The invention provides a butt fusion apparatus for a waterproof air-permeable film. The butt fusion apparatus comprises an upper jig mold, a carrier and a lower jig mold, wherein the bottom end of the upper jig mold is provided with a heating device one end of the carrier is used for placing the waterproof air-permeable film; the lower jig mold is used for supporting the carrier; the upper jig mold tightly presses the waterproof air-permeable film and the carrier; and the heating device allows the waterproof air-permeable film and the carrier to be bonded together. According to the invention, the waterproof air-permeable film and the carrier are connected by using a butt fusion manner, so firmer connection is realized and more stable connection effect is obtained.


limited repertoire...the most appropriate'. This seems to evoke a very postmodern scene, with an almost infinite number of styles (one for each, or each version of, or each past performance of a piece) playfully coexisting on the surface of culture; but any such system is untenable without someone to make the judgement as to what is historically correct, a decision contingent on the judge's personal tastes and prejudices. Haynes suggests that we have intuited, via the experimentations of 'gurus', the correct style for Rhetorical music; but there are plenty of people who still intuitively prefer Richard Goode's Bach Partitas to Leonhardt's. Some of us even like both.


This paper introduces a transformer fleet monitoring solution to help the end user to group transformer assets and react accordingly to monitored situations.


The spent electroless nickel plating bath was regenerated by electrodialysis. The effects of temperature, membrane interval, and flow rate on the removal rate of HPO32- and the loss rates of Ni2+ and H2PO2- were studied. The appropriate process conditions were obtained as follows: temperature 26 ℃, membrane interval 5 cm, and flow rate 25 s/L. The properties of the coating obtained from the regenerated bath were tested, and the microscopic morphology and structure were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The coating obtained from the regenerated bath under the appropriate conditions has amorphous structure, properties comparable to that obtained from a fresh bath, and micro-morphology similar to that obtained from the bath used for 3 MTOs (metal turnovers).


This research is conducted in the frame of PhDs. They are devoted on one hand to the qualification of manned spacecraft, including dynamic ditching, structural ground landing and dynamic design of astronaut seats. On the other hand, they deal with terrestrial spinoff, (including the qualification of safety nets in dynamic sport, and dynamic modeling of the inner ear for pilots, astronauts and handicapped people, considering vestibular and cochlear analysis. These R&D will be presented in the general context of research at the Clement Institute Ader, and more specifically research devoted to the dynamics of aerospace structures (vibration and shock on aircraft and helicopter structures) and absorbing materials (active and passive dynamic control) and also in the frame of the developments linked with long-range spaceflight.


To evaluate the possibility of quantifying brown adipose tissue (BAT) volume and fat concentration with a high resolution, long echo time, dual‐echo Dixon imaging protocol.


Three-dimensional (3D) technologies have the potential to provide major benefits to integrated circuit design. An advanced 3D chip consists of multiple tiers of two-dimensional (2D) circuitry, stacked vertically over each other, with very small intertier distances. Such technologies offer numerous benefits over conventional 2D designs. First, by stacking multiple 2D tiers, it is possible to increase the number of transistors within a package: in other words, 3D offers increased integration using an approach that is orthogonal to device scaling. Second, the small intertier distances imply that the histogram of wire length distributions is significantly altered, enabling critical wires to be made very short. Third, 3D offers opportunities for integrating heterogeneous technologies into a single chip, enabling much more versatility in the types of chips we can build.
 Fundamentally, the shift from 2D to 3D is topological, and holds numerous physical design challenges. In addition, several effects that were critical in 2D are further accentuated in 3D. For example, the increased current required by a 3D stack, as compared to a 2D chip with the same footprint, brings forth twin problems: how do we get the current in (i.e., perform reliable power delivery), and how do we get the heat out (i.e., perform thermal management)? Solutions to problems such as these can come from the architectural level and go down to much finer granularities. This talk overviews prior work in the area, and surveys the challenges and opportunities ahead.


In this paper,statistical methods,such as the quartic polynomial,maximum entropy spectral analysis and Mann-Kendall test,are used to analyze the daily precipitation data observed by 78 selected meteorological stations distributed evenly in Shaanxi Province during the period from 1961 to 2004,and the heavy precipitation days are acquired by defining heavy precipitation.The results show that the variability of heavy precipitation days was high,and drought and flood occurred easily in Shaanxi Province.The heavy precipitation days was increased after the end-1990s.Under the reliability level of α=0.1,a sharp decrease of heavy precipitation days occurred during the period from the end-1980s to the early-1990s.Heavy precipitation days were increased from the north to the south,and there were two centers with more heavy precipitation days: one was near Yijun,and the other was near Zhenba.The daily maximum precipitation in the Guangzhong region was in an increase trend in recent 40 years,and it was increased by 1.5 mm every ten years.The intensity of heavy precipitation was also increased.


We propose 3D salient object detection and segmented point cloud gridding methods to accelerate the real object-based full-color holographic system. The feasibility of the proposed methods is confirmed by experiments.


Spectroscopic observations of N2 second positive band emissions from photoionized afterglow plasmas indicate that dissociative recombination of electrons with N+4 ions results in the formation of N2 molecules in the C 3Πu (v=0,1) state. The measured recombination rate coefficient of (2.6±0.3)×10−6 cm3/s at T=300 K is considerably larger than that found in earlier work.


A device for on-line electromigration studies of radio-elements in free electrolytes has been tested by measuring the absolute individual ion mobilities of no-carrier-added single charged anions [99mTc]TcO4- and [18F]F- and differently charged cations [137Cs]Cs+, [57Co]Co2+ and [241Am]Am3+ in inert aqueous electrolytes at 298.1 K. The observed ion mobilities were found to be influenced by electroosmosis in the migration tube. A relation to correct this effect is proposed. In addition, it was shown that the effect of electroosmosis may be suppressed by chemical treatment of the surface of the migration tube.


Aiming at the problem of high computational complexity due to a large number of antennas deployed in mmWave massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems, this paper proposes an efficient algorithm for optimizing beam control vectors with low computational complexity based on codebooks for millimeter-wave massive MIMO systems with split sub-arrays hybrid beamforming architecture. A bidirectional method is adopted on the beam control vector of each antenna sub-array both at the transmitter and receiver, which utilizes the idea of interference alignment (IA) and alternating optimization. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has low computational complexity, fast convergence, and improved spectral efficiency as compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms.


Nongso-myeon located in north east of Ulsanbu had the third smallest size in houses and families among 10 myeons of Ulsanbu in the mid 18th C, however, it had the highest rate of yangban in Ulsanbu especially compared to relatively small numbers of houses and families. Nongso-myeon had increasing numbers of 'li(里)' as time proceeds without significant increase of houses and families in general, and it was quite outstanding in the case of 'ban-chon(班村)'. Specialization of li occurred more dramatically in ban-chon than in 'min-chon(民村)', whereas increase rate of yangban was higher in min-chon than in ban-chon. This study examined original status of yangban's official-worker registered in Yaksu-li, Chidang-li, Sindap-li and Sangan-li of Nongso-myeon in the mid 18th C by means of family analysis. As a result, it was confirmed that upwardly move of non-yangban and expansion of yangban itself occurred simultaneously. The increase of yangban as time proceeded occurred in all four lis, however, degree and aspects of the increase varied with division of ban-chon and min-chon. In Yaksu-li and Chidang-li which were ban-chon, clan expansion of yangban occurred by adoption of 'Yuhak' of illegitimate descendents and by marriages. On the contrary, in Sindap-li and Sangan-li which were min-chon, clan specialization of New-hyangban immigrated from other regions and upwardly move of already existing middle class-commoner occurred simultaneously.


of the Second World War. Embracing Jabal Druze, they were part of the Jewish Agency's attempts at cultivating contacts with Middle Eastern minority groups. This policy ventured to balance Arab hostility through a friendly 'minorities block', but these groups were rivals and too weak to meet the Agency's expectations.' The Arab-Jewish tension in Palestine calmed down after 1942. Simultaneously, frictions between the Yishuv and the Palestine Government increased. Under the new circumstances the ties loosened, losing much of their previous significance for both partners. The Druze's position in an Arab-Jewish confrontation in Palestine again bothered the Yishuv when this contingency reappeared after the Second World War. The Druze, too, exerted themselves on this issue because of their equivocal experience with both Jews and Arabs during the disturbances and ever since. The SHAI's (the Haganah's intelligence service) officers in Haifa and in Galilee, Gyora Zeid, Amnon Yanai and Tuvia Lishansky, were in charge of local contacts with the Druze. Confident of their eventual fruits if another Arab-Jewish trial of force were to take place, they persisted with cultivating the bond. Elias Sasson and Yaacov Shimoni of the Arab Section of the Jewish Agency's political department, occasionally met with two Druze senior contacts, sheikh Labib Abu Ruqun of Isfiya and sheikh Saleh Hneifes of Shafa'amr. In these meetings they received a comprehensive sketch of developments within the community in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. Gradually, Hneifes attracted sheikh Jaber Mu'adi of Yarka, a prominent Druze dignitary in the western Galilee, to the Jewish side. The Druze disposition varied according to their proximity to Jewish centres. Mixed Arab-Druze villages, where old intercommunal conflicts erupted now and then, were more favourably disposed to the Jews. Hamlets neighbouring on the Jewish areas followed them, while those in the heart of Arab territories were more careful and reserved. Early in 1946 the anxiety in Palestine grew. The country expected the Anglo-American Committee's arrival and subsequently a determination of its fate, the Druze being no exception. Upon Jaber Mu'adi's initiative,


It is of great importance and practical value to develop a facile and operable surface treatment method of materials with excellent anti-pollution and anti-adhesion property, but still a huge challenge. In this work, a series of pseudo-zwitterions are prepared from electrostatic assembly of cationic polyethyleneimine and anionic phosphonic clusters. These pseudo-zwitterionic assemblies provide a strong hydration through electrostatic interaction with water and in turn create a barrier against oil foulants, leading to a nearly zero crude oil adhesion force. The pseudo-zwitterions decorated surfaces exhibit exceptional water-cleanable oil repellent property, even when they are completely dried and without pre-hydration before fouled by crude oil. While using these pseudo-zwitterions modified polymeric membranes for separating surfactant stabilized oil-in-water emulsion, less than 10% decline of permeating flux is observed throughout a 2 h continuous separation experiment, showing excellent emulsion separation ability and anti-pollution performance for high viscous oil.


