At Los Alamos, a comprehensive program is underway for the development of sensitive, practical, nondestructive assay techniques for the quantification of low-level transuranics in bulk solid wastes. The program encompasses a broad range of techniques, including sophisticated active and passive gamma-ray spectroscopy, passive neutron detection systems, pulsed portable neutron generator interrogation systems, and electron accelerator-based techniques. The techniques can be used with either low-level or high-level beta-gamma wastes in either low-density or high-density matrices. The techniques are quite sensitive (< 10 nCi/g detection) and, in many cases, isotopic specific. Waste packages range in size from small cardboard boxes to large metal or wooden crates. Considerable effort is being expended on waste matrix identification to improve assay accuracy.


BeEagleSat and HAVELSAT are developed as a cooperation of a number of academic institutions, NGO, SMEs and the Turkish Aerospace Industry for the QB50 project (www.qb50.eu). The two satellites are delivered to ISL in Netherlands on their way to ISS via Nano Racks. The launch system was changed several times affecting greatly the design and the budget of the satellite development. Two satellites make use of mNLP (multi Needle Langmuir Probe) payload for science operations on the upper atmosphere. Structure, OBC-Beacon, Control Card subsystems and antenna deployment mechanisms are developed and manufactured locally by both university and SMEs. Test and integration of satellites are carried out in Istanbul Technical University Space System Design and Test Laboratory (SSDTL) and Acoustics and Vibration Laboratory facilities. Key Words: CubeSat, QB50, Nano Satellite, thermosphere, X-Ray Detector, Langmuir Probe


Since the end of the Cold War, a diverse and expansive array of issues have been identified as "new" security threats ranging from ethnic conflict, environmental degradation, and resource scarcity to weapons proliferation, uncontrolled migration, and organized crime. This has sparked debate about the appropriate parameters and priorities of security policy. The traditional concern with military threats is increasingly criticized as being too narrow, anachronistic, and often preoccupied with the interests of the state as opposed to the individual. This book assesses how the meaning of security is changing around the world and, more specifically, how the new security issues are perceived and debated in different countries and regions. With individual chapters on North America, the former Soviet Union, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Japan, South Korea, China, the ASEAN bloc, and the countries of the Southwest Pacific, this book is a global survey.


In contingent valuation studies, failing to accommodate populations with limited language skills might yield biased estimates. In the United States, there are many residents primarily fluent in Spanish. This study uses conditional logit models applied to data from a bilingual (English and Spanish) conjoint choice mail survey to evaluate the effects of language proficiency on estimates of the economic benefits of contaminated site cleanup. Results indicate that language does have significant effects on welfare estimates. The results suggest that mail surveys addressing environmental issues that may affect a linguistically diverse population should be designed at the outset with multiple languages in mind. (JEL Q51, J19)


This study aims to analyze the proportional reasoning ability of junior high school level students in solving math problems between male and female students on the opportunity material. This type of research is qualitative research. The subjects in this study were students of class VIII who were selected through the purposive sampling technique. Data collection methods are tests and interviews. The instruments used were the math ability test (TKM), proportional reasoning test (TPP) and interviews. Data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles and Huberman. The validity of the data was tested by means of triangulation. The results showed that in the opportunity material, the male student subject was able to reach the entire level stage and fulfil the characteristics of proportional reasoning, while the female student subject was only able to reach level 1, while at level 2, the subject was unable to recognize the problem situation given was a proportional situation, at levels 3, 4 and 5 are unable to use multiplicative strategies so that they do not fulfil the characteristics of proportional reasoning. The research results are expected to be considered in determining learning strategies so that students master mathematical competencies optimally.


ftiponica starids were studied in a small tributary basin in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The soil type of the study area varied from anaerobic peat seil in pooTly drained areas on back swarnps to aerobic alluvial soil in well drained areas. Differenoes in soil properties among the stands were clear in the top seils. Anaerobic soils with high clay and high organic matter contents and high CEC value were occupied by A. iaponica-1'bbtgtonum thunbergii stands. A. jopanica-Jlex crenata yar. palzadosa stand on peat soil showed also high values for these preperties. A, joponiea-fiilii endula komtschatica stands and UL


Through the analysis of the phenomenon of the blind men touching an elephant in the teaching of Operating System,firstly finds the main cause leading to the phenomenon,then gives a view that the teachers not only make the teaching formation agree with the Operating System course architecture,but also deeply understand the cognitive process behind the course architecture.


Insects use several different senses to forage on flowers, and detect floral cues such as color, shape, pattern, humidity and chemical volatiles. This presentation will present our discovery of a previously unappreciated sensory capacity in bumblebees (Bombus terrestris): the detection of floral electric fields. We show that these floral fields act as informational cues, and that they can be affected by the visit of naturally electrically charged bees. Like visual cues, floral electric fields exhibit variations in pattern and structure, which can be discriminated by bumblebees. We also show that such electric field information contributes to the complex array of floral cues that together improve a pollinator's memory of floral rewards. Floral electric fields arise from complex interactions with the surrounding atmosphere, an interaction between plants and their environment that not well understood. Because floral electric fields can change within seconds, this new sensory modality - electrostatic field detection- may facilitate rapid and dynamic communication between flowers and their pollinators.


Neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet is the most practical and widely used rare earth doped crystalline laser crystal. Although extensive studies on this material have been carried out, there are still some interesting physical properties of this system which are not disclosed and well characterized. We studied the lifetime decay characteristic of Nd:YAG and correlated it with the inhomogeneities in the Nd-ion distribution in the sample. A 4% variation of the decay constants from point to point inside a single crystal is found and ascribed to the variation of Nd-ion concentration inside the crystal. The same setup as in Ref. 1 was used to measure the lifetimes where a small diameter (lOO-μm) pump beam excited regions that were at least 2 mm apart. The absorption of the sample in these regions was obtained at the same time by measuring the laser power before and after the sample. Since the sample ends were not antireflection coated, the Fresnel reflection of the rod ends was taken into account. The variation of the absorption coefficients from point to point in a single crystal is 25%. Since the absorption coefficient is proportional to the concentration of Nd- ions N, this observation suggests a 25% variation of N from point to point in a single Nd:YAG crystal.


Effect of Pb~(2+) on seed germination and content of osmotic adjusting substance of maize was studied.The results showed that the low concentration of Pb~(2+) was capable of stimulating germination ratio,but high concentration.The budding indexes were not affected at low concentrations,but it was reduced at high concentration.The vitality indexes and germination power were low when the concentration of Pb~(2+) rose.The vitality indexes and germination power were low but the content of soluble sugar and proline was high.


Abstract : Identifiers: Equations of motion. The equations are presented for the steady-state motion of a mixture of ideal gases in the boundary layer of a wing or axisymmetric bodies, in the presence of diffusion. Radiation is also taken into account. (Author)


This article examines the nature and strength of the Islamic movement in contemporary Turkey. It argues that the policies of the military and civilian governments, in attempting to establish a strong ideological base that could challenge the left, allowed and even promoted the activities of Turkey's Islamic organizations. Indeed, these counter‐balancing efforts backfired as the Islamic movement rejected the national cause and joined the struggle for social justice.‐As a result, and in direct contradiction to the intentions of the military and civilian governments, there evolved an ideological alliance between Islamic circles and the left. This ideological shift along with the collapse of ideological alternatives and a background of intensifying socio‐economic problems contributed heavily to the Islamic movement's electoral success in recent years.


