Teen involvement and attention to teen issues must be taken seriously. This is because teen pregnancy prevention programs would be stronger and more effective if a diverse group of teens from local organizations schools after-school groups and faith communities is purposefully involved. It is noted that involving the youth in the early planning of a programs goals and activities is an excellent way for teens to feel involved and valued thus gaining credibility for and increasing the programs "cool" quotient within the teen community. However providing teens with the appropriate training and information is vital. An integral part of involving teens in an organization or activity is setting goals and giving concrete instructions about the end result. It is in the engaging of teens and including them long-term in the organization that the commitment to recognize and respond to the teens want could be proven.


Take‐all is a severe root disease of wheat worldwide that is caused by the soilborne fungal pathogen Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt). In this study, 272 Bacillus isolates were screened for their antifungal activity in vitro to Ggt. Of the 128 strains that demonstrated an antagonistic action, 24 of these exhibited at least three of the four plant growth promotion parameters (i.e. indole acetic acid and siderophore production, inorganic phosphorus solubilization and organic phosphorus solubilization) that were tested in wheat plants. The most effective strain found was Bacillus subtilis Pnf‐12; its disease reduction effect reached 69%. Pnf‐12 also caused a significant improvement (P < 0·05) in the root and shoot weights of wheat plants, though their root length and shoot height were similar to the noninoculated treatment (P > 0·05). The mechanism for this disease control may be linked to the production of the antifungal lipopeptides surfactin, iturin and fengycin production, all of which were detected in the cell‐free supernatant of Pnf‐12.


In this work, three mixed acid digestion methods, HNO3-HClO4-HF, HNO3-H2O2-HF and HNO3-HCl-HF, have been studied. The digest solutions were analysed for selenium by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) using either deuterium or Zeeman-effect background correction systems and by vapour generation atomic absorption spectrometry (VGAAS). Because soil samples contain substantial amounts of iron and phosphorus, the accurate determination of selenium by deuterium are background corrected GFAAS is complicated by the well documented spectral interferences which give rise to over-correction. However, this over-correction can be simply eliminated by the use of Zeeman-effect background corrected GFAAS. The accuracy of the methods was assessed by the use of the NIST Standard Reference Material (SRM) Coal Fly Ash 1633A. The precision of the measurements (RSD) ranges from 3.8 to 9.9% with Zeeman-effect GFAAS, and from 0.2 to 1.5% with VGAAS, for selenium concentrations of up to 20 ng ml–1. The three digestion methods give comparable results on both Zeeman-effect GFAAS and VGAAS. However, the HNO3-H2O2-HF and HNO3-HCl-HF procedures are preferred because they are simple and less time consuming.


We consider a small ensemble of Bose atoms in a ring optical lattice with weak disorder. The atoms are assumed to be initially prepared in a superfluid state with nonzero quasimomentum and, hence, may carry matter current. It is found that the atomic current persists in time for a low value of the quasimomentum but decays exponentially for a high (around one quarter of the Brillouin zone) quasimomentum. The explanation is given in terms of low- and high-energy spectra of the Bose–Hubbard model, which we describe using the Bogoliubov and random matrix theories, respectively.


We show a reduction in the ionization threshold at previously ionized regions inside transparent solids. This forms a shot-to-shot memory that can lead to several unique nonlinear phenomena including the formation of nanostructures.


Using academic studies and financial literature from over 40 researchers, I investigate if behavioral finance causes investors to not always act in a rational manner. In this thesis, I review the literature on investor behavior and outline the situational factors that contribute to investment decisions that are not consistent with the theory of rational expectations. In particular, I synthesize the departure from the theoretical standard due to gender bias, risk-taking, over confidence based on gender as well as institutional compared to individual investors, investor biases, external environmental influences, and lastly, herd behavior.


A new assessment of the way prophets spoke shows that their basic vocation was to be as speakers who brought a communication from God announcing future events.


The purpose of this study was to explain the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to investigate the correlation between AD and microRNA. AD is the most common type of dementia, accounting for about 80% of all types of dementia, causing dysfunction in various daily activities such as memory loss, cognitive impairment, and behavioral impairment. The typical pathology of AD is explained by the accumulation of beta-amyloid peptide plaques and neurofibrillary tangles containing hyperphosphorylated tau protein. On the other hand, microRNA is small non-coding RNA 22~23 nucleotides in length that binds to the 3' untranslated region of messenger RNA to inhibit gene expression. Many reports explain that microRNAs found in circulating biofluids are abundant in the central nervous system, are involved in the pathogenic mechanism of AD, and act as important factors for early diagnosis and therapeutic agents of AD. Therefore, this paper aims to clarify the correlation between AD and microRNA. In this review, the basic mechanism of miRNAs is described, and the regulation of miRNAs in the pathological processes of AD are highlighted. Furthermore, we suggest that miRNA-based system in development of therapeutic and diagnostic agents of AD can be a promising tool.


Energy analysis is presented as a methodology which can provide a broad overview to link a wide range of transportation problems: gasoline shortages, fuel price increases, increased construction costs, and increased environmental concerns. Energy analysis has developed or adapted a number of different tools which aid in the understanding of dynamic transportation systems. General system understanding is furthered by use of large scale models. Other techniques used in the report include energy budgets of a wetland ecosystem unaffected by highway construction compared to a wetland affected by highways. A regional model was developed and simulated in order to study policy issues concerning transportation and the problem of limited fuel supply. A conceptual framework was developed for assessing the impact of highway projects on natural systems. A hydrologic analysis was performed to determine what have been the long range hydrologic trends in the upper St. Thomas River basin. General Systems Theory was used to more fully elucidate the role of transportation in a regional socio-economic system.


Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has developed into a valuable technique for management of patients with intractable, chronic pain syndromes. At present there is limited evidence that SCS is effective for some types of chronic pain (FBSS [failed back surgery syndrome] and CRPS [complex regional pain syndrome] type I). Patient selection has to be thorough in order to limit failure rates and guarantee a good outcome. Here we review our experience with SCS over the last 7 years.


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an improved clock generator whose clock skew is reduced. SOLUTION: A clock generator includes a waveform generator and a de-skew circuit. A waveform generator is clock-operated according to an input clock signal, and generates a waveform signal. The de-skew circuit is connected to the waveform generator, and generates an output clock signal by gate- controlling the waveform signal from the waveform generator with the input clock signal so that the skew of an output clock signal can be made smaller than the input clock signal.


A new tightly coupled integrated system of Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS) aided by Strapdown Inertial Navigation System(SINS) and its integrity monitoring method is proposed in this paper for avoiding the disadvantage of conventional method in which all the observations are influenced by SINS and the fault can not be isolated.The tightly coupled integrated architecture and the Kalman filer are designed,in which the SINS measurements are conversed to virtual pseudorange and used as an extend to GNSS measurements.A Residual Chi-square Test Method(RCTM) and an Autonomous Integrity monitoring by Extrapolation Method(AIME) are presented to detect fault based on the innovation of Kalman filer.The GDOP can be reduced by choosing a virtual satellite based on the method,and the integrated architecture is favorable for integrity monitoring.The simulation results show that navigation accuracy can be improved effectively,and the RCTM can detect both step failure and quickly growing failure effectively,while for slowly growing failure the AIME algorithm has better performance.


This thesis analysed the theoretical and ontological issues of previous scholarship concerning information technology and indigenous people. As an alternative, the thesis used the framework of actor-network-theory, especially through historiographical and ethnographic techniques. The thesis revealed an assemblage of indigenous/digital enactments striving for relevance and avoiding obsolescence. It also recognised heterogeneities- including user-ambivalences, oscillations, noise, non-coherences and disruptions - as part of the milieu of the daily digital lives of indigenous people. By taking heterogeneities into account, the thesis ensured that the data "speaks for itself" and that social inquiry is not overtaken by ideology and ontology.


Summary Conchal cartilage grafts were used in 38 patients during rhinoplasty. They were used for dorsum augmentation, contour correction and correction of tip deformities. Due to ease in harvesting, lack of donor deformities and the absence of warping and absorption we found the conchal cartilage an ideal donor material. It was used for the correction of cleft lip nose deformity, correction of depressed bridge, and tip problems. Technique of harvesting is simple and there was no donor site problem.


Black female writer, Alice Walker is always misunderstood as a writer who attaches more attention to the contents and thoughts in her works. But the success of her work The Color Purple fully demonstrates her ability of exquisitely adopting artistic expressions to realize the integration of contents and form. So this paper aims to study three artistic expressions applied in this novel, that is, the epistolary style, symbolism of the real objects and psychological transformation of the characters. Furthermore, it's illustrational to show in this thesis that Alice Walker is not only a writer with deep thoughts, but also an imaginative and creative master of excelling in her writing techniques.


In particular, the chapter presents a dynamic, theoretical framework where all practitioners at every level of management demonstrate holistic leadership across a three-layered structure (three practice layers) including the formal organization layer, the informal organization layer, and the psychological boundary layer to connect elements for formulating and executing macro and micro strategies and the business community, which has its origins in the formation of "Ba," to drive the strategic knowledge creation processes.


