Metal dichalcogenides are promising electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their large specific capacities. Their electrochemical properties are largely dependent on their composition, morphology and porosity. This paper reports a metal–organic framework (MOF) synthetic approach for achieving a nanorice–nanosheet core–satellite structure of sulfur-doped porous carbon coated FeS2 (FeS2@S-C NR-NS (MOF)). Unlike substantial morphology transformation in the sulfuration process from common Fe-based precursors, the nanorice skeleton can be inherited from the Fe-MOF precursor, while small nanosheets are formed on the exterior surface due to heterogeneous sulfuration. When evaluated as the anode material for LIBs, FeS2@S-C NR-NS (MOF) exhibits excellent cycling performances with a larger-than-theoretical reversible capacity of 1336.5 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles at 100 mA g−1 and good high-rate capability. The improved structural stability, electrical conductivity and enhanced kinetic rate of ions and electrons have been attributed to the hierarchical structure, porous characteristics, and S-doped carbon overlayer in the electrode.


COVID-19 infection cases forecasting is a process of estimating future values based on historical data which is playing an important role in health decision making in various fields. Daily infection cases of COVID-19 can be considered as a time series represent the growth of the number of infected persons in a population. Consequently, the growth models may be used to forecast any population growth such as population of infected people with the Covid-19 virus. The popular models of growth such as logistic, log-logistic, Gompertz, Weibull and Richards models are useful to describe the growth of many phenomena like an epidemic and the spread of the number of infected people. The main objective of this paper is to choose a successful growth model after comparing these models to make good use of the current data on COVID-19 in Iraq to better understand the spread of this disease and to forecast the future daily infection cases. AIC, BIC and other goodness of fit criteria and daily infection cases in Iraq for the period from 1st Jan. 2021 until 30th April 2021 were used to compare these models and choose the successful model. The results of fitting these model show that the appropriate models are Weibull type 1 and log-logistic with five parameters models, and the predicted numbers of infected cases are near the actual numbers of infected cases.


Real Estate sector in India is a capital and manpower intensive sector which contributes 5 to 6 percent of its GDP. It is transforming to be more organized in the recent past. The competition among the real estate players in India has been intense and the rising inventory levels have been of concern. However the demand for housing in the affordable segment has seen an upsurge. The Government initiatives to regulate the real estate sector have been welcomed by the customers as this would reduce the undue project delays and ambiguity in the industry. The interest of the Private equity players in the Indian realty sector has gone up and is indicated by   the recent capital infusions and investments made by them. The emergence of REIT in the Indian market has also opened up a new window of investment for the investors to participate the real estate growth story. The paper aims at highlighting the changing scenario of the real estate in India. The paper suggests the customer centric initiatives that the realty companies can adopt to stay competitive. The paper urges for the adoption of CRM practices by the Real estate entities. The Establishment of CRM systems need understanding of the CRM processes in the realty industry. It needs integrating of technology to the processes by making them efficient and effective. The paper attempts to outline the process models for CRM implementation in a real estate company and also creates a checklist to evaluate to the CRM and ERP for such entities. The paper attempts to address the areas which earlier researchers have not highlighted with respective to this industry in India.


This paper introduces the principle to generate the linear FM signal, and then discusses the distribution and the restraint methods of the DDS spurs. It also compares the direct digital synthesis technique and the stored digital waveform direct reading technique. Depending on the theoretical analysis, the author has implemented a wide band LFM signal generator according to the scheme of direct digital synthesis and orthogonal modulation.


In North America, most rail corridors are constructed using ballasted track. Monitoring the ballast support condition and improving upon current sub-structure/ballast maintenance strategies will ensure safe railroad operations. However, it is inherently difficult to evaluate the pressure distribution at the sleeperballast interface. Researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have developed an instrumentation strategy and analysis tool, the support condition back-calculator, to quantify ballast pressure distributions under concrete sleepers without interrupting the traffic. This laboratory-validated non-intrusive method uses concrete sleepers' bending moment profile and rail seat loads as inputs to back-calculate the reaction distribution through the use of an optimization algorithm. To better understand the in-service ballast support conditions, this technique was deployed in the field on a Class I heavy haul freight railroad in the United States. Concrete surface strain gauges were installed on concrete sleepers to measure their in-field bending moments. Wheel Impact Load Detectors (WILD) were used to measure rail seat input loads. The focus of this paper is to quantify the ballast pressure distributions beneath concrete sleepers on the heavy-haul tangent track. An evaluation of ballast pressure distribution variations between adjacent sleepers and through tonnage accumulation are also included. The information presented in this paper demonstrates the potential of the backcalculator for monitoring the ballast condition and will assist the rail industry in optimizing tamping cycle, enhancing safety, and developing more representative sleeper flexural designs for North America railroad applications. 2 BALLAST SUPPORT CONDITION BACKCALCULATOR BACKGROUND The methodology of the back-calculator is to use the rail seat loads and the bending moments along the concrete sleeper to back-calculate the ballast support condition beneath the sleeper. Based on force equilibrium and the basic principles of statics, for a twodimensional subject, only one combination of reaction forces (one support condition) can account for a certain moment profile under a set of applied loads. Therefore, if the concrete sleeper is simplified as a two-dimensional beam, then its ballast support condition can be back-calculated from the sleeper's bending moments and the corresponding rail seat loads. To quantify the sleeper bending moments in the field concrete surface strain gauges were used to measure the bending strains of the sleeper, which were converted into bending moments using the appropriate calibration factors (RailTEC 2013). Rail seat loads are indirectly computed from wheel loads provided by a nearby Wheel Impact Load Detector (WILD) site using the recommended equation given in American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) Manual for Railway Engineering (MRE) (2016). 2.1 Two-dimensional sleeper model To further simplify and bound the problem, a two-dimensional sleeper model, shown in Figure 1, was developed. The model represented a 260 cm (102 in.) long concrete sleeper typically used in North American heavy haul freight railroad, and it was divided into six discrete bins of equal size, with the width of each bin being 43 cm (17 in.). Each bin carried a certain percentage of the total ballast reaction force, and the reaction force within each bin was assumed to be uniformly distributed. The reaction force distribution in Figure 1 demonstrates a scenario where the ballast support is uniform along the entire sleeper, but it is not intended to represent an actual result from the back-calculator. Concrete surface strain gauges were generally placed along the top chamfer of the sleeper, and they were taken into account in the twodimensional model (Fig. 1). The rail seat loads were assumed to be uniformly distributed over each of the 15 cm (6 in.) rail seats. The two-dimensional sleeper model includes two boundary conditions for computation. First, based on force equilibrium, the total ballast reaction force should equal the total rail seat loads, thus the sum of all six bins should be 100%. Second, the value of each bin should not be less than 0, as it is unrealistic to have a negative reaction force. 2.2 Optimization process Once the two rail seat load magnitudes are input into the back-calculator, it then executes an optimization process to generate combinations of reaction forces that could satisfy the two boundary conditions. For each reaction force combination, the back-calculator would generate the bending moment profile of the sleeper based on the rail seat loads and compare it to the actual input bending moment profile. The optimization process stops when the difference between the calculated and actual bending moment profiles reached its minimum, and the reaction force combination that generated this calculated bending moment profile became the resultant support condition. The ballast reaction forces could then be converted into ballast pressures by dividing the forces over the bottom width of the sleeper. In the optimization process, Simulated Annealing and Bi-polar Pareto Distribution were used as the optimization algorithm and the random variable generator. The benefits of implementing them together were that they could find better solutions in less time (Englander & Englander 2014), and they were able to avoid getting stuck in local optima (Kirkpatrick et al. 1983). The maximum computational time for a given set of inputs was approximately one minute, which was considered to be short and reasonable for achieving the objectives associated with the back-calculator. 3 FIELD EXPERIMENTATION PLAN To estimate and analyze the field ballast conditions under revenue service loads using the ballast support condition back-calculator, field experimentation was conducted at a tangent location on a Class I heavy haul freight railroad in the United States. The sleepers installed at this location had the same length as that of the two-dimensional sleeper model, and the concrete surface strain gauges were installed at the exact locations as those represented in the model to measure the bending moments experienced by the sleepers. As shown in Figure 2, the test site was divided into two zones, spaced approximately 18 m (60 ft) apart, with each zone consisting of five sleepers. Based on visual inspection, Zone 1 was selected as a poorly supported zone because, upon train passes, this zone was observed to deflect more than Zone 2 (Wolf 2015). Two thermocouples were installed on a sleeper between the two zones, one at the sleeper top chamfer and one near the sleeper bottom covered in Figure 1. Two-dimensional sleeper model (with assumed uniform support condition). ballast. These were deployed to measure the temperature gradient between top and bottom of the sleeper (Wolf et al. 2016). The wheel load data provided by the nearby WILD site were used to approximate the rail seat loads experienced by the sleepers. Since the wheels passing through the test site had a consistent nominal wheel load of 160 kN (36 kips), the rail seat load could be approximated to be 80 kN (18 kips) by using the AREMA recommended equation (AREMA 2016), and this value was used as the input rail seat loads for the support condition back-calculator. 4 PRILIMINARY RESULTS FROM BALLAST SUPPORT CONDITION BACKCALCULATOR 4.1 Ballast pressure limit states Ballast pressure distributions were used to present the resultant support conditions so that the back-calculator results could be correlated with AREMA recommended ballast properties. Three ballast pressure limit states were introduced to further aid the evaluation of the ballast condition. 1. The ballast pressure under an assumed uniform support condition was calculated to be 221 kPa (32 psi). 2. AREMA MRE specified the allowable ballast pressure under concrete sleepers to be 586 kPa (85 psi). 3. The ballast pressure corresponding to the AREMA allowable subgrade bearing stress of 172 kPa (25 psi) could be calculated using the Talbot equation below. 5 4 8 . 16       


Methods are described for the design of two aspheric surfaces for any given centred system, so as to achieve exact aplanatism. The practical application of the methods is illustrated by the design of a reflecting microscope.


