feature combination and category so as to extract more accurate feature words; finally, we classify features with support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. The experimental result shows that this scheme has a high precision of classification and can provide criterion for digital forensics with specific purpose.


Of the soft tissue tumors, pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma is relatively common, similar to liposarcoma. We report the case of a patient who was pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma developed on the head. As soon as the tumor was removed, multiple tumors were recurred and died.Case: 66-year-old maleFeeling a lump under the skin on the top of his head, around December 1994, the patient consulted a dermatologist. A biopsy carried out January 1995 found no malignant image. The patient was referred to our department to have the lump removed as a corrective measure. At the time, the tumor measured 4cm by 4cm with a height of 2cm. It lacked elasticity and mobility. We performed an extended excision on March 7. At the pathological observations, the found tumor cells full of large, polymorphous and acidophilic cytoplasm. The tumor cells had clear of nucleolus and showed a positive reaction to desmin by special dyeing. The tumor was diagnosed as pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma. Despite postooperative chemical treatment, the tumor redeveloped 3 months later. It had developed in several points and spread to the lungs. The patient died of respiratory failure on June 22, 1996.


The plate and tube agglutination tests were evaluated for the diagnosis of experimentally induced Brucella abortus biotype 1 infection in 45 female, 6 to 10 months old Sprague- Dawley (SD) rats during the period from 2001 to 2002. These 45 rats were divided into two groups A and B, of which group A consisting of 27 rats used for experimental infection, whereas 18 rats of group B served as uninfected control. Each rat of group A was injected subcutaneously @ 1.0A—10 9 colony forming units (CFU) in 500 µl of bovine pathogenic strain of B. abortus biotype 1 suspension in physiological saline. The SD rats were monitored at regular intervals by serological and bacteriological methods. The reciprocal antibody titer was 1:400 through tube agglutination test (TAT) whereas it was 1:800 through plate agglutination (PAT) at first week of post-infection. There was no reciprocal antibody titer in sera of 24 weeks of post-infection both through PAT and TAT despite the presence of bacteremia and these tests were evaluated for the first time using sera from rat with brucellosis. PAT using B. abortus strain 1119-3 (S1119-3) whole cell antigen was a potential candidate as an improved diagnostic method for field diagnosis of brucellosis in wild animals. Key words: B. abortus biotype 1; plate and tube agglutination tests; Sprague-Dawley rats doi: 10.3329/bjvm.v2i1.1938 Bangl. J. Vet. Med . (2004). 2 (1) : 63-67


The potential impacts of a number of alternative scenarios for the development of standards for small wind energy conversion systems (SWECS) were analyzed. Because of the embryonic state of the SWECS industry, standards can play a particularly important role in affecting the course of SWECS commercialization. Past experience indicates that in order to be effective, such standards should be developed as the result of a consensus process, assimilating input from all concerned parties. The current status of efforts to develop voluntary consensus standards for SWECS is examined and the opinions of various affected groups and individuals with regard to SWECS standards are assessed. A methodology is presented for determining the impacts of six different types of SWECS standards written by four separate groups, or actors. As the result of this impact assessment, and the assigning of weights to the impacts of each standard, an optimum scenario is presented. The optimum scenario represents an effort to maximize the contribution of each actor in order to produce broad-based consensus standards. Finally, an implementation plan is suggested for the optimum scenario.


One of the important issues related to mosque architecture is the necessity of conveying high spiritual concepts to civilians through physical presence of a building with religious application. This issue emphasizes the importance of architectural form of mosques to transmit the religious concepts. Therefore, the purpose of mosques architecture is to convey a message and to have positive effects on cultural aspects. The present research as a case study has studied spatial architectural planning and theories. The location of study has been defined Mahdieh Mosques and Mahdieh bazaar located in a northern city of Iran called Roodsar. Generally, in every research some specific cases and stages should be studies carefully, and then based on achieved information, realities, needs and requests, a comprehensive research is represented. A research without focusing on the required studies is not thorough, then it does not have a proper application, therefore, at the end of this research the spatial planning of mosque and the relation of spaces together has been presented. Moreover, one of the influential factors on construction of an architectural element is the facilities and technologies available in a specific time; these facilities include building technology, materials and capabilities, and required foundations.


