Graph search has been employed by many AI techniques and applications. A natural way to improve the efficiency of search is to utilize advanced, more powerful computing platforms. However, expensive computing infrastructures, such as supercomputers and large-scale clusters, are traditionally available to only a limited number of projects and researchers. As a results, most AI applications, with access to only commodity computers and clusters, cannot benefit from the efficiency improvements of high-performance parallel search algorithms. Cloud computing provides an attractive, highly accessible alternative to other traditional highperformance computing platforms. In this paper, we first show that the run-time of our stochastic search algorithm in planning is a heavy-tailed distribution, which Type of Report: Other Department of Computer Science & Engineering Washington University in St. Louis Campus Box 1045 St. Louis, MO 63130 ph: (314) 935-6160 ied and applied to several areas of automated planning, such as sampling possible trajectories in probabilistic planning (Bryce, Kambhampati, and Smith 2006) and robot motion planning (LaValle 2006). (Fern, Yoon, and Givan 2004) uses random walk exploration to lean domain-specific control knowledge. This paper generally has two contributions. First, we show that the run-time distribution Monte Carlo Random Walk (MRW) algorithm in planning is a heavytailed distribution, which has a remarkable variability. Second, we propose a parallel MRW algorithm which takes advantage of short runs in thus heavy-tailed distribution. Our parallel MRW algorithm is a parallel stochastic search which use low frequency communication, even no communication between computing nodes which is perfectly suitable for cloud computing architecture. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows: Section briefly reviews the cloud computing, SAS+ formalism of classic planning and Monte Carlo Random Walk method. Section explains details of MRW algorithm and its heavy-tailed run-time distribution. Section introduces basic parallel MRW algorithm and a communication technique to improve the efficiency and probability of solving problems. Section discusses the performance on standard planning benchmarks from the IPC-4 competition. Section contains concluding remarks and some potential directions for future work. Background Cloud computing SAS+ Formalism In this paper, we work on the SAS+ formalism (Jonsson and Backstrom 1998) of classical planning. In the following, we review this formalism and introduce our notations. Definition 1. A SAS+ planning task Π is defined as a tuple {X,O, S, sI , sG}. • X = {x1, · · · , xN} is a set of multi-valued state variables, each with an associated finite domain Dom(xi). • O is a set of actions and each action o ∈ O is a tuple (pre(o), eff(o)), where both pre(o) and eff(o) define some partial assignments of variables in the form xi = vi, vi ∈ Dom(xi). sG is a partial assignment that defines the goal. • S is the set of states. A state s ∈ S is a full assignment to all the state variables. sI ∈ S is the initial state. A state s is a goal state if sG ⊆ s. For a given state s and an action o, when all variable assignments in pre(o) are met in state s, action o is applicable at state s. After applying o to s, the state variable assignment will be changed to a new state s according to eff(o): the state variables that appear in eff(o) will be changed to the assignments in eff(o) while other state variables remain the same. We denote the resulting state of applying an applicable action o to s as s = apply(s, o). apply(s, o) is undefined if o is not applicable at S. The planning task is to find a plan, a sequence of actions that transits the initial state sI to a goal state that includes sG. An important structure for a given SAS+ task is the domain transition graph defined as follows. Definition 2. For a SAS+ planning task, each state variable xi, i = 1, · · · , N corresponds to a domain transition graph (DTG) Gi, a directed graph with a vertex set V (Gi) = Dom(xi) ∪ v0, where v0 is a special vertex, and an edge set E(Gi) determined by the following. • If there is an action o such that (xi = vi) ∈ pre(o) and (xi = v ′ i) ∈ eff(o), then (vi, v ′ i) belongs to E(Gi) and we say that o is associated with the edge ei = (vi, v ′ i) (denoted as o ⊢ ei). It is conventional to call the edges in DTGs as transitions. • If there is an action o such that (xi = v ′ i) ∈ eff(o) and no assignment to xi is in pre(o), then (v0, v ′ i) belongs to E(Gi) and we say that o is associated with the transition ei = (v0, v ′ i) (denoted as o ⊢ ei). Intuitively, a SAS+ task can be decomposed into multiple objects, each corresponding to one DTG, which models the transitions of the possible values of that object. Monte-Carlo Random Walk In Monte-Carlo Random Walk planning (Nakhost and Mller 2009), fast Monte-Carlo random walks are used for exploring the neighborhood of a search state. A relatively large set of states S in the neighborhood of the current state s0 is sampled before greedily selecting a most promising next state s ∈ S. For example, a new random walk starts from s0, builds a sequence of actions o0 → o1 → ... → ok and changes s0 to s. At the end of the random walk, s is evaluated by a heuristic function h, for instance by the FF heuristic, and added to S. When a stopping criterion is satisfied, the algorithm chooses a state in S with the minimum h-value to replace s0. The MRW method uniformly deals with both problems of local search methods: it quickly escapes from local minima and can recover from areas where the evaluation is poor. The MRW method does not rely on any assumptions about the local properties of the search space or heuristic function. Monte-Carlo Random Walk Search Alogorithm 1 shows the framework of Monte-Carlo Random Walk method. Given a SAS+ planning problem Π, MRW search builds a chain of states sI → s1 → ... → sn such that sI is the initial state, sn is a goal state, and each transition si → si+1 uses an action sequence found by RandomWalk exploring the neighborhood of si (Line 9). MRW search fails to find a solution when the minimum obtained h-value does not improve within MAX STEPS times, or si is a dead-end Algorithm 1: MRW(Π) Input: SAS+ planning problem Π Output: a solution plan s ← sI ; 1


We present an interactive exploration tool for 4D PC-MRI blood flow data that incorporates established rendering and filtering methods and combine them into one application. These methods include a ...


Three distinct syndromes of multiple endocrine neoplasia have been described.1 Type 1 is characterized by adenomas or diffuse hyperplasia of the parathyroid glands, the pituitary, and the endocrine...


NASA and CNES are about to embark on a bold, exciting, and pioneering joint scientific mission to bring to Earth selected samples of the planet Mars.


1 Insecticidal proteins can be excreted in the honeydew when sap‐sucking insects feed on insect‐resistant transgenic plants. Honeydew can be an important source of carbohydrates, thus potentially exposing a broad range of honeydew‐feeding insects to transgene products.


This is a study of minority labor practices at International Harvester from its origins to the present time. Data on these practices is presented to support the argument that minority labor has occupied a distinctly subordinate status in this company. This subordinate status is conceptualized in terms of colonial theory, which is used here as a theory of racial inequality. In addition, colonial theory is compared to other theories of inequality, including Marxist theories, and two varieties of colonial theory are described.


This paper is concerned with the voltage and reactive power issues surrounding the connection of Distributed Generation (DG) on the low-voltage (LV) distribution network. The presented system-wide voltage control algorithm consists of three stages. Firstly available reactive power reserves are utilized. Then, if required, DG active power output is curtailed. Finally, curtailment of non-critical site demand is considered. The control methodology is tested on a variant of the 13-bus IEEE Node Radial Distribution Test Feeder. The presented control algorithm demonstrated that the distribution system operator (DSO) can maintain voltage levels within a desired statutory range by dispatching reactive power from DG or network devices. The practical application of the control strategy is discussed.


In this paper transient structural responses of a drop test apparatus are investigated during drop testing. Parametric studies are carried out to examine the effect of drop heights, composition of materials and component geometries of the apparatus on the pulse duration and the peak acceleration at an observation point. The finite element analysis applies an explicit time integration scheme, which is feasible in dealing with the nonlinear transient structural behavior. Results suggest that an effective design of the drop test apparatus could be performed by changing the composition material of the strike surface and subsequently by adjusting the height of the drop table.


Approaching the twenty‐first century should reinforce the notion that modern managers work in an environment of uncertainty. Contingency analysis has become merely a fact of business decision making. Clearly, the word to describe the modern business world is "change". For those on the forefront it means challenges and new opportunities. But for the multitude of small and medium‐sized business owners it means risk, uncertainty and threat. Nothing exemplifies this threat of the future and change to the small businessman more than the computer.


A wind‐driven, closed‐basin quasi‐geostrophic ocean model is computed at very high horizontal resolution to study the effect of increasing Reynolds number (Re) on eddy variability. Five numerical simulations are performed with identical configurations, varying only in horizontal resolution and viscosity coefficient (and therefore Re). Qualitative changes in the structure of eddy variability are evident in the dramatic increase of isolated vortex structures at the highest Re. While the time‐mean kinetic energy is relatively independent of Re, the vortex emergence contributes to a continual increase with Re of eddy kinetic energy and meridional vorticity flux. The rate of increase slows somewhat at the highest Re, indicating the possibility of a regime where eddy variability becomes insensitive to further increases in Re.


In a single frequency network (SFN) for Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) terrestrial digital television (DTV) system, the interference due to the use of same frequency among multiple transmitters or repeaters is inevitable for receivers. This problem can be solved by adjusting transmit power and time of each transmitter and repeater. To adjust SFNs, the ATSC recommended practice (RP) introduces a transmitter identification (TxID) signal which is embedded in a signal from each transmitter or repeater. This paper proposes an efficient method to estimate the individual reception power from each transmitter or repeater based on the channel profile of SFN and the total reception power. Moreover, field test results are provided to evaluate the performance of the proposed method.


In recent years, self-driving cars are being introduced to streets, which generated significant attention and discussion. The widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles (AV) brings changes in several fields. One of the most exciting changes is presented by the effect that driverless cars bring to the well-known traditional traffic model, the Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD). This is a key issue as MFD is a basic model for strategic traffic planning and also for real-time traffic control. In this paper therefore the impacts of autonomous vehicles that are relevant to the urban MFD are investigated through traffic simulation. The paper seeks the answer to a basic question, i.e. how the different percentage of autonomous vehicles among traditional vehicles and the autonomous driving levels influence the urban MFD. A detailed simulation study was carried with SUMO (microscopic traffic simulation software) in an artificial grid network.