"Xiang liang"("shi liang"),a Chinese noun translated from the English term "vector",whose origin and development in China are introduced.The early education and study about "xiang liang"in mathematics and physics are also discussed.In this paper,the authors trace the spread and development of "xiang liang" in China.


Abstract Introduction: Schizoaffective disorder is described as a combination of symptoms of schizophrenia and mood disorder components. It is estimated that in 2009 in Poland over 30 thousands women were treated in outpatient care because of schizotypical disorders, also in 2009, over 5,5 thousands Polish women, were hospitalised because of the same reason. Material and method: We searched through whole medical documentation of the patient, which were available at the Department of Psychiatry and Gynaecology. We mainly focused on the last hospitalization of the woman. We found research connected to our subject on Science Direct website. Discussion: A 34-year-old woman was admitted to Department of Psychiatry, patient was 14 weeks pregnant. Family described her behaviour as verbally and physically aggressive and dysphoric which forced her parents to take woman to the hospital. It was her third hospitalization. Pharmacotherapy was insufficient to improve the mental state of the woman. Doctors decided to carry out a series of electroconvulsive treatments (10 procedures). When woman was 36 weeks pregnant, there was a leak of green amniotic fluid and it was necessary to perform a caesarean section. A newborn required mechanical ventilation, had decreased muscle tone and facial dysmorphic features, also defect of the atrial septum was found. Conclusions: Pregnant women with psychiatric disorders should be all considered high risk. It means that they need multidisciplinary care – psychiatrist, gynaecologist, neonatologist or other specialists, in order to stay in a good condition mentally and physically during pregnancy.


Author(s): Tin, Antony Shen | Advisor(s): Firestone, Gary L | Abstract: The development of clinical breast cancer is a multistep process that manifests itself as a disease with various distinct phenotypes. At present, it is believed that a neoplastically-transformed cell undergoes many heterogeneous changes and mutations before evolving into a tumorous or invasive breast cancer. Due to the heterogeneity of breast cancer, a single therapeutic strategy is rarely completely effective for all patients. Current therapeutic options such as hormone antagonists, radiation and chemotherapy have many deleterious side effects which demonstrates a need for a more efficacious therapy alternative that can not only target varying phenotypes but also ameliorates harsh side effects. In addition, it is essential to identify compounds that can slow the promotion of the disease from preneoplastic lesions to invasive breast cancer. This thesis details the generation of a novel breast cancer stem cell model and the molecular mechanism of two small molecule phytochemicals, indole-3-carbinol (I3C), and artemisinin, target breast cancer stem cells and luminal A, estrogen sensitive breast cancer, respectively. We show that ectopic expression of HER2, a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor family, in MCF-10AT preneoplastic mammary epithelial cells induces a phenotype with the molecular markers of breast cancer stem cells expression: CD44+/CD24-/ALDH-1+ with highly expressing levels of stem cell marker, nucleostemin. These cells are capable of forming tumorspheres in 3-D cultures, indicative of a population highly enriched with stem cells. Furthermore, as few as 30,000 cells are able to form viable mammary tumors in athymic mouse xenograft models. In breast cancer stem cells, I3C induces apoptosis by selectively targeting nucleostemin and activating the p53 apoptotic pathway. I3C induces the proteolytic degradation of Akt1 and thereby functionally inactivates MDM2. Loss of MDM2 phosphorylation and its subsequent inactivation frees p53 to induce apoptosis. Coupled with the activation of nucleostemin by I3C, nucleostemin sequesters MDM2 away from p53 further enhancing the apoptotic effect. Knockdown of nucleostemin prevents the I3C apoptotic effects, suggesting the selective role of I3C on breast cancer stem cells. Also, expressing constitutively active Akt1 or a dominant negative form of p53 overrides the I3C induced apoptotic effect, highlighting the specific Akt1/MDM2/p53 pathway modulated by I3C. The preclinical results implicate I3C as a novel anti-cancer agent that can selectively target cancer stem cells especially given that I3C also increases MDM2-nucleostemin interactions and can reduce tumors volumes in vivo. We also show that artemisinin, derived from the sweet wormwood, Artemisia annua, ablates key G1 cell cycle regulators to induce growth arrest in luminal A, estrogen sensitive breast cancer as well as inhibit in vivo xenograft growth in athymic mice. Artemisinin is selective towards malignant cells, such as the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line since it is ineffective in arresting growth in nontumorigenic breast cell lines. Artemisinin exposed MCF-7 cells displayed ablated levels of cyclin-dependent kinases 2 and 4 (CDK), cyclin E, cyclin D1 as well as E2F1 at the protein and mRNA level. Promoter deletion mapping and subsequent chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses revealed that downregulation of E2F1 resulted in inhibition of CDK2 of promoter activity. Additionally, constitutive expression of E2F1 reversed the growth arrest, CDK2 and cyclin E downregulation induced by artemisinin.


Rate constants for the oxidation reactions of organic sulfur compounds have become increasingly important due to the potential role of these compounds in the formation of tropospheric and stratospheric sulfate aerosols. The present study deals with the reaction of the ground state oxygen atom with dimethyl disulfide (DMDS). The discharge fast flow–resonance fluorescence technique was used to monitor the decay of O(3P) concentration in the presence of excess CH3SSCH3 under pseudo‐first‐order conditions. Over a temperature range from 270 to 329 K, and a pressure range from 0.52 to 2.60 Torr, no variation of the rate constant with temperature and pressure was observed. The results are best represented by the temperature and pressure independent value of (2.12±0.22)×10−10 cm3 molecule−1 s−1, which is about one‐half the theoretical collision frequency. The zero activation energy for this reaction is discussed in terms of the temperature dependence of other sulfur compound–oxygen atom reactions reported in the ...


To the Editor—CD4CD25FoxP3 regulatory T cells (Tregs) are critical for the maintenance of immune tolerance by suppressing immune cell functions. In the context of infection such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Tregs can also suppress efficient protective immune responses against the pathogen and its effective clearance [1]. Results from studies of patients with tuberculosis and experimental models have shown that Tregs are expanded and accumulated at the site of infection. These Tregs efficiently inhibit the arrival of effector T cells in the lungs, production of interferon (IFN)–c and cd T-cell responses to M. tuberculosis [2–4]. However, mechanisms underlying the expansion of Tregs are not clear. Periasamy et al [5] identified that Treg expansion by M. tuberculosis requires expression of the protein programmed death-1 (PD-1, CD279). Inhibition of PD-1 by blocking antibodies or small interfering RNA prevented the Treg expansion. However, the questions that remain unanswered are as follows: does M. tuberculosis trigger dynamic changes in the expression of signaling molecules on innate immune cells that, in turn, facilitate Treg expansion, and if so, which innate pattern recognition receptors are implicated in this process? Because Treg expansion in the periphery requires costimulatory signals and antigen presentation by antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells (DCs), we surmised that the Treg expansion observed by the Periasamy et al [5] might reflect the modulation of DCs by M. tuberculosis. After education by M. tuberculosis, these DCs then might provide signals for expansion of Tregs. To address our hypothesis, immature DCs were derived by culturing peripheral blood monocytes (isolated by using CD14 microbeads; Miltenyi Biotec) from healthy blood donors after ethical committee permission, in the presence of granulocyte microphage colonystimulating factor (GM-CSF; 1000 IU/10 cells) and IL-4 (500 IU/10 cells). The 5-day-old immature DCs (0.5x10/ml) were either cultured in the presence of cytokines alone or cytokines plus whole cell lysates (WCLs) of pathogenic M. tuberculosis H37Rv (5 microgram/mL) for 48 h. The DCs were washed thoroughly and were cocultured with 0.2 3 106 CD4 1 T cells at 1:10 ratio for 96 h. CD4 T cells were isolated by using CD4 microbeads. The DCs and CD4 T cells were from unrelated donors, and hence CD3 and CD28 stimulation was not provided. The frequency of CD4CD25FoxP3 Tregs was analyzed using flow cytometry (LSR II, BD Biosciences). Surface staining was performed with fluorochrome-conjugated monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to CD4 and CD25 (BD Biosciences), and intracellular staining for FoxP3 was performed using fluorochrome-conjugated MAb to FoxP3 and kit from eBioscience. We found that M. tuberculosis–treated DCs significantly expand Tregs (3.5% 6 0.5% in control vs 6.6% 6 0.8% in M. tuberculosis–treated DCs; n 5 5; Figure 1A). The results suggest that the Treg expansion observed by Periasamy et al [5] was indeed attributable to modulation of DC (or innate immune cells in general) functions by M. tuberculosis.