Based on the description of the main characteristics of water resources in Tarim Basin, the paper discusses the relationships between utilization of water resources and oasis construction, and the protection and development of the oasis in Tarim Basin,


Analytically sensitive treatments of Nietzsche, from Danto to Wilcox and Strong, convey a certain awkwardness when they treat questions of the nature of knowledge, its relation to the world, and the nature of truth. Nietzsche's views concerning truth and knowledge häve been characterized äs "philosophical nihilism" by Arthur Danto. His conception of the relation between knowledge and the world has been labeled "perspectivism" by analytical and nonanalytically inclined commentators alike. While Nietzsche's remarks on truth have been invoked to justify the charge of epistemological nihilism by Danto, they. have also been cited to support the antipathetic 'cognitivist' ascription, by John T. Wilcox for example. I dont't propose to choose between Danto's and Wilcox's characteriza· tions here. What I do propose, rather, is a different paradigm to capture Nietzsche's intended relation between 'truth/ 'knowledge/ and 'perspective'; one which will hopefully avoid some of the trivializing consequences of Danto's and Wilcox's characterizations. Finally, I shall suggest that Nietzsche's epistemic remarks, far from being 'nihilistic,' appeär rather tarne and even orthodox when contrasted with those of Peter Unger, for example, to which they bear a striking family resemblance.


The temperature of an electronics device rises fairly linearly with increasing device heat flux. This relationship is especially problematic for defense electronics, where heat dissipation is projected to exceed 1000W/cm in the near future. This paper study explored the benefit of cooling the electronics device using indirect refrigeration cooling system .In this system the heat sink in a primary pumped liquid loop, reject heat to a secondary refrigeration loop. It was being explored for two phase cooling of ultra high power electronic component .For effective and efficient thermal management of electronic systems active control methods desired to suppress inherent flow instability especially in transient applications. The inclusion of the vapor compression cycle in the two loop system elevates the temperature difference between the refrigerant and the ambient cooling media, resulting in increased system cooling capacity.


The present invention relates to, aiming at a hybrid transmission passage of a motor vehicle, a method for performing a preferred adjusting process capable of performing the maximum transmission of an object torque. The transmission passage has: an automatic transmission gearbox having an input shaft and an output shaft, wherein the output shaft is connected with at least one driving wheel of the motor vehicle; an internal combustion engine used for generating a driving torque; a cut-off clutch enabling the internal combustion engine to be loosenably coupled onto the gearbox for transmitting the driving torque; an electric motor used for generating an additional torque which can be added to the driving torque to be coupled onto the driving wheel; a motor control device for adjusting the driving torque of the internal combustion engine; an electric motor control device used for adjusting the additional torque; at least one sensor used for detecting a numerical value by which an actual output torque transmitted from the output shaft to the driving wheel can be determined, wherein the electric motor control device adjusts the additional torque to serve as a function of the determined output torque; and a control device suitable for determining the actually transmitted output torque by performing calculation from the detected numerical value.


This paper aims to identify the determine job satisfaction on employee for the continuity of business in the field of rental of workspace, and at same time to determine the effect of work discipline and work motivation on employee satisfaction. Data was collected via survey questionnaire from related literature to 70 respondents. The data analyzed using structural equation modeling via Smart PLS. The results showed a significantly positive between the work discipline on the job satisfaction, but not for the work motivation on the job satisfaction. Keywords : Job satisfaction, work discipline, work motivation, rental workspace, human resources DOI : 10.7176/JRDM/56-07 Publication date :June 30 th 2019


In the Export activities, the company sends goods from domestic to overseas. The process of shipping goods by sea and air. The items to be sent overseas mostly in shipping containers. Container is a crate boxes that meet the technical to the terms in accordance with International standards as a tool or transporting goods.


In this paper assembly techniques of monocrystalline GaN structures to DBC: sintering and hybrid: sintering + SLID are compared. As an comparison technique shear strength measurements was applied. Study was made on as-received samples, as well as structures aged in temperature above 300 °C for 500 h. Additionally metallographic cross-section of the joints were made and inspected by means of SEM and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Sintered joints are very porous and does not meet demands for assembly after long term ageing. Hybrid: sintering + SLID joints manufactured at 280 °C are far less porous and fulfil adhesion joint requirements for monocrystalline GaN assembly with excess.


Modern cryptographic protocols are based on the premise that only authorized participants can obtain secret keys and access to information systems. However, sophisticated tampering methods have been devised to extract secret keys stored in digital integrated circuits (ICs) from conditional access systems such as smartcards and ATMs. Arbiter-based Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) is proposed to exploit the statistical delay variation of wires and transistors across ICs in a manufacturing process to build unextractable secret keys. We fabricated arbiter-based PUFs in custom silicon and investigated the identification capability, reliability, and security of this scheme. Experimental results and theoretical studies show that a sufficient amount of inter-chip variation exists to enable each IC to be identified reliably and securely over a practical range of environmental variations such as temperature and power supply voltage. We show that arbiter-based PUFs are realizable and well-suited to build, for example, key-cards that need to be resistant to physical tampering attacks.


Objective To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of duloxetine in treatment of tumor patients with depression disorders. Methods 60 patients were randomly divided into groups of 30 ones each to one group was plused duloxetine for 8 weeks. Depressive emotions were assessed with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale( HAMD) and adverse reactions with Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale( TESS) before treatment and at the the2nd,4thand 8thweek. Results Improvement rates of depression emotion were respectively 76. 7% in the research and 26. 7% in the no duloxetire group at the end of 8thweek,the former were significantly higher than the latter( P 0. 01),scores of both the HAMD lowered more sighiticantly in the research than in the no duloxetine group( P 0. 05). Adverse reactions of the two groups were not different. Conclusion Duloxetine has a notable effect and high safety in the treatment of patients with depression disorders,can improves patients' quality of life significantly.


On the basis of survey and research,the paper discusses profoundly on the development of private sports schools.The results show:the private sports schools are still on the elementary stage.There exist various problems in the aspects of policy,society and management.It is concluded that policies should be issued and improved under the guidance of scientific concept of development,so as to further the rationalization of the working procedures of training sports talents,and to promote the sustainable development of sports.


Multidimensional and morphological population balance (PB) models for crystallization processes have been proposed in literature, which can be used to simulate the dynamic evolution of particle shape as well as particle size distribution. These models, however, can become computationally expensive when the crystal has a large number of independent faces, and are not applicable to noncrystalline, irregularly shaped particles such as those encountered in granulation and milling. This article addresses these challenges by introducing principal component analysis (PCA) into morphological PB modeling. PCA transforms the shape description of a particle from a high-dimensional domain to a lower dimensional, principal component (PC) space. Morphological PB models can then be built in this latent variable space, greatly reducing the computational complexity. It also makes it possible to model noncrystalline irregularly shaped particles. The original particle shape at any time can be reconstructed from the PCs. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009


In this paper we prove that $\beta_{p^2/p^2-1}$ survives to $E_\infty$ in the Adams-Novikov spectral sequence for $p\geqslant 5$. As an easy consequence we prove that $\beta_{sp^2/j}$ are perminent cycles for all $s\geqslant 1$, $j\leqslant p^2-1$. From the Thom map $\Phi: Ext^{s,t}_{BP_*BP}(BP_*, BP_*)\longrightarrow Ext^{s,t}_A(\mathbb{Z}/p, \mathbb{Z}/p)$, we also see that $h_0h_3$ survives to $E_\infty$ in the classical Adams spectral sequence.