Most of the work leading to this paper was done when the
authors were visiting the Centre Interfacultaire Bernoulli at the EPFL in Lausanne,
Switzerland. Both authors would like to express their gratitude for the Institute's
hospitality.


ABSTRACT This paper reviews the existing models, connection schemes and maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods of PV arrays. The partial shading causes significant power losses. It is very difficult to maintain uniform irradiance over the entire PV array, especially for rooftop or building-integrated PV systems. The aspects such as connection scheme of PV array, shading pattern and maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques, etc., decide the power generated by the PV array. The conventional MPPT methods are only capable of reaching maximum power point (MPP) in identical insolation situations. Hence, conventional MPP tracking becomes inept due to the existence of several peaks in the P-V characteristics. There are different global maximum power point (GMPP) tracking techniques available in the literature that operate in partial shading scenarios. The reconfiguration of the PV array reduces the number of multiple peaks. This reduction in several peaks makes conventional MPP tracking techniques competent even under partial shading conditions with low implementation complexity and higher tracking speed. This paper can assist scientists in choosing a precise objective-based PV module model, connection schemes and MPP tracking methods out of numerous schemes available in the literature.


This PDF file contains the editorial "Guest Editorial: Nanophotonics for Diagnostics, Protection, and Treatment of Cancer and Inflammatory Diseases" for JBO Vol. 14 Issue 02


This article offers a brief analysis of the main prerequisites of the emergence of nonlinear architecture. It is shown why conceptions, which only few decades ago seemed fantastic, are being realized in the projects of modern architects today. The influence of different cultural, scientific, so-cial and economic factors is considered. It is proved that a certain artistic idea always underlies nonlinear forms which seem random and its design is realized basing on precise mathematical calcula-tion. It is confirmed that the phenomenon of nonlinear architecture must be considered preeminently as a complex phenomenon. It is shown that ideas from the different and often unrelated areas of knowledge are melted in a «melting-pot» of nonlinear architecture. It is proved that analysis of prerequisites of development and multidisciplinary approach to the research of nonlinear architecture will allow us to predict a vector of possible development of this style.


Although the duration of most LBP episodes is usually brief (1-2 weeks), recurrent symptoms are common.3 Among patients who report recurring problems, symptoms often resolve spontaneously, many times without any intervention. However, many patients suffer from prolonged symptoms that do not resolve quickly. Some authors have reported that between 10% and 33% of patients report persistent pain after 1 year.3 Within this group, recovery is often protracted, and their treatment accounts for a majority of the spending on the problem. This segment of patients makes up a large portion of individuals on work disability.


Several theories of memory are based on the assumption that there are three kinds of memory: sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory. Most models for memory have the three components and are similar to the Atkinson and Shiffrin model below. The details will be discussed later. Sensory memory is a storage system that holds information in a relatively unprocessed form for fractions of a second after the physical stimulus is no longer available. It has been suggested (e.g. Baddeley 1988) that one function of this kind of storage is to allow information from successive eye-fixations to last for a long enough time to be integrated and so to give continuity to our visual environment. For example, if you move a lighted sparkler rapidly round in a sweeping arc, you will 'see' a circle of sparkling light. This is becausc the trace from the point of the sparkler is momentarily left behind. However, if you move the sparkler slowly, only a partial circle will be seen because the first part of the circumference will have laded by the time the sparkler gets back to its starting point. Similarly, if you watch a film, your conscious experience is of a continuous visual scene in which all of the action appears to be moving smoothly. In fact, the film is actually being presented as a rapid series of frozen images interspersed by fleeting moments of darkness. In order to make sense of it, your sensory store has to hold the information from one frame of film until the next is presented. These everyday examples seem to suggest that we are capable of storing visual images for very brief periods. It is assumed that we have separate sensory stores for all the senses. Short-term memory (STM) is a system for storing information for brief periods of time. Some researchers (e.g. Atkinson and Shiffrin 1968) see STM simply as a temporary storage depot for incoming information, whereas others (e. Sensory Memory Short-term Memory Long-term Memory Information loss through decay Information loss through decay/displacement Information loss through decay/interference Attention Rehearsal


: The binary mixtures of nitrobenzene with acetophenone containing different ultrasonic properties have been studied at room temperature at a fixed frequency of 2 M Hz. The ultrasonic related physical parameters like velocity (U), density (ρ), viscosity (η), adiabatic compressibility (βad), effective mass, free volume (vf), , relaxatation time, intermolecular free length, isentropic compressibility(Ks) are determined. The result is interpreted in terms of molecular interaction such as dipole-dipole interaction through hydrogen bonding between components of mixtures.


The effects of the jet engine turbulence on a Gaussian Schell-Model (GSM) beam array propagating in a jet engine plume are studied theoretically. The analytical expressions of the cross-spectral density (CSD) function, the spectral degree of coherence (DOC) and the mean-squared beam width for a GSM beam array propagating through a jet engine plume region are derived based on the extended Huyens-Fresnel integral. It is found that the profile of spectral density and the DOC of a GSM beam array gradually transfer to an elliptical shape as the propagation distance increases, and the elliptical degree becomes greater with increasing source coherence length. Besides, as the source coherence length decreases, the effect of the jet engine turbulence on the beam broadening is smaller and the profile of the DOC appears sidelobes at short distance. It is also found that the values of effective coherence width nearly remain the same for different values of source coherence length after propagating a certain distance. Furthermore, the effects of the number of beamlets on the beam width and effective coherence width are investigated in detail.


Abstract : The Army, in a period of constrained resources and increasing demands on its leaders, can ill afford to pursue leadership training which is ineffective. The evaluation plan developed in this study seeks to provide the decision maker with information necessary to guide the training development towards its desireed outcome: producing better leaders. A review of the leadership theories contributing to the Army's organizational leadership model, their training programs, and the leadership training of the other services is presented. Their methods of program evaluation are stuided. The evaluation plan is a systematic study employing five principal criteria; process evaluation, learning, attitudinal change, behavioral change, and the change in organizational performance. Each is discussed in terms of its source of data, experimental design, and contribution to the overall understanding of the training program's effectiveness. The evaluation scheme is presented in an action plan format to coincide with other ongoing initiatives in the leadership and educational fields. (Author)


This paper presents an analytical model for thermoelastic damping (TED) in micromechanical resonators, which is based on entropy generation, a thermodynamic parameter measuring the irreversibility in heat conduction. The analytical solution is derived from the entropy generation equation and provides an accurate estimation of thermoelastic damping in flexural resonators. This solution technique for estimation of thermoelastic damping is applied in beams and plates resonators. The derivation shows that the analytical expression for fully clamped and simply supported plates is similar to that for beams, but not the same as the latter due to different strain and stress fields. The present model is verified by comparing with Zener's approximation and the LR (Lifshitz and Roukes) method. The effect of structural dimensions on entropy generation corresponding to thermoelastic damping is investigated for beam resonators. The results of the present model are found to be in good agreement with the numerical and experimental results.


Extract: Twenty milligrams of lactose were injected into the amniotic sacs of fetuses in one uterine horn and 20 mg glucose were injected into the amniotic sacs of fetuses in the opposite uterine horn of six rats on days 17–19 of pregnancy. Two or 3 days later the pregnant animals were killed and segments of jejunum obtained from their fetuses were homogenized in water. Assays for lactase and protein determinations were performed on these homogenates. Lactase values were significantly higher in the lactose-injected, group than in fetuses receiving glucose (Table 2), P < 0.005. Thus, fetal intestinal lactase activity can be increased by exposure to the substrate lactose during late fetal life.Speculation: Administration of an appropriate substrate in utero may prove useful in selected cases of human fetal enzyme deficiency. The intra-amniotic route could be more effective than maternal injection because it provides direct access to the fetus and thereby permits the use of a smaller dose and minimizes or completely avoids possible maternal and/or placental inactivation of the substrate.


As one of the most widely used commodity plastics, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is extensively used worldwide, yet is difficult to recycle and is often discarded immediately after use. Its end‐of‐life treatment often generates toxic hydrogen chloride and dioxins that pose a critical threat to ecosystems. To address this challenge, the mechanochemical degradation of PVC into water‐soluble biocompatible products is presented herein. Oxirane mechanophores are strategically introduced into the polymeric backbone via sequential dechlorination followed by epoxidation. The oxirane mechanophore in the polymer backbone undergoes a force‐induced heterolytic ring‐opening to carbonyl ylide intermediates, which eventually generates acetals during the course of the reaction. The subsequent hydrolysis of the backbone acetals affords the scission of the polymeric chain into water‐soluble low‐molecular‐weight fragments. Combined with its low cytotoxicity and phytotoxicity, this solvent‐free mechanochemical degradation process offers a green alternative for the degradation of PVC.


Integration of wireless and mobile networks to new generations constitutes a heterogeneous system, this is the case of LTE and WiFi networks. In this paper, we study and analyze the optimal performances of this system regarding the SINR(Signal Interference Noise Ration), the blocking probability and the user communication loss. The user mobility is represented by random wayPoint(RWP) model and users terminals equipped with multiple accesses interfaces. We have established a Markov chain to assess and analyze the performances obtained from the heterogeneous networks system. So we have proposed an average value of the signal power emitted in down-ling voice, the blocking probability of system connections.


In this paper, we present a new approach to teaching philosophy based on so-called "we-experiences" (in short: TWEEX). The novelty of this approach, which bears on the concept of "we-experience" from Social Ontology and Phenomenology, is that it connects contents directly to shared classroom experience. After discussing its theoretical background, we illustrate the TWEEX approach by presenting four teaching concepts that can be adapted to different teaching contexts. They deal with the following topics: mindfulness and philosophy (ancient philosophy), the nature of scientific theories (philosophy of science), freedom of speech (political philosophy), and boredom (aesthetics, existential philosophy).