The classification process is one of the most crucial processes in hyperspectral imaging. One of the limitations in classification process using machine learning technique is its complexities, where hyperspectral image format has a thousand band that can be used as a feature for learning purpose. This paper presents a comparison between two feature selection technique based on probability approach that not only can tackle the problem, but also improve accuracy. Infinite Latent Feature Selection (ILFS) and Relief Techniques are implemented in a hyperspectral image to select the most important feature or band before applied in Support Vector Machine (SVM). The result showed ILFS technique can improve classification accuracy better than Relief (92.21% vs. 88.10%). However, Relief can extract less feature to reach its best accuracy with only 6 features compared with ILFS with 9.


Sealing problems, subsequent cleaning processes and poor force transmission effect etc. series of problems which strongly restrict the development and application of traditional medium pressure-based sheet forming technology. To overcome these problems, the magnetorheological fluid (MRF) can be used as the alternative force transmission medium. In this study, the deep drawing process of a 304 stainless steel sheet using MRF was investigated. The die cavity was filled with MRF and electric current was used to quantitatively adjust the magnetic fields distribution, which then controls the deformation behavior of the forming sheet. As compared to the conventional deep drawing process, experimental results clearly show that significant improvement in the produced sample quality was obtained when using the MRF with the electric current of 2 A. These improvements include: the height of the boundary circle reduces by 20%, the wall thickness distribution is more uniform, the rebound ratio correspondingly reduces from 9.6% to 0.67%, and the degree of sticking mode and the size precision are significantly increased. The results of this study provide scientific guidance to solve the bottleneck in the traditional deep drawing forming technology. The potential applications of the MRF-based new deep drawing technology to improve the product quality were explored.


The effects of cold/warm deformation on the micro-structures and corrosion properties of type 304 stainless steel (SS) were studied by micro-structural analysis and electro-chemical tests. Strain-induced α′ martensite was produced by cold deformation but not by warm deformation at 100 °C, and it significantly influenced the surface nanohardness of SS. The corrosion resistance of the cold deformed 304 SS continued to decrease as the deformation reduction increased, while the corrosion resistance of the warm deformed 304 SS first decreased and then increased. The increases in strain-induced α′ martensite and dislocation tend to promote corrosion, but the increases in low-∑ coincidence site lattice boundaries, low angle grain boundaries and the severely disrupted random grain boundaries tend to resist corrosion. Warm deformation may provide a possibility of obtaining type 304 SS with high-strength and corrosion resistance, which is attributed to the coupling effect of dislocation and grain boundary.


We know that the electric charge of an isolated system is relativistically invariant. We have studied the transformation of surface charge density in Special, Most general, Mixed number Lorentz transformation. As the formula of length contraction is not the same in these types of Lorentz transformation, the transformation equation of surface charge density will be different in the above mentioned transformations. Keywords: Special Lorentz Transformation; Surface charge density DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljp.v13i1.3546 Sri Lankan Journal of Physics, Vol. 13(1) (2012) 17-25


High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), an evolutionarily ancient and abundant DNA-binding protein within the nucleus, acts as a Damage Associated Molecular Pattern (DAMP) molecule extracellularly to promote immunity. It also functions in the cytosol to promote autophagy, a critical mechanism in viral clearance. HMGB1 is required for dendritic cell (DC) maturation and chemotaxis but how HMGB1 regulates DC function particularly in viral clearance is unclear. We constructed mice with HMGB1-knockout (KO) DCs (DCH) by crossing HMGB1 floxed mice with CD11c Cre mice. Although KO DCs differentiate normally from the bone marrow, they have diminished lymphocyte stimulatory capacity and polarize naive T cells towards Th17 and Treg phenotypes while wide type (WT) DCs induce IFNγ and IL-4 secretion at a ratio of 1:1 in allogeneic assays (p<.05). We infected DCH and WT mice with luc+ vaccinia and assayed viral infection over 9 days. Surprisingly, the virus is cleared more rapidly in the DCH cohort (p<.05). This is associated with increased T cells (p<.01) and CD11c+ cells (p<.05) within the spleen. We hypothesize that the proliferation of vaccinia depends on intact autophagy which may be impaired in KO DCs. We also find DCs release HMGB1 through exosomes, which are membrane vesicles enriched in MHC molecules and responsible for virus transmission. These results suggest that HMGB1 is not only critical for function but also contributes to the persistance of vaccinia virus in this murine model.


Cesarean section is a obstetric procedure known since ancient times. It is mentioned in almost all ancient cultures. While until the 17th century it was performed mainly post mortem to retrieve an infant from the body of the deceased mother, today there are many indications for termination of pregnancy in this way. Literature provides references to earlier attempts to save the mother, but this happened only sporadically. The first record of a cc that both mother and child survived dates back to 1500. The development of science and medicine contributed to the dissemination and improvement of the methods used to extract a child by caesarean section. It was influenced by the development of operational, anesthetic and aseptic techniques. A milestone was the introduction of the Pfannenstiel – Kerr lower transverse incision method. Later, the Misgav-Ladach technique was introduced. Today, transverse incisions are most commonly used.


Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is an uncommon scalp disorder of unknown etiology and prevalence. It may be an autoimmune process triggered by unknown genetic and/or environmental factors that attack hair follicles of the scalp. LPP can present in association with various autoimmune diseases and immunomodulatory therapies. We present an atypical case of LPP occurring during the treatment of breast cancer with paclitaxel, after complete resolution of alopecia areata and anagen effluvium. Shortly after initiation of the paclitaxel therapy, the patient experienced a pruritic acneiform facial eruption and hair loss that was localized to her frontal scalp with complete loss of eyebrows and significant loss of her eyelashes. The lesions were biopsied revealing LPP. LPP should be considered among other causes of alopecia in patients treated with paclitaxel.


This study discusses the theory of literacy on children's language development. The purpose of this study is to carry out a number of steps to prepare an initial data or material as a basis which can then be utilized by various parties interested in studies related to the literacy of early childhood language development. This research uses the type of research in the form of literature studies. The results of this study examine the basis of literacy for children, how to develop literacy in children, and the impact of literacy on children's language development. Researchers hope that the results of this study can be useful to help facilitate the community, especially for other researchers, parents, and teachers in reading, exploring, and understanding the literacy of early childhood language development.


ABSTRACT The curing behaviour of inductively heated glued-in rods (GiR) experimentally tested in Part I of this work was further investigated with regard to the kinetics of adhesive curing, and evolution of strength with time. For that, dynamic DSC measurements were performed, and appropriate kinetic models were derived. These investigations were complemented with rheological experiments in which the adhesive were subjected to the same thermal regime as in the inductive heating of the GiR. Curing kinetics of the GiR were then compared to the increase of strength with time. The comparison showed that curing progress, defined by conversion degree, does not result in proportional strength increase. It was then attempted to estimate the influence of potential residual stresses from the induction curing on joint capacity. A relatively simple FE model was thus derived, which considered two different loading cases: a tensile force acting on the rod, and a shrinkage resulting from the induction process. Their superposition allowed for a general description of the fact that joint capacities increased with time elapsed since induction heating. Depending upon the adhesive considered, fair to very good quality of prediction were achieved.


Solitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation . By Thomas W. Laqueur. New York: Zone Books, 2003. 501 pp. $34.00 (cloth).


This paper explores the effect of the tip-clearance in presence of the endwall motion, incident at 10°, on a rectilinear cascade of C4 blade. The width of the moving endwall considered here was 120% of an axial chord to represent the operating conditions close to that of an actual rotor in subsonic condition at peak load. The flow coefficient was varied from 0.3 to 0.6. The cascade was analysed computationally using ANSYS Fluent ©. The validation of numerical results of the cascade was done with the experimental result for no tip gap condition. The results agreed well with the experimental data. Detailed analysis of the numerical results was then carried out to explore the complex flow features, which was a consequence of the combined influence of the endwall effect, tip clearance and moving endwall. With no tip-gap, the endwall effects were substantial and extended up to 40%span of the blade and nearly 60% of the pitch whereas the flow coefficient does not alter the distribution along the span. The tip leakage flow counteracts the endwall flows and helps in minimizing them in the region towards the tip. The endwall motion does alter the pressure distribution at the blade tip but the relative variations in blade loading at the tip were not appreciable. Lower flow coefficient at 1% tip clearance gives the optimum pressure rise with reduced total pressure loss in the wake.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


This correspondence presents an average case denoising performance analysis for SP, CoSaMP, and IHT algorithms. This analysis considers the recovery of a noisy signal, with the assumptions that it is corrupted by an additive random zero-mean white Gaussian noise and has a K-sparse representation with respect to a known dictionary D . The proposed analysis is based on the RIP, establishing a near-oracle performance guarantee for each of these algorithms. Beyond bounds for the reconstruction error that hold with high probability, in this work we also provide a bound for the average error.