Candidiasis is one of the most common infectious diseases caused by Candida sp. In 2017 the Mycology Division of Dr. Soetomo said there were 67 patients diagnosed with candidiasis. The use of natural ingredients as an alternative to traditional medicine is increasing because it is safe for consumption and does not cause side effects. One of the natural ingredients is Ginger (Zingiber officinale). The choice of using ginger juice (Zingiber officinale) is because the ingredients are easy to obtain and easy to apply by the community. This study aims to determine the antifungal effectiveness of ginger (Zingiber officinale) juice against the growth of Candida albicans. This research is experimental by doing the treatment which was repeated 4 times, namely the concentration of ginger juice 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%, negative control (aquadest) and positive control (ketoconazole). The inhibition zone examination method used the Kirby Bauer diffusion method which was characterized by the formation of a clear zone around the paper disc on MHA (Muller Hinton Agar) media. The inhibition zone formed was measured using a caliper, then the data obtained were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test. From laboratory examination, it was found that the average diameter of inhibition formed with concentrations of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% was 0 mm, and the negative control (aquadest) was 0 mm. The results of statistical analysis showed that 0.05 obtained a significant value between the administration of juice concentrations of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100% and not given (negative control-aquadest) = 1,000. From these results, it was concluded that there was no significant difference between the concentrated juice of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100% and not given (negative control - distilled water)Keywords : Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Candida albicans


The results of 4.2‐K photodesorption experiments in two quasiclosed geometries are reported, (1) a simple tube and (2) a tube with a coaxial perforated liner. These experiments were designed to measure separately the desorption coefficients of tightly bound and physisorbed molecules. The results are important for the beam tube vacuum of the next generation of superconducting proton colliders that have been contemplated—the 20‐TeV Superconducting Super Collider in the United States and the 7.3‐TeV Large Hadron Collider at CERN.


Cover device according to various embodiments of the invention, the second cover and the first cover member coupled to be detachably mountable to the main body portion of an electronic device, a first is provided rotatably on the cover member, the display apparatus is mounted to the inner surface connecting member and the first cover member and second cover member rotatably, and may include a connection member provided with connection for electrically connecting the main body and the display device substrate portion. The electronic apparatus according to various embodiments of the invention, the first and the first cover member that is a display device is coupled to be detachably mountable to the main body portion and the body portion being provided with said first rotates the cover member 2 to the inner surface When the display device is a body (one piece) fixedly mounted includes a provided with a second cover member which is provided with a cover, and the first cover member to the main body portion to a second display device may be connected to the main body and electrically have. The cover device, and an electronic device as described above can be variously implemented according to an embodiment.


Intellectual Property (IP) is oftentimes overlooked in engineering education, but should be center stage. In performing any type of research, a student should access all intellectual property, not merely cite copyrighted references. This includes patent and trademark searches, which can be easily incorporated into any engineering assignment. Teaching and using IP in an undergraduate engineering curriculum does not need to replace any ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) or any other accreditation board criteria. In fact, it reinforces the goals of accreditation; of the eleven criteria required under ABET Criterion 3, stating the requirements for engineering graduates, IP knowledge would be included in seven, including "an ability to design," "a knowledge of contemporary issues," and "an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility." IP encompasses design and identifies the latest contemporary issues associated with engineering. More importantly, it is an engineer's professional and ethical responsibility to research claims prior to publication or use. Also, it the engineering educator's responsibility to teach future engineers how to protect his or her rights of creation. For example, does every student know the connection between presenting research in a public forum and the time to file a patent on this research? Yet, by ignorance alone the student may lose his or her rights for a patent by not knowing this connection. Educators must note that by the lack of IP instruction, students are unaware as to the protection of their creations. This impacts their futures as they will be entering the creative field of engineering without IP knowledge and may miss precious opportunities to benefit from their creations. This paper, written by a patent agent and patent attorney, both holding doctorate degrees in computer science and electrical engineering, respectively, will introduce the concepts of intellectual property with respect to engineering and examine ways to introduce IP into an undergraduate engineering curriculum.


A nanostructured Ni50Co50 mixture was prepared by high‐energy ball milling in a planetary ball mill (Frisch P7) under an argon atmosphere. Scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) have been used to study the morphology of the powder particles, microstructure, and structure evolution. Detailed analysis of the XRD patterns was performed by the MAUD program, which is based on the Rietveld method. It reveals the complete vanishing of the Co peaks after 3 h of milling, indicating the allotropic transformation of Co from hcp to fcc structure. The reciprocal dissolution of the elemental Ni and Co powders leads to the formation of a heterogeneous solid solution with two structures: fcc‐Ni(Co) and fcc‐Co(Ni) with relative fractions of about 76 and 20%, respectively, after 24 h of milling. Microstructural parameters such as lattice parameter, crystallite size, microstrains, dislocation density, and stacking faults have been deduced from the best Rietveld refinements. The formation kinetics of nanostructured Ni50Co50 mixture can be described by a lower Avrami parameter, n, close to 0.34.


The article gives basic differences between capacitor and inductive voltage transformers from the aspect of their technical characteristics. This is a preliminary analysis of the basic properties of three inductive voltage transformers variants. It is shown that inductive voltage transformers with limb-type open core have a number of disadvantages over cascade voltage transformers and closed-core transformers. Many facts are given which justify the statement that the inductive voltage transformer in a power supply system is a more favourable solution than the capacitor voltage transformer.


The present essay poses a series of reflections regarding the current state of Special Education, considering the well-made decisions along with the coexistent factors that weaken and annul the process towards an inclusive education. It examines the role of specific employees and their individual contributions, as well as the influence of the prevailing ideological system, special education, and the way in which projects related to this topic have been developed in Costa Rica. The objective is to contribute to this wideranging national discussion in order to understand more clearly what our common goals and strategies should be, in the interest of achieving a truly inclusive educational system.


The coalescence and disappearance of Hartree--Fock (HF) solutions as the molecular structure varies have been a common source of criticism for the breakdown of the HF approximation to the potential energy surfaces. However, recent developments in holomorphic HF theory show that this disappearing behavior is only a manifestation of the way conventional HF equations prevent solutions from being analytically continued, but it is unclear what factors govern the existence and the locations of these disappearances. In this work, we explore some of these factors from the perspective of spatial symmetry by introducing a classification for symmetry constraints on electronic-structure calculations. This forms a framework for us to systematically investigate several analytic holomorphic HF solutions of a model $\textrm{[H}_4\textrm{]}^{2+}$ system in STO-3G and demonstrate that, under appropriate conditions, spatial symmetry imposes strict requirements on the reality of certain solutions. The implications for self-consistent-field HF search algorithms are then discussed. Throughout this article, the term reality means the quality of a holomorphic HF solution having real molecular orbitals.


In Nigeria, novelists Chinua Achebe and Chris Abani address longstanding dehumanization between tribal factions and British colonizers in their novels to build the foundations of peace on a personal and national level. These two authors achieve rehumanization and peacebuilding in three fundamental ways: rehumanizing the ―other,‖ building an identity, and reestablishing agency. Throughout this paper, I will highlight the ways in which Abani and Achebe use their novels with maximum efficiency to appeal to readers on a human level, heal the wounds that perpetuate the divisions between groups, and promote a sense of empowerment that allows individuals and communities to work toward peace on their own terms. Through rewriting their own history, rehumanizing their characters, and encouraging readers to see the other side of their conflict, Achebe and Abani address two separate conflicts on the Nigerian scene. Their fiction sets demonstrates a variety of ways in which peacebuilding can be applied on a national level in countries everywhere as one branch of a well-rounded approach to reconciliation.


Introduction: Information is increasingly produced and changed at any time. In Iran, the elderly population is growing. Therefore, managers need real-time data. This study was conducted to determine the status of the elderly health management information system. Methods: This research was a where qualitative study. The study population included all documentation of the Ministry of Health and the Secretariat of the Supreme Council for the Elderly in the first step where the second step were all faculty geriatrics, health information management and health service management. In The first step of, gathering tool was the data collection form and in the second step an interview guide. Purposive sampling, snowball was to reach a consensus. Finally, notes and interviews were summarized and analyzed. Results: The results showed that documentation handy at all health centers, non-automated where, analyzing and reporting data were done on paper. Finally, the information will be delayed available to decision-makers. Conclusion: Ministry of Health and Medical Education in Iran is responsible for health (MHME). The organization must create the appropriate infrastructure for the elderly information management system. This system includes input, process and retrieval of elderly information. Due to population aging, MHME must implement the health management information system that is a priority program of the Ministry.


In a habitual prospective memory task, an intention must be performed regularly and frequently in response to a particular event. Everyday examples include flushing the toilet after use, closing the door when leaving the flat, or taking medication according to a prescription scheme. Here, we investigated the neural correlates of habitual prospective memory in a series of ERP-experiments. The main result is that when a task becomes habitual, the prospective positivity, an ERP-component related to the ease of retrieval is enhanced. Thus, with repeated retrieval the prospective memory task may be integrated into the ongoing task. In general, the results indicate that episodic and habitual prospective memory tasks differ in their neural underpinnings.