This report cover a project done at Karlstad University during the engineering project course DVAE08. The project was aimed to measure response time under load for "Bredbandskollen". Functionality ...


The opinion of teachers and that of students with regard to methods for developing students' spiritual intelligence and teachers' abilities in this respect were compared in this study which was done with 10th grade students and their teachers in Turkish Literature classes. The questionnaires consist of 36 skills and techniques that can be used by teachers in the classroom. Sample group is composed of 540 students from 10th grade students in the high schools in provincial center of Ankara and 31 teachers attending their classes of Turkish Language and Literature. For testing the consistency of teachers' behaviors, students in the sample group have been asked whether their teachers were conducting certain behavior and techniques. The result of this study is that there is a meaningful level of difference between abilities of teachers and the opinion of students about these features.


Objective To compare the effects of rosuvastatin and simvastatin in the treatment of elderly patients with coronary heart disease associated with hypercholesterolemia. Methods One hundred and eighteen patients with hypercholesterolemia who were treated in our hospital from March 2009 to June 2012 were randomly divided into control group and study group. The control group were treated with simvastatin, the study group were treated with rosuvastatin. The hyperlipidemia changes before and after treatment of two groups were observed, adverse reactions and complications were recorded. Results After treatment, compared with the control group, the study group of patients with TC and LDL-C target levels decreased significantly, and the difference was statistically significant ( P 0.05), but there was no difference in TG and HDL-C levels between two groups (P 0.05). Two groups were not serious adverse reactions affect their condition, normal liver and kidney function, and adverse reactions to nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite and mild upper respiratory tract infection. Conclusion Low-dose rosuvastatin compared with simvastatin has significant efficacy in reducing the level of TC, LDL-C, and has higher security.


Targeting induced local lesions in genomes(TILLING)is a recently developed reverse genetics strategy for high throughput identification of point mutations In the present study,the reaction system of TILLING in silkworm was optimized,involving the concentration of genomic DNA for PCR and the amount of CEL I enzyme for digestion reaction.The result showed that the optimal amount of genomic DNA for PCR reaction was 20ng and the optimum amount of CEL I,which was diluted in ten-fold solution,was 0.5 μL for every 20 μL digestion reaction system.The optimization of TILLING application for detecting chemical-induced mutant system in this study should provide convenience with silkworm functional research by TILLING technology.


daily anaesthetic machine checks was 690/756 (91.2%). We noticed, however, that compliance dropped very significantly in relation to machines used less frequently (75/ 116 (64.7%), p < 0.0001). The anaesthetic machine located in the CT scanning room in the radiology department was least likely of all machines to be checked before use (8/36 (22.2%)). Compliance with automated machine checks was less for out-ofhours cases than during routine lists (297/360 (82.5%) vs 306/320 (95.6%), respectively, p < 0.0001). This finding largely relates to emergency use in the obstetric setting, where the machine had not been checked in the 12 hours before use. This may reflect, however, on-call patterns rather than opportunistic violations. Finally, there was no significant difference found in compliance with automated checks when location was considered. We found compliance to be (281/320 (87.8%) in the main theatre block (n = 8 machines) compared with 361/436 (82.9%) in remote locations (n = 11; p = 0.064). Given that the availability of senior support in remote locations could be potentially delayed, this finding was reassuring. We recommend that all anaesthetists remain diligent with the completion of the automated machine check. Furthermore, particular attention should be paid to machines used less frequently and those commonly used after hours. Many anaesthesia departments use both newer automated machines such as the Aisys and more traditional machines requiring manual machine checks. This raises the important question of whether all machines are checked equally, given that many newer trainees have only used modern machines with automated checks. The automated machine check, for instance, does not prompt the user to check the gas hoses or wall-mounted Schrader sockets, or to inspect the cylinders mounted on the back of the machine. We think that it is possible, therefore, that the scenario described by Ballisat and Hart will arise repeatedly if anaesthetists fail to inspect gas hoses routinely in addition to performing an automated check.


Abstract In the present paper the synthesis, photoand electroluminescent properties of new rare earth metal complexes prepared and studied at the Razuvaev Institute of Organometallic Chemistry during the last decade are reviewed. The obtained compounds give luminescence in UV, visible and NIR regions. The substituted phenolates, naphtholates, mercaptobenzothiazolate, 8-oxyquinolinolate, polyfluorinated alcoholates and chalcogenophosphinates were used as ligands. The synthesis and structure of unusual three–nuclear sulfidenitride clusters of Nd and Dy are described. The new excitation mechanism of ytterbium phenolates and naphtholates, which includes the stage of reversible reduction of Yb to divalent state and oxidation of the ligands in the excitation process, is discussed.


The specification of standard body knitting underwear is designed according to the elastic of the knitting fabric, then the body fitting experiments are implemented on the sample clothing. The assessment has done for different elastic and different size knitting underwear by using mental scale. The specification of knitting underwear is revised to obtain the most suitable for the body fitting according to the result of the assessment.


Introduction. High mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) leads to significant economic losses, both direct associated with increasing costs for the health system and indirect associated with a decrease in labour potential due to disability and premature mortality of the population. It is known that the same risk factors (RF) determine the occurrence of major chronic diseases. To reduce mortality rates, it is necessary to change the population's risk profile to reduce the prevalence of RF. Goal. To identify the health effects of major non-communicable diseases in Russia by monitoring risk factors. Objectives: 1. Determine the structure and weight of risk factors for noncommunicable diseases. 2. Study systems for monitoring the risk factors of non-communicable diseases. 3. Analyse international and domestic experiences in the prevention of major non-communicable diseases. Material and methods. Statistical compilations by Rosstat, Ministry of Health of Russia. Medline database was used to find some sources. Results. The creation of an evidence-based health policy and strategy is based on a well-organized, reliable information system. Monitoring the NCD RF by regularly examining representative samples using standard methods is critical for such a system. Regular assessment of the population's risk profile allows tracking the dynamics of health indicators and predicting mortality rates. Monitoring RF can assess the effectiveness of health care and population-based prevention programs in the regions and the country as a whole. Conclusions. In addition to the influence of lifestyle and the physical and social environment, the health of the population depends on many components: the principles of the organization of the health system, it's financing, and, to a large extent, on the standard of living of the population, income and their distribution in society. On this basis, health problems associated with various socio-economic, environmental and other living conditions of the population should be addressed jointly by many sectors and departments by creating a supportive physical and social environment for a healthy lifestyle of the population.


To explore whether the substance aggregating platelets are contained in the extraction ofmalignant tumor tissue of head and neck,the tumor tissue from 15 cases of malignant tumor and 14cases of nonmalignant tumor in head and neck are homogenized as crude extraction, which are foundto aggregate platelets in 21 cases of malignant tumor, 33 cases of non-tumor and nonmalignanttumor of head and neck,and 16 controls respectively. The positive rate of aggregation induced byextraction from malignant tumor is higher than that from nonmalignant tumor; the aggregatingfunction induced by extraction from the malignant increases with disease developing;the platelets ofthe cases in the malignant tumor group are apt to be aggregated by the crude extraction of tumortissue,in which the maximum aggregation rate of platelets increases with disease developing. It issuggested that the aggregation substance is contained in the tissue of advanced malignant tumor ofhead and neck, and the aggregating substance from malignant tumor might directly affect thefunction of platelets in circulation of blood.


The Deer and the Cauldron,the last martial arts novel by Louis Cha,marks the peak of his talent in writing.In 1997,Professor John Minford,a famous sinologist,finished his English translation of the first volume and made it published.With the perspective of Semantic Translation and Communicative Translation by Peter Newmark,some suggestions of translating Chinese martial arts novels into English will be made to enrich the translation theory research in China.


Objective To investigate the growth status and variation of lung fissure with 64-slice CT.Methods CT images of 530 patients without thoracic diseases were analyzed retrospectively.The starting and ending points,growth integrity degree of lung fissure and the occurrence of extra fissure were observed.Results The majority of the horizontal fissure started at the posterior 1/4—1/3 part of oblique fissure and terminated at the level of 2nd to 4th anterior ribs.In most cases,the starting point of bilateral oblique fissures located at the level of 4th to 6th posterior ribs,and the ending point of right oblique fissure located at the anterior 1/4—1/3 part of diaphragm,while the position of ending point location in left oblique fissure was slightly higher than that in right oblique fissure.Among all the cases,dysplasia of lung fissure was found in 358(358/530,67.55%),and normal lung fissure was found in 172(172/530,32.45%).There were 387 dysplastic fissures of 358 cases with lung fissure dysplasia,including 217 in horizontal fissure(217/387,56.07%),61 in right oblique fissure(61/387,15.76%) and 109 in left oblique fissure(109/387,28.17%).Moreover,totally 136 extra fissures were found in 134 cases.Conclusion The growth status and variation of lung fissure could be well observed using 64-slice CT and its postprocessing technique.64-slice CT is a valuable method for the research of lung fissure in vivo.


The present invention provides an apparatus and method for efficiently filtering particulate flue gas discharged from the combustion chamber contained. The particulate filter means comprises a filter member disposed at a predetermined position for particulate emissions produced by combustion of the exhaust passage, the filter member having a predetermined volume and for filtering particulates; and a supporting member through said support member so that a filter member having a predetermined shape.