Objective To assess the value of myocardium velocity and strain rate in assessing left ventricular systolic function with quantitative tissue velocity imaging (QTVI) and two-dimensional strain (2DS) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods Twenty patients with angina,25 patients with myocardial infarction and 30 controls were studied by means of QTVI and 2DS,in order to analyze the systolic velocity curve and strain rate (SR) curve of the left ventricular short-axis view at the mid-papillary muscle level. The endocardium velocity (Vendo),epicardium velocity (Vepi) and SR of the anterior and inferior were measured and calculated. Results No significant difference of wall motion,wall-thickening fraction,velocity and SR of inferior wall was found among three groups. Vendo,TVI-SR and 2DS-SR of anterior wall in angina and myocardial infarction group obviously descended compared with control group. Those indexes in infarction group decreased obviously compared with angina group,and decreased more obviously than wall motion and wall thickening fraction did. Conclusion QTVI and 2DS can sensitively evaluate left ventricular local systolic function in patients with myocardial ischemia.


If one of the key purposes of commercial law is to facilitate commerce, we should listen carefully to the repeated pleas from business advocates (such as many Chambers of Commerce) to simplify the law and avoid needless regulation. Regulations should serve a societal purpose whose value outweighs the cost of compliance. The treatment of software embedded in goods in UCITA and proposed revisions to Article 2 does not serve this purpose.


Abstract In this paper we examine how policymakers and practitioners should interpret the impact evaluation literature when presented with conflicting experimental and non-experimental estimates of the same intervention across varying contexts. As is well known, non-experimental estimates of a treatment effect comprise a causal treatment effect and a bias term due to endogenous selection into treatment. When non-experimental estimates vary across contexts any claim for external validity of an experimental result must make the assumption that (a) treatment effects are constant across contexts, while (b) selection processes vary across contexts. This assumption is rarely stated or defended in systematic reviews of evidence. As an illustration of these issues, we examine two thoroughly researched literatures in the economics of education – class size effects and gains from private schooling – which provide experimental and non-experimental estimates of causal effects from the same context and across multiple contexts. We show that the range of "true" causal effects in these literatures implies non-experimental estimates from the right context are, at present, a better guide to policy than experimental estimates from a different context. We conclude with recommendations for research and policy, including the need to evaluate programs in context, and avoid simple analogies to clinical medicine in which "systematic reviews" attempt to identify best-practices by putting most (or all) weight on the most "rigorous" evidence with no allowance for context.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a life cycle risk management framework for public private partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects that lead to the realization of value for money and balance of interests between different partners including the public and end users.Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on extensive theoretical research and literature reviews, coupled with case study methodologies. A comprehensive review of current literature in the field was first carried out. Then three PPP infrastructure projects, two from Australia and one from China, are studied to scrutinize reasons leading to their dilemma and articulate the valuable lessons learnt in relation to risk analysis and mitigation.Findings – The paper found that properly assessing risks (financial, government's political and public's acceptance/rejection risks), ensuring value for money and protecting the public (and end users') interests are essential in PPP infrastructure projects and this can only be achieve...


The professional master's degree in Mineral Technology of the Federal University of Pampa, in partnership with the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and Federal University of Santa Maria was recommended by CAPES in mid-2012 and has its beginning scheduled for the first semester of 2013. In this paper, a proposal for a virtual media for teaching and learning for three disciplines, biogeochemical cycles, fundamentals of ecotoxicology and environmental control of water, using the Moodle platform aim to use the program as a model to be applicable to professors and master students, is presented. The characteristics semipresential of the course, as well as the heterogeneity of the students justify the application of alternative technologies in the consolidation of the course. Therefore, the proposal is presented as a diversified manner, as it provides a variety of various tools, including blogs, emails, forums, chat rooms, galleries, and daily updated materials (videos, texts) that contribute to the setting of modules worked in person. Thus, this proposal will allow an interaction between the users and the exposure of your opinion and contributing to the discussion and exchange of information, and provides both the possibility of learning asynchronously or synchronously, as well management time and location for the study, ie flexibility.


Exponential data quantity growth in the field of molecular genetics and genetic terminology growing list can easily confuse the doctor who doesn't have special preparation. In this regard the article purpose was the attempt to fill missing knowledge of molecular genetics at practical doctors and also to show genetic testing achievements and practical importance in woman health assessment. The basic molecular genetics concepts (heredity and variability, genotype and phenotype, dominant and recessive genes, homozygote and heterozygote, monogenic and polygenic illnesses, etc.) are specified in the work. Genetic factors and their role in pathogenesis of such diseases as obesity, diabetes mellitus, oncologic diseases including actual for women breast and ovaries cancer, thrombophilia that have key value at pregnancy pathology, and osteoporosis which is especially dangerous for post-menopausal period women are presented. Introduction of molecular genetics methods in clinical practice opens new opportunities for medical services quality improvement and doctor effectiveness increase.


This invention relates to a method for controlling transmission of signals in network equipment of multi-route multie-hop relay network including: carrying out coherence coding to being transmitted signals, transmitting the multiple sequences by multiple routes, receiving the multiple signal sequences generated by the multi-route multiple coherence coding, carying out joint decoding to the signal sequences and carrying out coherence coding again to the signal sequence got from the joint decoding and transmitting them via multiple routes. This invention also provides a control device for controlling transmission of signals in the network equipment of multi-route and multi-hop relay network and related network equipment.


Cloud computing enables users with limited resources to accomplish complex computation. Meanwhile, the massive human body sensing data generated by Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) can be stored in cloud servers. However, cloud storage of human body sensing data is challenged by some issues. How can users ensure that cloud servers can return computing results and at the same time confirm that the results returned are correct? To address this problem, based on the argument system of commitment scheme, this paper designs a DMP verification algorithm. By compiling the hash of the header node into a constraint set and verifying the accuracy of the data of the intermediate node through a hash list, the algorithm reduces the compiling time of the intermediate node and improves the verification efficiency.


Prevalence of urine crystallization on the employees section of furnace PT. Vale Indonesia is 40% with temperatures above 280C. The measurement result from heat-work climate in the production of PT. Remco Palembang is 28,30C to 29,50C. This research aimed to analyze between heat-work climate, age, nutritional status, drinking water consumption, length of service, and work location with urine crystallization. This research used cross sectional design with all workers in production as population and 105 workers as sample. The sampling technique in this research used simple random sampling. The data analysis was performed using univariate and bivariate chi-square.The results showed the prevalence of positive crystallization of urine was 47,6%. Based on the bivariate analysis, that variables related to urine crystallization is heat-work climate (p-value = 0.017), age (p-value = 0.020), nutritional status (p-value=0.001), drinking water consumption (p-value=0.001), length of service (p-value=0.000), and work location (p-value=0.0017). It can be concluded, all variables in this study have relationship to the occurance of urine crystallization. Suggestions of this study include that workers consume drinking water 20 to 30 minutes once and company providing drinking water that is adequate and accessible to workers.