Abstract It is necessary to recover or process tritiated species that are extensively coexistent in nuclear fusion installations. A conventional way to recover tritium release to atmosphere is catalytic oxidation of tritiated species and adsorption of tritated water vapor on adsorbents with high surface areas. However, pressure loss would become more serious with increase in the size of adsorbent beds, which could lead to greater power needs for ventilation systems. Therefore, new adsorbents with low pressure loss and high surface areas need to be developed and utilized for such large-scale adsorption systems. Thus, the authors tested new types of adsorbents, which are gear-type and honeycomb-type pellet adsorbents. The experimental results reveal that the gear-type pellet adsorbents have larger adsorption capacity than the honeycomb-type pellet adsorbent. It was also found that the gear-type MS4A adsorbent possesses larger adsorption capacity than other adsorbents tested in this work. Furthermore, it was found that new types of adsorbents are lower pressure than conventional-type of adsorbents. Among the new adsorbents studied in this work, the gear-type MS4A adsorbent appears to be most promising for the application to the adsorption systems in terms of adsorption capacity and adsorption rate.


In order to accelerate an elimination of 239Pu from organism the 19 workers involved into plutonium production were treated by pentacyn and tetoxacyn. Intravenous injection of pentacyn (8-24 ml as a 10% solution) and tetoxacyn (10 ml as a 10% solution) was demonstrated to accelerate elimination of plutonium from human organism largely with urine. Pentacyn was a more effective and a less toxic preparation compared to tetoxacyn.


We consider the solution to large stochastic control problems by means of methods that rely on compact representations and a variant of the value iteration algorithm to compute approximate cost-togo functions. While such methods are known to be unstable in general, we identify a new class of problems for which convergence, as well as graceful error bounds, are guaranteed. This class involves linear parameterizations of the cost-to-go function together with an assumption that the dynamic programming operator is a contraction with respect to the Euclidean norm when applied to functions in the parameterized class. We provide a special case where this assumption is satisfied, which relies on the locality of transitions in a state space. Other cases will be discussed in a full length version of this paper.


In the article the problem of translation of synonymic terms in legal language is revealed. Some cases of synonymy in the French legal term system are considered. While translating it is important to take into consideration the plane of expression and that one of content of synonymic terms which helps to choose the most convenient term according to the context given.


Gluten free products were developed for celiac patients substituting the wheat four and semolina with oats, sorghum, soya flour, rice flour, urad dal and besan and were organoleptically evaluated. Data revealed that pancake was highly acceptable at 20 per cent level of oats, scoring 7.5 for taste and overall acceptability. Dalia was highly acceptable at 35 per cent level of oats and sorghum scoring 8.0 for both taste and overall acceptability. Missi roti was moderately acceptable at 40 per cent level of oats scoring 7.04 and 7.05 for taste and overall acceptability. In pancake and missi roti sorghum was acceptable at 20 per cent level. The control and the most acceptable test sample were analysed for proximate composition. The highest moisture and ash content was found in dalia 5.7% per cent and 4.45 % respectively followed by missi roti (4.0 %, 1.8 %) and pancake (2.7 %, 0.99 %). Protein, fibre and energy content was highest in dalia 15.31 %, 6.65 % and 512 kcal respectively followed by pancake (15.02 %, 5.0 % and 442 kcal) and missi roti (7.88 %, 2.9 % and 404 kcal). Highest fat content was found in pancake (15.8 %) followed by missi roti (7.6 %) and dalia (4.5 %).


Inspired by experimental observations of spatially ordered growth hillocks on the (001) surfaces of natural graphite crystals, a mechanism for spatial organization in quantum dot self-assembly is proposed. The regular arrangement of steps from a screw dislocation-generated growth spiral provides the overall template for such ordering. An ordered array of quantum dots may be formed or nucleated from impurities driven to the step corners by diffusion and by their interactions with the spiral's steps and kinks. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of a solid-on-solid model supports the feasibility of such a mechanism.


When long rails are laid at night, it is customary to bring them to the set temperature by using a rail heater after they are laid. This process requires a great deal of labor and expense. This study was performed in an effort to develop a process which would permit the simultaneous heating and laying of the rails. The report describes the process and discusses its effects and advantages.


in patients with clinical clues suggested by the history, physical examination, and routine laboratory testing. Hyperreninemia is a characteristic finding, and acute blockade of the renin system forms the basis of diagnostic tests such as the oral captopni test and captopnl renography. Other abnormal laboratory findings include hypokalemia, proteinuria, and azotemia exacerbated by angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors.