List of illustrations List of tables Foreword Preface Part I: Sales Perspective 1. Development and role of selling in marketing 2. Consumer and organisational buyer behaviour 3. Sales strategies Part II: Sales Technique 4. Sales responsibilities and preparation 5. Personal selling skills 6. Selling to and managing major accounts 7. Relationship selling Part III: Sales Environment 8. Direct marketing and IT applications in sales 9. Sales settings 10. International selling 11. Law and ethnical issues Part IV: Sales Management 12. Recruitment and selection 13. Motivation and training 14. Organisation and compensation Part V: Sales Control 15. Sales forecasting 16. Budgeting and evaluation Appendix Bibliographical references Further reading Index


ABSTRACT Scholars have identified various conditions that influence the formation of spontaneous collective action. Certain types of opposition strategies and geographic conditions make it likelier for protesters to be able to overcome reactive repression and keep mobilizing after experiencing state violence. As such, it is still unclear why a small protest sometimes diffuses into an unforeseen mass wave of dissent. Through examination of Turkish civil society, this study introduces a framework to explain the emergence of the 2013 Gezi protest, which was the largest in the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (Justice and Development Party) government-led era of Turkish politics. A sequence of mechanisms including viral diffusion, elite updating/cover-up, public outrage, and coordination are categorized and linked to previously identified antecedent conditions as well as Twitter activity of social movement organizations which took part in the protests. The framework advances our knowledge of repression backfire by identifying its causal mechanisms and classifying a configuration of conditions under which the phenomenon is likely to empirically take place.


Recently, the main focus in research and development are pointing to multimedia data, including audio. The method used for indexing and retrieval of multimedia data is known as MIRS  (Multimedia Indexing and Retrieval System). MIRS differs from traditional database management system since multimedia data has different characteristics compared to alphanumeric data. In this research a method for indexing and retrieval of audio file is developed and evaluated. The number of samples of the data used in this research are varied, but the sampling rate and the numer of bits per sample are the same. An audio file is represented by a number of features extracted from the file and stored in the system's database. The features used for this research are average enegy, zero crossing rate and silence ratio. The three features are used for matching between query audio file and audio file in the database either individually or simultaneously. The experimental results show that the succes rate of this system to find audio files depends on the feature used and the threshold used for measuring the similarity between query audio and files in the database.  By using Euclidean Distance, the average energy gives 90% succes rate, the zero crossing rate gives 77% succes rate, the silence ratio gives 90% succes rate and the combined feature gives 90% succes rate. This succes rate percentage showed that the features used to recognize similarity between query audio file and database audio file is appropriate. Keyword :  MIRS, average energy, zero crossing rate, silence ratio


A family member, friend or colleague who has been involved in a traumatic event may or may not be showing signs of distress. People are very different and it is not always obvious what is the most helpful way to respond. The following ideas represent the conventional wisdom in dealing initially with people who may be experiencing trauma, but you can throw them out if they don't seem to be helpful in your particular case! The important thing is to do what works out to be actually useful, but you may want to start with the ideas below.


:- For a country like Sri Lanka where food security and the economy depend on timely water availability, it is extremely important to study rainfall trends. In this work, monthly, seasonal and annual rainfall trends were studied using a series of 30-year (1989-2019) monthly data for 30 sub-visions (sub-regions) of Sri Lanka. The uniqueness of this study is the use of daily raster data generated by mixing satellite estimates and location data (CRIPS) instead of traditional spatial rainfall measurements. In addition, the study was conducted by dividing Sri Lanka into four main areas (sub-divisions) considering the climatic and geographical factors of the country rather than finding out whether there is a significant trend in rainfall by the district level. These sub-divisions were named as SD-01, SD-02, SD-03 and SD-04. The main statistical method used in the study was the Man-Kandall and Sen's slope, which looked at whether the incidence of annual, seasonal and monthly rainfall was significantly reduced or increased. According to this analysis, all sub-divisions show an increasing tendency for annual rainfall, all of which were statistically significant. That is to say, the most important factor reflected in the last 30 years is the increase in annual rainfall in all parts of Sri Lanka. The special feature of the monsoon (southwest and northeast) in Sri Lanka is that it shows a significant trend of southwest rainfall but cannot be identified during the northeast. The study further exaggerated the long-term precipitation trend for each month using only monthly rainfall data. In doing so, it appears that not all four major areas show a significant trend except few months. In this regard, significant trends can be identified in March, August and September for SD-01, while significant trends in SD-02 and SD-03 can be seen in March, but no significant trend in any of the months can be identified in SD-04. It is further suggested that a small scale study should be carried out to study the trend of monthly rainfall.


This chapter evaluates the debate between behavior-rule and mindreading accounts of the abilities of some nonhuman animals. (Although the evidence concerns canids and corvids in addition to primates, we focus on the latter.) We show that although the data are by no means conclusive, they presently favor a mindreading account, suggesting that simple forms of mentalizing are quite prevalent among highly social creatures outside of the hominin line.


In this well-argued book, The Economist writer Ryan Avent lays out a bleak vista stretching forward as far as the jaundiced eye can see. What's mostly missing in this melancholy scenario is jobs. Looking back over the decades, the most insightful economists of the twentieth century just did not see this coming. What they did foresee was a steady attrition of all work susceptible to automation, globalization and other concomitant efficiencies coming on stream. Commenting during the bleaker thirties, John Maynard Keynes exhibited more than a little concern over what could happen to a future society inundated with a great surplus of leisure time to spend! Some of you may remember those fanciful, gee-whiz worries of decades past.


Abstract : INFORMATION THEORYOPTICAL SPATIAL FILTERS, DATA PROCESSING, OPTICAL DATA, OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION, PDP-8 COMPUTERS, FOURIER TRANSFORMATION, HOLOGRAPHY, SUBJECT INDEX TERMSAn experimental study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using optical spatial filtering techniques to search documents for the presence of key words. A breadboard model of the word detection system including an electronic readout subsystem was fabricated. The basic word detection system consists of an optical processor and a filter generator. The electronic readout subsystem consists of an image orthicon TV camera and monitor, an interface device, a PDP-8/e computer with teletype, and a graphics display unit. This system can efficiently collect, collate, and analyze experimental data. In the study filters were recorded on photographic plates and on photoplastic material. The effects of recording parameter changes on word discrimination were studied and software developed to write filters and read out data. (Author)


For years, villages in the towns of La Trinidad and Tuba in the Philippine province of Benguet suffered from several serious health problems. The use of "entry points" or projects which yield immediate tangible results within a short period of time was introduced in the municipalities of La Trinidat and Tuba in 1981. A year later, 9 additional pilot areas were selected. Today, these cities and municipalities form the nucleus of a new and promising experiment in community development, i.e., the Integrated Family Planning/Maternal Child Health Project, jointly sponsored by the Philippines' Commission on Population (POPCOM) and the Japan International Cooperating Agency (JICA). Generally, the project aims to strengththen and expand community-based family planning and maternal and child health services in the project areas that aim to improve the health of the residents. Specifically, it seeks to achieve several objectives: increase the rate of family planning acceptance and decrease the dropout rate in family planning participation within the community; decrease the incidence of malnutrition among preschool and school age children; and decrease the intestinal parasite infection rae in the community. In the field, these objectives are translated into concrete activities which people, especially in remote rural areas, can readily understand. Children, who are the center of love and attention in every home, are introduced to services which produce immediate results: growth monitoring, breastfeeding and nutrition, immunization, and cure of common childhood diseases. Deworming and its marked and immediate reslutls establish and increase the credibility of family planning, health, and other fieldworkers in the areas. The health development services break the barrier of resistance on the part of parents and adults. Once the population and health workers establish rapport with the community, they introduce family planning concepts and techniques, environmental sanitation projects, and income generating projects. In June 1985, POPCOM commissioned an independent research agency to evaluate the impact of the integrated project in the 2 model areas. The study, conducted from June 30 to July 31, 1985, consisted of a survey, an evaluation workshop, and library research. The main findings included: there was a marked increase in the number of breastfeeding mothers in both La Trinidad and Tuba; both municipalities showed a decrease in the number of postnatal care cases; maternal mortality went down to zero throughout the survey period; there was a consistent upward trend in the prevalence of family planning. Based on reports from the projects areas, 27,744 children aged 0-4 had undergone stool examination. Of these, 25,963 or 93% were treated. Other major accomplishments of the project are cited.


Australia's largest gas infrastructure business APA Group (ASX:APA) has agreed to acquire a further 16.7 per cent of the SEA Gas Pipeline from International Power for $46.3 million. In June 2007 APA acquired a one third interest in the SEA Gas Pipeline from Origin Energy. APA has exercised its pre‐emptive right over part of International Power's interest, and with this acquisition APA's overall interest in the pipeline will increase to 50 percent.  APA also provides field operations and maintenance services to the asset. Financial close is anticipated before the end of 2010. The 680 km SEA Gas Pipeline, commissioned in 2004, provides a key gas transmission link between Victoria and South Australia. APA's increased interest in the pipeline, together with the provision of operating and maintenance services, is in line with APA's strategy of owning, operating and managing energy infrastructure assets in Australia.


The reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) has emerged as a promising technology to enhance the capacity of wireless systems, as it can configure the wireless channel using low-cost passive devices, i.e., printed dipoles and phase shifters. But the real phases of the RIS elements usually deviate from the nominal values in practice, and the phase deviations need to be precisely estimated and calibrated for some applications. This letter proposes a novel over-the-air (OTA) approach that can estimate the real phases of the RIS elements at each gear. We also derive the Cramér Rao Bounds (CRBs) for the RIS calibration as a performance benchmark. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm as the root mean square errors (RMSEs) of the phase estimates are close to the CRBs.


In this paper, we firstly analyze the performance of PID controller for pressure of gas tank. Based on the model with the variable of gas mass, we present quantitative relations between PID parameters and convergence rate, overshoot of pressure error. In the following, we further give the principles of parameter tuning for PID controller. Finally, an illustrative example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed results.