The study was aimed to investigate the optimization of Na-alginate immobilization method for biological sulfide oxidation process using an immobilized Thiobacillus species and the effects of four factors including Na-alginate concentration, CaCl2 concentration, agitation speed and amount of inoculum on sulfide conversion. The strength of sodium-alginate immobilization method for Thiobacillus species was evaluated. For this purpose, experiments were designed by a central composite design (CCD) and results were optimized by using response surface methodology (RSM). Design of experiments (DOE) was used to model and optimize the operational conditions. The central composite design (CCD) was very good for the optimization of variables; the R value for the developed model was 0.91. The results and analysis showed the optimized values for the sulfide oxidation. 95% Sulfide oxidation was achieved with optimized values. Beside this a useful byproduct was produced from waste effluents


A FEW YEARS ago, a well-known curriculum worker began his arguments for behavioral objec tives?one of the precursors and usually a basic tenet of "systems management procedures'' in ed ucation?with some rather interesting comments. Even though pointing to the necessity of dialogue for examining the respective worths of different positions on the controversial subject of design ing educational activities in terms of "measurable learner behaviors/' he had a few remarks to say that are quite pertinent to this paper :


In the past few years, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) has started a series of Pilot Projects, carried out by National universities, research centers and private companies, aimed to the exploitation of Earth Observation (EO) techniques to assess and study hazardous geophysical phenomena. In the SISMA (Seismic Information System for Monitoring and Alert) project, space EO techniques, such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) are integrated with geophysical methods to disclose the physics of earthquake generation in active seismogenic zones. This approach complements usual seismic hazard estimates, based on the traditional probabilistic approach, and opens new routes in the modelling and understanding of the dynamics of fault zones. Synergic use of GNSS and Geophysical Forward Modelling (GFM) deformation maps at the national scale complements the information gained from purely statistical analyses of earthquake historical records. In such a way the rules of seismic hazard estimate in terms of observational data and of sound physical methodologies are established. Both GNSS and SAR techniques, at the smaller spatial scale of the seismogenic zones, coupled with expressly developed models for interseismic phases allow us to retrieve the deformation style and stress evolution within the seismogenic zones, providing the tools for establishing warning criteria based on deterministic grounds and rigorous forward geophysical models.


A method to obtain relatively large portions of particle size separates from soil is described. The method was designed to minimize dilution of the soil with dispersant solution, to use simple materials and operations, and to allow fractionation of a single soil sample into a broad range of size classes. These are advantages over elutriation or batch sedimentation methods, and are important when obtaining size separates for studies of contaminant behaviour, erodable soil materials and other related topics. The method is ideally suited to study of contaminant concentrations on soil particle size separates. Key words: Sedimentation, size fractionation, clay, silt, sand, contaminants


A numerical method is developed to analyze the behavior of the evolution of the lesions at the cervical cells caused by the human papillomavirus. The model to be solved consists in a one‐dimensional nonlinear advection–diffusion‐reaction equation. Such equation is approximated by a consistent explicit difference scheme which is based on regular perturbation theory. A constructive procedure for the numerical scheme is given and finally an illustrative example of the evolution of a mild dysplasia is included. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 31: 847–855, 2015


The vascular organization of the human brain has many consequences for neurological and neurophysiological function, yet it has thus far not been systematically mapped. In this work, the first atlas of the venous vasculature using quantitative susceptibility maps (QSM) acquired at 7T with a 0.6 mm isotropic resolution is presented. The VENAT (Venous Neuroanatomy) atlas was created from 5 separate measurements of 20 young and healthy volunteers using a two-step registration method based on 3D segmentations of the venous vasculature. This cerebral vein atlas includes the average vessel location and diameter from all participants and provides a first measure in vivo of the angio-architectonic organization of the human brain and its variability. This atlas can be used as a basis to understand changes in the vasculature during aging and diseases, as well as vascular and physiological effects in neuroimaging.


We have fabricated ion-exchanged potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) Mach Zehnder and phase modulators operating at X = 1.3um and 0.633um. These devices were designed for very high frequency operation with a 3-db modulation bandwidth of greater than 12GHz. Device insertion losses were between 1.5db and 5db with switching voltages (D.C. ) of 10V. Thick (- 3μm) electroplated gold was used to produce low-loss 50Q impedance coplanar strip electrodes. High optical power operation at 0.633um ( -100μW) produced no optical damage effects. Further results such as device stability will be presented at the conference.


Introduction: In Australia, Squamous Cell Carcinomas (SCC) are the second most common form of skin cancer and is most frequently present in the population aged 50 years and older. SCCs characteristically are slow growing tumours, but are known to enlarge rapidly in some cases. Apart from presenting with a lesion, patients are usually asymptomatic. Radiation therapy is the treatment option when surgery is not feasible; the patient has metastatic disease or high risk cutaneous SCC. Systemic chemotherapy is only used when metastatic disease is present. Case presentation: A male patient in his late forties presented to clinic with a 25 cm fungating SCC lesion to the left upper thigh. Radiation therapy treatment via non coplanar beams was prescribed to treat the lesion to 66 Gy in 33 fractions. Chemotherapy was not an option due to the patient's co-morbidities. This case report follows the patient from the start to 84 weeks post treatment. Conclusion: The patient discussed in this case report found the treatment process and overall outcomes were satisfactory despite the advanced presentation of the disease and anxieties about hospitals and medical staff. The radiation therapists involved in this patient's treatment process found the case challenging, and it gave them the opportunity to utilise their skills and knowledge to approach the case with a range of alternative techniques. In this case, treatment achieved the desired outcome for the patient.


The 12- g migratory blackpoll warbler has one of the most spectacular migrations in the world. We used miniaturized devices to track the movements of blackpolls breeding at four northern locations, including as far west as Nome, Alaska, USA. In fall, all birds crossed North America to stop over on the Atlantic coast and then made a 3- day, nonstop flight over the Atlantic Ocean to South America, eventually reaching the Amazon Basin. For some birds, this round trip was over 20,000 km. These critical connections provide important information for understanding the causes of decline in one of North America's fastest declining songbirds.


In this article, a clear and concise analytical method for predicting the performance of a Liquid-cooling eddy current brake (LC-ECB) is proposed. The LC-ECB has a coolant channel in the rotor to allow direct cooling of the inner surface of the stator. The static air-gap magnetic field distribution is obtained by the dynamic magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) method, and the magnetic flux leakage and global magnetic saturation effects are fully considered. The magnetic field intensity distribution function of the eddy current reaction magnetic field is derived for the first time based on Ampere circuital theorem. Considering the local magnetic saturation and skin effect, a novel double-iteration algorithm based on the conservation principle of magnetic pressure drop is applied to obtain the transient air-gap flux density distribution, and then the brake torque expression is obtained. The finite element method (FEM) and experimental results show that the proposed method is feasible and effective. The new model is easy to program and can be easily used in the initial design and optimization of LC-ECB.


1 In order to compete successfully in the global economy, companies across industries are hard at work trying to bring their increasingly complex supply chains to the next level of performance in order to meet the growing expectations of customers. PRTM's research shows that companies that operate state-of-the-art supply chains capture enormous value over their competitors. For example, our 2005 benchmarking study demonstrated that profitability—as measured by EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes)—was 14% for the most mature supply chains versus 6% for immature peers. Internal and external integration enables both better demand planning and meeting of customer needs through improved sourcing of materials and asset scheduling. Inventory costs are also reduced, creating the enviable situation of better performance at lower costs. At the highest level of supply chain maturity, the supply chain network is designed to take into account the future product lines, capacity requirements, and capital plans. This longer-term view of the business allows them to make strategic investments that ultimately drive lower costs and improve supply chain effectiveness. But how do companies accomplish such a high level of performance? Based on the joint work of PRTM and LogicTools, Inc., the integration of a few disciplines in supply chain management—optimization of network and inventory, process excellence, and IT-enabled visibility and collaboration has proved to generate breakthrough operational improvements at reduced overall costs (Figure 1). In this paper, we will first describe this approach on a high level and then illustrate its application with a recent pilot project example at a major industrial manufacturer. The company has successfully incorporated the key provisions of this Title Deck


Research purposes: It is an international development trend to apply the reliability theory to revise the "Engineering Structure Code".This paper sums up the thinking of the theory by means of explaining the profound in simple terms,gives the examples to explain the essence of reliability theory,and expounds the significance of revising the "Code for Engineering Structure of Railway Subgrade". Research conclusions:The purpose of revising the "Code for Engineering Structure of Railway Subgrade" is to quantify the reliability of engineering structures.The compiling process of the code with the reliability theory can be summarized as follows:establishment of the limit state equation-giving the statistical characteristics of random variables parameters-calculation of the current standard implicit reliability index-determination of the target reliability index-putting forward the subitem coefficient-establishment of the limit state design expression.


The utility model relates to a suspension-type bookshelf which comprises a bookshelf outer frame (1), and is characterized in that the back side of the bookshelf outer frame is fixed with a hook (2), and the middle part thereof is provided with a middle clapboard (3); and the bookshelf outer frame (1) is also provided with a clapboard groove (5) and a plastic clapboard (4). On the basis of the existing bookshelf, the suspension-type bookshelf is added with the hook, the plastic clapboard and the clapboard groove, can adjust the position of the plastic clapboard according to the need, and can be hung, thus being flexible in adjustment and convenient for use.


The review represents of a number of studies on femininity developing Jung's archetypal theory. The women's creative experience is admitted in this case as the important process of individuation leading to achievement of the Self. Tales, myths and ancient knowledge is the field where researchers carry out "archaeological digs" looking for lost symbols and rhythms of femininity. Special consideration given to C.P. Estes's work "Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype".