OBJECTIVE
The impact of heavier weight of resected thyroid specimen on postoperative morbidity after total thyroidectomy for multinodular benign goitre remains unclear.

METHODS
Data from the prospective StuDoQ|thyroid registry of the German Society of General and Visceral Surgery were analysed regarding the weight of the resected thyroid specimen and perioperative morbidity (vocal cord palsy, haemorrhage, surgical site infection and hypocalcaemia). To achieve a homogeneous patient population only patients with total thyroidectomy for multinodular benign goitre were included.

RESULTS
7911 patients from 105 departments underwent total thyroidectomy for benign conditions (January 2017-July 2020). The median resected weight of the thyroid specimen in all patients was 53 g (IQR 32-92). In 1732 patients the specimen weight exceeded 100 g. Intraoperative neuromonitoring was used in 99.5% of patients. Postoperative laryngoscopy revealed vocal cord dysfunction in 480 of 15822 (3.03%) nerves at risk (NAR), with unilateral dysfunction in 454 (2.87 %) patients and bilateral dysfunction in 13 patients (0.08%). In multivariable analysis a thyroid weight > 100 g was an independent predictor of early postoperative vocal cord dysfunction (OR 1.462, 95% CI 1.108-1.930, p=0.007).Heavier (>100 g) thyroid weight was an independent predictor of surgical site infection (OR 1.861, 95% CI 1.203-2.880, p=0.005) and also predicted postoperative haemorrhage in the univariate analysis (OR 1.723, 95% CI 1.027-2.889, p=0.039). On the contrary, postoperative parathyroid function was not affected.

CONCLUSIONS
Heavier (>100 g) resected thyroid weight independently predicts higher postoperative morbidity, including early vocal cord palsy and surgical site infection after total thyroidectomy for benign multinodular goitre.


The aim of this paper is to focus on special items of research and development (R&D) areas in which Taisei Corporation (Japan) is active, to discuss some of the issues involved in automation research and the importance of information management in automation and robotics, and to delve into the possible future of construction robotics and automation. In the first section the authors break automation and robotics down into four levels: simple mechanization, robots, mechanized construction systems, and fully automated construction. Each is discussed separately and, with the exception of fully automated construction, examples of R&D in each category are described. The second section describes information-integrated construction (IIC), which can be defined as the use of computer technology to collect, store, manipulate, enhance, and display construction information and expertise as a way to streamline the construction process.


The simplest means of intensifying the contrast of the microscopic image of unstained specimens consists in reducing the aperture of the microscope condenser diaphragm as far as is consistent with the simultaneously decreasing intensity of illumination. The gain in contrast is, to be sure, not very great; in many cases it is even quite inadequate. Moreover, the decrease in the condenser aperture brings about


The INK4A gene, localized to human chromosome 9p21, encodes p16INK4A, a tumor suppressor that functions at least in part through the inhibition of CDK4, a cyclin‐dependent kinase encoded by a gene at 12q13. To examine INK4A gene alterations in uncultured samples of osteosarcoma and the relationship between INK4A and CDK4 alterations, we analyzed the INK4A and CDK4 genes in 87 specimens from 79 patients. INK4A deletion and CDK4 gene amplification were determined by quantitative Southern blot analysis. INK4A exon 2 was screened for mutation by polymerase chain reaction and single‐strand conformational polymorphism analysis. Methylation at the CpG island in INK4A, associated with loss of p16INK4A expression, was assessed by Southern blot analysis using methylation‐sensitive restriction enzymes. INK4A deletion (4/55) or rearrangement (1/55) was found in 5 of 55 cases. No INK4A exon 2 point mutations and methylation were detected. CDK4 gene amplification was found in 6 of 67 samples, but not in tumors with INK4A alteration. Amplification analysis of other genes at 12q13 (GLI, CHOP, HMGI‐C and MDM2) in these 6 cases supports the view that CDK4 and MDM2 are independent targets for amplification, with variable amplification of the intervening region containing HMGI‐C. Of 46 patients studied for both INK4A alterations and CDK4 amplification, the tumors in 22% contained one or the other. The prevalence of these alterations, in conjunction with the reported inactivation of RB in up to 80% of cases, suggests that genetic lesions deregulating the G1 to S cell cycle checkpoint may be an almost constant feature in the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma. Int. J. Cancer 80:199–204, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This exhibit represents part of the work of the Department of Zoology in the past 5 years, and others who have contributed to it are F. Matsumura, Z. H. Abedi, T. Kimura, P. G. Fast, J. G. Towgood, J. N. Telford and N. H. Khan. The work with the mosquito Aedes aegypti has involved study of 8 susceptible strains. The mechanism of DDT-resistance has been found to be associated with its detoxication by an enzymic process of dehydrochlorination to DDE; the amount of DDE produced has been found to be directly proportional to the resistance level, both by experiments with larvae in vivo and with larval homogenates incubated with DDT and glutathione in vitro. A secondary resistance mechanism in American strains has been a very pronounced secretion and excretion of peritrophic membrane by the larvae.