Introduction Patients who have undergone total joint arthroplasty have demonstrated elevated postoperative levels of the component metal ions (cobalt, chrome, titanium) in blood and urine. The metal ion release is due to wear particles produced by fretting and corrosion of the metal surfaces and interfaces. Postoperative levels may be many-fold greater than preoperative and normal population levels. The postoperative levels depend on a number of factors including component metals, implant design, and fixation. Fretting corrosion of spinal implants has been previously demonstrated. Elevated metal ion levels in tissue fluids might be expected, however there are significant differences in stress on the spinal implant when compared with a mobile joint bearing. The aim of this study is to determine whether component metal ions can be measured in the blood and urine of patients who have previously undergone surgery with spinal instrumentation. Methods Patients who had undergone surgery which included spinal instrumentation were recruited to the study. All had stainless steel implants. These cohorts were subdivided into two groups: those who had retained implants and those who had spinal implants which had been removed. A cohort of volunteers who had no metal implants served as controls. All subjects provide blood for serum nickel and serum chromium assays and (random) urine for measurement of chromium and creatinine. Serum chromium and nickel and urinary chromium/creatinine ratio were compared between groups. Non-parametric statistical analysis was used to test differences (MWU) and correlations (Spearman). A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results The study group consisted of 44 patients who had undergone surgery 5–25 years previously. The implants had been removed in 12 patients. The mean number of spinal levels at operation was 10 (range 3–18) and the mean number of couplings was 10 (range 2–18). The average age at follow-up was 36 years (range18–75). There was no difference in levels of serum nickel and blood chromium between controls and study cohorts. A significant difference between the controls and study groups was noted with the mean urinary chromium/ creatinine ratio being in the order of 100 times greater in the implant group. The mean level in the implant-retained group was1.6 times greater than in patients in whom the implants had been removed. The random urinary chromium/creatinine ratios correlated with the length of the instrumentation and the number of couplings in the spinal instrumentation. Conclusions A raised level of chromium excretion in patients with spinal implants suggests that metal ions are released from the implants by electrolytic and fretting-corrosion. Removal of the implant reduces the excretion levels but not to base-line levels. The blood levels of both metal ions tested were no different from controls suggesting that the kidney was able to adequately handle the release of chromium from the implant without a build-up of chromium in the blood.


Objective To find the favorable methods of recovering of hand functions during the hand injuries operation and postoperation.Methods retrospective analysis of clinical data were conducted in 156 cases with hand injuries.Results Tendon injuries were found in all cases,compound nervous injuries,phalanx,metacarpal bone fractures in parts of them,postoperative recovery was norma,the rate of excellent recovery was 83.89%.Conclusion The treatment of hand injuries with microsurgerical operation promptly is the precondition ensured recovery of hand functions,meanwhile,postoperation exercises of recovery of functions will help to improve hand functions.


This paper describes how recycling of asphalt pavements has received a great deal of attention as a practical and economical alternative in the rehabilitation of our deteriorating road system. Hot-mix recycling is used extensively in several states. Cold-mix recycling of asphalt pavements is also being evaluated. In a survey by the Asphalt Recycling and Reclaiming Association, State Departments of Transportation predict 11 million kN or 2-1/2 million tons of cold recycled mixes will be placed from 1982 to 1986. Mix design procedures are rapidly being established for hot-mix recycling. In general, blending curves are used to estimate the amount of recycling agent or soft asphalt to add in a hot-mix recycling project. Trial mixes are then prepared and tested using standard procedures. Several additional questions arise in the design of cold recycled mixes due primarily to the much slower rate at which the recycling agent and aged asphalt reach equilibrium. Cold-mix recycling is not unlike cold-mix construction using new materials. Mixing, laydown, and compaction are similar. With this in mind, emphasis was placed on examining mix properties rather than establishing the exact rate at which blending of the recycling agents and old asphalt occurs.


Understanding and controlling supramolecular organization in polymeric semiconductor materials is central for their exploitation in electronic devices. For example, regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (rr-P3HT) chains can self-assemble into lamellae, which results in effective field-effect mobilities of the order of 0.1 cm V s compared to mobilities several orders of magnitude lower in more disordered morphologies. Quasi-steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic studies of rr-P3HT and related polythiophene derivatives firmly establish that the nature of photoexcitations is fundamentally different in regioregular versus regiorandom materials. These differences extend to the direct charge photogeneration efficiency and the 3D delocalization of charged excitations, both of which are suggested to be higher in rrP3HT films. However, the extent of intermolecular electronic interaction in rr-P3HT still remains elusive. Studies on oligothiophene crystals indicate that the intermolecular electronic interactions can be substantial compared to intramolecular reorganization energies (placing these systems in the so-called "intermediate" electronic coupling regime) and that important differences in the consequences of these interactions are expected for oligomers with odd and even numbers of monomer units. Cofacial arrangement of conjugated molecules into stacked aggregates is expected to result in energetic splitting of the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular levels, producing new possible optical transitions between the resulting highest occupied state and the split excited states. If the supramolecular arrangement is perfectly cofacial, the lowest energy transition is predicted to be symmetry forbidden. Importantly, semiempirical quantum-chemical calculations show that the intermolecular electronic coupling decreases with increasing length of the molecules that form the H aggregate. This would predict a nearly vanishing electronic interaction term in well-ordered rr-P3HT films. Here we seek to make direct comparison with these theoretical predictions and to evaluate the consequences of supramolecular assembly on the photoluminescence (PL) decay rates of oligothiophene nanostructures. We investigate, by means of time-integrated and time-resolved PL spectroscopy, a series of three functionalized oligothiophenes that have been previously shown to self-assemble into chiral supramolecular stacks in semipolar solvents. These further self-assemble into vesicular structures. The functionalized oligothiophenes are model systems for unambiguously investigating intermolecular electronic coupling effects because the supramolecular assembly process in solution is thermotropically reversible with a well-defined transition temperature (28 °C for the sexithiophene derivative at concentrations of ∼ 2.6 × 10 M, with a width of approximately 20 °C), allowing direct comparison of the photophysics of assembled and dissolved systems. We find excellent agreement between the experimental data and the theoretical predictions described above. The molecular structure of the three oligothiophene derivatives is shown in Figure 1. These are oligomers consisting of five (1a), six (1b), or seven (1c) thiophene rings that are endcapped with oligoethyleneoxide groups with an enantiomerically pure chiral center (R,R). Figures 2a and b show the PL and absorption spectra of 1a, 1b, and 1c at temperatures significantly below (green, dashed traces) and above (red, continuous traces) the transition temperature for the dissolution of supramolecular nanostructures. The PL excitation (PLE) spectra of 1b and 1c are also shown (green, dotted lines). Above the transition temperature, the phase equilibrium is shifted firmly towards a molecular soluC O M M U N IC A IO N S


Aim To explore the change of distensibility,strain and stiffness of carotid in the patients with metabolic syndrome(MS). Methods The systolic and diastolic diameters of common carotid and carotid intima-media thickness(IMT) were measured with high-resolution ultrasonography in 33 healthy samples,76 nonMS samples and 83 MS samples,and arterial distensibility,arterial strain and arterial stiffness were calculated. Results The arterial distensibility and arterial strain were significantly decreased(P0.01) whereas arterial stiffness and mean IMT of common carotid artery were significantly elevated in MS group(P0.01) compared with control group and non-MS group.The arterial distensibility and arterial strain of right and left common carotid were negatively related to the number of MS components(P0.01),but the arterial stiffness of right and left common carotid were positively related to the number of MS components (P0.01). Conclusion Individuals with MS had decreased elasticity of artery, and accelerated arteriosclerosis.Ultrasonography of carotid artery was indicated to be an effective noninvasive method to detect cardiovascular disease in patients with MS.


Multidimensional Optimization of Devices via Adiabatic Loss Limiting (MODALL) is used to optimize the profile of both a taper (1D problem) and an interlayer transition (2D problem). Both devices are compared to their nominal linear counterparts through simulation and measurement confirming a significant improvement in transmission across the O-band.