The pseudoperturbative shifted - $l$ expansion technique PSLET [12,16] is generalized for states with arbitrary number of nodal zeros. Interdimensional degeneracies, emerging from the isomorphism between angular momentum and dimensionality of the central force Schr\"odinger equation, are used to construct part of the D - dimensional anharmonic oscillator bound - state spectra. PSLET results are found to compare excellently with those from a series [5], exact and open perturbation [9] solutions.


Zinc ferrite, lead as an oxide or sulfate (Pb), silver (Ag), indium (In), selected from the group consisting of germanium (Ge) and gallium (Ga) or the like mixtures, non-ferrous metal a method for processing residues containing bets, the next step, i.e. the residue obtaining a desulfurized residue is roasted at an elevated temperature in an oxidizing medium, the desulfurization residue in a reducing medium a step of carburizing reduced and dissolved, and a step of extracting carburized melt and slag liquid phase, the non-ferrous metal and vapor-phase extraction, followed by oxidation, to a method comprising the step of recovering it, etc. as a solid.


Uniaxial tensile data from tests at different rates of extension over a wide temperature range are considered for butyl, silicone, Viton B, SBR, and natural rubber vulcanizates (series A) and for six Viton A‐HV vulcanizates (series B) of differing crosslink densities. For series A and for A‐6 in series B, equilibrium stress‐strain data were obtained at large deformations by an indirect method. The ultimate tensile properties of all vulcanizates were previously characterized by a time‐ and temperature‐independent failure envelope. The failure envelope's maximum extension ratio, (λb)max, is shown to be equal to or less than (λ∞)max, the maximum extension ratio (hypothetical) in the absence of rupture and also the maximum extension ratio of network models. Failure and equilibrium data for series A vulcanizates are represented by a specific function of the equilibrium modulus and the maximum extensibility; except for SBR and possibly Viton B, equilibrium and failure data are sensibly identical; thus, (λb)max≅...


We have developed the oxidation method by atomic oxygen for the ga te oxide formation in the SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices. A mixture gas of oxygen (O2)/ ozone (O3) molecules is introduced into the oxidation furnace, where the atomic oxygen was form ed by thermal decomposition of the O 3 molecules at elevated sample temperatures. Oxide growth rate ( rox) during the oxidation process by the O 3 admixing gas is found to be the maximum around 5Torr at 950-1200C, although the r ox by pure O2 gas reveals the negligible r ox value below 50Torr at the same temperatures. This indicates that only atomic oxygen can cont ribute to form the oxide layer below 50Torr. Based on these results, MOS capacitors were fabrica ted at various temperatures maintaining the constant ambient pressure of 5Torr. Interface trappe d density (Dit) evaluated by high-low capacitance-voltage (CV) measurements is found to larg ely depend on the oxidation temperature. The oxidation at 1200 C results in the significant reduction of the D it. Consequently, the Dit near conduction band edge was reduced in the oxidation of atomic oxygen with compared to that of O2. Introduction SiC-based metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MO SFET) is one of the candidates for ultra-low-loss high power electric device applicat ions, because SiC can be thermally oxidized to form SiO2/SiC structures by standard dry and wet methods. This enables the c ompatible device processes with those of Si. However, the inversion channel m obility (μinv) of SiC MOSFET fabricated with such standard thermal oxidation is extremely low , and the improvement has been a critical issue in this field. The reason for the low channel mobil ity is considered to be the high interface trapped density (D it) close to the conduction band (Ec) edge [1]. Two major origins of the high Dit have been reported [2, 3]. One is the near interfacial oxide traps [2], which are e nerg tically fixed to the SiC valence band maximum, and particularly effective for 4H due to its wide band gap with compared to the other polytypes. Another is the carbon cluster tha will be formed during the standard thermal oxidation process [3]. In recent years, it has been reported that the μinv of 4H-SiC MOSFET could be drastically improved by the post-oxidation annealing in oxidizing ambient such as nit ric oxide (NO) [4] and substantial water vapor that formed by pyrogenic reaction of h ydrogen and oxygen [5]. These Materials Science Forum Online: 2003-09-15 ISSN: 1662-9752, Vols. 433-436, pp 563-566 doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.433-436.563 © 2003 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Trans Tech Publications Ltd, www.scientific.net. (Semanticscholar.org-12/03/20,10:56:56) post-oxidation treatments are called re-oxidation annealing (ROA) . Improvements by these ROAs are considered to be some sort of passivation effects on SiO 2/SiC interfacial defects by nitrogen and hydrogen, respectively. However, in general, the passivation effect has less resistance to temperature stresses, and it will confine the process flexibil ity. In this study, we focus on atomic oxygen as new oxidant for thermal oxide formation on SiC and attempt to modify the SiO2/SiC interface characteristics without any re-oxidation annealing. Experimental Samples of 8o off angled n-type 4H-SiC substrates with epita xial l yer are purchased from Cree Research Inc. Effective doping density (N d-Na) of the epitaxial layers is about 5x10 15 cm. Figure 1 shows the schematic of the oxidation furnace used in the pres nt study. The apparatus consists of a gas inlet through ozone generator, infrared lamp annealing system coupled with quartz reaction tube and evacuation system equipped with a pressure-controlling set-up. Ambient total pressure can be controlled from 0.05 to 760Torr by adjusting the conductance valve. Supply source gas was oxygen (O 2)/ ozone (O3) mixed gas, where the typical O 3 concentration was about 10%. By using the infrared lamp coupled with quartz tube, heating is confined only near sample during the oxidation, and as a result, a part of O 3 molecules are decomposed into atomic oxygen and O 2 molecules by the heat of the sample. Metal-oxide-semiconductors (M OS) capacitor structures were formed by Al deposition with resistive heating method both on the oxide surface and the backside. Interfacial characteristics were evaluated by a capacitanc e-voltage (CV) measurement at room temperature. Dit was estimated by the difference in capacitance between high and low frequency CV curves. Results and Discussions We examined the pressure dependence of the oxide growth rate (rox) for different oxidizing environments such as pure O 2 gas and a mixed combination of O 2 and O3 gas. In the case of pure O 2 ambient, the r ox is measured in a wide pressure range from 10 to 760Torr at an ele v ted temperature of 1200C (not shown here). The experiment demonstrates that the r ox monotonically decreases as the pressure decreases and becomes negligible at less than 50Torr . This p essure ( p) dependence can be fitted by the exponential equation, rox∝ p , where the index value is comparable to that of Si(111) oxidation at 700-800 C [6]. In the case of O 2/O3 mixture gas, the significant oxidation was observed even below 50Torr as shown in Fig. 2. The r ox is found to increase with the reduction in the total ambient pressure. Interestingly, the maximum growth rate is attained at a pressure of about 5Torr. This maximum r ox is attributed to the difference in pressure dependence between the mean free path of oxidants and the absolute density of O 3 molecules in oxidizing atmosphere. The broken line in Fig. 2 shows the mean free path of oxygen molecules as a function of the total ambient pressure. The mean free path strongly depends on the am bient pressure and it clearly increases as the pressure decreases. The increase in mean free path of the oxidants at lower pressure results in the possibility of the atomic oxygen to reach the sampl e surface easily. At the same time, the density of O3 molecules decreases with the reduction in the ambient pressure. Du e to the reduction of O3 molecules density, the atomic oxygen could not easily get deposited on the surface of the sample. Hence, there exists a competition between these t wo ffects, which results in the maximum rox at a particular pressure. 564 Silicon Carbide and Related Materials 2002


This study provides a taxonomic survey of Microlicieae tribe in the Mucugê municipality, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil. We identified 27 species belonging to three genera: Lavoisiera (L. harleyi and L. nervulosa), Microlicia (24 species) and Trembleya parviflora. Except for Microlicia fasciculata, M. viminalis and Trembleya parviflora, the others species found in Mucugê are endemic to Chapada Diamantina, Bahia. Among the species of Microlicia, four were recently described, and four others still require further studies for its identification. Polysporangiate anthers were described for the first time for 11 species of Microlicia. The species of Microlicieae are found mainly in rocky field vegetation, between 900–1.500 m altitude, in sandy or rocky soils, sometimes associated to water streams.


A fuzzy rule-based control model for multipurpose real-time reservoir operation is constructed. A new, mathematically justified methodology for fuzzy inference—total fuzzy similarity—is used and compared with the more traditional Sugeno-style method. Specifically, the seasonal variation in both hydrological variables and operational targets is examined by considering the inputs as season-dependent relative values, instead of using absolute values. The inference drawn in several stages allows a simple, accessible model structure. The control model is illustrated using Lake Paijanne, a regulated lake in Finland. The model is calibrated to simulate the actual operation, but also to better fulfill the new multipurpose operational objectives determined by experts. Relatively similar results obtained with the inference methods and the strong mathematical background of total fuzzy similarity put fuzzy reasoning on a solid foundation.