This paper is a research design based on EFPT process control device. In the design, actual indus try field has been simulated and corresponding modelling has been carried on for the boiler level system. Then the ap propriate PID parameter has been sorted out and ControlLogix5550 PLC has been used to control the entire boiler level system. At last, a corresponding control interface has been established and the boiler level has been under a s afe and accurate control.


Based on the Monte Carlo simulation model of the intelligent mine weapon system against the mobile target,the computer numerical simulation are carried out. At the same time,the paper study the influence on launch condition for the killing probabilities of MEFP intelligent mine parallel kill model. The killing probabilities of intelligent mine weapon system against the mobile target is calculated while many random influencing factors are considered. As a result it is provided how to enhance the killing probabilities of the intelligent mine.


ABSTRACT The exotic cladoceran, Daphnia lumholtzi, was collected at various sites within the lower Atchafalaya River Basin throughout the summer of 1994. Stepwise regression revealed that seasonal abundance was related to late summer environmental conditions of high specific conductance, low river discharge, and high surface water temperature. Abundances of D. lumholtzi were greatest in sites with high percentages of dissolved oxygen saturation and low current velocity. Within this habitat type, D. lumholtzi exhibited a distinct nocturnal vertical migration, although this behavior was not evident in two other habitats.


The reaction of the 16e half-sandwich complex CpCo(S 2 C 2 B 10 H 10)(Cp: cyclopentadienyl)(1) and the alkyne HC ≡CC(O)Fc(Fc: ferrocenyl) in a molar ratio of 1 ∶1 leads to CpCo(S 2 C 2 B 10 H 9)(CH =CHC(O)Fc)(2) in which the alkyne is coupled to the B(3) site of the carborane cage thus resulting in the transferring hydrogen of B(3)-H to the internal carbon of the alkyne to form a olefinic substituent CH=CHC(O)Fc.2 could further react with a second HC≡CC(O)Fc to generate a B-disubstituted product CpCo(S 2 C 2 B 10 H 8)(CH=CHC(O)Fc) 2(3).3 is still a 16e compound with two CH=CHC(O)Fc olefinic substituents in E/E configurations at the B(3,6) sites.In the presence of excess alkyne,the reaction leads to 3 and the alkyne cyclotrimerization product 1,3,5-{HC =CC(O)Fc} 3(4).Complexes 2,3,4 have been characterized by IR,NMR,elemental analysis,mass spectrometry and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.


Capicua (CIC) is a transcriptional repressor that counteracts activation of genes in response to receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)/Ras/MEK/ERK signaling. Following activation of RTK, ERK enters the nucleus and serine-phosphorylates CIC, releasing it from its targets to permit gene expression. We recently showed that ERK triggers ubiquitin-mediated degradation of CIC in glioblastoma (GBM). In this study, we examined whether another important downstream effector of RTK/EGFR, the non-receptor tyrosine kinase c-Src, affects CIC repressor function in GBM. We found that c-Src binds and tyrosine phosphorylates CIC on residue 1455 to promote nuclear export of CIC. On the other hand, CIC mutant allele (CIC-Y1455F), that escapes c-Src-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation, remains localized to the nucleus and retains strong repressor function against CIC targets, the oncogenic ETV transcription factors. Furthermore, we show that the orally available Src family kinase inhibitor, dasatinib, which prevents EGF-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of CIC and attenuates elevated ETV levels, reduces viability of GBM cells and glioma stem cells (GSC), but not of their control cells with undetectable c-Src activity. In fact, GBM cells and GSC expressing the tyrosine-defective CIC mutant (Y1455F) lose sensitivity to dasatinib, further endorsing the effect of dasatinib on Src-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of CIC. Importantly we show that combined inhibition of Src and MEK/ERK results in greatest stabilization of CIC and attenuation of proliferation compared to either inhibitor alone. These findings elucidate important mechanisms of CIC regulation and provide the rationale to target c-Src alongside ERK pathway inhibitors as a way to fully restore CIC tumor suppressor function in neoplasms such as GBM.


A method for the production of such superalloys and titanium base alloy die casting apparatus above the melting point of the casting material 2000 ° F, a mold comprises at least one batch for melting the charging amount of the melting member, and a multi-component, defining mold cavity. Communicating a generally cylindrical shot sleeve and the die, and receives molten material from the melting member. The sleeve having an outer radius Ro and an inner radius Ri. The apparatus further comprises a piston seal with the sleeve and movable in conjunction with the shot cylinder. The piston moves in the sleeve material into the mold cavity. Select radius Ri, and the ratio of outer radius Ro Ro inner radius / Ri, to reduce the thermal deformation of the sleeve.


Harry Frankfurt maintains that love is a purely volitional state which neither includes cognitive states nor emotions. Frankfurt nevertheless assures us that only love can save a person's psychological life from becoming unshaped and deprived. I question the fruitfulness as well as the viability of Frankfurt's concept of love. My argument proceeds in three steps. Firstly, I point out that Frankfurt's does not explicate our mundane concept but rather introduces a term of art labelled 'love'. Secondly, I argue that this concept does not provides new illuminating descriptions or new revealing explanations. Finally, I argue that Frankfurt's is structurally amiss since the very aspect that is most naturally supposed to play the organising role is lacking.


Geopolymer concrete is one of the innovative eco-friendly materials that has gained the attention of many researchers in the sustainable development of the construction industry. The primary objective of this experimental investigation is to study the flexural behaviour of the ternary blend geopolymer concrete (TGPC) with various proportions of hybrid fibres. In this study, 27 reinforced concrete beams were cast with a TGPC grade of M55 and tested under monotonic loading conditions. The specimens were beams of length 1200 mm, depth of 150 mm, and width of 100 mm. Crimped steel (metallic) fibres and polypropylene (non-metallic) fibres were used in hybrid form to study the effect on the TGPC beams under flexure. The volume fractions of steel fibres were varied up to 1% with an increment of 0.5%, and polypropylene fibres varied from 0.1% to 0.25% with an increment of 0.05%. The test results were analysed based on the first crack load, ultimate load, load-deflection behaviour, energy absorption capacity, moment-curvature relationship, and ductility behaviour and compared with TGPC specimens without fibres. The experimental study reveals that the TGPC is one of the best alternatives for conventional cement concrete. The addition of hybrid fibres potentially improves the flexural properties of TGPC to a great extent. The test results showcased that the HTGPC with 1% steel and 0.1% polypropylene fibres exhibited better flexural properties than the other combinations of hybrid fibres considered in this study. Additionally, an effort was made to develop a model to estimate the flexural strength of TGPC with hybrid fibres, and the predicted values were found satisfactorily with the test results.


Objective The purpose of present study was to investigate the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK) in squamous cell carcinoma of tongue,and to ascertain the relationship among EGFR,ERK and metastasis.Methods Immunochemistry was employed to detect the expression of EGFR,ERK1/2,Ki-67 in 90 samples of squamous cell carcinoma of tongue.Results Among 90 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of tongne,26 cases had been proued to occur matastasic.Overexpression of EGFR activated ERK1/2 and ki-67 were detected in 93.33%(84/90),100.00%(90/90) and 100.00%(90/90) of squamous cell carcinoma of tongue respectively.The distribution of positive cells and intensity of reactivity were significantly greater in the deepest tumor region compared to superficial region.The results of statistical analyzed showed overexpression of EGFR and/or activated ERK1/2 were found to have correlation with proliferation and metastases of the tumor(P0.01).Conclusion EGFR and activated ERK1/2 are overexpression in squamous cell carcinoma of tongue,and both of them appears to be related to proliferation and metastasis of tumor.


This article discusses the measurement of response readiness to potential oil spills by the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office (MSO). An oil spill response readiness index comprised of 5 variables is developed, each of which is weighted and entered into a formula to derive an index number. This index number is used as a visual indicator on a corresponding "dashboard" gauge to provide a measure of response readiness. The formula and its 5 component variables are examined and explained.


Abstract This paper deals with car longitudinal control performed by cruise control system using CRONE approach. A comparison between this approach and a classical Proportional-Integral (PI) controller is presented. Simulations with both controllers are performed considering a simple nonlinear vehicle model including wheels dynamics, mass uncertainties, aerodynamic drag, gravity and wind forces. Results show better robustness to uncertainties with the second generation CRONE controller as already demonstrated with the CRONE suspension.


Legal textbook. DVT claims have emerged as a recent phenomenon in air carrier liability litigation. Although the matter seemed to be have been settled in common law jurisdictions, in civil law countries jurisprudence on this issue is still being developed. This book gathers all DVT jurisprudence produced around the world, and analyzes it, as well as some alternative arguments that plaintiffs and defendants have waved in domestic courts in USA and some other countries. Finally, the book critically scrutinizes all pro and con academic arguments on air carrier liability in DVT cases (356 pages, in Spanish).


This paper is aimed to study the impact of urban vegetation on air quality in an urban district of mid-sized town (Pamplona) in Northern Spain. Aerodynamic and deposition effects are investigated by means of experimental field campaigns and numerical CFD simulations in the framework of the LIFE+ RESPIRA project. In this paper, the results of experimental field campaigns and CFD simulations for the cases of streets with and without trees in the sidewalks are discussed. Aerodynamic effects are modelled by means of a sink momentum and sink/source of turbulent kinetic energy and its dissipation, while deposition is considered by means of a sink of pollutant concentration in the transport equation. The experimental data and CFD modelling results are compared and discussed. Finally, horizontal and vertical distributions of concentration within the streets are investigated in order to evaluate the effect of urban vegetation on air quality. Measurements of vertical profiles of wind speed and BC concentrations are reproduced by CFD simulations but these profiles are are not enough data to draw general conclusions about the effects of trees. However, from modelling results, it seems that the reduction of concentration due to pollutant deposition is relatively weak as compared with aerodynamic effetcs (perturbation of ventilation and transport of pollutants) but it depends of the case. More experimental campaigns and numerical studies in different scenarios are necessary to better understand the urban vegetation effects on air quality and to provide better information to urban planners.