A riveting collar and a self-locking nut that buckle in a fixed axisymmetric shape when a thin-walled portion at the tip end is buckled and attached to a resin part. The riveting collar (10) is equipped with: a sleeve, having a thick-walled section (12), which is thick, a thin-walled section (14), which is thin, and a step section (15) between the thick-walled section and the thin-walled section; and a flange (11), which is formed on the thick-walled-section side of the sleeve, and has a larger diameter than that of the sleeve. A through-hole (13) is formed penetrating the sleeve and the flange, the sleeve is inserted into an attachment hole (33) of a resin component (30), and then the thin-walled part is buckled to form a buckled part (14a), thereby sandwiching and attaching the resin component (30) between the flange and the buckled part. When the outer diameter of the thin-walled portion is D, the wall thickness is t, the length is L, and the Poisson ratio is gamma, the equations shown in the description are satisfied.


Periodontal disease is characterized by a chronic inflammatory infection of the tissues supporting the teeth caused by specific microorganisms, resulting in progressive destruction of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by increased blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin secretion by the pancreas, in their action, or both. Periodontitis is highly prevalent in diabetic individuals. In these individuals, the poor control of the dental biofilm may favor the installation of periodontal disease with a greater severity and speed of progression than that observed in non-diabetic individuals. Due to the importance of periodontal therapy, especially in diabetic patients, the objective of this study was to review the literature on the relationship between these diseases and the possible periodontal treatments in diabetic patients. In conclusion, these diseases have a bidirectional relationship, in which diabetes, mainly type 2, favors the development of periodontal disease, which, when left untreated, worsens the metabolic control of diabetes. In addition, the periodontal treatment associated with antibiotic therapy has been shown to be effective, making it possible to adjust the oral environment and reduce (Hba1c) levels in diabetic patients.


A spindle head with a reduction gear is provided that comprises a rotatable spindle unit, a fork-shaped spindle base, and a drive unit. The fork-shaped spindle base is used for coupling of the rotatable spindle assembly on the machine tool and the drive unit comprises a torque motor and a reduction gear, which are coaxially positioned on the fork-shaped spindle pedestal. The reduction gear is connected to the rotatable spindle unit for driving the rotatable spindle unit in the fork-shaped spindle base and to rotate. The reduction gear is designed with a lower degree of deceleration. Moreover have the drive and the output of the reduction gear has a coaxial structure, wherein the torque of the torque motor can be increased several times and can maintain higher rotational speed to do easy machining with high speed and heavy cutting with high torque.


The composition and quantity of high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) determine the gluten elasticity and strength, and influence the baking quality of wheat. Several HMW-GS genes, such as 1Ax, 1Dx5 and 1Dy10, have been transformed into wheat cultivars. By evaluating transformed lines with 1Ax, 1Dx5 and 1Dy10, it is indicated that the transgenes are overexpressed and quality properties of transgenic wheat lines, such as gluten elasticity, strength and stability time, have been significantly improved. By incorporating alien HMW-GS or the exploiting the overexpressed HMW-GS, transgene technique is probably one of the potential approaches to improve the quality of Chinese wheat, especially the wheat cultivars in southern China.


Adapting an approach used by Feynman for the Lamb shift of an isolated atom, we obtain a nonperturbative expression for the Lamb shift of an atom in a dielectric medium, previously calculated perturbatively [P. W. Milonni, J. Mod. Opt. {bold 42}, 1191 (1995)]. The separation of the Lamb and Casimir components of the field energy is greatly simplified, and previous nonperturbative results for the Lamb shift [M. Schaden, L. Spruch, and F. Zhou, Phys. Rev. A {bold 57}, 1108 (1998)], based on the generalized argument theorem, are obtained much more easily and directly. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}


The QBbinding site of the D1 reaction center protein, located within a stromal loop between transmembrane helices IV and V formed by residues Ile219 to Leu272, is essential for photosynthetic electron transport through photosystem II (PSII). We have examined the function of the highly conserved Ala251D1 residue in this domain in chloroplast transformants ofChlamydomonas reinhardtii and found that Arg, Asp, Gln, Glu, and His substitutions are nonphotosynthetic, whereas Cys, Ser, Pro, Gly, Ile, Val, and Leu substitutions show various alterations in D1 turnover, photosynthesis, and photoautotrophic growth. The latter mutations reduce the rate of QA to QB electron transfer, but this is not necessarily rate-limiting for photoautotrophic growth. The Cys mutant divides and evolves O2 at wild type rates, although it has slightly higher rates of D1 synthesis and turnover and reduced electron transfer between QA and QB. O2 evolution, D1 synthesis, and accumulation in the Ser, Pro, and Gly mutants in high light is reduced, but photoautotrophic growth rate is not affected. In contrast, the Ile, Val, and Leu mutants are impaired in photoautotrophic growth and photosynthesis in both low and high light and have elevated rates of D1 synthesis and degradation, but D1 accumulation is normal. While rates of synthesis/degradation of the D1 protein are not necessarily correlated with alterations in specific parameters of PSII function in these mutants, bulkiness of the substituted amino acids is highly correlated with the dissociation constant for QB in the seven mutants examined. These observations imply that the Ala251 residue plays a key role in D1 protein.


To solve the difficulties resulted from uncertainty differences in multi objective optimization of the heavy cargo transport scheme; a multi objective stochastic optimization case of key equipment multimodal transport scheme fora chemical construction project was given. A multi objective stochastic optimization model with decision network planning and multi objective programming was established. A solution method, which is combined with utility function theory and upper bound minimal model, was put forward to solve the model. The result shows that the optimization model and the solution method can solve the multi objective optimization problem of heavy cargo transport scheme effectively even when uncertainties are different. And the case study is of highly practical value.


In this paper the use of multiple squib charges as actuators for the guidance of transonic projectiles is explored. A series of experiments were developed to simulate squib explosions and these were compared with a limited set of measurements from actual squibs. The rapid release of high pressure gas was used to both generate thrust directly and to actuate a small guidance pin. The thrust developed, chamber pressure, drain time, as well as the rise and fall time of the pin were studied over a range of several pressures and configurations. Experimental tests were conducted at the Georgia Tech Research Institute and the Army Research Lab. Force and pressure measurements, impact response, and high-speed video captures were acquired for analysis and comparison. The results show that it is both possible to create a sub-millisecond thruster and to actuate a mechanical pin into an oncoming flow in less than a millisecond. However, further experimentation is needed to refine the experimental setup and obtain the smallest possible actuation times.


The invasion of active magma chambers by primitive magma of deeper provenance is a frequent occurrence in volcanic systems, and it is commonly associated with pressurization. Chamber replenishment is driven by pressure and buoyancy forces that cause magma ascent towards shallow depths. We examine the end‐member case of pure buoyancy‐driven (natural) convection in crustal reservoirs deriving from the presence of degassed, dense magma at shallow level, that can originate a gravitational instability. Space‐time‐dependent numerical simulations of magma dynamics in composite underground systems reveal highly nonlinear pressure evolution dominated by decompression at shallow depths. This counterintuitive result originates from the compressible nature of multiphase magmas and their complex convection and mixing dynamics. Shallow magma chamber decompression on replenishment is favored by large volatile contents of the uprising magma, resulting in large density contrasts among the resident and the incoming components. These results show that the intuitive concept of magma chamber pressurization upon replenishment may not always hold in real situations dominated by buoyancy, and provide new perspectives for the interpretation of geophysical records at active volcanoes.


The problem of increasing the effectiveness of decision-making on the basis of precedents in intelligent systems is considered. The method of preliminary case base clustering and the subsequent construction of the decision trees set for the obtained clusters is proposed. The experimental results of the proposed algorithms application are given.


Currently sparse signal reconstruction gains considerable interests and is applied in many fields. In this paper, we propose a new approach which utilizes the sparsity induced similarity to construct the tracking algorithm. Compared with state-of-the-art, the advantage of this approach is that the sparse representation needs to be calculated for only once and therefore the time cost is dramatically decreased. In addition, extensive experimental comparisons show that the proposed approach is more robust than some existing approaches.


In this paper, results obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on the water-saturated organic liquids nitrobenzene (NB) and 2-nitrophenyloctyl ether (NPOE) are presented. Both solvents are extremely important in many areas of chemistry, and they are seen as the most promising successors of n-octanol for ion transfer studies at the liquid–liquid interface. Thermodynamic (mass density, enthalpy of vaporization), structural (radial distribution functions) and dynamic (diffusion coefficients) properties of both liquids have been calculated and compared with those obtained from MD simulations of the corresponding pure (water-free) organic liquids. The relatively polar nature of NB allows for an efficient incorporation of water into the organic liquid, minimizing the impact on the solvent structure and dynamics. NPOE exhibits added hydrophobicity due to the presence of a long aliphatic chain, and this has an effect on its water solvation properties. Steric effects caused by these chains, together with the much slower dynamic response of the solvent, substantially hinder the motion of water and prevent interactions with other water molecules. The different behaviour of these solvents towards water provides a good means for studying the properties of these liquids at the interface with water.