The linguistic environment in Indonesia is extremely complex with some 700 local languages existing alongside the national language, bahasa Indonesia. The majority of Indonesians speak one of these local languages as their first language and begin formal study of the national language in school. This paper discusses some of the difficulties in creating a population that is fluent in the national language and considers the impact to those who are unable to master Indonesian to a degree that allows them to participate fully in the modern state. The role of teachers as models for language mastery is also considered in the context of their de facto role as language teachers, regardless of subject taught.


The use of Azolla in paddy field has been suggested because of various advantages, such as nitrogen source. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to study the effect of singly nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium or their combination on soil ammonia (NH4+) content that was treated by Azolla, and to study Azolla decomposition in paddy soils. The experiment was arranged by randomized completely block design with three replications. The treatments in soil were control (without NPK), fertilizers), four nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium PK, NP, and NK with each dosage at 100 kg ha-1. The observations were conducted at 3, 5, 7, 14, and 2l days after treated. "The results showed that fertilization with N, P, or K and their combination give significantly effect on NH4+ content in soil. NH4+ content was higher in soil treated with NPK, NP, or NK than that in control or PK at 3, 7, and 14 days after.treatment. The NH4+ content in soil increased with the time of incorporated of Azolla in paddy soil. Dffirences in soil nutrient were not significantly effect on N and C content of Azolla as well as decomposition rate of Azolla. However, N- total of Azolla increased and C-total of Azolla decreased along with decomposition of Azolla in paddy soil.


1. Myxomatosis no longer has the dramatic impact on rabbit numbers of the original outbreaks in 1953-55. The influence of the disease on rabbit numbers 25.30 years later was investigated by twice reducing and then restoring the prevalence of myxomatosis in a farmland population. 2. Insecticide was used for 2 years to reduce the numbers of rabbit fleas, the main vector of the disease. Flea numbers were subsequently increased by systematic reintroductions over a further 2 years and the sequence was then repeated. 3. Changes in the prevalence of myxomatosis followed the changes in flea numbers. 4. Rabbit numbers increased by two- to threefold during the flea reduction periods, and fell in the reintroduction periods


In this paper we propose intra-frame quantization methods of Line Spectrum Pairs (LSP) parameters to improve frame erasures for ITU-T G723.1 coder. The standard ITU-T G723.1 coder uses an inter-frame quantization of the LSP parameters which causes error propagation to the next frames. Simulations results show that our intra-frame quantization achieve smaller average spectral distortions than that of the embedded in the G723.1. Enhanced modified bark spectral distortion (EMBSD) tests under various packet loss conditions confirm that the proposed method is superior to the interframe algorithm embedded in the G723.1.


Correale is preparing a long-awaited edition of the
entire Cronicles for the Chaucer Library. The editorial policy of the series requires him to choose as his base the MS that is closest to the one that Chaucer evidently used, and to try to reconstruct the text as Chaucer saw it. In this essay he applies the same method to determine which of the surviving MSS is closest to the one that Gower used in his version of the tale of Constance. Though the forms of the characters' names that Gower used pose a special problem, the variants that Correale considers indicate persuasively that Gower's source MS
belonged to the same branch in the stemma as the MS that Chaucer used and "was probably not very different from Chaucer's" (p. 152). One of the consequences, as Correale points out, is that we will be able to consult the Chaucer Library edition for the study of Gower's use of his source as well as Chaucer's. [PN. Copyright The John Gower Society. JGN 9.2]


Research on Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) has become very popular in recent years. However, all PUFs researched so far require either ASICs, FPGAs or a microcontroller with external components. Our research focuses on identifying PUFs in commercial off-the-shelf devices, e.g. microcontrollers. We show that PUFs exist in several off-theshelf products, which can be used for security applications. We present measurement results on the PUF behavior of five of the most popular microcontrollers today: ARM Cortex A,ARM Cortex-M,Atmel AVR, Microchip PIC16 and Texas Instruments MSP430. Based on these measurements, we can calculate whether these chips can be considered for applications requiring strong cryptography. As a result of these findings, we present a secure bootloader for the ARM Cortex-A9 platform based on a PUF inherent to the device, requiring no external components. Furthermore, instead of discarding the randomness in PUF responses, we utilize this to create strong seeds for pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs). The existence of a secure RNG is at the heart of virtually every cryptographic protocol, yet very often overlooked. We present the implementation of a strongly seeded PRNG for the ARM Cortex-M family, again requiring no external components.


Caste-based social stratification is strong in India. Scheduled Castes (SCs) are weaker section of the society facing multiple inequities and discrimination in India. The state of Haryana has enacted Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, by which educational qualifications have been made mandatory to fight Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) elections since 2016. Based on secondary data collected from the Haryana Panchayati Raj Institutions Election Reports for the year 2010 and 2016, the study reveals that the share of elected SC PRIs increased from 22.94% in 2010 to 25.39% in 2016, after the introduction of educational qualifications for the PRIs election. Empowerment has been gauged on account of extra seats SCs have won than the seats reserved. SC PRIs empowerment composite score increased from 71.07 in 2010 to 116.55 in 2016. Mewat district had low educational level among rural SCs recorded highest PRIs empowerment index. The study highlights that the SCs, particularly of Panchkula, Kaithal, Sonipat and Jind districts require some motivational support to encourage their participation in PRIs elections.


Microbial infection is considered a critical cause of hatching failure in birds. Although several behavioural mechanisms are believed to improve reproductive success in birds, their direct effect on the risk of bacterial trans-shell infection (BTSI) remains to be tested. Here, we focus on the protective roles of intermittent incubation and covering of the clutch with nest lining during the laying period, when eggs are highly susceptible to BTSI. To our knowledge, this study is the first to use culture-independent PCR-based methods to measure quantitative and qualitative indices of BTSI. In our experiment, we exposed Mallard Anas platyrhynchos eggs that were either intermittently incubated (I-INCUB) or un-incubated (I-UNINCUB), and covered (COV) or uncovered (UNCOV) with nest lining. Hatchability of I-INCUB eggs was twice that for I-UNINCUB eggs. The presence and degree of BTSI had no effect on hatching success of experimental eggs. The residual weights of ducklings hatched from infected and I-INCUB eggs were lower than those from uninfected and I-UNINCUB eggs. In addition, ducklings originating from COV eggs were heavier than those hatched from UNCOV eggs. Intermittent incubation and clutch covering had no effect on the probability or degree of BTSI. Although the effect of BTSI is considered less detrimental in temperate birds, we show that the presence of BTSI inside the egg may significantly affect hatchling phenotype. This represents a novel insight into the role of BTSI in the reproductive success of birds and implies that the use of molecular PCR-based methods is required in future studies for a better understanding of such causality.


Abstract. We investigate the regression model Xt = θG(t) + Bt, where θ is an unknown parameter, G is a known nonrandom function, and B is a centered Gaussian process. We construct the maximum likelihood estimators of the drift parameter θ based on discrete and continuous observations of the process X and prove their strong consistency. The results obtained generalize the paper [13] in two directions: the drift may be nonlinear, and the noise may have nonstationary increments. As an example, the model with subfractional Brownian motion is considered.


The present invention provides an energy efficient ethanol recovery column, comprising a distillation column, liquid level controller, a reboiler, a condenser, a buffer tank, a reflux pump, reboiler of the rectification column in communication level by adjusting the inlet the re-export the bottom reboiler of the rectification column via line communication, fractionator overhead condenser inlet communicates through a conduit, the condenser outlet communicating buffer tank, the buffer tank by the return pump in communication fractionator a top of the buffer tank in communication with a vent pipe, the bottom of the buffer tank is also in communication with a recovery pipe, said reboiler is heated with removable U-tube type, the U-shaped heat pipe is provided in the reboiler the bottom of the tube; the kind of energy efficient ethanol recovery column, is adjusted by the level adjuster liquid column height, the control of the concentration of the high concentration of alcohol; energy saving, energy saving of about 20% of the ordinary fractionator; alcohol equipment investment is relatively common column lower by about 15%.


It is estimated that concrete represents 5% of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions, mainly originating from the production of cement, the most essential component of concrete. The recent awareness to the environmental challenges facing our civilization has led the cement industry to consider substituting cement by mineral additions, by-products of existing industries. In this work, a combination of limestone filler and blast furnace slag is used to design an "eco-concrete", defined as a concrete combining a massive decrease of the cement content as well as mechanical properties and potential durability equivalent to a normal strength concrete. This research reviews the main concrete mix design parameters and their importance when designing an eco-concrete, resulting in five compositions containing various amounts of water, limestone filler and slag. The independent and combined effects of these parameters are observed on the development of the main concrete properties through the use of specific experimental equipment. Continuous non-destructive methodologies to assess efficiently and accurately the properties of any cement-based materials are developed by combining adapted traditional measurements and ultrasonic testing. The question of the early age cracking risk of these concretes is introduced by studying the effect of temperature on the main concrete properties, and a unified model is proposed for taking its effect of the early age autogenous deformation. Finally, new experimental observations are made regarding the behaviour of concrete under fully restrained deformations. The proposed eco-concrete meets many of the requirements of a sustainable construction material.


The report describes the results of the first collection of data in the joint Nordic monitoring study of diet, physical activity and overweight. The study provides baseline data for frequency of intake in selected foods, physical activity level and prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Nordic countries. Telephone interviews were performed in the Nordic countries with the same validated questionnaire using simple indicator questions. The interviews were carried out in the autumn of 2011 including 9,153 adults and 2,479 children.