Background and purpose: We report on the accuracy of MOSFET detectors to measure dose distributions in the region of a field junction in a split beam technique, compared to ionisation chamber and photographic film. We present a study on 5 patients receiving loco-regional treatment for breast cancer. Materials and methods: The dose variation at the junction was measured with the Patient Dose Verification System Model TN-RD-50 (MOSFET system). Phantom measurements were performed to investigate the MOSFET accuracy in a half field matching method and the influence of factors related to the accelerator. The aim of the patient measurements was to determine the effect of patient related factors on the dose at the junction over a period of 10 irradiation fractions. Results: The MOSFET detector overestimates the dose in the junction area, therefore a correction factor was determined to correct the MOSFET results. Phantom measurements showed overdosages as well as underdosages, depending on the matching field direction (X or Y). Patient measurements showed dose values that deviated up to 133 % ± 3 % (2SD). The average values of 10 irradiation sessions showed a continuous, almost linear, variation of dose value across the junction. Conclusions: (1) Significant dose deviations in the junction area average out over repeated treatments; (2) One individual measurement in the junction area should not lead to any action; (3) A linac QA procedure to check the dose at the junction line should simulate the clinical situation sufficiently; (4) MOSFET dosimeters overestimate dose values in the penumbra region. Thesis_Bloemen_v07.pdf 30 23-7-2009 16:23:00 Split beam technique 31


Multinationals' global footprints reflect their motives for operating in multiple countries, for bringing activities within firm boundaries, and their decisions to enter via acquisition or via greenfield investment. Researchers have used data about firms' entry and expansion decisions to reveal firms' motives. A common approach is to relate parent firm choices to observed variation in the host country characteristics that attract some types of investment but repel others. Parent firm attributes have been shown to interact with host country factors, and new evidence from Eastern Europe suggests firm-specific information frictions shape MNCs market entry decisions when controlling for host country factors. ∗We thank Siqin Ding and Camin McCluskey for excellent research assistance, and Paul Horsler and Tommaso Sonno for helpful advice about data availability.


Ten more chromones containing both 2,2-dimethylchromen and 2-methylchromone entities, all derivatives of 5,7-dihydroxy-2-methylchromone, have been isolated from Spathelia sorbifoliaL. and characterised. These are allopteroxylin (6), spatheliachromen (9), spatheliabischromen (4), methylallopteroxylin (8), methylsorbifolin (2), methylisospatheliachromen (19), anhydrosorbifolin (33). 6-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)allopteroxylin (28), 10-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)spatheliachromen (21), and 10-(3-methylbut-2-enoyl)spatheliachromen (23). Sorbifolin (1) has been synthesised via the reaction of singlet oxygen with the acetate of (28).


Substituent effects on the 1H and 13C chemical shifts of (Z)‐N‐(o‐hydroxybenzylidene)‐p‐X‐phenylamine N‐oxides [(Z)‐α‐(o‐hydroxyphenyl)‐N‐p‐X‐phenyl nitrones] and (Z)‐N‐(2‐hydroxy‐1‐naphthylmethylene)‐p‐X‐phenylamine N‐oxides [(Z)‐α‐(2‐hydroxy‐1‐naphthyl)‐N‐p‐X‐phenyl nitrones] have been obtained. A combination of SFDOR and NOE methods was necessary for complete assignment of signals in the naphthalene series. Correlations have been found between the chemical shifts of various protons and carbons and Hammett o‐ parameters and Swain and Lupton F and R parameters. With both series of compounds a fixed conformation, due to intramolecular hydrogen bonding, is observed which affects the polarity of the nitrone group compared with that in α,N‐diphenyl nitrone. Reduced through‐resonance between aryl rings via the nitrone function was found. This may be attributed to the α‐aryl ring and the nitrone group being held out of coplanarity by the hydrogen bond.