Cryptophanes have been shown to be a promising tool in xenon magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications. The affinity of xenon for molecular host structures such as cryptophane-A (CrA) and the large xenon chemical shift that can be detected in the presence of such hosts has motivated the synthesis of a number of cryptophane-based MRI biosensors. Bifunctional biosensors that incorporate both a fluorophore and a cryptophane moiety are flexible tools for evaluating the intracellular localization and quantifying cellular uptake/binding of such xenon hosts in conjunction with testing their MRI capabilities. In this study, we compare the performance of a new compound that bears tetramethylrhodamine (TAMRA), CrA-PEG-TAMRA (PEG=polyethylene glycol), with our previously synthesized compound in which fluorescein (FAM) was the optical reporter. We demonstrate that these biosensors are suitable candidates for MRI-based cell-tracking studies; specifically, the new addition of a rhodamine derivative will allow for multiplexing experiments and showed slightly improved NMR spectroscopic behavior. Importantly, both biosensors display equally good cell-labeling efficiency, which facilitates the acquisition of high-quality xenon magnetic resonance images in two different cell lines. This study describes a simple synthetic approach for the production of biologically compatible bifunctional compounds. These biosensors can be used as they are for cell labeling but can also serve as building blocks for further functionalization and cryptophane-based xenon biosensor design with MRI and fluorescence multiplexing options.


In this paper, an efficient online fractional open-circuit voltage (FOCV) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm based on sliding mode control (SMC) is presented. The proposed method determines the open-circuit voltage by sensing photovoltaic (PV) module voltage, current, and temperature without disconnecting the PV module. In addition, the proposed method utilizes the SMC strategy to track the maximum power and its results are compared with the conventional PI controller. The SMC achieves the high tracking speed with reduced oscillations and steady-state error as compared to the PI controller. Moreover, the advantages of the proposed method include 1) interruption-free output power 2) harness 2.7% more energy in variable irradiance and temperature conditions 3) higher tracking efficiency as compared to the conventional analytical FOCV algorithm. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method and SMC are tested at different environmental conditions in the Matlab/Simulink environment using the 245 W Yingli PV panel.


The study aimed to analyze the limits and possibilities of the presence of an accompanying family member in the care of children with cancer in the pediatric oncologic intensive care unit and as specific objectives: to describe the care of children in the pediatric oncologic intensive care unit in the nursing team and companion family member´s point of view; identify the nursing team´s point of view about the presence of an accompanying family member in the pediatric oncologic intensive care unit and to know how the accompanying family member sees his presence in the pediatric oncologic intensive care unit. It´s a qualitative research, a case study, carried out at the pediatric oncologic intensive care unit of a reference hospital in the treatment of cancer located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The data production involved the simple observation techniques, with records in field diary, and semi-structured interview with 25 members of the nursing team and 10 accompanying family members of hospitalized children with cancer in that intensive therapy unit. After data identification and organization, these were submitted to thematic content analysis according to Bardin, emerging the following categories: the family of the child with cancer to the entrance in the pediatric oncologic intensive care unit and the family member´s interactions and nursing team members in the care for children with cancer in the Oncologic Intensive Care Unit. From the testimonies of the accompanying family members and nursing team we found that in the care of children hospitalized in the CTIP interaction between them favors its adaptation to the environment, involving numerous procedures and routines, requiring emotional support and comfort made possible by the familiar member presence and scientific and technical knowledge of the nursing team. Thus, it is concluded that the pediatric oncologic intensive care unit is an accompanying family member interaction space with the nursing team in care of children with cancer, based on attentive listening, made possible by dialogue that enables the exchange of the knowledge of the family member with his experience, feelings and expectations. This process begins with the illness and has the nursing team that aims to the comprehensive care to it, including support and guidance to the child's family, a key element in the process of hospitalization and treatment.


If we look at the development of european law from the mature period of roman law to the development of the law in recent decades, we can see that the pattern of legally binding behaviour has become increasingly distant from the behaviour in specific situations. in roman law, even the legal norm itself was a norm tailored to specific cases, but by the 1500s the law in european countries was largely made up of rules formulated at a more general level or merely settled in customary law. In the enlightenment of the 1700s, however, the often-experienced judicial arbitrariness in interpreting the law led to the goal of a law consisting of completely precise rules, and even the prohibition of judicial interpretation of the law was considered possible. In comparison, since the 1970s, we have seen, in the whole european civilisation, including the countries of the americas and other continents, the practice of law fixed at the level of constitutional values and general principles of law, rather than at the level of law with precision, which is merely a legal declaration. In this process, although the law is laid down in the laws of representative assemblies, in accordance with the principle of democracy, the law that is actually in force in individual cases is pronounced by judges, in a way that is far removed from the literal meaning of the law. as a more general theorem of legal theory, the conceptual scheme of the structure of the legal system can be described as a layer of legal doctrine above the text of the law, and a layer of judicial precedents below it, which give concrete form to the rules contained in the text. however, a deeper historical and theoretical analysis can also show these layers of law in a more disaggregated way. this will be done in the following analyses.


and sulphates. m-Aminophenyl,ulphate was detected as a red spot, which turned brown on keeping, by spraying suc- cessively with 0.1 % NaNO2 in 0-2N-HCI, 1% ammonium sulphamate and 0.5% a-naphthylamine in diluted ethanol, allowing the paper to dry between each spray. Illumination of the paper with u.v. light from a low-pressure mercury arc lamp (Hanovia Chromatolite) revealed o-methoxybenzoic acid and its glucuronide as purple fluorescent spots, and glucurone and glucuronic acid quenched the background fluorescence of the paper.


A gradient based optimization methodology is developed for the design of metal forming processes. A novel, efficient and mathematically rigorous scheme is proposed for a continuum based sensitivity analysis of metal forming processes that can be used to accurately evaluate gradients of the objective function and design constraints. In particular, a sensitivity analysis is being developed for the Lagrangian analysis of finite inelastic deformations of hyperelastic-viscoplastic materials involving frictional contact. A framework for shape as well as parameter optimization for single-stage metal forming processes was introduced in [1–4]. Weak sensitivity equilibrium equations were derived for the large deformation of the workpiece in a typical forming operation. This sensitivity kinematic problem was linearly coupled with the appropriate sensitivity constitutive and contact sub-problems. Thus a linear sensitivity problem with appropriate driving forces was identified and the analysis carried out in an infinite dimensional framework. This work on the design of single-stage forming processes is currently expanded to include the design of multi-stage forming processes which necessarily involve the computation of both shape as well as non-shape (parameter) sensitivities. The direct deformation and sensitivity deformation problems are implemented using the finite element method. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is tested here with the solution of two practical design problems in single and two-stage forming processing.


music, have rendered it impossible to get any singers to submit to the training which would enable them to give a single passage rightly, either from Rossini or Mozart; and few readers but her poor Fratello will understand the meaning of what Francesca tells us, of her sweetest friend.—J. R., October, 1887. I believe I left off my last little note of thanks, when so many people came in about the festa; for the Rossini procession 2 passed just under our balcony, and, of course, all our friends, who had nowhere else to go, remembered us! I did not want at all to stop my writing for the sake of the celebration; but I could not leave Mammina with everybody to see to, and no one to help her; and really it was a very grand sight; and it was quite beautiful to see how the dense crowd in the Piazza made room, and stood back quietly, to let the long procession pass. Of course you will see an account of it all in the papers; but they will hardly tell of the respectful and deep feeling shown by all the people. But then it is quite wonderful how good a Florentine crowd will be, when there are no policemen about;—when there are any, they appear to awaken the worst feelings in the Florentine heart. They say that when the King and Queen came here last, they were particularly requested to come without guards, or escort of any kind; and were told that, if they brought any, the Florentines would consider themselves insulted. It was very solemn and impressive to see Rossini brought back to Florence to the sound of his own music, played as I never heard it played before. For they had brought together all the best bands in Italy; 1 [On this subject, see the Introduction to Vol. XXXI. pp. xxxiv., xxxv.] 2 [The remains of Rossini, transported to Italy from the Paris cemetery of Père Lachaise, reached Florence on May 2, 1887. The reception of the remains, as they were brought from place to place in Italy, was marked by striking manifestations of popular veneration for the composer's memory. On May 3 the remains were interred in Santa Croce, the streets through which the procession passed being strewn with flowers (see Pall Mall Gazette, May 3 and 4, 1887).] V. "ADDIO, CARA!" 301 and I wish you could have heard "Cujus animam"; you would never have forgotten it! It was interesting to me to see the societies of all the "arts and professions," each with its banner,—including "sellers and loaders of charcoal," and "restaurant waiters." And I wonder if anywhere out of Italy those particular "professions" would think of turning out to honour the memory of a musician, even though he were Rossini. By the way, the charcoal people had a particularly gorgeous banner, blue and gold. I thought it ought to have been black,*—with a coat of arms in the middle, representing a smoking charcoal bed!† III. THE LOVE OF THE DUOMO I write to you on the great festa day. The bells have just been ringing, all over the city, in token that the Duomo is unveiled; and the work begun six hundred years ago is finished. 1 I am writing to you alone, here in my little room. Edwige has gone off for a first sight of her beloved church; she is entirely wild, and, after the many troubles of her life, behaves as if she were not more than sixteen. I had meant to stay at home until the excitement was over, having little heart for any sort of gaiety after all that I have lost the past winter; but she, after trying every sort of argument yesterday to induce me to go and look at the decorations in the Piazza, finally said in a grieved tone, "If the Signorina did not go to look at the Duomo, she would not be a true Florentine." Which terrible threat finally sent me down there, through the streets swarming with people like a hive of bees. But it was a grand sight! It seemed as if all the towns in the neighbourhood had emptied themselves into Florence, and everybody so proud and happy, it was a pleasure to see. Even the poorest tried to dress a little better than usual, just because they were Florentines, and this was their festa (and Edwige put on her new silk handkerchief, that she never wore before, "for love of the Duomo"). 2 Banners on all the houses, gay draperies from windows and balconies; the palaces hung out their rich silks and brocades, and the poor always managed to find a bright coloured table-cloth, or something to look gay. I went into the church; it was hung with thousands of candles, prepared for to-day's illumination. People were passing in and out, but there was no service going on. Many were on their knees, giving thanks, I suppose. But I will not lose time in writing what you will see in all the papers. There was much that was touching, and solemn, even a little sad. Especially so to me, the revival * Think better of it, Sorel. † Why not rather a winter portable pan, or an angel bringing a coal to comfort, or kindle, spirit-lips with? 1 [On May 12, 1887, the new façade of the Duomo of Florence was unveiled in presence of the King and Queen of Italy (compare Vol. IV. p. 39 n., and Vol. IX. p. 236 n.); an interesting account of the day's doings is to be found in the Pall Mall Gazette of May 18, 1887.] 2 [Compare Art of England, § 210 (Vol. XXXIII.).] 3 [See Isaiah vi. 6, 7: "Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from the altar; and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away."]