Gai and co-workers (Bunagan, M. R. (2006) J. Phys. Chem. B 110, 3759-3763) reported computational design studies suggesting that a D9E mutation would stabilize the Trp-cage. Experimental studies for this mutation were reported in 2008 (Hudaky, P. (2008) Biochemistry 47, 1007-1016); the authors suggested that [D9E]-TC5b presented a more compact, and melting resistant structure due to the "optimal distance between the two sides of the molecule". Nonetheless, the authors reported essentially the same CD melting temperature, 38±0.3 °C, for TC5b and its [D9E] mutant. In this study, a more stable Trp-cage, DAYAQ WLKDG GPSSG RPPPS, was examined by NMR and CD with the following mutations: [D9E], [D9R,R16E], [R16Orn], [D9E,R16Orn], [R16K], and [D9E,R16K]. Of these, the [D9E]-mutant displayed the smallest acidification induced change in the apparent Tm. In analogy to the prior study, the CD melts of TC10b and its [D9E] mutant were, however, very similar; all of the other mutations were significantly fold destabilizing by all measures. A detailed analysis indicates that the original D9/ R16 salt bridge is optimal with regard to fold cooperativity and fold stabilization. Evidence for salt-bridging is also provided for a swapped pair, the [D9R,R16E]-mutant. Model systems reveal that an ionized aspartate at the C-terminus of a helix significantly decreases intrinsic helicity, a requirement for Trp-cage fold stability. The CD evidence which was cited as supporting increased fold stability for the [D9E]-TC5b at higher temperatures appears to be a reflection of increased helix stability in both the folded and unfolded state rather than a more favorable salt bridge. The present study also provides evidence for other Trp-cage stabilizing roles of the R16 sidechain.


Priced managed lanes have been proposed and implemented exclusively on limited-access roadways. Yet major arterials handle a large fraction of urban traffic and account for a significant portion of traffic congestion. This paper proposes a way to apply priced congestion relief to major arterials (six or more lanes) and builds on research from the early Value Pricing Pilot Program on tolled queue jumps (grade separations) at signalized intersections, carried out in Lee County, Florida. A "managed arterial" (MA) is defined as an arterial retro fitted with a series of electronically tolled grade separations (overpasses or underpasses) that provide an alternative to the signalized intersection for through traffic. Bus rapid transit is an important element of the concept, and the MA provides an alternative to arterial bus-only lanes, similar to high-occupancy toll lanes providing an alternative to bus-only lanes on freeways. The study addresses issues and trade-offs in integrating bus rapid transit into the design and operation of MAs. The study includes conceptual designs of overpasses and underpasses for use in MAs and estimates the throughput increase obtained by converting a six-lane arterial to the MA configuration compared with that provided by widening it to eight lanes. Sketch-level estimates of financial feasibility are included.


When South Korean producer Sophy Jiwon Kim decided she had to produce the Austrian musical Mozart! (1999) in South Korea, she flew to Tokyo to pursue its creators Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay at a Japanese theatre and persuade them to grant her the rights for a Korean premiere in 2010. When American producers failed to finance a revue show celebrating the work of Broadway director and producer Harold Prince, Japanese producer Murata Hiroko1 risked her career to honor Prince, premiering the revue, Prince of Broadway, in Japan in 2015, prior to a 2017 Broadway opening. When Chinese producer Yang Jiamin wanted to bring the American musical Man of La Mancha (1965) to China but the initial license agreement proved prohibitive for her fledgling Chinese company's 2012 inaugural production, she traveled to New York and negotiated with the show's composer, Mitch Leigh. These women have taken risks for musical theatre. They cross borders and continents, often based on strong instincts rather than certainties.


The mother's obesity-related stress and it's association with obesity, food intake, and physical activity in both mothers and their children were determined. Based on self-reports from 470 mothers, obesity stress of mothers were scored by using a five-point Likert scale; only low and high stress scores were used in this study. The perceptions of mothers' weights and their children's weights, mothers' Body Mass Indices (BMI), and preschoolers' Weight-Length Indices (WLI)(%) were also determined. The obesity stress of mothers was significantly associated with the mothers' BMI (high stress: 23.5±2.4 vs. low stress: 19.6±1.7, p<0.05), but not with their children's obesity. Mothers with a high obesity stress reported a higher percentage of family history of obesity (62.1% vs. 38.3%, p<0.001) than mothers with low obesity stress. Compared to mothers with low obesity stress, mothers with high stress had lower correct-perceptions about their weights (p<0.05) but higher correct-perceptions for their children's weights. Almost 54.5% of mothers with high stress reported watching television 2 or more extra hours per day, compared with 32.2% of mothers with low stress (p<0.05). More children of mothers with high stress had long hours of daily TV viewing than children of mothers with low stress (36.0% vs. 15.3%, χ²=10.491, p<0.05). Mothers with high stress reported lower intake of protein-rich foods (p=0.01) and vegetables (p=0.039), but a higher intake of snacks (p=0.009), compared to mothers with low stress . More children of mothers with high stress reported eating high fat snacks or high sugar snacks everyday, but this was not statistically significant. In conclusion, high obesity stress in mothers were greatly associated with their BMI and their inactive life style, including long TV viewing hours per day and unbalanced food intakes, which can lead their children becoming inactive and obese. Special attention is recommended for overstressed mothers and their children, especially those who enjoy long hours of TV viewing.


Accurate models of social processes are invaluable tools for understanding, exploring, explaining, and predicting phenomena that impact decisions about policies and courses of action. However, computational social science (CSS) models today take months to create and can only be generated by a fraction of modeling experts. Building models in this way is an "Ivory Tower" approach where highly specialized modelers spend an impractical amount of time building a model, creating "heavy" models that are slow to develop, hard to maintain, and may not reflect rapidly changing factors "on the ground." CSS models must be developed more easily and in a more timely fashion to support the dynamicity of the social space. This work describes a vision and proof of concept in which observations of average people are harnessed by a system capable of generating adaptive models that leverage individual and collective insights and experiences. Rather than relying on few experts with similar experiences, our approach relies on a larger crowd of individuals with diverse knowledge. This approach augments the Ivory Tower with the wisdom of crowds to enable speedier development and seamless update and maintenance of models.


DF accounts for nearly 35% of all hospital admissions in diabetic clinics DF is responsible for nearly 80 % of all non-traumatic amputations of the lower limbs. DF absorbs some 20% of the total health-care costs of the disease more than all other diabetic 6 complication


I. Introduction II. Background on Sea Turtles and The Challenges to Survive A. Why are Sea Turtles Important? B. The Family: Caretta, Chelonia and Dermochelys C. Disorientation and Deterrence: The Moon and Artificial Lighting III. Kindling Action: Laws on Sea Turtle Protection A. Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 B. Florida Marine Turtle Protection Act IV. Local Ordinance Regulations of Artificial Lighting In Florida A. The Rule Intended to Guide: The Model Lighting Ordinance in Florida B. The City Intended to Protect: Volusia County, FL V. Analyzing Coordination And Conservation Efforts in Sea Turtle Law VI. Proposed Solutions: A Guiding L.I.G.H.T. For Sea Turtle Protections A. Limit Artificial Lights: Educate Coastal Residents on Limiting Beachfront Lighting B. Issue Hotel Construction Permits Only on a Showing of "Minimal Disturbance" to Sea Turtle Nesting C. Gather Sea Turtle Nesting and Observation Data by Providing State Grants to Marine Turtle Research and Study D. Habitat Protections: Require Mandatory Lighting Law Standards to Mitigate the High Levels of Artificial Light Exploitation Occurring on Nesting Beaches E. Threaten the Right Species: Enforce Stricter Penalties for Noncompliant Hotel and Private Lot Owners VII. Conclusion You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground... by night you led with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take. (1) I. INTRODUCTION Light--a "natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible." (2) It is a source of illumination in a bedroom at night and a decorative accessory during Christmas time. Signal lights guide vehicles in and through traffic and a light can be found as an expression in someone's eyes, indicating a particular emotion or mood. Finding the light can be a spiritual illumination by divine truth. The people of Egypt needed a pillar of firelight to pass through the red sea. Harriet Tubman used candlelight to guide slaves through the night to escape the south. (3) Thomas Edison worked on at least 3,000 different theories until he invented an efficient incandescent lamp for household use. (4) Human existence is sustained by the visible spectrum of light--the sun's hot gas produces light, like an incandescent light bulb. Late in the night, the light of the moon provides a direct guide for sea turtle hatchlings to the ocean and a sensor for sea turtle mothers to nest on land. (5) Bearing its full face, the moon alerts baby sea turtles to break out of their shell to begin an epic journey to the sea. Hatchlings possess an inborn tendency to move in the brightest direction, which on a natural beach is an uninterrupted open view of the lunar glow in the dark sky, reflecting over * the ocean. (6) But, on a public beach, thousands of beach vacationers reside, private lots span for miles, and hotel developments line virtually every inch of coastal shoreline. A competing brighter and more alluring form of light emanating from land insolently interrupts what seems like a natural pattern of sea turtle behavior. (7) Sea turtle hatchlings are unable to distinguish the ocean from land, or the moon's light from an artificial light, and find themselves gravitated to follow the latter. (8) What ends up happening to many baby sea turtles is an unanticipated trek through dry sand, concrete private lots, porch stairs, and pool decks. (9) In a few short minutes unforeseen predators may eat up hatchlings, or their tiny marine-bound and newly born bodies dry up and lay lifeless from the lack of oceanic fluid. (10) Additionally, mother sea turtles are in danger of being deterred to nest on beaches that have bright lights directly illuminating the shore. "Sadie," a mother sea turtle found offshore by a local interest group has an unfortunate story to highlight the reality of artificial lighting for nesting females. …


The Fermilab 200-MeV Linac has been in operation for nearly 22 years as a proton injector to the Booster synchrotron. It presently accelerates H[sup [minus]] ions to 200 MeV for charge-exchange injection into the Booster and to 66 MeV for the production of neutrons at the Neutron Therapy Facility. The beam intensity is typically 35 mA with pulse widths of 30 [mu]sec for the Booster for high energy physics and 57 [mu]sec for NTF at a maximum of 15 pulses per sec. During a typical physics run of nine to twelve months, beam is available for greater than 98% of the scheduled time. The Linac history, operation, tuning, stability and reliability will be discussed.