Water balance models have been used to examine trends in the level of Lake Victoria over this century. A monthly model developed in a previous study for the period 1925 to 1978 has been improved and the simulation period extended to 1990. Also, an annual model has been used to extend the water balance back to the start of the century. The simulations confirm the results from previous studies which showed that the observed variations in lake level can be explained primarily in terms of natural variations in rainfall over the lake and surrounding basin. An idealized interpretation of these variations is presented which illustrates the long response time of this large lake and which is used to speculate on the likely future behaviour of the lake.


A model for current-hadronic interactions is constructed which satisfies (a) Mandelstam analyticity, (b) crossing symmetry, (c) scale invariance in the deep-inelastic region, (d) Regge behavior in all channels, (e) resonance poles in the unphysical sheet, (d) generalized vector-meson dominance, and (g) SU(3) structure of the currents. There is a fixed pole in the charged photon-proton scattering amplitude, so please delete the above abstract no. 22545====


[Purpose] To investigate the expression of Livin protein and CXCR4 protein in lung cancer tissues and para-cancerous tissues,and their relationship.[Methods] Expression of Livin protein and CXCR4 protein was detected by Western Blot assay in 50 cases of lung cancer tissues as well as in 20 cases of the controls.[Results] Positive rate of Livin in lung cancer tissues was 76%(38/50),significantly higher than that in para-cancerous tissues 30%(P0.01);positive rate of CXCR4 in lung cancer tissues was 88%(44/50),higher than that in the control group 50%(P0.01).Moreover,expression of Livin and CXCR4 did not correlate to gender,age,tumor size,histologic type,grade,lymph node metastasis and clinical staging in lung cancer tissues(P0.05).Positive correlation between the expression of Livin and CXCR4 was found(r=0.552,P0.01).[Conclusion] Livin and CXCR4 are highly expressed in lung cancer tissues.The expressions of Livin show positive associated with CXCR4,and play synergistic effect in carcinogenss and progress in lung cancer.


The East Kunlun Orogenic Belt is considered as one of the important gold mineralization regions in the Tethys tectonic domain. These orogenic gold deposits are related to intermediate-acid intrusions formed at the end of Paleo-Tethys evolution, but the petrogenesis is controversial. This paper presents a new study on the geochemistry of zircon U-Pb, O, S, and Pb isotopic compositions of Asiha quartz diorite, granite porphyry, and sulfides. The geochemical features of quartz diorite and granite porphyry are consistent with the modern adakite, with high content of Sr but low content of Y, Yb, and MgO. Magmatic zircons from these two types of intrusion yielded U-Pb ages of 238.4 ± 1.4 Ma and 240 ± 1.7 Ma, respectively. The high O isotopic composition of Asiha complex may reflect that crust or crustal derivates were incorporated into the magmatic melt, and the Pb isotope characteristics indicates a lower crust origin. The δ34S values of pyrites range from 4.9‰ to 11.6‰. This study infers that the Asiha complex perhaps formed by partial melting of the Paleo-Tethys subducted oceanic crust with seafloor sediments and is markedly different from the traditional adakite. Asiha deposit is an orogenic gold deposit related to adakite-like rocks, which formed in Triassic in the East Kunlun Orogenic Belt.


abdominal wound all pain had ceased. Pus was draining away freely along the gauze. I then operated again, encountering another collection of pus around the appendix in which a small seybalous mass lay free. The appendix itself was directed upwards behind the aecum. It was about 2 inches in lengthand gangrenous. The omentum was closely adherent to the intestines. The peritoneum was freely washed out. After the second operation the temperature assumed a lower level, but the pulse-ratecontinued very high(up to I6o0). Slight retching supervened. Pus discharged profusely, but with greatly diminished fretor. Digitalis, opium, and brandy were administered by the rectum, and strychnine b,ypodermicall,y. No improvement, however was manifested, and portions.of a nutrient enema appeared through the abdominal wound. Tfhere was very little pain, but the restlessness was very great; as in the previous case, opium in large doses appeared only to increase the excitement. The tongue never became dry, but she gradually sank, and, after several profuse perspirations, died on the eleventh day subsequent to her admission. No necropsy was permitted, but, on enlarging the abdominal wound, numerous collections of pus were encountered scattered through the abdomen. The pin which had been swallowed was not discovered. In this case the temperature was irregular, but of a type altogether different from that recorded in the first case, being much lower after the second operation. Shortly before death it rose somewhat, and then rapidly fell below the normal; whereas in the other case it remained elevated until the fatal termination. I realise that in both instances operation should have been undertaken much earlier, but circumstances did not permit of it.