There are double functions as "source" and "sink" for plant roots,which are important for substance and energy exchange between plant and soil.Fine roots contribute greatly to such behaviors.Studies on the dynamics of fine root growth and mortality are essential for understanding these behaviors.Caragana korshinskii Kom is a shrub species widely planted in the Loess Plateau,China.The objective of this study was to characterize the fine root dynamics of young(5-year-old) and mature(30-year-old) Caragana korshinskii plantations in Northwest Shanxi(China) using minirhizotron technique. Based on the data collected in the growing season(from April to September) of 2007,we analyzed the spatial-temporal patterns of fine root growth rate(G,mm cm-3 d-1) and fine root death rate(M,mm cm-3 d-1) of Caragana korshinskii in these two plantations,and the relationships of G and M with the environment factors such as soil temperature,soil water content,air temperature and precipitation.The results showed that the G and M were 0.1264 mm cm-3 d-1 and 0.0354 mm cm-3 d-1 in young plantation,while they were 0.0914 mm cm-3 d-1,0.0220 mm cm-3 d-1 in mature plantation.In the early growing season(April),the maximum values of G occurred at 40—50 cm and 10—20 cm soil layers in young and mature plantations,respectively.The maximum G occurred at deeper soil layer in the late growing season(May-September) in these two plantations.In the whole growing season,the maximum values of G occurred on average at 50—60 cm and 70—80 cm soil layers in these two plantations,respectively.The M in both plantations were higher in the top soil layer(0—50 cm) than in the bottom layer(50—100 cm) in the early growing season,and then reversed in the late growing season.The change trend of G with the process of growing season was similar for two plantations: the G increased rapidly from April to July and peaked in August,and then decreased in September.The differences were that the value of G was higher in young plantation than in mature plantation from April to August,but it was lower in the former than in the later at the end of growing season.The change trend of M was also similar for two plantations: the M increased continuously from April to the end of the growing season,while,the M was higher in young plantation than in mature plantation during the whole growing season. Paired-samples t test showed that there was no significant difference in G between these two plantations,while the M in young plantation was significantly higher than that in mature plantation(P0.05).Pearson correlation coefficients indicated that there were no significant correlations between the vertical distribution of G and these environment factors(P0.05) in both plantations,while a significant correlation existed between the vertical distribution of M and the soil temperature in young(P0.01) and mature(P0.05) plantations.There was a significant relationship between the seasonal changes of G and air / soil temperature(P0.05) in young plantation,whereas the relationship between the seasonal changes of G and air / soil factor was insignificant(P0.05) in mature plantation.Meanwhile no significant relationships were found between M and these environment factors(P0.05) in both plantations.


The objective of this paper is to study the suitability of the parallel hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) type power-train for a real tractor - the John Deere 9370 R tractor. The HEV power-train model is developed in MATLAB and Simulink environment using its add-ons such as control systems and Sims-cape libraries. The HEV power-train model contains two power sources: 1. the engine is modeled using power vs. speed and torque vs. speed look-up tables, and 2. the electrical system is modeled using Simulink library. A single motor is utilized for the both purposes, to start the engine and to supply additional power to the wheels when required. This motor also works as a generator and charges the Li – ion battery in two modes known as cruise mode and parking/ charging mode. The power split device as we see in the modern HEVs such as Toyota Prius is replaced by a clutch and gear mechanism to add the torques through a pair of parallel shafts, like trans-axle of Ford Escape HEV model. The lock-up clutch of the torque converter and the motor clutch engages according to the power requirement at wheels and the battery state of charge (SOC%). The gear mechanism is synchronous cone and hub type, as we see in the manual gear box, is used to switch power flows in three ways like power sources to wheels, engine to the generator, and motor to the engine to start the engine. In the case of off-road applications, we require different torque outputs at the draw bar and wheels of the tractor. Hence, a 5 – speed automatic transmission is used in between the sources and final drive. Furthermore, the model is controlled using three PI – controllers, a vehicle speed PI – controller, which is a central controller of the system and two sub PI – controllers to control engine speed and motor torque. The model is tested in 3 three simulations. Firstly, the response of the system is studied to a step input signal. Secondly, the effect of the road grade angle on the performance of the system is investigated. Finally, the efficiency of PI controllers is observed by studying the behavior of the system using a drive cycle.


The purpose of this study was to find out how the PPKn learning process was based on controversial issues in the media of active debate collaboration in increasing the development of multiple intelligence for eighth grade students at SMP Muhammadiyah 7 Surakarta. This type of research used in this study is classroom action research (CAR), also known as classroom action research. The study was conducted collaboratively and participatively between researchers and PPKn subject teachers, where researchers who observed the occurrence of the process of action in class and followed the course of action from the beginning to the end of the study. The teacher is only tasked to take action, namely applying the PPKn learning method based on controversial issues in the media of active debate collaboration can develop multiple intelligence students of class VIII SMP Muhammadiyah 7 Surakarta. The assessment results show that the teaching and learning activities of PPKn that raise controversial issues with collaborative active debate methods can be implemented well and fairly smoothly. Students are active in participating in teaching and learning activities during the observation period. Multiple student intelligence measured by assessment using a questionnaire based on several assessment indicators of the research results showed a significant increase, from initial conditions to action during two cycles there was an increase from initial conditions 31.82% increased to 54.55%, and finally covered 90 , 91% or as many as 20 students out of 20 students. The results of the evaluation give the result that the implementation of active debate discussion with the debate material on controversial issues has been carried out with 100% student activity, meaning that students are able to participate and participate in active debate discussions very well.


The existence of women in Indonesian politics has been controlled by election law especially with affirmative action pattern and zipper system. In consequence, North Sulawesi Province placed itself at a percentage of 33.3 percent or 15 legislators out of 45 from the total number of all women's representation in all the Provincial People's Representative Council of Indonesia in the period of 20142019. Related to this phenomenon, the researcher wants to see how the political communication of women legislator in carrying out their duties and functions. Does gender difference affect the political communication of women and men legislators? To dissect the problem, researcher uses a qualitative approach with 10 informants from 15 female legislators. The findings of the study show that female legislators have understood if they exist in the North Sulawesi Provincial People's Representative Council because of the political party that carries them. Therefore, female legislators should be able to synergize with the faction as an extension of the political party. In the implementation of the plenary meeting, the female legislators have been given the role to appear to read out the general views of the fraction or the final opinion of the fraction. Women legislators, especially those who have two more periods utilize the moment of the Plenary Meeting, and usually attended by the executive to convey complaints about development in their election areas that have not been touched and noticed. All women legislators say gender does not influence them to express opinions, advises, and lobbies, etc. Keywords— women, political communication, and self-concept.


Re: 0 o was admitted to hospital as a day case for the removal of an impacted wisdom tooth. Postoperatively, she complained of extreme swelling and numbness on the left side of her tongue and face and the inner aspect of her right cheek. It became apparent that the left lingual nerve had been divided during the course of the surgery. In addition, a dental bur had fractured during the surgery which had not been detected by the surgeons. o underwent 3 months of physiotherapy. 2 months post-operatively her own dentists removed a small loose piece of bone from the socket site. 5 months post-operatively, the fractured dental bur was detected and 3 months later 0 underwent further surgery to repair the lingual nerve and remove the fractured dental bur. Until the remedial surgery was performed, the Plaintiff suffered permanent left-sided facial pain and numbness, dribbling and slurred speech together with of haemorrhage and infection. However, in addition, adequate warnIngs concermng the irreversibility, appropriate resting, postoperative sperm counts, and the rare event of spontaneous reversibility should all be mentioned. In latter times, discussion concerning the possibility of carcinoma risk should also be mentioned with an up to date appraisal of current research specified in layman's terms. As a generalisation, GPs who are slipshod and lax in these basic principles are more likely to be the ones that take unnecessary risks at the expense of their patients with resultant litigation.


Cyberbullying is defined as a form of online aggression and a growing phenomenon widespread. Its impact is greater than traditional bullying as it results in more severe mental health problems specially among children and adolescents. This research tried to identify the relationship between cyberbullying and parental mediation. We applied The Kids on Line interview to describe risks and opportunities in the use of Internet in children and adolescents. Results indicated that parental mediation and better quality of relationships are associated with less problematic use of the Internet and less presence of social risk behaviors, drug use, aggression among adolescents and cyberbullying.