We consider the optimal portfolio problem of a power investor who wishes to allocate her wealth between several credit default swaps (CDSs) and a money market account. We model contagion risk among the reference entities in the portfolio using a reduced‐form Markovian model with interacting default intensities. Using the dynamic programming principle, we establish a lattice dependence structure between the Hamilton‐Jacobi‐Bellman equations associated with the default states of the portfolio. We show existence and uniqueness of a classical solution to each equation and characterize them in terms of solutions to inhomogeneous Bernoulli type ordinary differential equations. We provide a precise characterization for the directionality of the CDS investment strategy and perform a numerical analysis to assess the impact of default contagion. We find that the increased intensity triggered by default of a very risky entity strongly impacts size and directionality of the investor strategy. Such findings outline the key role played by default contagion when investing in portfolios subject to multiple sources of default risk.


A spectrophotometric assay for measuring allopurinol and oxipurinol has been developed which can detect as little as 5 × 10−8 M of each in serum and urine. With this assay, serum disappearance characteristics of intravenous and orally administered allopurinol have been investigated in man. Serum concentrations of both allopurinol and oxipurinol reach levels above 1 × 10−5 M within minutes of intravenous administration and within 1 or 2 hr of oral administration of 300 mg allopurinol. Patients receiving 300 mg allopurinol daily show a mean serum concentration of 3 × 10−5 M oxipurinol (range, 0.9 to 9 × 10−5 M). Serum half‐lives of allopurinol and oxipurinol were 39 ± 11 min and 13.6 ± 2.8 hr, respectively. Estimates of renal clearance were 13.6 and 18.9 mllminfor allopurinol and 23.2 and 30.6 ml/min for oxipurinol in 2 patients studied. The metabolic conversion of allopurinol to oxipurinol in man does not appear to be altered by long‐term therapy with allopurinol, which suggests that this conversion takes place by way of an enzymatic reaction not strongly inhibited by either substrate or product. These results suggest the possibility of a nonxanthine oxidase enzymatic pathway for this conversion.


Built in 2010, this charming design hotel comprises a total of 36 luxurious standard bedrooms with 2 executive rooms, all impeccably appointed in beautiful landscaped gardens. It is ideal for business travellers and holidaymakers alike and the accommodation..


Systems developers and testers have always assumed that human compensation is measurable, or, at least, that a cognizant and trained tester is able to identify and detect compensation. More than one study conducted at the Wright-Patterson large amplitude multi-mode aerospace research simulator (LAMARS) facility indicates that this is not necessarily true. Test pilots were able to compensate sufficiently to fly and meet defined performance standards on intentionally crippled aircraft flight control designs. These flight control systems were designed to trigger pilot-induced oscillations, but, in most cases, test pilots could compensate sufficiently to prevent pilot-induced oscillations and to control the simulated aircraft. Anecdotally, this points to a colossal deficiency in the test of highly augmented aircraft systems that has been borne out by multiple aircraft accidents in actual aircraft designs: natural pilot compensation is sufficient to allow faulty designs to reach production and operational service while hiding critical handling qualities cliffs that can lead to loss of an aircraft. This observation, if applied across the gamut of human factors experimentation, has vast ramifications for test and evaluation and development of all human interface systems.


Abstract This study was initiated to reexamine phylogenetic relationships among coralline algae having secondary pit connections and lacking cell fusions. Nuclear small-subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) gene sequences were determined for the nongeniculate species Lithophyllum incrustans Philippi and Titanoderma pustulatum (Lamouroux) Nageli and aligned with 18S rRNA sequences for 35 other coralline species. Parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses of these data yielded congruent trees in which four major lineages were resolved. In these trees, geniculate and nongeniculate species having secondary pit connections and lacking cell fusions formed a well-supported clade within the Corallinaceae. Within this clade, the geniculate genera Amphiroa and Lithothrix do not form a monophyletic group. Results suggest that the genicula of Amphiroa and Lithothrix are probably not homologous; these genera are more closely related to nongeniculate species than they are to one another. A close relationship inferred between...


Additive manufacturing methods have been widely used in applications for material preference in our daily lives, especially by enabling the production of complex geometry materials with precise tolerances. The purpose of being preferred in industrial applications is to produce alternative materials thanks to the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) production system, which offers additive manufacturing. For this reason, in order to adapt the SLS system to the test samples, samples of 25x25x3mm3 were produced from recycled PA 3200 GF powders to form a layer thickness of 100 μm.As a result of the impact of solid particles (especially aerospace systems, energy conversion plants, jet engines, helicopter rotor blades, etc.) with different properties on the material surface at certain velocity and angles, undesirable deformations occur on the material surface. In addition, this type of wear has a critical importance in the world economy. With this convergence, erosion wear tests were carried out in accordance with the international standard ASTM G76-95, prioritizing that material for the aerospace industry can be exposed to this type of wear thanks to the use of samples produced by additive manufacturing and containing recycling powders.In order to carry out solid particle erosion wear tests, especially for sand and dust effect, for the use of samples produced by SLS method and with a change in printing direction in different environmental conditions, taking into account the particle impact angle of 30°, 60° and 90°, under the influence of abrasive particles with Al2O3, SiO2 and C20 properties and experiments were carried out by modeling the operating conditions of 34 m/s impact velocity. Regardless of the printing direction effect, it was concluded that the highest erosion rate of the test materials in all groups occurred at the impact angle of 30°. Erodent properties also showed a dominant effect on the erosion wear mechanism. Moreover, the tangential and vertical efficiency of the abrasive particle impact have a significant effect on erosion wear.


Objective: Inelaborate use of new quinolones with strong anti-tuberculosis (TB) activity leads to difficulty in diagnosis and more importantly, quinolone-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We aimed to determine the frequency of quinolone use in patients who were referred to our hospital for suspected TB and to evaluate the association between quinolone use and different clinical laboratory parameters.


Our society moves towards digitalization and the industry is not an exception. Siemenshas developed a wireless condition monitoring device called Simotics Connect in order tohelp them to move forwa ...


Coordination in multi-robot systems is a very active research field in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, since through coordination one can achieve a more effective execution of the robots' tasks. We achieve collaboration between agents through introducing roles into the situation calculus. Homogeneous agents can flexibly switch roles according to pre-defined triggers to be evaluated at run-time. A role in our framework defines the set of actions and the policy of an agent. Moreover, we demonstrate that, with common knowledge assumptions, an agent can predict the actions of the other agents, rendering communication unnecessary. Experimental results showing the effectiveness of our approach, the method has been successfully implemented in the domain of simulated robotic soccer based on the situation calculus.


Medame.Wei,Zeng Bu's wife,was the most successful and respectable female author in the Northern Song Dynasty.Her works of literature reflected life and fate,mental and flesh agony of upper-class women at that time especially,and it included their discontent about present situation and the protest from their hearts as well.


This paper simply introduces Weiner's attribution theory and directing function for the teaching. This theory is good for the students to learn the reasons why they succeed or fail for foreign language learning and establish the conscious mode. It also says that the teacher's feedback will also influence the students' learning motivation greatly.


This study is going to introduce one of the unique and less known Parthian sword which have not been released to public for purpose of exhibit and study so far.


ABSTRACT Power systems are becoming more complex day by day due to stressed situation in a distribution system, augmented growth in population and high demands of electrical power. In India, the distribution losses are around 20–25%. Distributed Generation (DG) units are broadly used to reduce the power losses in distribution system. To optimise the benefits of DGs, it is essential to determine its appropriate size and location. A new mathematical expression, power voltage sensitivity constant, has been formulated to determine its size and location. In this paper, two types of DG units (PV module and shunt capacitor) are employed for power loss reduction. The size of DG units (PV module) has been restricted to 50% of total system load in the paper. The proposed approach is tested on standard IEEE 69 bus distribution system and 130 bus real distribution system of Jamwa Ramgarh village, Jaipur, India. The results obtained from standard systems are compared with latest optimisation techniques to show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed approach. The results of real systems are also encouraging.


Arowana (Scleropages formosus) is the most valuable group of ornamental fishes and very much in demand in the ornamental fish trade and commands high price ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars per fish. In this paper, we described a case of mortality of arowana from a private aquarium in Korea. A bacterial pathogen from fish organs (brain, kidney, liver) was cultured, identified and confirmed using Vitek System 2, API 20E test, multiplex PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The morphological and biochemical properties of the bacterium isolated from the brain, kidney and liver of the fish were similar to Aeromonas sobria. Positive amplification products using the multiplex PCR assay for detection of A. sobria were obtained from these organs. The 16S rRNA gene of the isolates from fish was identical and exhibited 100% sequence similarity with A. sobria (AY987762.1) strain available from GenBank. This bacterium contained hemolysin gene, a virulence factor that plays an important role in outbreaks of disease and is pathogenic to humans as well as in fish. Although this opportunistic bacterium was isolated from a fish without any external symptoms, this pathogen may act as a reservoir and enhance chances of zoonosis to human such as during handling.


Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Polymers: An Overview Design and Properties of High-Temperature Second-Order Optical Chromophores Hyperpolarizabilites of Push-Pull Polyenes: Molecular Orbital and Valence-Bond Charge-Transfer Models Solvent Effects on the Molecular Quadratic Hyperpolarizabilites Characterization of Nonlinear Optical Chromophores in Solution Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of the Second- Order Optical Properties of the Chromophore Retinal and Its Derivatives: Modeling the Bacteriorhodopsin Binding Pocket Design and Synthesis of Thermally Stable Chromophores with Low Absorption at Device Operating Wavelengths Thermally Stable Nonlinear Optical Moiety-Doped Polyimides for Photonic Devices Design and Synthesis of a Polar Dipyrromethene Dye High-Temperature Nonlinear Polyimides for *y](^2]) Applications Highly Efficient and Thermally Stable Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Chromophores and Electrooptic Polymers Techniques of Ultrastructure Synthesis Relevant to the Fabrication of Electrooptic Modulators Development of Functionalized Polyimides for Second-Order Nonlinear Optics Advances in Main-Chain Syndioregic Nonlinear Optical Polymers Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Interpenetrating Polymer Networks Aromatic Heterocyclic Rings as Active Components in the Design of Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Chromophores Nonlinear Optical Properties of Poly(1,4-phenylenevinylene) and Its Derivatives All-Optical Poling of Polymers for Phase-Matched Frequency Doubling Photo-Induced Poling of Polar Azo Dyes in Polymeric Films: Toward Second-Order Applications Determination of the Second Harmonic Coefficients of Birefringent Poled Polymers Stark Spectroscopy as a Tool for the Characterization of Poled Polymers for Nonlinear Optics Pyroelectrical Investigation of Nonlinear Optical Polymers with Uniform or Patterned Dipole Orientation Quantitative, Rational Predictions of the Long-Term Temporal Decay Properties of Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Polymers from the Analysis of Relaxation Dynamics Optical Damage in Nonlinear Optical Polymer Waveguides Polyimides for Electrooptic Applications Electrooptic Cardo-Type Polymers with High-Glass-Transition Temperatures Nonlinear Optical Activity Relaxation Energetics in a Polyether Thermoplastic Nonlinear Optical Polymer with a High Glass-Transition Temperature Guest-Host Cross-linked Polyimides for Integrated Optics Bifunctional Dyes for Cross-linked Nonlinear Optical Polymers Integration of Electrooptic Polymers in Optoelectronic Devices Polymer Electrooptic Waveguide Fabrication Advances in Organic Polymer-Based Optoelectronics Electrooptic Polymer Mach-Zehnder Modulators: High-Speed Analog and Digital Considerations Second Harmonic Generation by Counter-Directed Guided Waves in Poled Polymer Waveguides Second Harmonic Femtosecond Pulse Generation in Nonlinear Polymer Thin-Film Structures Periodic Domain Inversion in Thin Nonlinear Optical Polymer Films for Second Harmonic Generation Cascading of Second-Order Nonlinearities: Concepts, Materials, and Devices


This paper deals with intergenerational successions of family enterprises both in Germany and on an international level. Entrepreneurs face an unavoidable succession dilemma: they must make strategic decisions about transitioning ownership of the family business. The main alternatives are to sell the company to someone outside the family or to make arrangements for an interfamily succession. In the latter case, there are many transition modes, e.g., through a gift of shares, a will or a mixed marriage / succession contract. The choice of succession mode is the outcome of an interaction process between generations, with civil and tax laws determining the transactions costs of the different succession alternatives. This paper concentrates on successions of ownership within the family. It illustrates the nature of this intergenerational problem and discusses how a specific legal system - the German one - influences the choice of succession. The paper begins with analyzing the most common methods used to transfer ownership to the next generation. Although succession problems are universal, transition methods adopted vary around the world as each country has its own tax system. This influences the choice of laws in international successions. Consequently, the second part of the paper focuses on the conflict of laws perspective of succession treaties for family businesses. One conclusion of the paper is that it is important for a society to provide a legal system that facilitates transitions of family companies because the legal system will, among other positive factors connected with family businesses, preserve idiosyncratic knowledge of family character.


The civil war in Sierra Leone (1991-2002) was initially a conflict between the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel forces under Foday Sankoh, and the central government. In 1997, the advance of the rebels led to the establishment of the Civil Defence Forces (CDF), which benefited from the support of the Sierra Leonean government, seemingly to the detriment of Sierra Leone's army. Although the country was still unstable, elections took place and in March 1996. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah was elected president. Beginning in September 1996, Kabbah was subjected to an attempted military coup led by retired officer Johnny Paul Koroma, who was subsequently imprisoned. On 25 May 1997, members of Sierra Leone's army staged a successful coup and installed Koroma as the Head of State, along with his military regime, the Armed Forced Revolutionary Council (AFRC). One of the major political moves of this regime was to involve the RUF in the management of the country, integrating the RUF into the government and establishing a Supreme Council. The three accused in this case, all relatively young officers born between 1965 and 1971, played key roles in the government of Sierra Leone. Alex Tamba Brima, one of the officers who participated in the coup, had the rank of Principal Liaison Officer and was a member of the Supreme Council with responsibility for several ministries. In addition, after the death of the AFRC's second-incommand, Alex Tamba Brima led the forces that attempted to regain control of Freetown in January 1999. Brima (Ibrahim) Bazzy Kamara, another officer who participated in the military coup in May 1997, was also a Principal Liaison Officer and a member of the Supreme Council. 4 He assisted Alex Tamba Brima in commanding forces during the attempted capture of Freetown in 1999. Santigie Borbor Kanu, who played an essential


Mask based structuring in excimer laser applications is costly if mask with a small ratio of the hole pattern area compared to the whole illuminated area are used. In this case, the major part of the laser beam is reflected or absorbed at the mask. The herein presented system shapes the reflected part of the beam and guides it onto the mask again. This principle has been realized for up to eight irradiations of the mask. In order to achieve high quality ablation result both the beam divergence as well as the homogeneity play an important role. Therefore, a special homogenizer was developed which converts the excimer laser beam efficiency into a flat-top profile with negligible influence on the beam quality. The achieved optical resolution keeps within 2 micrometers and the homogeneity is sufficient to achieve nearly the same structure quality over the entire image field. Providing that the transmitting areas of the mask do not exceed a few per cent of the total irradiated area. An efficiency enhancement by more than a factor of five was achieved for eight mask irradiation passes compared to a single irradiation.


The purpose of this research is to know the cognitive ability of children in the introduction of mathematical concepts through the use of natural materials in children aged 5-6 years in PAUD Bersinar Kecamatan Pontianak Selatan. Problems that are often found by teachers only use the existing learning media and less creative use of natural materials that exist around PAUD PAUD institutions. Whereas the method used is descriptive method. The results obtained from the 1st cycle of assessment categories developed as expected (BSH) increased to 27%. In cycle 2 the introduction of mathematical concepts using natural ingredients with the category of developing children's assessment as expected increased to 47% and even increased to 70% of children, and 7% of the category categories developed very well in the introduction of mathematical concepts using natural materials.


We revisit gender differences in performance under competition by designing a laboratory experiment with two real-effort tasks, w hich differ in the existent stereotypes about which gender outperforms the othe r, and using several informational treatments. We find that women underp erform when competing only when two conditions are met: 1) the task is pe rceived as favoring men and 2) the presence of a rival is strongly primed throu gh the information provided. Subjects are highly sensitive to the information pr ovided before the competitive task, which is consistent with the psychological ev id nce on stereotype-threat, suggesting reasons why women's underperformance has only been found under specific settings. Our results shed light on the so metimes contradictory evidence found on gender differences under competit ion.


The problem of providing the needs of the population of Ukraine with quality drinking water in the XXI century from the actual becomes a sharp one. The question is not only the reduction of quantitative volumes unleavened water, which is threatened by a crisis of drinking water supply to certain regions of the country, and also that it is the first place to act quality of natural waters, which does not satisfy modern hygienic requirements. This is due to the increased pollution of natural water basins by industrial waste, agricultural production and municipal water consumption. In the medical and ecological-hygienic aspect, the issues of obligate contamination of water sources with global toxicants of organic and inorganic nature, disinfection of drinking and economic waters, sewage treatment, water preparation, etc. are the foremost issues. In this work, data from the State Environmental Protection Department in the Poltava region (2010 - 2017), Statistical materials of the sanitary-epidemiological situation in the water supply of the region were used. According to the Poltava regional water resources department, the river network of the Poltava region includes: one large river - the Dnieper, which flows within the region on a 145 km long section, 8 medium rivers with a total length of 1360 km (Psel, Khorol, Vorskla, Sula, Uday, Orzhitsa, Oril, Merla) and 1771 small rivers, watercourses and streams with a total length of 11501 km. The main aquifer horizons suitable for drinking use in the region are: Quaternary (alluvial) Poltava, Kharkiv, Buchak, Sineman-Lower Cretaceous and Jurassic. In total in the Poltava region there are more than 200 thousand shaft wells, which are used by about 605 thousand people (36% of the population). In 56% of wells, a significant excess of nitrate content was detected. Nitrates fall into the horizons of groundwater with human and animal waste (from non-concreted cesspools), and excessive nitrogen fertilization. In general, provision of the Poltava region with unleavened water for drinking and recreational purposes can be considered sufficient. But in relation to qualitative indicators there are problematic periods - the hot season is unfavorable for water supply of settlements on the water intake from the Dniprodzerzhynsk reservoir basin. For the population using the underground water-mountain umbrellas (upper water, Poltava and partially Kharkiv), these problem periods are spring and autumn, when there is more intense pollution of these horizons by the flow of meltwater and rainwater.


International guidelines on cancer treatment recommend screening for early detection and treatment of distress. However, screening rates are insufficient. In the present study, a survey was developed to assess perceived systemic barriers to distress screening.