This study is a first contribution towards the development of ecosystem-based fisheries management in northeastern Brazil, through the exploration of fishing policies based on a trophic model (Ecopath with Ecosim). Our simulations for 1978-2028 indicated that current fishing effort is completely unsustainable for lobsters (Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804) and Panulirus laevicauda (Latreille, 1817)) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758). The simulation of optimum fishing policies led to a diverse fleet configuration when ecosystem health (ecological scenario) was emphasized. If the main objective was economic or social (or a combination of both and ecosystem health), manual gathering of coastal resources and demersal industrial fisheries could be boosted, while the lobster and longline fisheries should be phased out. A 50% reduction in effort for lobster fisheries would not produce significant changes in lobster biomass; a reduction in effort to the 1978-level (fMSY - effort leval corresponding to the maximum sustainable yield) would lead to biomass recovery. An improvement in the collection system of fishery statistics (catch and effort) is recommended, as well as further gathering information on biological, economic, and social components of this ecosystem and its fisheries.


Engineering accreditation bodies throughout the world (ABET; Engineers Australia), highlight the importance of graduates becoming both discipline experts and empathetic communicators. As the role of the engineer has moved beyond borders the ability to collaborate cross culturally has become more important. At the University of South Australia, building cultural competence begins at home. The authors present a sustainable curriculum aimed to develop professional competencies of engineering graduates working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The 'Indigenous Content in Undergraduate Programs' (ICUP) project has opened a dialogue between all first year engineers and a diverse range of teaching staff committed to the spirit of reconciliation. The project builds both the cultural competencies of students and bridges between cultures. This paper describes a curriculum which (in two years) has engaged more than 500 students in the central question 'Why is it important for engineers to understand cultural diversity?'


Plants were grown in pots outdoors and placed in four growth chambers at different temperatures (day temperatures 9, 13, 17 and 21°C) and at three different phenological stages. They were then harvested at weekly intervals for up to 6 weeks. Pots left outdoors were harvested at the same time.

Digestibility was nearly constant during the 6 weeks at the lowest temperature. The rate of decline in digestibility per day, calculated from that portion of the data which was assumed to be best for such estimation, was 0·060±0·008 per cent units for each degree increase in temperature.

The results indicate that the temperature effect on decline in digestibility is the same for early as for late growth stages.


Samples were checked according to the test method of bacterial endotoxin of streptomycin sulfate for injection in Chinese Veterinary Pharmacopoeia.Results showed that the method was feasible.Compared with the USA pharmacopoeia codex,the expression of limit value of bacterial endotoxins of streptomycin sulfate for injection in Chinese Veterinary Pharmacopoeia was more reasonable and scientific than in the 29th Version of the USA pharmacopoeia codex.


Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is a critical factor for Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANET). Even though VANET belongs to the class of Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET), none of the MANET routing protocol applies to VANET. VANET network is dynamic, due to increased vehicle speed and mobility. Vehicle mobility of VANET affects conventional routing algorithm performance, which deals with the dynamicity of the network node. The evaluation of the existing research stated that Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) is an effective MANET protocol to adopt network changes for significant resource utilization and also provides effective adaptation in the network change. Due to the effective performance of the AODV protocol, it is considered as an effective routing protocol for VANET. This paper proposed an ad hoc TROPHY (TAD-HOC) routing protocol for the VANET network for increasing efficiency and effective resource utilization of the network. To improve the overall performance, ad hoc network is combined with Trustworthy VANET ROuting with grouP autHentication keYs (TROPHY) protocol. The proposed TAD-HOC protocol transmits data based on time demand in the VANET network with the desired authentication. Results of the proposed approach show the increased performance of the VANET network with packet delay, transmission range, and end-to-end delay. The comparative analysis of the proposed approach with I-AODV, AODV-R, and AODV-L shows that the proposed TAD-HOC exhibited effective performance.


Values reporting themselves as relative prices, costs, to bear on values, must be relative costs, and must be reduced to money terms, 52. — Efforts and waitings, therefore, articulate with prices only when translated into money costs, 54. — The employer vs. employee point of view, 55. — The assumption that, in general, wages and interest are proportional with effort and waiting sacrifices, 55. — Cairnes's interpretation, with wages and interest conceived as derivative from product prices, and with labor as the antithesis of the remuneration of it, 55. — Employer vs. employee cost, 56. — Relation of effort and waitings costs to employer money costs, 56. — Mill, 56. — Taussig and Marshall, 57. — Ricardo, 59. — Ricardo and Cairnes, 59. — The constitution of the groups — by definition, 63. — The groupings not by vocations but by remunerations, 65. — In what sense can the intra-group relationships be competitive? 66. — Cairnes's and Taussig's reports of the groupings, 67. — Dates of group fixation vs. dates of group competition, 70. — The groupings further examined, 71. — Social stratification the point of emphasis, not competition or the lack of it, 73. — Inherited opportunity never more than part explanation of income groupings, or of ratios of income to sacrifice, 74. — Complete fluidity of labor also would leave the groupings no less inadequate, 76. — The three requisites for a tenable labor theory of values still unmet, 80.


In wireless network, energy efficiency is an important design consideration for continuous multimedia streaming service. This paper proposes a new streaming system, called BACASS (Buffer-Aware and Content-Aware Streaming System) that working on the 802.11e U-APSD (Unscheduled Automatic Power Save). The BACASS leads the DP (Doze Period) of U-APSD for improving energy efficiency by utilizing the PSNR based on content-aware and client buffer occupancy that is hinged on a network-aware streaming system using SVC. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed streaming system.


In almost all cities, the solid waste generation is increased dramatically and becomes a great challenge today to municipal authority for its collection and safe disposal. Continuous uncontrolled generation of solid wastes forces the existing landfills to become exhausted rapidly.


WI-FI technology has advantages of wide coverage,transmission speed,implementation of low cost.Mainly it is used for wireless data communications,and is a universal network interface.It has two kinds of communication mode,one is basic mode,and another is peer-to-peer namely Ad-Hoc mode.The paper designed a WI-FI route gateway used in point to point mode or Ad-Hoc mode added in wireless card based on least load path first Ad-Hoc routing protocols,and combined embedded Linux system to realize the WI-FI route gateway,and analyzed the performance of the gateway.The analysis results showed that the gateway performance owned the feasibility and effectiveness in setting scene.


Persons with disabilities are among the poorest and most disadvantaged in any population, with the worst health and poverty outcomes, and the lowest access to health and social services (1). Defining equity as 'the absence of avoidable or remediable differences among groups of people' (2), implies that equity in health cannot be achieved without addressing the needs of persons with disabilities (3, 4). It is therefore necessary to act on the challenges persons with disabilities face in accessing health care, particularly in poor societies, as an essential part of addressing equity in the global health agenda. This article discusses the interaction between disability, poverty and equity in health, and a new agenda for practice and research.


According to complex site types and climate condition in the middle and upper reaches of Jilin songhuajing river analyzed the Japan-loaned afforestation project in the areas, including rises tree species selection in different sites and afforestation technology.


Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) monolayers exhibit enhanced electrical and optoelectrical properties, which are promising for next-generation optoelectronic devices. However, large-scale and uniform growth of TMDC monolayers with large grain size is still a considerable challenge. In this work, a simple and effective approach for largescale molybdenum (MoS2) disulfide monolayers is presented by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. It is found that MoS2 grew from single crystal to thin film with the increasing of oxide precursor proportion. The photodetector of large scale monolayer layer MoS2 film was fabricated by depositing metal electrodes on the interdigital electrode mask using thermal evaporation coating. Finally, the highly stable and repeatable photoelectric response at different voltages and different laser power conditions was characterized under 405 nm laser excitation, with response time down to the order of milliseconds (ms). In addition, the photodetector achieved a wide spectrum detection range of 405 nm to 830 nm which from visible to near infrared, with optical response (R) up to 291.7 mA/W and optical detection rate (D*) up to 1.629×109 Jones. Themonolayer MoS2 thin film photodetector demonstrated here has the advantages of low cost, feasibility of large-scale preparation, and good stability and repeatability in the wide spectrum range from visible to near infrared, which providing the possibilities for the application of electronic and optoelectronic devices in the near future.


Full edition for scientific use. The present evaluation focuses on the international programme portfolio of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). We assess the appropriateness of the portfolio as well as of its design and management. In addition, we trace evidence for the impact of the international programmes. The evaluation provides results that are relevant for FWF's strategic discussions on future programme design. In order to address the evaluation questions as specified in the terms of reference, we designed a multi-method approach combining quantitative and qualitative elements: bibliometrics, altmetrics and various descriptive statistics, on the one hand; interviews, a survey and a focus group on the other. In order to assess the additionality and impact of international programme support, we used statistical matching techniques to construct a comparison group of FWF-supported stand-alone projects. FWF's international programmes mobilise and, thus, support a segment of the Austria-based research community that is able to produce high-quality output with international colleagues. In this light, FWF's international programmes contribute significantly to the internationalisation of science in Austria. At the same time, FWF's contribution cannot change systemic issues that easily (e.g. achieve a further international opening of the Austrian research system). Also, the international programmes seem to support a segment of the Austria-based research community that is already well-established. Young researchers use different instruments to cooperation internationally (mobility, individual fellowship programmes, etc.).