Macromolecules with well-defined structures in terms of molar mass and monomer sequence became interesting building blocks for modern materials. The precision of the macromolecular structure makes fine-tuning of the properties of resulting materials possible. Conjugated macromolecules exhibit excellent optoelectronic properties that make them exceptional candidates for sensor construction. The importance of chain length and monomer sequence is particularly important in conjugated systems. The oligomer length, monomer sequence, and structural modification often influence the energy bang gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the molecules that reflect in their properties. Moreover, the supramolecular aggregation that is often observed in oligo-conjugated systems is usually strongly affected by even minor structural changes that are used for sensor designs. This review discusses the examples of well-defined conjugated macromolecules based on oligo(arylene ethynylene) skeleton used for sensor applications. Here, exclusively examples of uniform macromolecules are summarized. The sensing mechanisms and importance of uniformity of structure are deliberated.


An apparatus and a method for controlling devices in a home network are provided to easily control devices of many home networks through a relay device and to easily access devices of a home network through the relay device even though it is difficult to access the home network. A control point(120) comprises an authentication part(121), a control message creation part(122), a control message transmitting part(123), a response message receiving part(124), and an information management part(125). The authentication part(121) executes authentication with a relay device connected to many devices through a network. The control message creation part(122) creates a control message based on input. The control message transmitting part(123) transmits the created control message to a device selected by the user among the devices. The response message receiving part(124) receives a polling message from the relay device so as to transmit the control message at regular intervals of time, and receives a response message for the transmitted control message. The information management part(125) manages information about the relay device and the devices.


Xerocomellus perezmorenoi (Boletaceae, Boletales) is described as a new species from Mexico. This species was collected under Abies religiosa in mixed coniferous forest located in three localities (Puebla, Tlaxcala, and State of Mexico) in central Mexico. It is morphologically characterized by its small-sized basidiomata, pileus brown at the center and cream with pink to purple tones at the margin, almost blackish at the center when young, black-brown when mature, pores lilac, peach to salmon when young, yellow citrine at mature; violet or violet-brown color reaction of the context when cut; basidiospores (12–) 15–16 (–17) × 4–5 (–6) µm. Phylogenetic analyses (Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference) based on multi-locus sequences confirmed X. perezmorenoi is a new species, with biocultural importance due to edibility. Detailed a description, photographs, analyses of phylogenetics, and taxonomic discussions are presented.


ABSTRACT This article investigates the workplace learning processes among small Hungarian firms by building on the human capital approach. The exploratory study focuses on two small firm-specific factors that crucially impact small firms' workplace learning: the roles of the owner/manager and networks. Building upon 11 semi-structured qualitative interviews with the owners/managers of small businesses, the study addresses three primary research questions: (1) What specificities of small firms' workplace learning can be identified? (2) What is the owner/manager's role in shaping the learning environment in small businesses? (3) How can the owner/manager's networking activities contribute to effective learning in small businesses? The results suggest that although often not addressed as learning, small business owners consciously develop and manage their firms' learning processes and environments.


Chronic inflammation is associated with the occurrence of several diseases. However, the side effects of anti‐inflammatory drugs prompt the identification of new therapeutic strategies. Plant‐derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) are gaining increasing interest in the scientific community for their biological properties. We isolated PDEVs from the juice of Citrus limon L. (LEVs) and characterized their flavonoid, limonoid and lipid contents through reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (RP‐HPLC–ESI‐Q‐TOF‐MS). To investigate whether LEVs have a protective role on the inflammatory process, murine and primary human macrophages were pre‐treated with LEVs for 24 h and then were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We found that pre‐treatment with LEVs decreased gene and protein expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, such as IL‐6, IL1‐β and TNF‐α, and reduced the nuclear translocation and phosphorylation of NF‐κB in LPS‐stimulated murine macrophages. The inhibition of NF‐κB activation was associated with the reduction in ERK1‐2 phosphorylation. Furthermore, the ability of LEVs to decrease pro‐inflammatory cytokines and increase anti‐inflammatory molecules was confirmed ex vivo in human primary T lymphocytes. In conclusion, we demonstrated that LEVs exert anti‐inflammatory effects both in vitro and ex vivo by inhibiting the ERK1‐2/NF‐κB signalling pathway.


Liver cancer is one of the most cancer-related mortality with high incidence worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver cancer type. Currently, Liquid biopsy is known as a non-invasive biomarker tool that specifically represents tumor appearance, leading to improved patient outcomes. Therefore, the novel biomarkers of liquid biopsy in Thai HCC patients are still unexplored and needed for precision medicine. The main aims of this study were First, to explore genetic profiles from liquid biopsies of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and identify novel biomarkers for HCC from these liquid biopsies. The comprehensive analysis of cfDNA from a total of 60 HCC patients of different stages and 17 chronic hepatitis (CH) patients was performed by whole-exome sequencing (WES). We found that the level of cfDNA in HCC was higher than CH and associated with tumor size and stage of HCC. The 8 highest mutated genes (ZNF814, HRNR, ZNF492, ADAMTS12, FLG, OBSCN, TP53, and TTN) were found in HCC patients (62%) of the TCGA database. Interestingly, patients with co-occurrence of HRNR and TTN mutations in cfDNA associated with short-time overall survival. Second, to identify biomarkers from transcription profiling of PBMCs in eight HCC patients and a co-cultured model were performed using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq). The transcription profiles were cross compared with the published microarray to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Eighteen upregulated and six downregulated DEGs in HCC were proposed as cancer-induced genes in PBMCs. Five up-regulated candidate genes including BHLHE40, AREG, SOCS1, CCL5, and DDIT4 were selected and further validated in PBMCs. BHLHE40 and DDIT4 displayed superior diagnostic performance than alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). BHLHE40 also emerged as an independent prognostic factor of the overall survival of HCC. Based on our findings, liquid biopsies of cfDNA and cancer-induced genes in PBMCs could serve as promising novel biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis in HCC patients and had the potential to reflect the tumor genetic of HCC when tumor tissue unavailable.


Circulatory system of pigeon slender louse, Columbicola columbae (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) has been studied in greater details. In arthropodan insects, the circulatory system is typically open, with just one closed artery. The heart of C. columbae is a straightforward, elongated, and single-chambered organ. At its anterior, middle, and basal regions, it has three pairs of laterally positioned minute ostia. From the body wall to
the heart, six sets of alariform muscles—three on the left and three on the right—extend in a fan-like pattern.


Predator interference refers to the competition effect on individuals of the same species through preventing or limiting access to a resource. In this paper, a novel predator–prey model that includes predator interference is considered. In the novel model, a high prey density is taken into consideration by investigating Crowley–Martin as a numerical response, while the growth rate of prey is logistically described and Holling type II is used as a functional response. In contrast to literature, this model has distinct and notable features: predator and prey species have an intraspecific competition, and this model has a numerical response that generalizes several of the commonly utilized depictions of predator interference. The boundedness of the model is proved. Predator interference effects are theoretically and numerically studied in terms of stability, coexistence, and extinction. Theoretical results show that the system has no effect on coexistence or extinction in these types of models. Numerical simulations present two different dynamics with identical results on the theoretical side of model stabilization for both dynamics. Moreover, the numerical simulations show that there is a change from periodic to steady state dynamics as the value of predator interference increases. This means that the coexistence probability of the model increases. The attained results are explained from both a mathematical and an ecological points of view.


Addressing the international threat of invasive species to biodiversity worldwide requires an international context due to the nature of the transboundary pollution. This paper presents a comparison of strategies to address the invasive species problem in noncooperative versus cooperative differential games. Asymmetry between the countries in terms of abatement costs and damages enables the investigation of sharing rules under cooperation. The empirical analysis includes data of maritime trade as a vector of invasive species pollution at ports along the Pacific coast of NAFTA countries. The Chander/Tulkens cost sharing rule induces countries to cooperate and achieve lower invasive species stock than under noncooperation.


Discrimination of regenerative cirrhotic nodules of the liver (CN) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is sometimes difficult. We examined the utility of AgNOR staining in this context. Fifteen cases of HCC and 25 cases of CN were stained by AgNOR method and the mean AgNOR number for one hundred nuclei in each case was determined. There was a significant difference between the mean AgNOR counts in CN (6.63±4.00) and HCC (11.36±2.88) (p<0.0005). Discriminant analysis showed that all HCC cases and over 90% of CN could be correctly distinguished by this method. It seems that AgNOR staining is an accurate and readily available tool for differentiating CN from HCC. MJIRI, Vol. 12, No.4, 329-331,1999


Background: One of the causes of AECOPD is bacterial infection. Increased bacterial colonization may trigger activation of macrophages so that there is an increase in the number of inflammatory mediators, one of which is Interleukin-8 (IL-8). Elevation of IL-8 serum levels may worsen the symptoms of COPD. This study measured IL-8 serum levels in subjects who had exacerbations.
Methods: An analytical research with Cross Sectional design. The reseacrh subjects were AECOPD patients who visited Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital, Makassar, Indonesia. Sputum culture was examined to assess the type of bacterial colonization and serum examinated to asses the Interleukin-8 serum levels.
Results: The subjects were 65 patients. AECOPD is generally found in 62 men (95.4%), most were age>60 years 48 patients (73.8%). For severity we found 52 patients were categorized as group D (80%). The highest number of subjects with bacterial colonization was 55 (84.65). From the subjects with bacterial colonization we found Gram negative 36 (55.4%). The most types of bacterials were Pseudomonas Aeroginosa with 16 patients (24.65) and Klebsiella Pneumonia in 12 patients (18.5%). Mean IL-8 serum levels 187.5±68.3. IL-8 serum levels were found highest in subjects who had bacterial colonization 9197.7 ± 68.5; p0.05).
Discussion: In this research, there was a significant correlation between colonization of Gram-negative bacteria with high IL-8 serum levels. These results are consistent with several studies which report that bacterial colonization is associated with an increased IL-8 serum levels and correlates with deterioration in pulmonary function and severity of COPD.