Abstract This paper investigates the low-energy electrons emitted from metal cracks. A mathematical model of low-energy electron emission from metals was established. A low-energy electron sensor system with a double grid air counter core was designed to measure the number of electrons emitted. The experiment was performed on 2024 Al. The results show that the detection system is effective for testing the number of low-energy electrons. When a crack expands due to applied force, the number of electrons detected increases with force, which shows that the double grid air counter sensor system can judge the development of cracks by measuring the number of low-energy electrons. The number of electrons detected increases with temperature, which verifies that the temperature influences low-energy electron emission.


In many countries Inland navigation is taking a high flight nowadays. The Increase of number, size and speed of Inland shipping calls for reconstruction of existing bank revetments and Installation of new protective works on navigable rivers and existing or newly built canals. New methods of bank protection are developed to speed up production and reduce costs at the same time by mechanisation. Asphaltmlxes are very suitable for a mechanised production, though up till recently several problems prevented its general use in the field of bank protection. The main problems orglnated from the difficulty of application under water and from the watertlghtness of the product. In Holland, where the use of asphalt mixes in hydraulic engineering is attractive not only for technical reasons, but also from an economical point of view because of the scarcences of raw materials such as stone, this was a challenge for Industry to design new asphalt mixes and application methods. BITUMARIN, a Dutch company specialising in asphalt applications in hydraulic engineering, made extensive studies also on methods of bank protection, and already developed several techniques and application methods in this field, which might be worth mentioning. In this note some observations are made on design requirements for bituminous revetments and its consequences for the actual design in practice.


The state of bridges in the United States is the focus of this article, as it takes a look at data released by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Bridges are assessed, not just in terms of condition, but from a true safety and risk perspective. A table of deficient bridges by state is included. New tools for analyzing bridge conditions, such as web-based software and protocols for load-rating bridges, are discussed. Accelerated bridge construction is also mentioned.


Knowledge of Greater (Rhea americana) and Lesser (Pterocnemia pennata) rheas, both native to South America, are important for the purpose of conservation of wild populations as well as the potential commercialisation of captive bred animals.Whereas the different subspecies of Greater rheas are distributed through Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, habitat of Lesser rheas are mainly limited to the Argentine and Chilean Patagonia.The two Andean subspecies (Pterocnemia pennata garleppi and Pterocnemia pennata tarapacensis) of Lesser rheas are endangered in the wild. Information on divergences between rhea and other ratite taxa are still inconclusive. Anatomy and standard metabolism of rheas in general are in agreement with that of other ratite and avian species.Vigilance is an important component of daily activities. In contrast to adult birds, several different vocalizations can be distinguished in young chicks. Rheas, that reach sexual maturity between 20 and 24 months of age, can be described as polygynandric in that males are simultaneously polygynous, whereas the females are sequentially polyandrous. Only 5 to 6% of the male population bred successfully each year in the wild. Rheas are ground-nesting birds with females laying eggs for up to 12 different males during the laying season, and males incubating the eggs for a period of around 42 days. Rheas are characterised by high rates of nest desertion (65%) commonly associated with egg predation, orphan eggs laid far away from active nests, and egg stealing between males. In the wild males took care of the chicks for 4 to 6 months, with chick adoption from other broods a common phenomenon. As with other ratites rheas grow at exceptionally slow rates, with a final mature live weight of around 25 kg, depending on gender. The digestive system of the rhea is characterised by a relative huge caeca and colon, which may serve as fermentation chambers for the utilisation of fibre. Diseases and parasites commonly found in other ratites also occur in rheas. Conservation and commercialisation of rheas are hampered by a lack of knowledge about the biology and requirements of these species.


This paper proves a combinatorial rule giving all maximal and minimal partitions λ such that the Schur function sλ appears in a plethysm of two arbitrary Schur functions. Determining the decomposition of these plethysms has been identified by Stanley as a key open problem in algebraic combinatorics. As corollaries we prove three conjectures of Agaoka on the partitions labelling the lexicographically greatest and least Schur functions appearing in an arbitrary plethysm. We also show that the multiplicity of the Schur function labelled by the lexicographically least constituent may be arbitrarily large. The proof is carried out in the symmetric group and gives an explicit non‐zero homomorphism corresponding to each maximal or minimal partition.


The function of the ductless glands may be investigated by two principal methods. The first method may be illustrated by the effects of the loss of the gland by disease, experimental removal, or extirpation, in which case the resulting symptoms are assumed to be the result of a hypoactivity of the gland, or of its absence. The second method consists essentially in the introduction of the gland, or of its extracts or secretions into the body of an experimental animal in order to produce reactions, which may be comparable to those brought about by an exaggeration of the glandular activity. The function of the secretion of the anterior lobe of the pituitary body has been investigated by both of these methods. However, it is only in recent years, that the technique of the experimental investigation has been sufficiently perfected to allow one to make any very definite conclusions in regard to the functions of the gland. Besides the difficulty of the technical procedures, the problem has also been complicated by the effect of the hormone of the anterior hypophysis on other glands, especially the gonads, whose modes of functioning were also incompletely understood. Furthermore it would now seem that there is not one hormone secreted by the anterior lobe of the hypophysis, but three or possibly four. As far as we have been able to ascertain, Horsley was the first to publish regarding the experimental removal of the pituitary gland. He stated that he had removed the pituitary body from two dogs which were sacrificed at the end of five and six months respectively and that hypophysectomy led to no disturb-


ABSTRACT A device to induce pollination in tomatoes grown out of season has been developed. Two prototypes versions were constructed: one tractor-mounted for field-grown tomatoes and one back-pack model for green-house-grown tomatoes. Both models employ a pulsating air jet as a vibration energy carrier. In field tests the use of these prototypes resulted in an increased pollination rate and greater yield of tomatoes.


A comparison study on computer programs for analysis of floating structures is carried out. Two floating production platform scenarios are used: A deep column stabilised floater (DDF), and a turret moored production ship (TPS). Hydrodynamic quantities like first order forces, added mass, damping and transfer functions as well as second order forces are computed. Further, responses at wave frequency and low frequency regimes are computed in certain wave conditions. 23 institutions delivered data to the study. Samples of the collected data sets are presented in plots and tables. Parts of the data (especially second order forces and responses) showed a considerable scatter. In this paper we discuss the reasons for the observed scatter as well as different measures for quality control that can be used to reduce the uncertainty of computed results. Finally, different aspects of computing hydrodynamic quantities and design values (extreme motion excursions) of the two sample platforms in concern and of floating production systems in general are discussed.


Bacteria or germs cause this type of infection. There are many causes of urinary tract infections. Some of these are: • not being able to empty the bladder completely • concentrated urine due to not drinking enough and this allows bacteria to grow • a decreased ability to fight an infection due to a medical problem, poor diet or stress • irritation of the urethra and/or the bladder from an indwelling catheter


Approximations for the univariate normal integral are employed to develop a simple approximation in terms of elementary functions for the bivariate normal integral. The accuracy of the approximation is quite sufficient for many practical cases.


This paper presents the effect of convection heat flow across the ground surface on the thermal rating of three single-core, 132kV, XLPE cables buried underground. The cable was modelled for thermal analysis using the Finite Element Method (FEM). This study demonstrates the use of FEM to investigate the effect of convection on the rating of buried cables in flat formations using QuickField Finite Element Simulation software under steady-state heat transfer analysis. As a result, developing a model to simulate this type of situation necessitates important considerations such as the following boundary conditions: burial depth, soil thermal resistivity, and soil temperature, which play an important role in the simulation's accuracy and reliability. The results show that when the ground surface is taken as a convection interface, the conductor temperature rises and may exceed the maximum permissible temperature when rated current flows. This is because the ground surface acts as a convection interface between the soil and the air (fluid). This result correlates when compared with the results obtained using the IEC60287 analytical method, which is based on the condition that the ground surface is an isotherm.