Introducing new medical technologies into the healthcare environment poses potential risks. Technology that does not consider the capabilities and limitations of users can result in human error, leading to patient safety risks. Technology that does not meet functional and system integration requirements can affect an organization's ability to provide efficient care, which poses adoption risks. [1] Finally, purchasing medical technologies that pose safety or adoption risks can lead to financial risks from litigation and shortened time to obsolescence. Human factors engineering is a discipline concerned with the interaction between people and the systems they use. Recently, human factors engineering has contributed to patient safety improvement efforts through medical device evaluation and design. [2-6] The medical technology procurement process provides an opportunity to further improve the safety of devices and systems used by healthcare organizations. By selecting medical technology that conforms to human factors principles and evaluating how a particular technology will interact with all elements of its environment, the safest available technology can be purchased. Biomedical engineers and technologists are key players in procurement decisions, and can be instrumental in introducing human factors methods to the procurement process. This paper presents a human factors informed procurement (HFIP) process model that introduces human factors methods to the traditional procurement process. It outlines the quantitative and qualitative data that can be gathered using this process and how this data reduces the risks associated with procurement decisions, resulting in the selection of safer decisions.


A 16-year-old boy arrives in the emergency department (ED) at 14:00 with his sister who is concerned that he ''has been acting whacked out of his mind.'' She states that he had been alone in his bedroom the prior evening, and came out seeming very agitated and paranoid. The boy was awake through the night, pacing around the house, and seeming like he could not control himself when he would try to sit. The sister has also noticed that he has periods of time in which he seems to be confused and may be hallucinating. She found it strange that he kept looking out the house windows while hiding behind the curtains even though nobody was outside. The boy reports being uncomfortable because his heart keeps racing, and says, ''all these thoughts keep racing through my brain and I'm panicking.'' He is also concerned that he is very hungry but cannot seem to eat. The boy was healthy before this acute illness with no history of recent fever or cough. He has been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, but reports that he stopped taking medicines for it ''years ago.'' The boy denies substance abuse, but his sister states that she knows that he drinks alcohol, smokes cigarettes, and smokes marijuana occasionally. The boy seems restless in the room and does not maintain eye contact for long, but is alert and able to answer questions. He quickly appears exasperated with questions. His heart rate is 118 beats per minute and his blood pressure is 161/ 90 mmHg. His oral temperature is 37.6-C and his respiratory rate is 22/minute. The boy has dilated but reactive pupils without nystagmus. No exudates or ulcers are apparent in the oropharynx and the nares are normal. There is no limitation to passive neck flexion and no goiter. Although tachycardic, no murmurs or gallops are auscultated over the heart. The lungs are clear with good air entry. The boy's abdomen is soft with active bowel sounds. He has good motor strength and normal deep tendon reflexes, but has a prominent tremor in his outstretched hand. Cranial nerve function is grossly intact. His skin is sweaty. The boy's blood glucose concentration is 114 mg/dL by bedside test, and he is given an electrolyte and carbohydratecontaining sports drink which he ingests without difficulty. His sister, initially shy with concerns about getting her brother in trouble, reports that she thinks he may have been using ''bath salts'' because she has seen them in his bedroom. The boy confirms purchasing some ''White Rush bath salts'' at a small gas station market and snorting them for the past several days.


We study in this paper mechanisms to construct equal-opportunity policies for resource allocation. In a model where individuals enjoy welfare as a func- tion of the eort they expend, and the amount of a socially provided resource they consume, the aim is to allocate the social resource so that the inequality of welfare across individuals at the same relative eort level is minimized. In doing so, and as opposed to other existing mechanisms for the design of equal-opportunity policies, we account for the hypothetical relative depri- vation among equally-deserving individuals. Besides studying these mecha- nisms generically, we analyze their performance in the context of the delivery of health care resources.


Kentucky law strictly limits the recovery of consortium damages to three contexts: loss of consortium upon injury or wrongful death of a spouse, children's loss of consortium resulting from wrongful death of a parent, and parental loss of consortium resulting from wrongful death of a minor child. This article discusses the history and evolution of consortium claims, explores the various ways in which current plaintiffs seek to broaden these claims, and raises questions regarding the future of consortium claims under Kentucky law. Now more than ever, defense attorneys must consider the historical progression of consortium law and underlying rationales to accurately evaluate and effectively defend against aberrant changes in the law.


Chemistry laboratories play an essential role in the education of undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM students. The extent of student learning in any educational environment depends largely on the effectiveness of the instructors. In chemistry laboratories at large universities, the instructors of record are typically graduate or undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs). Despite the importance of their role in the education of undergraduate students, TAs' instructional practices have been largely understudied outside specific reform efforts. In this study, we developed a segmented observation protocol, the Laboratory Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (LOPUS), in order to characterize TAs' instructional styles in a General Chemistry laboratory curriculum. LOPUS captures both students' and TAs' behaviors every 2 min as well as initiators of verbal interactions and the nature of these verbal interactions (e.g., data analysis, explanation of concepts). ...


Research the influence of the powerful electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear explosion on radio communication and navigation antenna-feeder devices aircraft. First proposed methodology for assessing the impact of high-power pulses for different types of on-board antennas: dipole, aperture and frameworks. Defined antenna systems that are particularly susceptible to the influence of strong electromagnetic fields.


The invention discloses a method for simply and rapidly measuring assimilable organic carbon (AOC) content in water discharge from a filter tank, which relates to a method for measuring the AOC content in the water, and aims to solve the problems that existing methods for measuring the AOC content in water discharge from the filter tank are long in experimental period and are difficult to accurately measure the AOC content in the water after filtering. The method for simply and rapidly measuring AOC content in water discharge from the filter tank comprises steps: 1 pretreatment of water samples to be measured; 2 pretreatment of inoculation water samples; 3 inoculation; 4 measurement of initial bacteria number of; 5 culture; 6 measurement of final bacteria number; and 7 calculation of the AOC content, and the method for simply and rapidly measuring AOC content in water discharge from the filter tank is completed. The invention can obtain a method for simply and rapidly measuring the AOC content in the water discharge from the filter tank.


A method for a spreading sequence design based on signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is presented in this paper. It considers the relay channel where sources communicate with the receiver via relays under frequency selective fading. We examine the design of the user spreading sequences based on exploiting channel state information. We also examine the sensitivity of the proposed schemes to broadband noise jamming at the destination.


This article looks at 'the permanent dialogue' between 'Realist' and 'Utopian' thinking in the context of the major developments which are taking place in contemporary European security. The author argues that after the dominance of 'Realism ' in both theory and practice during the Cold War, a resurgence of 'Utopian' thinking has taken place since the events of 1989, which has had a significant impact on the architecture of European security. The main thrust of the argument, however, is that despite the contradictions between the two approaches, both have a role to play in attempts to build a new European security order.


Ibucillin, ketocillin and indocillin are three semisynthetic penicillins, prepared in our laboratory from the respective side-chain acids—ibuprofen, ketoprofen and indomethacin. In-vitro determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations indicated that ibucillin was more potent than benzylpenicillin and ketocillin was more potent than ampicillin against coccoidal bacteria. All three compounds showed significant anti-inflammatory activity in the acute carrageenin rat-paw oedema model and acute toxicity reduction with respect to the free acids.


Confucian thought is the mainstream culture of Chinese nation,far-reaching impact on the history of China.It has played an enormous and far-reaching effect to shape the character of the Chinese nation and maintaining all of civilization.Confucianism takes ethics as its standard,focusing on integration of social order,political order and moral order through the effects exerted by family education,social education and political education.Discussion of these effects on the society may be beneficial to the construction of ideology and morality.


The accuracy of velocity model plays a critical role in optimal time-to-depth conversion. Velocity models attained by traditional approaches are far from the reality as the velocity variation in the subsurface is much more complex than we perceive. Therefore, it is vital to accurately resolve the geological structures, even minor errors of 2 to 3 meters are significant for horizontal well placement near the base of reservoir. In order to have better understanding of geological structure to enhance recovery, we need to have an accurate velocity model to enhance depth imaging. Traditional layer cake depth conversion method needs a series of layers for building up velocity model. The layer surfaces tied to well tops, have good tie in depth domain, since velocity is calculated as an average of layer. However, intra-zone reflections due to changes in velocity are not well characterized by overall average zone values. This may lead to depth mis-ties or uncertainties within intra-zone layers. In developed fields with many wells, we can use existing well data to enhance the velocity estimation which therefore improves quality of depth imaging. By incorporating and adjusting seismic velocity according to well velocity we can resolve to some extent the lateral and vertical velocity variations in the inter-well space and the intra-zone velocity changes and manages to get an improved tie for intra- zone reflections and depth conversion away from well control.