To check if any biomarker can be useful to assess Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) severity, we studied white blood cells count (WBC), and levels of C Reactive Protein (CRP), Procalcitonin (PCT) and Proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM), as well as PSI and CURB65 scores from 228 patients with CAP, within the first 24 hours of their admission in our hospital. MR-proADM correlated better with both severity scores than other biomarkers, and was the only biomarker able to distinguish among all different risk classes of PSI score (p ROC analysis for discrimination between low risk (PSI 1-3) from high risk (PSI 4-5) CAP showed that MR-proADM had the best AUC (0.811). and could be considered a good predictor of CAP severity (see figure 1 and table 1). Optimal cut-off of MR-proADM of 0.646 nmol/L showed a sensitivity of 92.1%, specificity 55.1%, positive predictive value 76.2%, and negative predictive value 80.3% for severe CAP. MR-proADM can be helpful, together with validated clinical scores, to identify CAP severity in the first hours of patient9s management.


For all stakeholders, it is necessary to have virtuous men in business life in order to establish a peaceful, successful and productive business environment. Human factor is the golden key of success not only for organizations but also for societies. It has been clearly seen that the spiritual side of human factor should not be neglected if the objective is to maintain sustainable development while establishing a balanced economic system and a peaceful society. It is because long term sustainable development can only be achieved through virtuous men. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between competencies of virtuous man and performance. The initial model of virtuous man has been derived from Sabahattin Zaim's "exemplary wholesome man" model. The competencies are determined as a result of several workshops and focus group studies. A field study had also been conducted in Istanbul based on the data collected from 2585 workers and managers. The findings of this research revealed some empirical evidences related to the expected relationship between the competencies of virtuous man and performance.


In spring 1999, a sea trial in the coastal region of the Dutch North Sea has been conducted in the scope of the EU-MAST III project ROBLINKS to obtain underwater acoustic data for digital communication in shallow water environments. In this paper, we propose a blind receiver architecture and present results of its application to some specific communication signals transmitted during the experiment. The receiver structure used in the analysis is based on a self-trained adaptive equaliser, designed to jointly process the signals from the vertical receiver hydrophone array and to perform the tasks of timing and carrier recovery. The experimental results demonstrate that self-recovering equalisation for coherent communication in shallow water is possible over a range of several kilometres with data rates exceeding 3 kbit/s.


Stellite™ 6 coatings deposited by HVOF on a Super Duplex Stainless-Steel substrate and wear performance was subsequently assessed. Thus, reciprocating ball-on-plate wear tests were performed in several conditions, for both coating and substrate. Results showed better wear resistance for the coating in all test conditions. DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15544/balttrib.2017.10


abstract The global petrochemical industry has long been characterized by stable patterns of Western corporate and geographic leadership, but since the early 2000s, the global playing field has changed significantly. China has overtaken the US and Europe as the world's largest petrochemical producer, and other emerging economies have become global petrochemical players. Combining insights from scholarship on global corporate elites, world city networks, and relational economic geography, this article examines patterns in the corporate networks of leading petrochemical corporations. The research is based on a multiscalar corporate network analysis, applying social network analysis to identify board interlocks, joint venture interlocks, and spatial interlocks between corporations. Through analyzing corporate networks across multiple scales, the research reveals patterns of both integration and isolation within the petrochemical industry. Isolation is evident in disconnected regional corporate elite networks, where the established North Atlantic corporate elite is interconnected through board interlocks, while corporate networks in Asia and other emerging economies remain disconnected. However, high levels of integration within the industry are also evident in an interconnected international company system formed through joint venture collaborations and in overlapping subsidiary networks centered on petrochemical hubs around the world. The article argues that the results demonstrate a combination of resilience and change, or path dependence and contingency, in patterns of corporate power and collaboration. Western company networks still form the social and spatial backbone of the industry, but these have been challenged by emerging strategic centers and isolated elite networks in other parts of the world. This article contributes to debates on industrial corporate elites, multiple globalizations, and the multipolar global economy.


'Truths all over the place', was the incisive title of Gregory Haines' review of Bain Attwood's Telling the Truth about Aboriginal History (Quadrant, January- February). 'Curiously, for a book that claims to be telling the truth about Aboriginal history,' notes Haines, 'it does not really engage with what historical truth may be.' Telling the Truth about Aboriginal History presents Attwood's view of what truth may not be: correspondence to the immutable facts! But curiously it does not present his view of what truth is. If readers believe that a definition is unnecessary, since everybody knows what truth is, they may be less sure of this by the time they finish reading Attwood's book. Whatever his unstated definition of truth may be, consistency is unlikely to be one of its essential characteristics.


Prof. Leriche (Pr. Br., 1925, 11) gives some of his observations, throwing light on the still dark question of the origin of angina pectoris.


Organizations have to adapt the digital transformation to their processes for producing better services in the competitive business world. The needs of e-commerce businesses are increasing day by day, and online sales platforms' usability becomes an important issue. In this context, a survey was conducted with 366 different users by taking the top 10 e-commerce sites with the highest user traffic. The collected data provided input to the AHP and TOPSIS methods, and the importance levels of the factors affecting the usability performance of the websites were found. The usability scores of e-commerce sites were calculated for both methods. The results showed that site navigation is the most important factor affecting usability performance. Based on the AHP method, N11 and Hepsiburada were the best e-commerce platforms in terms of usability, while Sahibinden and Amazon websites reached the highest score in the TOPSIS method, respectively. Also, this study provides a user-oriented roadmap to the designers of e-commerce websites, while providing administrative applications for decision-makers.


PURPOSE: To produce a resin compsn. excellent in flame retardance and resistance to heat, impact, and weather and suitable as the material of an electrical part, etc. CONSTITUTION: The resin compsn. comprises 100 pts.wt. compsn. consisting of 10-50wt.% styrenic copolymer made from a monomer mixture at least contg. a styrenic compd. and an imide compd. derived from an α,β-unsatd. dicarboxylic acid and 90-50wt.% graft copolymer obtd. by grafting styrene and acrylonitrile or methyl methacrylate onto a rubber component, 0.5-10 pts.wt. antimony oxide, 5.0-40 pts.wt. brominated epoxy compd. having a bromine content of 5.0-56wt.%, 0.1-3.0 pts.wt. silicone oil, and 0.1-3.0 pts.wt. benzotriazole ultraviolet absorber melting at 100°C or higher. The ratio of the amt. of the styrenic compd. to that of the imide compd. in the monomer mixture is 95/5-50/50, and the content of the rubber component in the graft copolymer is 5-35wt.%. The graft copolymer, the epoxy compd., and the ultraviolet absorber are premixed and thermally treated in a nitrogen atmosphere at 100-200°C. COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO&Japio


M\"ossbauer and Raman measurements for ${\mathrm{Li}}_{x}\mathrm{Fe}\mathrm{P}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ and ${\mathrm{Li}}_{x}{M}_{0.03}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{0.97}\mathrm{P}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ $(M=\mathrm{Cr},\mathrm{Cu},\mathrm{Al},\mathrm{Ti})$ were performed. The results for the ${\mathrm{Li}}_{0.11}\mathrm{Fe}\mathrm{P}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ oxide require an unknown additional contribution, besides the high-spin ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{2+}$ doublet and the high-spin ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+}$ doublet, for the M\"ossbauer profile to be properly accounted for. The corresponding Raman scattering suggests a two-phase material and an additional disordered structure present in the mixture. The M\"ossbauer-transformed patterns indicate the unknown doublet to be due to a disordered phase also. In addition, the observation of a high amount of ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{2+}$ sites for the low-lithium-content ${\mathrm{Li}}_{x}{M}_{0.03}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{0.97}\mathrm{P}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ oxides is analyzed on the basis of the electronic charge configuration of the Li-lacking octahedral units to suffer small changes upon lithium extraction.


The purpose of the study was to find out the function of advertising. Motif is one of the examples decorating activities that exist to this day. Just like ornaments, it can be applied anywhere, from print ad, carving, craft, structure like building and bridge, etc. Because there is a philosophy contained, the creation of motif can't be perfunctory. So we have to think how the best way to communicate it. Application of motif in advertising can affect viewers emotionally because of the feeling of involvement there. Motif can represent Indonesia's culture diversity. This will bring out pride. It is same for the advertisers, the application of motif in the ads that they published will brand their company like "100% Indonesian Company." Motif is kind of similar with advertising. It contains message or stories to tell. However, in reality, we rarely saw motif on advertising. The Graphic elements that often being used in ads design is just shaped, colors and the model (for the center of attention). It's dull and tedious at the same time and led to visual pollution. People need something new, something that caught the eye when saw the ads beside the model and the color itself. The application of motif can be an option to visual pollution because it has emotional effects for those who saw it, and the application of motif can also be an identity for Indonesian Advertising. Keywords— Motif, Ornament, Advertising, Ads,


Background: Bronchial asthma is a long-life illness that requires sensitive management since diagnosis. The relationship between asthma and physiological functioning is well established. However, stressors related to asthma treatment, family and other people influence, and disease impact on living activities is still unjustifiable. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess stressors facing patients with bronchial asthma. Methods: a descriptive, cross-sectional design was used. Participants were recruited from out-clinic asthma patients from two major hospitals in Amman, Jordan. Participants completed a predetermined questionnaire through individual interviews. Results: A total of 120 joined the study. Generally, management-related issues were the most prominent distressing domain for those patients with asthma followed by family-related domain and disease-related domain. Conclusion: Asthma can produce physical, psychological, and social distress. The role of nurses is pivotal in eliminating these stressors. An effective health education is the key to attain sufficient knowledge which contributes to lower incidences of these stressors.