We consider sound waves in superfluid nucleon-hyperon matter of massive neutron-star cores. We calculate and analyze the speeds of sound modes and their damping times due to the shear viscosity and nonequilibrium weak processes of particle transformations. For that, we employ the dissipative relativistic hydrodynamics of a superfluid nucleon-hyperon mixture, formulated recently [1]. We demonstrate that the damping times of sound modes calculated using this hydrodynamics and the ordinary (nonsuperfluid) one, can differ from each other by several orders of magnitude.


The First Railway Package (FRP) was adopted by the European Commission (EC) in 2000. It was intended to create liberalized rail freight market conditions in which national railway network access can be gained by any operator possessing relevant licenses. The EC, however, claims that it is not being correctly implemented by nearly all EU countries, 24 of which had assimilated FRP into their legal systems by January 2006. The author examines EU criticisms, including failure of individual nations to create an independent regulator with sufficient industry influence powers, to establish an infrastructure manager who is neutral, and to complete its former national railway company's restructuring. An insert presents an overview of FRP.


Summary We present the results of searches for the Austral Rail Rallus antarcticus in Argentine and Chilean Patagonia between January 1998 and February 2006 and from subsequent visits. We surveyed 58 localities and found the rail in 22, which collectively cover approximately 85 km 2 of habitat. A maximum of 175 individuals were detected. This poorly known species was rediscovered in 1998; since then, it has been found in 18 additional localities, providing further data on distribution, habitat and seasonal movements. During the searches, we found that the species faces different threats, such as reduction of wetlands due to cattle grazing, burning and abnormal water management, but also the presence of American mink Neovison vison . However, due to the lack of prior information we conclude that the species should be maintained as Vulnerable.


The paper reports on the evaluation of "It's Your Business," a dramatic radio serial promoting domestic violence prevention in the African American community. Despite commitments from radio stations in four study sites, the series was played for the requested 12 weeks in only one city. Consequently, only cross-sectional data from one city could be used to assess impact. Only nine percent of the sample could confidently be called exposed, answering a recall question correctly and claiming to hear more than five episodes. These moderately exposed respondents scored higher than non-exposed respondents on 21 out of 27 anti-domestic violence beliefs and behaviors; ten differences were statistically significant. However, for only two out of the 27 outcomes did the moderate exposure group display stronger outcomes than a group who claimed exposure but could not recall much about the program at a statistically significant level. We conclude that the association of moderate exposure and anti-domestic violence outcomes was most likely an artifact of selective perception, and not a result of impact. The negative result is attributed to the low levels of exposure, not that the series could not work at a higher level of exposure. The evaluation points to the need to better understand how exposure can be achieved to complement our work on developing messages.


Hydrosalpinx is a chronic pathologic condition of the fallopian tube and is a major cause of infertility. The occlusion usually occurs secondary to pelvic inflammatory disease and Endometriosis. The aim of the study is to detect the effect of laparoscopic tubal disconnection and laparoscopic salpingectomy on ovarian stromal blood flow and outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection. One hundred patients complaining of tubal factor of infertility presented with hydrosalpinx were enrolled in the study. Transvaginal Ultrasound was performed before laparoscopic management and two weeks after the operation to detect the effect on ovarian stromal blood flow. They were divided into two groups: the first group (50 patients) had laparoscopic salpingectomy; while the second group (50 patients) had laparoscopic tubal disconnection then all patients were transferred to IVF unit at Kasr El Aini Hospital, Cairo, Egypt. The results indicated that no statistical difference between the two groups regarding their effect on the ovarian stromal blood flow or the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection.


We want to perform the attenuation correction in the case of 3D attenuated ray transform with a parallel geometry. We suppose that the attenuation function is available but not registered with the data. We use the sum on each slice of the 2D data consistency conditions of the attenuated Radon transform to register the attenuation function with the data. We then correct for the attenuation using the Novikov formula. We show numerical experiments indicating the feasibility of the approach and propose a scheme including the diffusion correction for the registration of CT to SPECT for SPECT imaging improvement.