Solution V K-edge XANES (X-ray absorption near edge structure) and EXAFS (extended X-ray absorption fine structure) analysis of vanadium(V) complexes containing both imido ligands and anionic ancillary donor ligands (L) of type, V(NR)(L)X2 (R = Ar, Ad (1-adamantyl); Ar = 2,6Me2C6H3; X = Cl, Me, L = 2-(ArNCH2)C5H4N, OAr, WCA-NHC, and 2-(2'-benzimidazolyl)pyridine; WCA-NHC = anionic NHCs containing weak coordinating B(C6F5)3), which catalyze ethylene dimerization and/or polymerization in the presence of Al cocatalysts, has been explored. Different catalytically actives species with different oxidation states were formed depending upon the Al cocatalyst (MAO, Me2AlCl, AliBu3, etc.) and the anionic ancillary donor ligand employed. The method is useful for obtainment of the direct information of the active species (oxidation state, basic framework around the centered metal) in solution, and for better understanding in catalysis mechanism and organometallic as well as coordination chemistry.


The main types of catalysts for methanol to olefins( MTO) are reviewed and the main analysis methods for research on catalytic reaction mechanism are expounded. The mechanisms of formation of C—C bond in MTO including direct reaction and hydrocarbon pool mechanism are summarized. Analyzing the research trend of catalytic mechanism and existing problems can provide references for developing and improving the MTO technology.


141 Immunological factors may be involved in the etiopathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The role played by antibodies against phospholipids (PL) or against phospholipid cofactors in the atherosclerotic process has not yet been elucidated 1. Antiphospholipid antibodies, both anticardiolipin or aCL antibodies and lupus anticoagulant, are related to antiphospholipid syndrome, which is characterized by arterial and venous thromboses and gestational morbidity, being currently considered the most common cause of acquired hypercoagulability among young adults2. Acute myocardial infarction occurs in 4 to 20% of the patients with antiphospholipid syndrome 3. In a recent cohort of 1,000 patients with antiphospholipid syndrome, acute myocardial infarction was observed in 2.8% of the cases 4. The beta2-glycoprotein I (beta2-gpI) phospholipid cofactor is a natural anticoagulant 5. This cofactor was found in atherosclerotic plaque 6, and induction of atherosclerosis in receptor-LDL deficient mice immunized with beta2-gpI has been reported 7. Anti-beta2-gpI antibodies were found in the immunoassays of patients with defined antiphospholipid syndrome 8, but also in patients with thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension 9, cerebral infarction 10, and coronary heart disease 11. The frequency of anticardiolipin and anti-beta2-gpI antibodies, as well as their role in patients with acute myocardial infarction, has been a controversial issue. Our study provides a complete profile of anticardiolipin and anti-beta2-gpI antibodies in patients with acute coronary heart disease, analyzes their frequency in patients with acute myocardial infarction, and raises the possibility that anticardiolipin and anti-beta2-gpI antibodies act as independent risk factors for acute myocardial infarction.


A two-dimensional integrated gas flow sensor with on-chip pre-amplifying circuits is demonstrated. The sensor is fabricated by standard CMOS (complementary mental oxide semiconductor) process and post processing anisotropic etching technology. The sensor, which uses four aluminum/p-type polysilicon thermopiles as sensing elements and four polysilicon resistors as heaters respectively, is based on a thin floating membrane composed of the sandwich dielectric layers. The principle of operation is based on the heat transfer from the four heaters to the gas and the detection of the flow-induced temperature gradients in the two directions by the four thermopiles, integrated at four sides of the heaters in this chip. The flow-induced temperature gradients provide information about the magnitude and direction over the full range of 360 degree(s) of the gas flow. When compared to an aluminum/p-type silicon flow sensor of similar dimension, this new structure possesses a much higher sensitivity, and an improved offset and time response behavior.


Commentary on : Holmes M, Dale C, Zuccolo L, et al. Association between alcohol and cardiovascular disease: Mendelian randomisation analysis based on individual participant data. BMJ 2014;349:g4164.[OpenUrl][1][Abstract/FREE Full Text][2]

A protective association between low-dose alcohol and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) has been suggested by meta-analyses of observational studies and experimental studies. Observational studies are, however, vulnerable to residual confounding and selection bias. Compared with observational studies, the Mendelian randomisation (MR) approach can mitigate confounding, is immune to reverse causation, and is consistent with intention-to-treat principles since 'quitting' a genotype is impossible.

The MR approach relies on the random assignment of genetic variants (genotypes) at meiosis to randomly allocate participants to exposures (eg, alcohol consumption) known to be affected by those genotypes. Holmes and colleagues applied an MR meta-analysis design to data from 56 studies, including 260 000 participants of European ancestry. A variant …

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A total of 23 polymorphic microsatellite markers we re used to evaluate genetic diversity and populatio n structure in Assam Hill Goat (AHG). All the loci st udied were polymorphic in nature. The number of observed alleles (N a) detected ranged from 2 to 10 with an overall mean of 4.9±2.220. A total of 114 alleles were observed across all the loci. The effective nu mber of alleles (N e) ranged from 1.035 to 7.127 with a mean of 2.68±1.590. The allele frequency ranged fro m 0.013 to 0.982. The overall mean observed (H O) and expected (H e) heterozygosity were 0.43 and 0.48 respectively an d this population was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium at most of the loci studied. The overal l mean of within-population inbreeding estimate (F IS ) was 0.085. The population was stable with respect t o size and was non-bottlenecked. The observed normal L-shaped curve indicated no mode shift in th e population.


The present work presents the greek and black group of pottery, appeared in the archaeological excavations maked by Mn. Joan Serra i Vilaro at the beginning of century at the Sant Miquel de Sorba site. This collection, although they have not estratigraphical context, are testimonies of the mediterranean commercial contacts toward one of the iberian site more far from the coast of Catalonia.


Objective: The present study aims to use the fractal dimension method to assess ossification occurring in patients undergoing an open sinus lift surgery performed with the use of xenograft. Material and Method: In our study, we used 90 orthopantomographs of a total of 43 patients. Our study consists of three groups: Group A, Group B, and Group C. Using the fractal dimension method, we assessed the orthopantomographs taken within three to six months after the open sinus lift surgery (Group A), taken after six to nine months after the open sinus lift surgery (Group B), and taken more than nine months after the open sinus lift surgery (Group C). The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS V23. The compliance of the data with the normal distribution was examined using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Result: The three-way statistics made between the mean values of the groups revealed a difference (p=0,033). The density of the xenograft material in the study area tended to decrease starting from the period of three to six months after the surgery. Conclusion: The fractal dimension method can be used to assess ossification occurring after open sinus lift surgery that is performed with the use of xenografts.


Stock market volatility is a matter of great interest for researchers and policy makers. The present study examines the volatility of daily, weekly and monthly stock returns in view of economic growth rate. It investigates the hypothesis that high economic growth rate tend to stabilize the investment decisions and create certainty among the investors. Under such situations, investors prevent to alter their investment decisions spontaneously with regard to good or bad news. A low growth rate, on the other hand, makes their investment decisions highly volatile. The study examines the Bombay stock exchange listed index BSE 100 data for the period from 1996 through 2007, wherein Indian economy has registered high and low growth rates. It also examines additional aspect of volatility with regards to expected and unexpected variations in stock returns by applying AR(1)-GARCH(1,1) model. The findings report that investors are not sensitive to economic growth rate for short period, but they become largely sensitive with the long investment horizons. The direct observations can be made here, volatility is invariable to economic growth rate in short time period, but investors with long investment horizons are largely affected by economic growth rate. Briefly, high volatility tends to associate with low economic growth rate and low volatility is associated with high economic growth rate.