Taiwanese, a variety of Southern Min, is a dialect spoken in Taiwan with a pervasive tone sandhi system. To speak Taiwanese fluently and appropriately, one has to frequently apply Taiwanese tone sandhi. While it is common knowledge that tone sandhi is pervasive in spoken Taiwanese, there are no studies reporting on the rate of Taiwanese tone sandhi in spoken corpora in any genre. This paper attempts to determine the average tone sandhi rates of L1 Taiwanese dominant speakers and L1 Taiwanese L2 Mandarin bilinguals by analyzing a spoken corpus. Our study shows that the two groups do not reveal any significant differences in their tone sandhi application rate. On average, out of every 100 syllables, approximately 67 syllables have undergone tone sandhi. Regarding the application rates of individual tone sandhi rules, all speakers show a consistency as to which rules are most common and which are not. Consequently, one implication of our study is that L2 Mandarin fluency does not impact L1 Taiwanese tone sandhi frequency. Other implications help make clear the specific nature of the Taiwanese tone sandhi system.


Plastic is a necessary evil of current times. It is ubiquitous in modern time's cape, from polythene bags for daily shopping to PVC pipes, from kitchenware to pet bottles; plastic and its associated derivatives lands up everywhere. However, poor management of plastic waste is burying us in every corner of our blue planet right from the shores of Arabian Sea to the tropical paradise of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, from mighty Himalayas to the Great Barrier Reef along the coasts of Australia. Our collective awareness for various negative impacts of plastic pollution is increasing in comparison to the bygone decade and slowly there is a mindset transition regarding rampant plastic usage. The central themes of this year's Earth Day and World Environment Day are based on beating plastic pollution across the globe. Recent case studies and newspaper reports indicate the fact of deleterious effects of plastic pollution. A team from Clean Oceans International went for massive cleanup in Alaskan coastline only to be taken aback by the humongous quantities of plastic wastes that float ashore. Alaska's rugged yet fragile coastlines are particularly vulnerable because of the dynamics of the Pacific Ocean's circulation patterns. A patch of plastic garbage in the Pacific Ocean amounts to twice the size of Texas, a New Study Says. Plastic bags have been the principal cause behind the deaths of the sperm whales in the Mediterranean since few years. A report by scientists studying the stomach content of Laysan Albatross chicks on Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean revealed some eye opening observations. Forty percent of Laysan Albatross chicks die before fledgling. The chick abdomen is found to be filled with plastic trash. Coral reefs entangled with plastic are twenty times more diseased and vulnerable; a new study reports. These are the victims of our remorseless progress. Legendary broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough discusses the grave issue during the portrayal of groundbreaking documentary, 'Our Blue Planet'. More than eight million tones of plastic reach the sea every year. There will be more plastic than fish in the sea by the year 2050 and 99 per cent of the planet's seabirds will have eaten some. The average person who eats seafood swallows up to 11,000 pieces of micro plastic every year, according to a study by researchers at the University of Ghent. As Prince Charles puts it at a recent Our Ocean summit, "Plastic is very much on the menu". Our rivers are shrinking and floodplains are choked with plastic wastes. Mighty rivers of India are choked by hundreds and thousands of quintals of plastic waste. From Barak valley in Assam to river beds along the Ganges, from Himalayan valleys up north to the mighty rain fed rivers in the South, we are facing the crisis upfront. A 'Swachha Bharat Abhiyaan' and 'Namami Gange' initiative introduced by Government of India is soulfully dedicated to bring out sustainable solutions to this burning issue. In this critical juncture, it is the duty of all budding environmentalists to create mega awareness across different societal levels to address the issue of plastic pollution. Strict rules, laws and regulations are in place but what lack is the implementation. India has banned all forms of disposable plastic in New Delhi and surrounding NCR but such measures do not attain sustainability due to lack of public awareness and administrative carelessness. India generates 5.6 million tones of plastic waste annually, and the country accounts for 60% of plastic waste dumped into the world's oceans every year, estimates suggest. Three of the world's ten rivers which carry 90% of plastic to the world's oceans are in India–the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra, according to an October 2017 article in Environmental Science and Technology, a global journal. As of initial months of 2018 most of Indian states has banned plastics but it continues to choke waterways, landfills and air. Chocking of drainage system is leading to water logging issues in all major cities of India; Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai Editorial


Previously, we proposed a topological-based swarming model in which agents probabilistically decide which other agents to interact with based on the proximity of positions of agents. Agents then average their direction with the directions of the agents they have interacted with. In this paper, we improve the model mentioned-above by taking the influence of similarity of directions into consideration, and the former model can be considered as a special case of this model here. We propose a probabilistic method which depends on both proximity of agents' positions and similarity of agents' moving directions. And agents are more likely to form links with those agents who carry a similar direction to theirs and those agents who are proximal to them. We show that there exits a non-zero positive lower bound of the selection probability, and the system can be connected in probability, which ensures the system's achievement of swarming. And by simulations, it is shown that the rate of getting alignment exhibit a strong correlation with the parameters of the system which are weighting factor, neighborhood size, proximity factor and similarity factor.


A fundamental and unanalysed logical concept is substitution. This seemingly innocuous operation— substituting a variable for a term or valuating a variable to an element of a domain — is hard to characterise other than by concrete constructions. It is widely viewed as a technicality to be dispensed with on the way to studying other things. Discussions of computer science foundations, and of the philosophy of logic, have largely ignored it. We show that Fraenkel-Mostowski set theory gives a model of variables and substitution as constructions on sets. Thus models of variables and substitution are exhibited as constructions in a foundational universe, just like models of arithmetic (the ordinals) and other mathematical entities. The door is open for classes of denotations in which variables, substitution, and evaluations are constructed directly in sets and studied independently of syntax, in ways which would previously have not been possible.


The invention discloses an electrophoretic deposition-microwave sintering combined processing method for a cobalt-chromium baked-porcelain false tooth. The method comprises the steps of firstly, depositing a porcelain layer of a certain depth on the surface of a dental cobalt-chromium alloy through an electrophoretic deposition method; and then adopting the microwave heating mode to cover the dental cobalt-chromium alloy with the porcelain layer through fusion, so that the dental cobalt-chromium alloy baked-porcelain false tooth is prepared. The processing method is convenient to operate, and the technological process is easy to control; material liquid can be reutilized, and no pollutant is discharged; and equipment in need is simple, technological cost is low, and continuous production can be conducted.


Constant compressive stress creep exp∼riments in jhe temperature and stress ranges of 1420K – 1570K and 50 MN/m 2 –350 MN/m 2 have been conducted on hot pressed unreinforced Si 3 N 4 containing the densification aids of 6 wt% Y 2 O 3 and 1.5 wt% Al 2 O 3 and on a similarly prepared composite material reinforced with 20 vol% SiC whiskers. Steady-state creep data obtained on these materials in a N 2 atmosphere gave stress exponent values of 1.2 – 1.6 and 0.4 – 1.6 for the unreinforced Si 3 N 4 and the composite, respectively. A break in the steady-state creep rate vs. log stress observed only in the composite occurred at approximately 250 MN/m 2 at the temperatures of 1520K and 1570K. This information coupled with the results of electron microscopy indicate that the temperature as well as the extensive crystallization (or lack of it) of the amorphous grain boundary phase are the principal factors controlling the deformation rate at a given stress within the limits of the small total strains achieved in this research.


A 21-year-old man, a member of the track team, has his first kidney stone at college. Computed tomography showed a 4-mm obstructing distal ureteral stone and a nonobstructing 4-mm contralateral kidney stone. The stone passed: its composition was 100% calcium oxalate. Serum chemistry was normal with


Spray characteristics play an important role in the application accuracy and efficiency of plant protection products. In this study, the spray angles, liquid sheet lengths and spray shapes of five hydraulic spray nozzles (Albuz ATR orange, Albuz ATR red, TeeJet XR 110 01, TeeJet XR 110 04 and TeeJet AI 110 04) were measured using a developed high speed imaging system. Results were compared with the results of existing measuring techniques using a flow rate test bench, a horizontal patternator and a Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer (PDPA) laser.


When organisms perceive any perturbation in the outside word that can disrupt homeostasis, they engage in a set of physiological responses in order to reestablish homeostasis. But, if mantained for a long time, those responses can be damaging and, in fact, they could be related to the appearance of some age-related deficits. Two early manipulations, such as environmental enrichment and postnatal handling have been hypothesized to prevent age-related cognitive and neural deficits in rodents. A long-lasting reduction of emotional reactivity to stress has been proposed as the main mechanism mediating long-term effects of both treatments. The aim of the present work was to revise some previous findings which are in agreement with that proposal, as well as to report some results from our laboratory which replicate and extend that hypothesis.


The microrefractometric method recently described by T. Brailsford Robertson 1 has enabled us to determine the amount of albumin and globulin in normal human serum. The specimens of serum which we have employed for this purpose have been obtained from students, nurses and doctors working in the hospital, who are in good health. No serums of patients have been used to establish these normal valuations. In brief, the method is as follows: Blood is drawn into centrifuge tubes, allowed to clot, and centrifugalized. A portion of the clear serum is treated with an equal volume of saturated ammonium sulphate to precipitate the globulins, and the precipitate removed by centrifugalizing. The clear fluid is diluted to one-half and read in the refractometer. This reading, corrected for ammonium sulphate, gives the total albumin plus the nonproteins. The nonprotein value is determined from the clear fluid remaining after the proteins have been removed