A 43-year-old woman was referred for investigation because of a large abdominal mass, mild fever, changes in liver function tests and pancytopenia. She was known to have hepatitis B and had been drinking half a bottle of whisky each day for at least 20 years. She had large esophageal varices that had been difficult to control with endoscopic techniques. A computed tomography scan showed a huge spleen that occupied most of the left side of the abdominal cavity (Fig. 1). Because of persisting varices, she underwent Hassab's operation, a procedure that includes splenectomy and devascularization of the upper stomach. The spleen weighed 4.5 kg (Fig. 2). Histological examination of the spleen revealed dilatation and congestion of the red pulp but no malignancy. Her fever has persisted since surgery, perhaps because of widespread portosystemic shunts. The causes of massive splenomegaly vary in different parts of the world. In Western countries, the most common causes are chronic myeloid leukemia, myelofibrosis and primary lymphoma of the spleen. In Asia, Africa and various parts of Europe, additional causes need to be considered including malaria (hyperreactive malarial splenomegaly syndrome) and leishmaniasis (kala-azar). Portal hypertension caused by cirrhosis or other disorders often results in moderate splenomegaly but massive splenomegaly is rare. Additional causes for splenomegaly of moderate size include lymphomas, leukemia, thalassemia and storage disorders such as Gaucher's disease. Reasons for massive splenomegaly in the above patient are unclear but the most likely explanation is a very high portal pressure that has persisted for several years. In some patients, this may be aggravated by thrombosis in the portal vein or splenic vein. The patient described above appears to have had the largest spleen that has been removed at surgery. The previous 'record' was held by a patient with a splenic weight of 4.0 kg.


College undergraduates were asked to study a hierarchical plant classification system according to one of two provided organizational strategies: (a) afigural taxonomy, which consisted of labeled boxes and connecting lines to represent, respectively, the nodes and links of the hierarchy; (b) a pictorial mnemonomy, in which the unfamiliar plant terms were recoded into more familiar concepts, which were then thematically related to other terms on the same branch of the hierarchy. Mnemonomy students outperformed taxonomy students on (a) both immediate and 5-day delayed measures of classification system construction and use; and (b) a test that required solving analogies involving the plant terms, thereby adding to recent evidence that mnemonic strategies can facilitate performance on tasks that require some degree of higher-order thinking. The locus of mnemonic facilitation was found to reside in the more meaningful links afforded by the mnemonomy. Such performance data, along with favorable student self-reports, support the educational utility of scientific mnemonomies.


The keen adoption of m-learning by higher education institutions on a global scale because of widespread use of mobile devices requires proper security considerations in order not to expose m-learning systems to cyber-attack. M-learning systems normally comprise three components which are the mobile device, one or multiple servers and network devices. While servers and network infrastructure have some inbuilt security and are usually owned by educational institutions or service providers, who have adequate resources to ensure their security, mobile devices are owned by individuals and generally do not come with protective software such as antivirus. Lack of security tools makes mobile devices vulnerable to many threats and attacks. The objectives of this paper are, therefore, to investigate which components of m-learning environments are prone to attack and what are the common attack routes in Nigerian universities. This paper will recommend solutions to these problems and the findings of this paper can help m-learning system developers to put more security measures on the components of m-learning system that are vulnerable to risks, threats and attacks.


In the broad area of supramolecular chemistry, the calix[n]arene provides a congenial platform for synthetic modifications, and further has been a highly studied system and thereby occupies a unique position among the supramolecular scaffolds. This is attributable to its pre-organised hydrophobic cavity, amenability to synthetic modifications to generate derivatives, presence of pre-organised ion binding cores along with reporter moieties both at its lower and upper rims. Such derivatizations lead to well defined conformations, and tunable functionalization at both these rims. Among various possible derivatizations, the synthetic strategies of those leading to cone conformation have been rationalized in this review article. In addition, some insights into the synthesis of calix[4]arene dimers and tubes, and a variety of different macrocyclic derivatives of the calixarene have also been taken into consideration. All the conjugated derivatives of calix[4]arene platform reported in this article have been provided with a relevance to highlight their application potential.


Regardless of the arguments from scientists supporting genetically modified foods, there is still a negative consumer attitude toward GM foods in many countries, including Brazil, as well as concerns about the risks related to health and the environment. As this is a recent subject, there is little empirical and scientific research on the effects of genetic modification and its possible benefits on consumer perceptions. In this study, a laboratory experiment with Brazilian consumers is presented in which two factors are manipulated: genetic modification (present x absent) and benefits to the product (environment, low price and increased shelf life). Results indicated that: (i) the presence of the genetic modification in the product led to negative evaluations of the corporate image and the behavioral intentions toward such product; (ii) the benefits tested were not enough to attenuate the negative perception; (iii) consumers with high involvement with GM food presented more favorable behavioral intentions toward the product (i.e., a significant positive correlation was found); and (iv) demographic variables, such as gender and age, also influenced the attitudes.


States are turning their attention to long-term care insurance, spurred by a 1996 federal law and an increasingly urgent need for more options to finance the care of their rapidly growing elderly populations.


Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the novel Coronavirus is the causative agent of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has grasped the whole world. Healthcare Workers (HCWs) are at an increased risk. The usage and awareness of entire Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit in hospitals on such wide scale has not been seen for some time in healthcare setting. Improper use of these equipment may result in the spread of infection. Aim: To assess the knowledge and attitude of HCWs regarding the correct use of PPE at the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic in order to find the gap in knowledge and to address the perceived barriers in compliance and further to assess the same after training and reinforcement to ensure the HCWs safety. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional hospital based study was carried out in a designated COVID-19 hospital of Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College from April 2020 to October 2020 on frontline HCWs posted in various areas of hospital. Sample size was calculated as a minimum of 500 HCWs using appropriate statistical formula. A predesigned, pretested structured questionnaire both online and offline mode was used. The data that was obtained was analysed using SPSS version 20. Results: Seven hundred frontline HCWs were included in the study. Mean age of study population was 30.5 years. A total of 52% of the participants were males and 48% were females. Knowledge level of PPE kit and its use varied across doctors, nursing staff and housekeeping staff. Knowledge about donning and doffing was largely lacking with only 9% doctors and none of other staff were aware which improved to more than 80% post-training. Attitude regarding PPE kit usage was largely positive. Conclusion: The study concludes that there is a constant need of training and re-training of HCWs in order to keep them safe from not only COVID-19 but future infections. An active infection prevention training program is crucial to ensure HCWs safety.


In its three field seasons between 2015 and 2017 the Czech ‐Uzbekistani archaeological mission has focused on the area of the eastern Kugitang piedmonts, especially the Paskhurt Valley (southern Uzbekistan) in order to examine its historical cultural development. As one of the simultaneous activities, excavations of various selected kurgans and kurgan ‐like features, which were newly detected in the area have been undertaken. Special attention was paid to the connection between kurgans and settlement sites nearby, particularly those of the Yaz I period (Early Iron Age Period, late 2nd millennium BC). Three kurgans of the Yaz I period have been uncovered, however their purpose was not identified with a sepulchral use, but rather with a ritual one. Besides the excavation of – in local terms – larger kurgans at the site of Kayrit 1, lesser simple stone structures were also excavated.


A study conducted with the objective to test the effect of six weeks step aerobic training on selected kinetic (Ground Reaction Force) and Kinematic (Temporal) variables of female. The study was delimited to female subjects only (N=16), age ranging from 18 to 22 years, height of step platform set to 6 inches and intensity of training set to 118 beats per minute. The study delimited to selected kinetic (ground reaction force) and kinematic(Temporal) variables namely as Peak Force in X-axis on Force Plate 2(PF2X), Peak Force in y-axis on Force Plate 2 (PF2Y), Peak Force in z-axis on Force Plate 2 (PF2Z), Peak Force in X-axis on Force plate 1(PF1X), Peak Force in Y-axis on Force Plate 1(PF1Y), Peak Force in Z-axis on Force Plate 1(PF1Z), Time taken to achieve Peak Force in X-axis on Force Plate 2(TPF2X), Time taken to achieve Peak Force in Y-axis on Force Plate 2(TPF2Y), Time taken to achieve Peak Force in Z-axis on Force Plate 2(TPF2Z), Time taken to achieve Peak Force in X-axis on Force plate 1(TPF1X), Time taken to achieve Peak Force i in Y-axis on force plate 1(TPF1Y), Time taken to achieve peak force in Zaxis on force plate 1(TPF1Z). The Data Recording and quantification for pre test and post test were administered by Dynamometric Analysis (force plate recordings) was performed. Collected data were computed with mean, standard deviation and t-test. The variables namely as PF1Y, PF2Y, PF2Z, TPF1X, TPF2X, TPF2Y, TPF2Z has significantly increased and PF1X, PF1Z, PF2X, TPF1Y, TPF1Z decreased significantly. Six weeks of step aerobic training were found to be sufficient length of training (training cycle) for biomechanical adaptation. All the selected kinetic (ground reaction force) variables supported each other as per the existing literature or research and were found suitable for step aerobic training evaluation.