The introduction of uReply, a student response system (SRS), in the advanced financial accounting course for accounting and finance students at a university in Hong Kong provided an opportunity to measure the student perception of using SRS. The study was conducted over the advanced financial accounting classes, with 120 students participated in the use of SRS. Forty students completed surveys two months after the completion of the semester. The result of the questionnaire shows that students' perception of using SRS is positive in advanced financial accounting classes.


Objective:To introduce the theories and practice of pharmaceutical analytical informatics.Methods:Theories and practice of pharmaceutical analytical informatics are explained on resolution of pharmaceutical analytical data,research and development of new analytical instruments and its latest applications.Results:Progress has been made in pharmaceutical analytical informatics in recent years,including data resolution,instrumental intellectualtization and metabolomics,etc.Conclusion:Pharmaceutical analytical informatics has become an important part of modern pharmaceutical analysis.


In this note we construct an anti-symplectic involution on the non-, symplectic 4-manifold which is constructed by Thurston and show that the quotient of the Thurston`s 4-manifold is not symplectic. Also we construct a non-, symplectic 4-manifold using the Gomph`s symplectic sum method and an anti-symplectic involution on the non-, symplectic 4-manifold.


During the Twelfth National Five-Years Plan of China, transportation development will front resource constraints and environmental pressures increases, therefore, in the Integrated Transportation Network Development Plan of China, environmental protection will be put in a more prominent strategic position. From the perspective of resource conservation and environmental protection, comparative analysis is made respectively from target level, principle level, and technique level among China Integrated Transport Network Medium and Long-term Development Plan (2007), the U.S. Transportation Network Development Plan —Transport Vision 2030 (2008), and the Federal German Transport Development Plan (2003) in the paper. The key similarities and differences of green transportation planning at different levels including the target, principle, and technique among three countries are illustrated. Environmental protection programs and environment improvement measures of China are compared with that of U.S. and Germany. Based on the analysis in the gap of environmental protection between China and the other two developed countries, the existing issues of environmental protection work of China is identified, and the basic suggestions of environmental protection are proposed, which plays great significance in establishing a resource-saving and environment-friendly transportation system in China.


We conducted an experiment to evaluate the statistical efficiency of human for discrimination between 3-D symmetry, i.e., the 3-D pattern symmetrical about a sagittal plane, and 3-D random which was non-symmetrical about a sagittal plane but symmetrical about a vertical axis in the fronto-parallel projection plane. We added Gaussian depth noise to the 3-D symmetry pattern and the 3-D random pattern. The discriminability (d′) of the observers was obtained, and was compared with that of the ideal cross correlator. In general, the efficiency was lower than that for 2-D symmetry discrimination, but similar to that for other 3-D tasks using dot stereograms. Moreover, the efficiency for 3-D symmetry discrimination was lower when the pattern was composed of more elements, and it decreased along with increment of the noise variance in longer duration condition (1500ms). From this result, we estimated the number of elements which observer sampled in performing the task.


Johar (Cassia seamea) is a medicinal plant with a cassiarin A compound to combat malaria and has a low Cassiarin A is an active compound in Johar (Cassia seamea) medicinal plant capable of combating malaria, despite showing a low seed production rate due to dormancy. This inactivity is severed using gibberellic acid (GA3) treatments. This study aims to determine the effects of concentration and soaking period of GA3 on seed germination and growth of Johar seedlings. A completely randomized design (CRD), consisting of 2 treatments was applied as the research method. The first treatment employed GA3 concentrations of 0, 45, 90 and 135 ppm, while the second was based on the soaking interval at 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours. The results showed the capacity of GA3 able to shatter the seed dormancy with percentage germination of 43.03% and a concentration of 50.28 ppm. Therefore, the interaction of the two treatments significantly influenced the growth of Johar seedlings. Consequently, the concentration of GA3 at 79.89 ppm increased the root length to 52.19 cm, while 84.68 ppm produced a total of 20.91 roots, after a 6 hour soaking. In addition, the 96.67 ppm expanded the stem diameter by 0.93 cm.


Single-input-multiple-load converter systems sharing a common input DC voltage bus is becoming popular in DC power distribution. Due to the convenience of using conventional voltage-source systems for connecting a common bus voltage with multiple downstream loads, the same configuration is often adopted for current-source systems, where design optimization can be achieved without an intermediate (bus) voltage regulator. However, the stability of such cascaded current-source systems is still relatively unexplored or incomplete, though the associated basic circuit theory has been well established. In this paper, steady-state operating points are obtained by applying power balance between the current-source output converter and the downstream converters. The incremental change of the input power versus the input impedance of the downstream converters is derived. The stability of such current-source converter systems is re-visited using an impedance-based approach. A general set of impedance-based stability criteria is developed and experimentally verified by a DC bus system consisting of a current source output converter and two PWM power converters.


With the development of the circular collider, it is necessary to make accurate physics experimental measurements of particle properties at higher luminosity [Formula: see text] pole. Micro-pattern gaseous detectors (MPGDs), which contain gaseous electron multiplier (GEM) and micro-mesh gaseous structures (Micromegas), have excellent potential for development as the readout devices of the time projection chamber (TPC) tracker detector. To meet the updated physics requirements of the high luminosity [Formula: see text] from the preliminary concept design report (preCDR) to concept design report (CDR) at the circular electron–positron collider (CEPC). In this paper, the space charge distortion of the TPC detector is simulated with the CEPC beam structure. Using the multi-physics simulation software package, the distribution of ion estimated by Geant4 is used as the input for the differential equation, and the relationship between the ion density distribution and electric field in the detector chamber is simulated. These simulation results show that the maximum deviation for Higgs [Formula: see text] meets the performance requirements in CEPC TPC detector at the high luminosity [Formula: see text] pole, while it is still a considerable challenge for [Formula: see text] pole, with the maximum deviation [Formula: see text]. According to the previous developments, the cascaded structure of GEM and Micromegas detector has been measured. The new considerations of the detector's requirements were given, the gain needs to be reached to about 2000 with IBF[Formula: see text]Gain under 0.1, and IBF means the ions back flow ratio of the detector. The pixel TPC is a potential option to replace the traditional MPGDs with the low gain, low occupancy, and outstanding pattern recognition. Finally, some update parameters and experiments results were compared.


The question of formation and activity of the All-Russian extreme commission and local extreme commissions is one of the most actual aspects of development of the Soviet state. This article runs about preconditions of their formation, fixing and expansion of the competence sphere, influence on this process of various political forces. The article deals with the interaction of the All-Russian extreme commission with some bodies of the government.


Since China's merger control regime under the Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) was established in 2008, the enforcement record has given rise to growing concern that the system is inherently biased against foreign multinationals. This article conducts an analysis of the evolution of China's merger review system to assess this charge and its implications. China's steady economic development fueled by foreign investment has led to a domestic market featuring strong foreign presence. Foreign-domestic competition figured as an important issue for the policymakers, especially in anticipation of China's entry into the WTO. This concern precipitated the establishment in 2003 of the country's first merger review system, which only applied to M&As by and between foreign companies. Although the AML on its face applies generally to both foreign and Chinese firms, enforcement authorities have only intervened in foreign takeovers. China's merger control regime is different from that of mature market economies and has significant implications for itself as well as foreign investors.