Background: Selection of stabilization procedures for treating thoracolumbar burst fractures remains controversial. Both long-segment and short-segment pedicle screw fixation have been used widely with no consensus on the better method. Aim of study: To compare the outcome of long segment and short segment posterior fixation as amanagement of thoracolumbar burst fractures. Patients and Methods: 60 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria who underwent posterior pedicle screw fixation for burst fracture of thoracolumbar spine in Neurosurgery Department of Al-Azhar University Hospitals and El-Ahrar General Hospital, Zagazig between August 2019 and Febrauray 2022. Patients were randomized into one of two groups. Short segment group (30 patients) was treated by short segment fixation, i.e., 1 level above and 1 level below the fractured vertebra. Long segment group (30 patients) was treated by long segment pedicle screw fixation, i.e., fixation of 2 levels above and below the fractured vertebra. Assessment of kyphosis correction by using the Cobb method and restoration of the anterior vertebral body height was performed radiologically postoperatively and at 3 and 6 months follow up. Results: Demographic data of both groups were quite comparable. thoracolumbar burst fracture


According to the complex reservoir characteristics of carbonate reservoir, this paper will consider seepage relations of the quadruple medium-bedrock, dissolution hole, micro fracture and large fracture. The equation of motion and state of reservoir fluid are substituted into the equation of conservation of mass to obtain the differential equation of seepage flow in quadruple medium. By properly defining dimensionless parameters, the seepage differential equation and its definite solution conditions are reduced to dimensionless form. The dimensionless seepage differential equation can be reduced to algebraic equation by Laplace transformation. In the algebraic equation, the dimensionless pressure in Laplace space of large fracture and micro fracture is used to express the pressure in bedrock and dissolution cavity respectively. The general solution of the differential equation of seepage under different conditions is substituted into the differential equation of seepage with large and micro cracks to obtain the solution of Bessel function with undetermined coefficients. According to the uniqueness of the solution and the properties of Bessel function, the special solutions of different seepage differential equations in Laplace space are obtained by linear analysis.


Global localization has long been considered one of the most important but also one of the most challenging localization problems for mobile robots. Current studies of global localization in the literature are mainly based on the Bayesian filtering technique, which can provide an elegant statistical framework for uncertainty management and multisensory fusion. However, the majority of implementations of Bayesian filters for global localization obey the same update rules in such a location‐driven sense that they guess the robot location first and then adjust the guess by incorporating the current observation data. This leads to some problematic consequences in that the system suffers from great computational load in a large application area and it cannot recover from localization failure. To overcome the above limitations, this paper deviates from the conventional update rules of Bayes filters and proposes a new approach: the observation‐driven Bayes filters (OD‐BFs). As the name implies, OD‐BFs estimate the robot state just according to the most recent observations and then adjust the estimate by incorporating the dead‐reckoning information. We further implement an observation‐driven Bayes filter to globally estimate the robot pose in the field area. This global localization system features an effective pose estimation framework that can operate with a large amount of point data in a coarse‐to‐fine manner. Sufficient experiments were carried out to determine both the advantages and the disadvantages of our OD‐BF localization approaches compared with previous ones.


Malaria is an infectious disease which affects both humans a nd animals. In this study, the existing mathematical model o f malaria disease with vertical transmission is analyzed in r andom enviroment. Random effect terms are added to the param eters of the deterministic model to form a system of random differential equations. Similarly, stochastic noise is added to the dete rministic system to obtain a stochastic model. Finally, the results from the d et rministic, random and stochastic model are compared to c omment on the random behavior of the disease.


This article discusses the integrative role of the project method approach in marketing research. Using the six-step framework of the marketing research process, the article illustrates the effective execution of the project method approach and shows how the project method not only fosters at least 10 useful managerial skills but also incorporates the traditional lecture, case analysis, and games and simulation approaches to teaching marketing. Limitations of the project method and some observations on alternative approaches to its implementation are discussed.


COVID-19 is a viral disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans manifests as mild symptoms to severe respiratory failure. The development of vaccines against coronaviruses faces several inherent challenges in its establishment as safe and effective, but also in production and distribution. Therefore, supportive treatments are more achievable in a short period of time in controlling the pandemic. Treatment is mainly based on controlling symptoms and inhibiting viral replication. Antivirals are more effective the earlier they are administered during the course of the disease, preferably starting from the first days of evolution; the benefit/risk ratio is the higher the patient has a higher risk of severe evolution. That is why antivirals are primarily administered to patients with nonsevere forms of the disease who have risk factors for severe evolution. Immunomodulatory drugs enhance the immune response against pathogens and may offer a therapeutic approach to treatment of viral diseases, having a significant prophylactic activity in the acute respiratory viral infection. There is a strong scientific rationale which suggest that viral diseases respond to immunomodulatory drugs. People protected with antivirals, immunomodulatory drugs or vaccines often have the disease in a milder or asymptomatic form. In Romania, the latest treatment protocol for COVID-19 includes immunomodulatory, antiviral and anti-inflammatory medication.


This article reports on two intervention studies into the effects of a training in the use of social and/or cognitive strategies on the learning outcomes of students in secondary mathematics education. Special attention is given to differential effects for high- and low-achieving students. The studies were addressed to the following research question: What are the general and differential effects of training in the use of social and/or cognitive strategies on the results of learning in secondary mathematics? In the first study three instructional programs for co-operative learning were compared: (i) an experimental program with special instruction in the use of social strategies, (ii) an experimental program with special instruction in the use of cognitive strategies, and (iii) a control program without training in either cognitive or social strategies. The programs were identical with respect to mathematical content and general instructional settings (a combination of whole-class instruction, working in co-operative groups and individual work). The research was conducted in two schools for secondary education and in 21 classes, involving a total of 511 students. The design was a pretest-posttest control group design, using two experimental groups and one control group. The data were analysed from a multi-level perspective. The outcomes of the investigation clearly show the effects of the intervention. Teaching cognitive and social strategies has the expected, positive effects. In addition to this main effect, a compensatory effect for the low-achieving students was found. The low-achieving students in the experimental conditions outperformed their counterparts in the control group.In the experimental program of the second study students were trained in cognitive strategies and social strategies. To put it differently, the training involved mathematical problem solving and strategies for effective group work: social and cognitive strategies were integrated. As in the first study, students in the control group did not receive any strategy instruction. In general, the outcomes of the second study confirmed the positive results of the first study, however it turned out that low achieving students in the experimental program had about the same learning gains as their counterparts in the control program. The differences in outcomes concerning the low achieving students are discussed in detail


A very personal view of the near-term prospects for non-terrestrial neutrino detection is presented in this somewhat unconventional, conference-concluding talk. The bottom line: thanks to new technologies currently under development, a steady supply of supernova neutrinos should soon be available for study in the not-too-distant future.


The current paper is concentrated on the mechanical and machining process exploration of metallic nano-lubricant with the concept of tri-hybridization with improved lubricative and cooling properties by using TiO2, ZnO and Fe2O3 metallic nano particles with neat cold-pressed coconut oil in a fixed volumetric proportion (10:90). End milling of gummy material like aluminium requires a solution to the conventional dry and wet machining due to high productivity requirement and to obtain good surface quality. So, the prepared nanofluids were tested for their rheological behavior and latter introduced into milling of AA7075 as a solution to the above stated problem. Overall, the nanofluids gave good performance when compared to conventional methods. Furthermore, the results obtained from the experiments confirm that the trio-hybridized lubricant has reduced the cutting force, tool wear and surface roughness in an improved way when related to monotype nano fluids. The response surface methodology is performed to evaluate the interaction of process parameters in minimum quantity lubrication environment with nano fluids. The results show that the cutting forces, surface roughness, tool wear was minimized while machining with hybrid cutting fluids and well within the desirability.


Industrial computed tomography (CT) has seen widespread adoption within certain areas of non-destructive testing (NDT), with many commercial systems capable of acquisition and reconstruction of cone-beam CT data. The majority of these systems utilise reconstruction algorithms based
 on the traditional filtered back-projection (FBP) methods, which are imperfect with respect to limited-angle cone-beam data. These techniques are also inherently restricted in the source trajectories that can be utilised due to the use of Fourier slice theorem. This restricts FBP-based techniques
 to a circular or helical trajectory. Iterative reconstruction algorithms provide a solution to these limitations as the volume reconstruction does not depend on the location or orientation of the source and detector, allowing the possibility of scanning trajectories that satisfy well-known
 CT data-sufficiency conditions. This paper proposes a method of reconstruction based on computationally efficient computer graphics algorithms with data collected from points in 3D space not restricted to a single circular trajectory, which is useful within NDT for automated robotic inspection.
 The algorithms developed allow for rapid processing of the algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) for use with X-ray transmission data for CT reconstruction. Experimental results are presented for reconstructions for circular trajectory and points on a sphere to demonstrate the suitability
 for NDT applications.


ABSTRACT Planted forests are replacing extensive areas of degraded pastures. It is extremely relevant for species conservation to understand how the community of small mammals responds to these changes. This study assessed the use of habitats in native remnants surrounded by a teak matrix by small mammals in the Cerrado, in the Pantanal and in the Amazon, in Mato Grosso state, Brazil. We used pitfall, Sherman and Tomahawk traps for sampling. The traps were installed at a distance of 50, 150 and 400 m from the edge of the fragment to the matrix, and the same design was used for the forest fragments. We recorded 22 species with 370 individuals of small mammals captured (13 rodents and nine marsupials), with a total effort of 14,350 conventional traps/night and 4,700 pitfalls/night. In this study, the teak plantation presented a barrier, preventing the dispersion of some species, especially Gracilinanus agilis, Marmosa demerarae, Philander opossum, Neacomys spinosus and Oecomys catherinae. Among the species that used the matrix, 10 were captured mainly up to 150 m from edges, suggesting a decrease in species richness as well as abundance within the matrix compared to remnants, indicating that remnants of native vegetation represent important refuges for small mammal biodiversity.