Upgrading is the latest buzzword in global value chain research, especially with regard to producers in countries of the Global South: participation in global food value chains has the potential of raising smallholder incomes and achieving decent work, very much in the spirit of the
 Sustainable Development Goals. However, we argue that the conceptual foundation of upgrading, which is at the heart of many value chain development initiatives, deserves scrutiny and a stronger focus on interorganizational learning among value chain actors to serve its purpose.Global
 value chains have the potential of contributing to the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In agriculture, the integration of producers into food value chains has created new employment in farming and processing, although it may also lead to precarious jobs,
 forced labor, and riskier environments for farmers and workers. The "upgrading" concept put forward by value chain researchers claims to address these concerns as it describes how producers can improve their position within a value chain, and hence, their livelihoods. The paper
 critically evaluates the conceptual foundation of "upgrading" and its applicability in food value chain governance for the realization of SDGs related to responsible production and decent work. An overlooked element contributing to upgrading and the achievement of these
 SDGs is learning among value chain actors. The paper argues how the shortcomings in the concept can be addressed in practice through interorganizational learning in multi-stakeholder platforms.


Background
Mutations in the S gene (HBsAg), pre-core (PC), and basic core promoter (BCP) of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are correlated with disease progression. This study assessed the frequency of mutations in the S gene, PC, and BCP regions in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.

Methods
104 formerly known CHB patients who visited Tehran Hepatitis centers, were included. The viral load of samples was determined based on the TaqMan method. Regions of the S gene, PC and BCP were amplified by the nested PCR. Positive PCR products were sequenced and analyzed.

Results
33 successfully sequenced S gene region revealed all the derived strains were genotype D, with the majority (90.9%) belonging to the ayw2 subtype, and the rest (9.1%) to the ayw1 subtype. The prevalence of mutations was found to be 51.0% and 18.0% in the HBsAg and the Major Hydrophilic Region, respectively. 70.0% of amino acid changes within HBsAg occurred in different immune epitopes, of which 27.0% and 72.0% were located in B cell and Th epitopes, respectively. 26 successfully sequenced PC and BCP regions showed at least one mutation in 84.6% of the HBV strains. The PC and BCP mutations were G1896A (61.0%), G1899A (23.0%), A1762T/G1764A (23.0%) and G1764T/C1766G (26.0%). None of the strains with A1762T/G1764A mutation carried the G1764T/C1766G mutant.

Conclusions
Our results showed common mutations within HBsAg, occurring in immune epitopes, a high rate of G1896A mutations in the PC region, and a negative correlation between the emergence of A1762T/G1764A mutation and the G1764T/C1766G mutant in the BCP region.


In this work, we report the experimental values of the excess quantities and and the isobaric equilibrium data (VLE) at 101.32 kPa for the four mixtures of alkyl methanoates (methyl to butyl) and hexane. The results indicate that for these four mixtures (∂ /∂T)p > 0 and(∂ /∂T)p > 0. VLE data were found to be thermodynamically consistent with the Fredenslund method. All the binary mixtures presented here, except for the system (butyl methanoate + hexane), present a minimum-boiling temperature azeotrope with coordinates (xaz, Taz/K), (0.832, 302.62) for (methyl methanoate + hexane), (0.703, 323.32) for (ethyl methanoate + hexane), and (0.283, 339.10) for (propyl methanoate + hexane). Simultaneous correlations performed with the VLE data and excess enthalpies using a simple polynomial model, with temperature-dependent coefficients, produced acceptable estimations. Application of the UNIFAC model in the versions of Hansen et al. (Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 1991, 30, 2355−2358) and Gmehling et al. (Ind. Eng. Chem. R...


This paper proposes a new switched-capacitor sigma-delta modulator for automotive radars. Developed modulator is used to perform high-resolution analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) of high frequency band signal in a radar system. It has supply voltage of 2.7V, and has body-effect compensated switch configuration with low voltage and low distortion. The modulator has been implemented in a 0.25 μm double-poly and triple-metal standard CMOS process, and it has die area of 1.9×1.5 mm 2 . It showed better total harmonic distortion of 20dB than the conventional bootstrapped circuit at the supply voltage of 2.7V.


Abstract The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts is the site of a survey course on medical informatics. Medical librarians have been attending this course with other health professionals for ten years. The purpose of this paper is to offer a description of the setting and synopsis of salient points from a few of the lectures. Hopefully, remarks made in this paper will encourage librarians to apply for the National Library of Medicine grant, which supports the course.


The current «assault on archives» is liable to produce surprises among researchers. Some are due to the state of the archives themselves and the research facilities available. Others, such as disparity of access, can be due to juridical deficiencies. The article points out some possible causes of such a defective situation; declares the value of archives, an instrument of government in ecclesial society, a divine and human institution; lists some urgent provisions for the «good government» of the ecclesial memory: the creation of the professional figure of the archivist, the need to construct the canonical archive system and he provides a basic plan for doing this. He adds some reflections based on simple sources and bibliography.


We consider Bayesian incentive compatible and individually rational mechanisms for resolving conflicts between two agents who are uncertain about each other's fighting potential. We model the default option of outright conflict as a probabilistic contest. Examples of such contests may be international conflict, litigation, and elections. We show, in particular, that if the loss of surplus from outright conflict is small enough, then any mechanism must assign a positive probability of conflict. This happens even though only a peaceful agreement avoids a loss of resources.


This article presents a study of ta'wīl promulgated by two prominent Sufis, namely Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī and Ibn 'Arabī. Although both use the ta'wīl method of explaining the Qur'anic verses, they are different in terms of "the school" they embrace to. When al-Ghazali belongs to the Sunni Sufi category, Ibn 'Arabī is a representation of the Naẓarī Falsafī Sufi. In their ta'wīl both Sufis employ symbols as a medium to understanding. In al-Ghazālī's perspective, symbols are the most appropriate method to explain the meaning obtained through kashf. As for Ibn 'Arabī, the symbol is a method of solving and breaking down the ultimate reality associated with the basic concepts of truth, nature, and man. The symbolic language framework can be known only by certain people who have a clean and pure heart. In interpreting the Qur'ān, Ibn 'Arabī and al-Ghazālī belong to the category of those who use symbolism interpretation approach; interpreting the Qur'anic verses which are incompatible with the extrinsic meaning of the texts but with their abstract symbols.


As Tom Wong and Samuel Lee mention in their article about hepatitis C,[1][1] patients with genotype 2 or 3 "are expected to have a high likelihood of treatment success"; however, the conclusion that these patients "may not require a liver biopsy and do not require a baseline viral load


Compact stars cooling theory is revised thought secular stability criteria, this is when the relaxation times are not negligible. Using the Cattaneo Law for the heat flux, it is shown changes in the energy transport equation and insinuates quasiperiodic pulses in the luminosity. Applications in rapid variations in single white-dwarf oscillators and quasi periodic luminosity pulses of Neutron Stars (NS) are suggested. Also we discussed the Secular Stability in milliseconds emissions Pulsar.


In response to its high population growth rate, the Mexican government enacted a general population law in 1973 stressing the right of parents to make responsible fertility decisions and the obligation of the government to make the means available for carrying out those decisions. The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) was asked to provide family planning education and services through federal health centers as part of a 10-year national health program. The immediate objective of the UNFPA-funded program, begun in 1975, included strengthening the health infrastructure of the Ministry in the areas of evaluation, training, education, and supervision. Special attention was given to training auxiliary nurses in rural health centers. While only 17% of Ministry health centers and hospitals were providing family planning services in 1974, this figure reached 80% by 1976 and the number of active contraceptive users jumped from 80,000 in 1973 to 275,000. In 1977 a National Family Planning Plan, which set up an integrated program for all government sectors concerned with population, was approved, and targets for promoting family planning, reducing abortion, and improving maternal and child health services were established. The growth rate has declined from 3.5% to 3.2% since the population law was enacted, but it is projected that resources of family planning programs must be doubled and tripled and family planning must become a national priority if the goal of a 2.5% growth rate by 1982 is to be achieved.


Market structure is one of dominating factors determining degree of market competition. Research of power market structure is the focus and difficulty in China. This paper discussed some measure and method of researching into power market, introduced concept of dynamic market concentration, bring forward the viewpoint that power product also can be discriminated and researched general frame of power market structure in China primarily.


To support the development and expansion of organic farming, more research is needed to optimise the function and practices of individual farms. Furthermore, it is important to assess the ecological effects of organic farming on a regional scale in order to show potential ad-vantages of organic farming compared to conventional farming. Both issues require model-ling of cropping methods and crop rotations. The authors present a rule-based model for the generation of site-specific and agronomically suitable crop rotations. Site-specific estimation modules for yields, nitrogen balance, risk of weed problems, phytosanitary restrictions for crop rotations, and economic costs and benefits allow the generation and selection of eco-nomically optimal, site-specific organic crop rotations. A stand-alone version of the model is presented, but the algorithms are also used within a linear programming farm model.