Purpose – As the rapid development of ICT has been made recently, many domestic companies are trying to introduce smart work infrastructure....


Arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT) catalyzes AdoMet‐dependent conversion of inorganic arsenic (iAs) to methylated (MAs) and dimethylated (DMAs) arsenicals. A common polymorphism in which threonine replaces methionine 287 (M287T) occurs in about 10% of some populations. This work compared patterns of iAs metabolism catalyzed by recombinant wild type (wt) and M287T AS3MT. In assays with 1 mM AdoMet and 1 mM tris (2‐carboxylethyl) phosphine as reductant, wt and M287T proteins had similar Km's (2.2 v. 2.5 μM iAs) but different V's (3.3 v. 6.1 pmol product/μg protein/hour). In assays with 1 mM AdoMet, 3 μM iAs(III), and a thioredoxin (Tx), Tx reductase, NADPH system as reductant, wt AS3MT produced more DMAs than M287T. Addition of up to 5 mM GSH to assays stimulated catalysis by either protein, increasing yield of methylated arsenicals. Overall, increasing GSH concentration had a larger effect on activity of wt AS3MT than on M287 activity. For wt AS3MT, the major GSH effect was on DMAs production; for M287T, the main effect was on MAs production. Hence, this mutation may alter AS3MT's capacity to catalyze formation of DMAs from MAs. Differential regulation by GSH of wt and M287T AS3MTactivites may affect phenotypes of individuals for iAs methylation and susceptibility to adverse effects of chronic iAs exposure. (This abstract does not reflect the policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.)


Introduction: Elderly nutrition is affected by a variety of different factors. In the case of seniors living in institutional care nutrition remains underestimated although the nutritional status has a significant impact on their living in the institution and is an indicator of the quality of care. Methodology: In March 2012, with the help of trained nurses we surveyed the nutritional status of all residents of the Seniors Facilities. As of 6 March 2012, there were 147 residents of avOriginal Article


The European strategies on energy have been searching for years to reduce the dependency of Europe from fossil fuels. Underlying this effort, there exist geopolitical, economic, environmental reasons and the reality that oil reservoirs will dry out some day. Renewable energies have become a milestone of this strategy because their huge potential has emerged after years of uncertainty. One of the better developed renewable sources, which is nearer to commercial maturity is solar-thermal energy. In this paper, the current state of this technology will be described as well as the developments that may be expected in the short and mid terms, including the thermoelectric solar megaproject DESERTEC, a German proposal to ensure energy resources to the mayor areas of the EU-MENA countries. The reader will acquire a picture of the current state of the market, of the technical challenges already achieved and of the remaining ones.


Aerodynamic drag plays an important role in high-speed skiing. The wind-induced thrust or resistance of athletes, the sliding speed, and the work to overcome the aerodynamic drag are greatly affected by wind; therefore, reducing wind-induced drag is a focus of sport science. This paper proposes a method for evaluating the influence of wind on cross-country skiing performance, which is based on the athlete's aerodynamic-drag-work relative to the environmental wind field and the establishment of a racetrack wind field model. Aiming at an athlete's typical sport posture in the Yabuli Ski Field, the impact of field wind on the skier's speed, the work done by the athlete to overcome aerodynamic drag, and the ratio of the field wind-induced work to the athlete's total work are analyzed. Through the analysis of the athlete's work to overcome aerodynamic drag and the wind resistance energy dissipation ratio in three training cases, it is shown that the field wind has a great influence on the athlete's performance during sliding, which verified the effectiveness of the method. This method will provide coaches and sport researchers with accurate wind resistance energy dissipation data and provide a scientific basis for routine athletic training.


ABSTRACT. Twenty‐one children with normal hearts were studied during acute bronchiolitis. Doppler echocardiography showed tricuspid valve regurgitation in 11 patients, many of whom had evidence of raised pulmonary artery systolic pressure. Serial studies in those with severe infection showed that tricuspid regurgitation disappears with clinical improvement.


Fred Genesee, Katheryn Lindholm-Leary, William M. Saunders, and Donna Christian (eds.), Educating English language learners: A synthesis of research evidence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Pp. x, 245. Pb $24.99. Educating English language learners appeared as a result of a U.S. government-funded project in an attempt to synthesize "research on the relationship among oral language, literacy, and academic achievement for English language learners (ELLs) in the United States" (1). Referring to what Donna Christian calls "educational facts" (1) about the lower academic ability of students with limited English proficiency, and placing institutionalized academic achievement at the center of their discussions, the contributors review three databases and a number of journals of language and education. They explore research trends in the education of English as a second language in the past 20 years, how research findings have been applied in U.S. schools, and possible future research directions.


Several sheep breeds encompass the genetic resources of the Australian lamb industry. The results of genetic analysis of industry and research flocks for seven of these breeds are presented. The estimates of heritability for the major economic traits show that genetic variation exists in Australian meatsheep breeds, and that the potential response to selection in the medium term is substantial. Moreover, there is a range of breeds available to meet specific product requirements and production environments. Sound breeding programs are required to fully exploit these genetic available resources.


Women's occupancy of the social roles of paid worker, wife, and mother, and the quality of their experience in these three roles, were examined in relation to psychological well-being. Data were from a disproportionate random sample (N — 238) of Caucasian women ages 35 to 55. Well-being was measured by indices of self-esteem, depression, and pleasure; pleasure was assessed by a scale consisting of single-item measures of happiness, satisfaction, and optimism. Role quality was measured by scales developed for this study that assessed the balance between the positive and negative attributes women perceived in their roles. Hierarchical regression analyses controlling for age, education, and income indicated that role occupancy per se was unrelated to well-being with one exception: occupying the role of paid worker significantly predicted self-esteem. In contrast, the three role quality variables were significant predictors of the well-being indices, with one exception: quality of experience in the role of mother did not predict pleasure. Overall, the findings suggest the importance of qualitative rather than quantitative aspects of role involvement and the need to examine different dimensions of well-being in relation to social roles. In a review of the literature on women's social roles, Long and Porter (1984) point to the existence of a kind of sex segregation in research and theory on multiple roles. For men, multiple roles have been seen as beneficial; Gove and Tudor (1973), for example, attributed the better mental health of men compared to women to their participation in both family and paid work roles. The topic of "dual roles," in contrast, has been seen as a woman's issue; for women, the role of paid worker is assumed to be added on to the normative condition of being a wife, mother, and homemaker. Role overload, role conflict, guilt, anxiety, and other hazards are expected to follow, resulting in impaired well-being. Two major hypotheses have been put forward concerning the relation of role involvement to well-being. The "scarcity" hypothesis (Marks, 1977), put forth by Goode (1960) and others, assumes that the social structure normally creates overly demanding role obligations, the more so the more roles one occupies. Because human energy is limited, well-being is impaired by the overload and conflict inherent in numerous, often incompatible roles. In contrast to this view, the "enhancement" hypothesis (Marks, 1977; Sieber, 1974) emphasizes the benefits rather than the costs of multiple role involvement: status, privileges, increased self-esteem, the ability to trade off undesirable components of roles. Like placing one's eggs in many baskets,


Oct 13th Short rations again, letters up, & promised parcel from N arrived, contents of which was much enjoyed, could not have come at a better time. Rumours that the French relieve us at night remained in trenches all day. tea served up soon after dusk, ordered to be ready to move at a moment's notice. turned out & waited about 2 hours while the trenches were handed over to the French. Finally marched back about 5 miles to Soupir arrivilg there at 4 am & turned into Billets. goodbye to Metz Farm


AIM: To evaluate the clinical effect of the porcelain-fused-to-metal bridge and resinic splint,which were used to fix the loosened teeth of severe periodontitis,so as to provide important reference to doctors in selecting proper splints.METHODS: After basic periodontal treatment,ten cases of loosened anterior teeth were cured by using porcelain-fused-to-metal bridge and resinic splint separately.Then the clinic improvement of periodontal index,occlusal force,radiograph and the objective satisfaction were assessed and evaluated in the third and sixth month.RESULTS : The probing depth(PD) and the occlusal force were sharply ameliorated.All patients were satisfied with the splints,and partial bone repair was found.CONCLUSION: Both splints are effective method to fix the loosened teeth,and the periodontal maintenance is strongly recommended.


Bile duct damage in patients with chronic hepatitis C (hepatitis‐associated bile duct lesion) as well as that in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC; chronic non‐suppurative destructive cholangitis), may be causally related to immunological assaults. Efficient antigen presentation is known to require the provision of a costimulatory signal which is dependent on the CD28 on T cell surfaces, and that at least two molecules, B7‐1 and B7‐2, work as costimulatory ligands for CD28. In this study, we examined immunohistochemically, the expression of B7‐2 in portal tracts of liver biopsy specimens obtained from 75 patients with chronic hepatitis C who had hepatitis‐associated bile duct lesions, and from 63 PBC patients with chronic non‐suppurative destructive cholangitis. B7‐2 positive cells were recognizable as large mononuclear cells scattered in portal tracts. Some of these cells showed a dendritic cell‐like appearance. B7‐2 positive cells were observed more frequently (41%) in PBC liver specimens than in chronic hepatitis C specimens (17%, P< 0.05). In PBC livers, such cells were preferentially observed around the damaged bile duct with a few located in the biliary epithelial layer. There was no such finding in chronic hepatitis C livers. The frequency and density of B7‐2 positive cells in the liver specimens tended to decrease according to the stage of PBC (45% in stages 1 and 2, and 33% in stages 3 and 4; P=0.10), whereas with chronic hepatitis C, no such tendency was observed. These findings suggest that B7‐2 positive cells may play a role in the bile duct lesions that appear in the early histological stages of PBC and that the immunological mechanisms of bile duct damage, particularly of antigen presentation and B7‐2 expression, differ between PBC and chronic hepatitis C.