Variation of sewage sludge interface height and flow rate by rainfall were applied to the actual public sewage treatment plant, and the efficiency of sewage treatment was evaluated by measuring BOD5, CODMn, SS, T-N, and T-P. When both flow and interfacial height are increased, the treatment efficiencies in terms of the five water pollutants are decreased. Among them SS is the most critical pollutant in rainfall. When 0.5 Q inflow was applied, the efficiencies were 74.2% at the sludge interface height of 0.5 m, 76.4% at 1.0 m, 70.2% at 1.5 m, and 60.7% at 2.0 m. When 1.0 Q inflow was applied, the efficiencies were 71.7% at the sludge interface height of 0.5 m, 71.9% at 1.0 m, 46.4% at 1.5 m, and -38.0% at 2.0 m. Operation at 2.0 Q~2.0 m and 3.0 Q~1.0 m above the sludge rising phenomenon occurred causing adverse effects on the public bodies. If the flow rate increases, the processing efficiency is reduced from 74.2% to 17.3%, even though the sludge interface height was maintained at 0.5 m, so that the inflow adjustment was most important during rainfall, and the interface height of 1.0 m should be maintained to minimize the adverse effect on public water system.


Photoelectric Raman spectra of water at temperatures from 2° to 94°C have been obtained for the spectral region of about 0–4000 cm—1. Comparisons of these spectra, with Raman spectra of bromide and chloride solutions, indicate that certain intensities, which are increased by lowering the temperature of water, are also increased by electrolyte addition. Such intensity increases of Raman bands of the bromide and chloride solutions appear to be related to the ordering of water and ions. Other Raman bands of water, for which intensity increases occur with lowering of temperature, decrease in intensity with electrolyte addition. Those effects apparently are related to O–H···O bonds.The intensities of various bands studied, e.g., the librational bands, were observed to increase linearly with electrolyte concentration. In addition, marked intensity increases with increasing anionic size, i.e., Br—>Cl—, were observed, but the effects of the cations, while similar with respect to increasing size, appear to be rela...


Introduction and Objective: Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) represent a diverse family of regulatory transcripts that drive tumorigenesis of prostate cancer (PCa) and various other types of cancers by their hyperactivity or diminished function. PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small ncRNAs mechanistically similar to but much less studied than microRNAs. As the most diversified small ncRNAs, piRNAs are widely involved in the pathogenesis of different types of cancers. Our study aimed to investigate the role of piRNAs in the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).
 Methods: Small RNA sequencing was used to explore the CRPC associated piRNAs on a basis of 10 benign prostate tissues, 10 paired hormone-sensitive PCa tissues and CRPC tissues from the same patients. The top 12 upregulated piRNAs were validated through qRT-PCR in a bigger cohort. piR-hsa-4447944 was selected and investigated its biological function by gain of function in vitro. To study its loss of function role, an androgen-independent PCa cell (LNCaP-AI) was established. For mechanistic investigation, high-throughput RNA sequencing was conducted to identify dysregulated genes in PCa cells with control or piR-hsa-4447944 overexpression. Then, potential downstream targets were further predicted by miRanda program and validated by qRT-PCR, western-blot and dual-luciferase reporter assay.
 Results: piR-hsa-4447944 demonstrated a relatively higher expression level in both CRPC tissues and CRPC cell lines when compared with PCa tissues and cells. Functionally, overexpression of piR-hsa-4447944 could confer resistance to androgen deprivation and anti-androgen in PCa cells in vitro, whereas anti-sense RNA against the piR-hsa-4447944 could potentiate the sensitivity to androgen deprivation in LNCaP-AI cell. In addition, piR-hsa-4447944 showed the ability in promoting migration and invasion of PCa cells. Mechanistically, mRNA sequencing results identified a panel of downstream target-genes. Among them, neurofilament heavy chain (NEFH) was predicted and validated to have a direct binding relationship with piR-hsa-4447944, and was successfully verified to be negatively regulated by piR-hsa-4447944 in PCa cells.
 Conclusions: Our study showed, for the first time, that piR-hsa-4447944 can contribute to androgen insensitivity in CRPC. This sheds a new insight into the regulation of CRPC by a small ncRNA piRNA, which may form the basis of a novel target in the treatment of CRPC.
 Citation Format: Qiang Peng, Jingkai Sun, Peter Ka-Fung Chiu, Tingting Xie, Jeremy Yuen-Chun Teoh, Chi-Fai Ng. PiR-hsa-4447944 promotes the progression of prostate cancer through NEFH and induces androgen-independent growth. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3771.


Guided by international best practice and evidence-based medicine, the Qatar mental health service has undergone a major transformation in the last two decades, replacing the institution-based service with an accessible multidisciplinary community-based service.
In this paper, we provide a brief historical background to mental health services in Qatar, and the progress and development towards community-based mental health-care provision.
We also explore the challenges facing this new model of care in Qatar including social and cultural sensitivities, and the various solutions adopted to overcome these challenges.
We outline the comprehensive plans envisaged to further develop Qatar community mental health services, including the provision of accessible, integrated and multimodal mental health care within primary care settings.


Abstract : The radiative yield from a slowly rising current, pulsed power driven, frozen deuterium z pinch is investigated. This novel approach differs from the conventional z pinch plasma radiation source which is driven by a rapid current rise leading to a fast implosion. The slow pinch is modeled as an adiabatic contraction subject to Bennet pressure equilibrium and driven by a constant generator voltage of 500 kV. Electron degeneracy effects are included in the pressure, but, the resistivity is taken as purely classical. The Bremsstrahlung radiation spectrum evolves from thin to nearly thick during the collapse phase. The present simple model predicts results that suggest that such plasmas may be useful as a Plasma Radiation Source.


Analyzing 98 matched collective agreements and flat benefit pension plans in Ontario in 1984, the authors find evidence of a significant trade-off between wages and an actuarially constructed summary measure of the expected future pension costs for employers. With respect to the separate components of the pension plans, they find a significant trade-off between wages and the main item that is bargained over—the flat benefit rate—but not between wages and most of the early and postponed retirement options. These results obtain when the pension variables are specified as a proportion of wages, to capture the assumption that the generosity of pension plans is reflected in replacement rates, and when simultaneous equation procedures are used to account for the possible endogeneity of pensions; the trade-off disappears, however, when the pension variables are specified in dollar amounts.


In this paper 1, the contribution of Particle Swarm (PSO) Optimization is studied to define the topology of artificial neural network. Moreover, we evolve the convergence of the PSO-PSO algorithm by presenting a new approach based on PSO and Backpropagation. Through this second algorithm, we studied the contribution of Backpropagation, with its strong ability to find local optimistic results, as particles initialization algorithm, to accelerate the convergence of the PSO to global minima. This hybrid model shows a high performance even in a context of missing data.


The Seminar of study of the Atism (Mazara del Vallo, July 6-10th 2009) it is inserted in the tradition of the interreligious dialogue. The comparison of the moral theology with the ethics of the other religions goes out of the discourse of the mere difference, that exists too, and regards the individualization of common ethical values. In this perspective, it emerges the irreplaceable contribution that the religions can bring to a world that goes unifying more and more itself. The article shows, for essential lines, the articulation of the theme, privileging the cognitive aspects of the different contributions. More than a comparison on specific themes, it is underlined the proposal of a method that is fundamental condition to put the dialogue and the comparison on the correct way.


Introduction: The pelvic floor is a complex anatomical complex. Pelvic floor dysfunctions despite their high prevalence and impact on quality of life remain poorly understood. Knowledge of the pelvic floor and the risk factors of its dysfunctions are the first link in the construction of effective primary prevention strategies.
Objective: To determine the general population's knowledge of the pelvic floor as well as the risk factors associated with pelvic floor dysfunctions.
Methods: A literature review is conducted using the PubMed database with keywords using the [Title/Abstract] limit.
Results: 164 articles related to the initial search criteria were initially identified. 24 articles were finally included in the analysis. Most of the studies analyzed are crosssectional. The samples studied are heterogeneous. The overall average knowledge of the SP is less than 5/10 in women of any age. There are only two studies that study any aspect of the knowledge of the risk factors of Pelvic floor dysfunctions.
Conclusion: Knowledge of the pelvic floor and pelvic floor dysfunctions is low. Knowledge of pelvic floor dysfunctions risk factors is poorly studied.


In this article, the concept of a new simple neuro-fuzzy control scheme for a combined-cycle power plant is presented. Gasification technologies under development would enable the residual biomass to be used in gas turbines. Biomass conversion to a clean essentially ash-free form, usually by gasification and purification, is necessary to obtain high efficiency. This paper reports results of detailed full-load performance modeling of cogeneration systems based on gasifier/gas turbine technologies.


A silicon direct bonding process was developed using a special chamber for cleaning, contacting and prebonding wafers up to 100 mm. After prebonding the wafers at 200/spl deg/C, annealing was carried out at temperatures ranging from 600/spl deg/C to 1180/spl deg/C for times between 30 minutes and 20 hours. Bare silicon and oxidized wafers were bonded. The electrical specification was done by evaluating the I-V characteristics with respect to breakdown, reverse current, ideality factor and series and parallel resistance (R/sub s/, R/sub p/). A strong dependence of R/sub s/ and R/sub p/ on bonding temperature and time was observed. In order to prove the viability of the bonded substrate for power devices, the authors fabricated p-i-n diodes. The diodes exhibit breakdown voltages up to 1400 V and forward current densities of 2 A/mm/sup 2/. These p-i-n diodes were superior to diodes fabricated simultaneously on epitaxial material.<<ETX>>