The realization of fault feature extraction is the key point during the fault diagnosis in gearbox based on vibration signal analysis.Because the strong noise interference consist in the vibration signals which collected from the actual work gearbox,it is hard to extract the fault feature using single signal analysis method.Two different or more methods jointly used in gearbox vibration signal processing have been the tendency in current research.In order to study the advantages of different methods jointly used in gearbox fault signal feature extraction,we analyzed large amount of literature and found that the combining methods can avoid the limitations appeared in single method,and make full use of the advantages in different methods.The current situation of the application of combining methods separately based on frequency analysis and nonlinear theory in gearbox fault feature extraction was summarized,and finally some suggestions were made for the development of the different signal processing methods used in gearbox fault diagnosis.


A new multiple routes planner for air vehicle based on Genetic Algorithm is proposed.The approach designs a new classifying-evaluation system,which efficiently solves the route evaluation in the case of various mission constraints,part of which conflict.Using a real-value representation of chromosome and specific operators,all routes evolve in their own sub-population at the same time.At the end of the evolution,each sub-population provides an optimal route,and thus algorithm generates multiple routes for the vehicle.The results of simulation demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.


This essay is an exploration of the multiple cultural performances and performative Indigenous and non-Indigenous presences competing within events and erased by dominant narratives. The performance and performativity of race, class and culture for both black and white Australians in embodied performances and in accounts as a performative source of ideological meaning-making are critical factors within cross-cultural communications. The focus of this paper is on the dynamic between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous performances and presences within the enactment and documentation of two events separated by 100 years, a nineteenth century anecdote and a twentieth century "historical" event.


Abstract Based on theory of piezoelectricity and using generalized coupled thermoelasticity, transient response of a simply supported functionally graded material rectangular plate embedded in sensor and actuator piezoelectric layers under applied electric field and thermal shock is studied. Thermoelastic properties of the plate vary continuously along the thickness direction according to exponential functions and Poisson ratio is assumed to be constant. Applying Fourier series state space technique to the basic coupled thermoelastic differential equations results in the ordinary differential equations which are solved analytically by using Laplace transform. Validation of the present approach is assessed by comparing the numerical results with the available results in literature. In parametric study, effect of the relaxation time, applied voltage and temperature and time history of the thermoelastic response of FGM plate attached to piezoelectric layers are investigated.


A clip ring device for band of the utility model comprises a first clip ring and a second clip ring which are of ring frame shapes. The band passes through and passes round the first clip ring and presents a return state; the second clip ring is sliding sleeved on the band which passes round the first clip ring and presents the return state. Just pull and draw the first clip ring and the second clip ring of the utility model, and the band can be locked between the two clip rings firmly and the length of the band can be adjusted as required, so it is very convenient and reliable to use.


This paper deals with the megawatt-frequency control problem for two-area power systems. The problem is formulated as a linear dynamic model with non-separable performance measure. A two-level optimization algorithm is developed to solve this problem based on a modified prediction principle. Computer simulation results are presented to illustrate the potential of the approach.


Acceleration of energetic ions is one of the drastic and common phenomena in the near‐Earth plasma sheet during the expansion phase of substorms. When a magnetic field line is stretched, the curvature radius of the magnetic field line becomes small, and many of energetic ions are accelerated nonadiabatically under the presence of electric fields. In a global magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulation, when the magnetic field line is further stretched, a flux rope structure appears in the near‐Earth plasma sheet (at ~8.5 RE for this particular simulation) for about 10 min before a substorm onset under the presence of the Y component of the interplanetary magnetic field. The magnetic field lines are azimuthally (in the east‐west direction) elongated near the equatorial plane, and the structure is different from that directly associated with magnetic reconnection. Based on a test particle simulation, we show that the oxygen ions departing in the flux rope structure a few minutes before the onset go around in the near‐Earth plasma sheet twice, experience strong dawn‐dusk electric field, and the ions gain kinetic energy as high as ~200 keV in ~10 min. The large acceleration results from nonadiabation motion together with geometry of magnetic field lines having a kink. The acceleration process (passing through or near the kink and energization by dawn‐dusk electric field) is not common. However, most of the particles that are accelerated more than 150 keV passed through or near the kink. The azimuthally elongated magnetic field line seems to have a large influence of substorm‐time acceleration of the oxygen ions that preexist before the onset.


DESCRIBING THE effects of cognitive trauma, this book explains how traumatic events are perceived and addressed in terms of orientation, the fight or flight response and dissociation, and how these affect the body.


We investigate the impact of direct cash payments on whole blood donations. The German blood collection system is based on both, paid and unpaid blood donations. We take advantage of a quasi-natural experiment, in which one blood donation site changes its compensation scheme from paid to unpaid, while all other donation sites maintain their payment schemes. We show that cash payments increase donation volume without affecting blood quality. This result casts doubt on the notion that monetary incentives crowd out intrinsic motivation to donate blood. Policymakers should thus reconsider direct cash payments to address public health concerns about blood shortages.


ABSTRACT On several substrates, including dried silver-coated filter paper, electro-polishing aluminum foils, and anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanometer array templates, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of Azo Dye Sudan III molecules were studied, and high-quality SERS spectra were obtained, which indicated that electro-polishing aluminum foils and AAO nanometer array templates were also active SERS substrates. A number of additional modes were presented, as well as some split peaks, which were especially obvious on electro-polishing aluminum foil and AAO nanometer array template. The enhancement mechanisms were discussed and the enhancement factors G were calculated as 104, 106, and 105, respectively.


THE "operative dose" is made up of all factors entailed in carrying out an operation, as well as complications resulting from the operative measures. My purpose is to discuss some of the factors entering into this "shot gun" to be taken by the con-templating a surgical operation, in the hope of or eliminating of the and thus to some extent lightening the operative dose. The theme, then, of my discussion is a thoughtful blending and balancing of the preoperative, operative and postoperative care.


The establishment of normal market order is the prerequisite for the improvement of China's market economy. However, because of the non-symmetry of market information, credit falls out of the necessary restriction of budget and related system, bringing about the distorted market sincerity system and moral risks which find expressions in the present market system of China. It is thus imperative to build up normal, reasonable and efficient sincerity system so as to guarantee the sustainable growth of China's economy.


ABSTRACT Dropping hCG levels were studied in 76 patients following laparoscopic treatment of ectopic pregnancy. The drop in hCG is the same as after conservative treatment using laparotomy. This study shows that early detection of treatment failure is possible from the second or third postoperative day onward. The authors report a schema for postoperative follow-up after laparoscopic treatment for ectopic pregnancy that relies on the rate of hCG drop. (J GYNECOL SURG 7:211, 1991)


This paper uses an Autoregressive Fractionally Integrated Moving Average (ARFIMA) process to determine if Australia's savings and investment are fractionally cointegrated. The study finds the two series to be fractionally cointegrated implying that deviations from equilibrium are persistent.


PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN LEVELS: THE CONFOUNDING ROLE OF BODY FAT PERCENTAGE Kenric L. Russell Department of Exercise Sciences Master of Science The purpose of the present study was to examine the cross-sectional relationship between physical activity and C-reactive protein (CRP) in 211 middle-aged women (43.1 + 3.0 years). A secondary objective was to determine the extent to which body fat percentage operated as a confounder in the association between physical activity and CRP. Physical activity was objectively measured using MTI accelerometers, which the subjects wore for seven continuous days. Fasting blood samples were taken, from which CRP was measured using a solid phase ELISA. Body fat percentage was assessed using the Bod Pod. Results showed that physical activity was significantly and inversely related to CRP concentrations (F = 4.20, p = 0.042). Specifically, regression analysis showed that for each 100,000 count increase in physical activity (about 25 minutes of moderate exercise), there was a decrease of 0.026 mg/L of CRP. However, after adjusting for differences in body fat percentage, measured physical activity was no longer a significant predictor of CRP (F = 0.01, p = 0.927). These findings suggest that although higher physical activity levels are related to lower CRP levels, this relationship is almost entirely a function of differences in body fat.


A field experiment on rice consisting of twelve treatment combinations involving different proportion of four organics on N equivalent basis and three different organic liquid formulation sprays along with one INM (control) outside in FRBD with three replications at Organic farm, F-block, NAU, Navsari was conducted during summer season of 2011–12 and 2012–13. The results revealed that among the organics treatments, application of NADEP: VC: NC in the proportion of 33.3: 33.3: 33.4 (O3) showed superiority with respect to growth and yield parameters of rice over O1 and O2, and was closely followed by O4 treatment (NADEP 33.3: VC 33.3: CC 33.4). The values recorded in pooled analysis with O3 treatment of plant height at harvest (104.8 cm) and number of tillers plant −1 (10) were significantly higher as compared to rest of the organic treatments. On pooled analysis basis all yield attributing characters were found to be improved significantly due to spraying of different organic liquid formulations. Spraying of 1% enriched banana pseudostem sap (S1) increased the plant height and number of tillers plant−1 with number of panicles plant−1, panicle length, number of filled grains, test weight, grain yield, straw yield and total dry matter yield. The interaction effect between different organics N levels and organic liquid formulation as well as control v/s rest analysis were found to be non-significant in almost all growth and yield parameters studied.