This paper examines United States (US)-China trade disputes under the World Trade Organization (WTO) and argues that both countries are increasingly resorting to the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism to target issues of most critical concern to their respective domestic constituencies. While the United States' WTO complaints against China tend to challenge Chinese industrial policy, cases involving anti-dumping and countervailing duties dominate China's WTO disputes against the United States. In addition, the significant expansion of bilateral trade relations in the past decades has provided opportunities for Chinese leaders to identify or to threaten retaliation against anti-protectionist groups in the United States in order to mobilize them against the disputed measure. Overall, United States–China trade disputes under the WTO increasingly reflect a distinctive political logic whereby domestic political considerations not only figure prominently in the decision to launch WTO disputes, but also frequently influence the way the dispute is played out either within or outside of the WTO framework.


31P and 17O NMR investigations have been achieved on bismuth oxide phosphates by a comparison between ordered and semi-ordered reference compounds; the wide chemical shift range for 17O is revealed to be a profitable source of information about partially ordered materials.


Preface Globalization and the State What Is Globalization? Governance and Globalization Globalization and the Economy Globalization for Economic Management Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurs, and Globalization Trade and Investment The World Trade Organizations: Challenges for Developing Countries Managing Banking and Financial Crises Debt and Globalization Globalization and the Environment Selected References Index


Measurements were made of Faraday rotation on ∼1 μ thick evaporated and recrystallized polycrystalline InSb films. The experiments were carried out at room temperature using TE11 circular waveguide with dc magnetic fields up to 7 kOe. Rotations on the order of 50 deg were observed. The experimental results are in reasonable agreement with a theoretical model based on free‐carrier Faraday rotation, including multiple reflections, using the mobilities and carrier concentrations found by separate dc measurements.


Setaria viridis is an emerging model for cereal and bioenergy grasses because of its short stature, rapid life cycle and expanding genetic and genomic toolkits. Its close phylogenetic relationship with economically important crops such as maize and sorghum positions Setaria as an ideal model system for accelerating discovery and characterization of crop genes that control agronomically important traits. The Second International Setaria Genetics Conference was held on March 6–8, 2017 at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, United States to discuss recent technological breakthroughs and research directions in Setaria (presentation abstracts can be downloaded at https://www.brutnelllab.org/setaria). Here, we highlight topics presented in the conference including inflorescence architecture, C4 photosynthesis and abiotic stress. Genetic and genomic toolsets including germplasm, mutant populations, transformation and gene editing technologies are also discussed. Since the last meeting in 2014, the Setaria community has matured greatly in the quality of research being conducted. Outreach and increased communication with maize and other plant communities will allow broader adoption of Setaria as a model system to translate fundamental discovery research to crop improvement.


In this think piece, we discuss our experience implementing quantitative and qualitative instruments, including subjective measures, to assess economic empowerment among poor women in Colombia and Peru. We conclude that in these specific cases, the instruments used to measure empowerment through subjective dimensions do not work for poor women. The difficulty these women have in understanding abstract concepts, their cultural definitions of decision making showed us that researchers should adopt different strategies when measuring subjective empowerment among poor women. This think piece is part of a larger research project aimed at comparing the pros and cons of existing methodologies to measure women's economic empowerment in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.


A method is described for estimating oral toxicities (μg/g) of slow-acting toxicants against subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar). Groups of termites were fed with a known amount of medium containing a dye marker and a toxicant. Marked termites were evaluated for daily mortality after total consumption of the medium. Toxicant doses ingested by termites were derived from the total amount of toxicant in the feeding medium and the biomass of termites engaged in that feeding. Using oral LD 50 estimates in μg/g, the total amount of toxicant required to control a field colony can be projected


We have carried out a deep (t = 30,000 s) X-ray search of the eastern portion of the L1495 cloud centered on the well-known weak line T Tauri star (WTTS) V410 Tau using the Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT) PSPC. This deep exposure enabled a search for candidate pre-main-sequence (PMS) objects in this cloud to a limit approximately 20 times more sensitive than that typical of the fields examined with the Einstein searches. Despite assertions that the PMS population in Taurus-Auriga is nearly completely known, this Stet survey revealed eight new PMS objects in a region 50 min in diameter, as compared to a previously known stellar population of 12 objects, including deeply embedded Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) sources. Spectroscopic and photometric observations enable us to place these objects in the H-R diagram. The newly discovered objects are predominantly stars of spectral-type M0 and later, and a large fraction (6/8) appear to be surrounded by circumstellar accretion disks as judged by their infrared excess and H alpha emission. We combined the data for these Stet-discovered objects with extant and new data for the previously identified PMS stars in this region to examine the history of star formation and the frequency distribution of stellar masses in this cloud. If the 'post-ROSAT' population is either complete or representative, we conclude (1) that star formation in L1495 East took place approximately 1 x 10(exp 6) yr ago and that the spread in ages is small; (2) the frequency distribution of masses, N(M), in this apparently coeval group appears to peak near log M = -0.5 (using masses derived from recently published PMS tracks of D'Antona & Mazzitelli and Swenson et al. and to decline toward lower masses. The derived N(log M) for L1495E compares well with the IMF derived from studies of stars in the solar neighborhood, a result which suggests that the Taurus-Auriga clouds are currently producing stars whose mass spectrum approximates the time/space-averaged IMF for the solar neighborhood.


The use of modular plants in the chemical industry is expected to make the structure of supply chains more dynamic. The models currently used to get insight in supply chains assume a predefined supply chain structure, as orders are exogenously defined. Consequently, those models cannot grasp the dynamic nature of supply chains with modular plants. In this paper a market conceptualization based on agent-based computational economics is presented that includes transport costs in the negotiations and enables the modeling of supply chains as structures that emerge from market dynamics. It is shown that this conceptualization can capture the market dynamics that are needed to simulate a dynamic supply chain.


TO THE EDITOR A recent article by Kraus et al.' discussed the role of the otolaryngologist in the evaluation and treatment of a child with a vascular compressive lesion of the trachea. In this article, the authors discussed the barium swallow as the diagnostic procedure of choice in this condition with angiography useful in the differentiation of the specific type of vascular ring anomaly present. However, the authors rightfully note that innominate artery compression of the trachea will not be demonstrated by a barium swallow. In our experience, this anomaly accounts for approximately 50% of cases of tracheal compression secondary to a vascular malformation. Given this, an alternative mode of imaging would be important to evaluate such vascular anomalies. Our experience over the past several years a t Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, has demonstrated that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most effect method of evaluating compressive lesions of the thoracic trachea in children. This modality allows the airway and mediastinum to be viewed in the coronal, axial, and saggital planes without the use of ionizing radiation or contrast medium. The axial images are particularly useful for demonstrating the degree of tracheobronchial narrowing, while the saggital sections best localize the level of AP narrowing. By differentiating innominate artery compression of the trachea from a vascular ring, MRI allows the surgical approach to be planned appropriately, since vascular rings are often approached by a posterolatera1 thoracotomy and innominate artery compression of the trachea is usually approached by a midline sternotomy. Thus, while the authors are to be commended for reviewing a topic with which all endoscopists should be familiar, I think it is important to mention the use of MRI as the procedure of choice for the diagnosis of innominate artery compression of the trachea and congenital vascular rings.


This paper proposed a simple life prediction model for assessing fatigue lives of metallic materials subjected to multiaxial low-cycle fatigue (LCF) loading. This proposed model consists of the maximum shear strain range, the normal strain range and the maximum normal stress on the maximum shear strain range plane. Additional cyclic hardening developed during non-proportional loading is included in the normal stress and strain terms. A computer-based procedure for multiaxial fatigue life prediction incorporating critical plane damage parameters is presented as well. The accuracy and reliability of the proposed model are systematically checked by using about 300 test data through testing nine kinds of material under both zero and non-zero mean stress multiaxial loading paths.


Abstract We examined the relationships between physicochemistry and the distribution and abundance of fishes at 36 sites in the lower Atchafalaya River basin (ARB), Louisiana, a bottomland hardwood swamp fed by waters (distributaries) of the Mississippi and Red rivers. We used principal components analysis (PCA) of the 29 most common ARB fishes to examine fish assemblage structure and then related the first two components to physical habitat (e.g., standing timber, submerged macrophytes, and brushy cover) and water quality (e.g., dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, and specific conductance) variables. To further examine the relationship between physicochemistry and species abundance and distribution, we regressed the habitat and water quality variables on the abundance of common ARB fishes. Regression analysis indicated that DO concentration, DO differential (surface less bottom), specific conductance, and current velocity were most strongly associated with fish distribution and abundance. A PCA of these four vari...


I n this talk, 1 will be discussing observations of rotating neutron stars, and in particular, what we can learn about neutron stars from studying various timing effects. I intend to concentrate on the observations and their immediate interpretations; other papers will be concerned with more of the theory. In the spirit of this session, 1 will try not to deal with observations which are primarily concerned with binary companions, third body effects, general relativistic orbit corrections, or anything else which doesn't directly concern neutron star structure, except where these effects offer alternative explanations. Furthermore, the topic of neutron star masses and particularly limiting masses will be dealt with in the following paper. I n reviewing the radio pulsar literature of the last two or three years, I find little new observational data which directly bear on neutron star structure. The binary pulsar is much more exciting for its implications about mass, evolution, and relativistic effects. However, certain x-ray pulsar data have recently been interpreted in terms of the response of the star to accretion torques with direct application to determinations of magnetic fields and possibly moments of inertia. I will thus concentrate on these data, drawing parallels with the radio pulsars as appropriate.