Wood was plasticized with several solvents for cellulose and lignin, i. e. dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), and DMSO solutions of SO2 (SO2-DMSO), of SO2-diethylamine complex (SO2-DEA-DMSO), and of N2O4 (N2O4-DMSO), and the plasticized wood specimens were set under a constant deformation condition by displacing the solvents with water followed by drying. The residual stress in the plasticized wood specimens under torsional deformation and the elastic modulus of torsion were measured during the displacement and drying process. Furthermore, the residual deformation in bending after successive steps of the process and the springback of the set specimens in water were determined. The most effective setting was obtained by the treatment with N2O4-DMSO. A highly effective setting, compared with the drying-set of untreated wood, was also obtained by the treatment with other solvents. The viscosity measurement of cellulose and lignin solutions in these solvents and X-ray study of the treated wood suggest that the decrystallization of wood with N2O4-DMSO and the swelling of lignin in wood with the solvents promote the flow of the network constituting wood substances and that the successive rearrangement of the network during the removal of solvents with water and subsequent drying fixes the deformation of the specimens. (Received Apr. 23, 1975)


Both cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2 promote breast cancer progression; however, the relationship between the two molecules remains unclear. We utilized human breast cancer tissues and cell lines to examine whether COX-2 and HER-2 played independent or interdependent roles in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C up-regulation and lymphangiogenesis. A paired correlation of immunodetectable levels of COX-2, VEGF-C, and HER-2 proteins and lymphovascular density (LVD; D2-40-immunolabeled) in 55 breast cancer specimens revealed a positive correlation between COX-2 and HER-2 irrespective of clinicopathological status. However COX-2 alone positively correlated with LVD. In 10 independent specimens, mRNA levels showed a positive correlation between HER-2 and COX-2 or VEGF-C but not LYVE-1 (lymphovascular endothelial marker). These findings implicate COX-2, but not HER-2, in breast cancer–associated lymphangiogenesis. Manipulation of the COX-2 or HER-2 genes in breast cancer cell lines varying widely in COX-2 and HER-2 expression revealed a direct role of COX-2 and an indirect COX-2 dependent role of HER-2 in VEGF-C up-regulation: (i) high VEGF-C expression in high COX-2 ⁄ low HER-2 expressing MDA-MB-231 cells was reduced by siRNA-mediated down-regulation of COX-2 , but not HER-2 ; (ii) integration of HER-2 in these cells simultaneously up-regulated COX-2 protein as well as VEGF-C secretion; and (iii) low VEGF-C secretion by high HER-2 ⁄ low COX-2 expressing SK-BR-3 cells was stimulated by COX-2 overexpression. These findings of the primary role of COX-2 and the COX-2-dependent role of HER-2, if any, in VEGF-C up-regulation and lymphangiogenesis suggest that COX-2 inhibitors may abrogate lymphatic metastasis in breast cancer irrespective of HER-2 status. ( Cancer Sci 2010; 101: 2026– 2032


Current studies on the promotion of agricultural saving-water technology place more emphasis on supply but seem less on demand.It would be useful to investigate the problem in the view of demand for agricultural saving-water technology.The authors adopted 163 groups of data from a questionnaire survey in the unit of the peasant household of the Yongding River basin.Then a regression model was utilized to analyze how three variables,i.e.,cultivation cost,cultivation yield and capital investment,affect farmers' utilization proportion of agricultural water-saving technologies,i.e.,low-pressure pipe technology and drip irrigation technology.Results indicate: 1) due to motivations in reducing farming costs and the rise in farming output,the peasant households in well irrigation areas of the Yongding River basin show a strong desire to take advantage of agricultural saving-water technology,but the peasant households in ditch irrigation areas do not show this kind of economical consideration;2) capital investment plays a more important role in utilizing agricultural water-saving technologies than the factors of cultivation cost and cultivation yield;3) external constraints for promotion of agricultural saving-water technology include the natural condition,management system,technical concept,overall economic environment,water price standards,water charges ways and crop structure.In the process of forming demand for agricultural saving-water technology,seven external constraints can affect the demand for agricultural saving-water technology through inducing the changes in capital investment,cultivation yield and cultivation cost.Basically,current agricultural saving-water technology is still not able to become universal public goods in local areas.In some well irrigation areas where the demand for agricultural saving-water technology has emerged,the low-pressure pipe technology is the choice by local present households' collective rational decision-making.This has been shown to be the most appropriate technology for local development.Meanwhile,some problems regarding management and systems need to be solved promptly so as to eliminate the barrier restraining technology promotion.Promotion of drip irrigation technology can be realized at a proper time in the future and the spray irrigation technology was found to be not suitable for the study area.To solve these problems,much effort should be made in rural land property system reform,establishing promotion organization of agricultural saving-water technology,perfecting the ecological compensation system,agricultural water price system reform and adjusting the crop structure.


Acknowledgments Preface 1. No Escaping the Science 2. Growth Fetishism 3. The Consumer Self 4. Many Forms of Denial 5. Disconnection from Nature 6. Is There a Way Out? 7. The Four-Degree World 8. Reconstructing a Future Appendix: Greenhouse Gases Notes Index


This volume appropriately contains papers that describe three major modeling approaches: (1) the LISREL model pioneered by Joreskog, (2) the partial least squares (PLS) approach developed by Wold, and (3) the confirmatory multidimensional scaling model(s) developed by Carroll, Kruskal, and others. In the first chapter, Fornell provides a thoughtful discussion of the common points among the three approaches. He shows that each one bridges the "gap" beEDITOR: Roger A. Kerin


In this letter, a highly compact, bidirectional, wideband 6-bit resolution passive phase shifter (PS) is presented in low-cost 130-nm CMOS technology. A compact Lange differential hybrid is designed in this letter to provide quadrature signals from the input. The compact Lange hybrid is followed by a switching matrix that generates weighted sums of the quadrature signals to cover 360° and additional controlled loss using single pole single throw (SPST) switches. The matrix consists of 12 transistors, each of which is controlled by a three-level gate voltage (0, 0.6, and 1.2 V) providing higher resolution in phase shifts. The chip achieves the state-of-the-art performance with 10-dB insertion loss across 28–38 GHz. The chip also achieves an rms gain error of 0.6 dB and an rms phase error of 3° in the bandwidth, consuming no dc power and only 0.15 mm2 including baluns.


The research area is very interesting to study to determine the characterization
of the active tectonic influence of the Cisanggarung watershed, West Java. The
research area is in Kuningan Regency, West Java. The purpose of this study was
to determine the Relative Tectonic Activity Index (Iatr) in the Cisanggarung
Watershed. Through the method approach used to identify the Relative
Tectonic Activity Index (Iatr) using geomorphic indexes, watershed asymmetry
factors (Af), watershed shape index (Bs), valley width, and height valley ratio
(Vf), and mountainous face sinusitis (Smf). The Iatr research area is divided
into 4 classes: Class 1 (very high), class 2 (high), class 3 (medium), and class 4
(low). Iatr distribution in 14 sub-watersheds covering an area of 286.24 km2 is
Class 1 around 14.44% of the watershed area (41.35 km2) which is located in
sub-watershed 1, with Smf values 1.157, Vf 0.3, Af 72.15, and Bs 4.3. Class 2
around 28.67% of the watershed area (82.09 km2) is located in sub-watershed
14, with Smf values 1.26, Vf 0.77, Af 15.69, Bs 1.01. Class 3 around 54.16% of
the watershed area (155.03 km2) is located in sub-watersheds 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10,
11, 12, with an average value of Smf 2, Vf 1.54, Af 51.77, Bs 1.75, and Class 4
about 2.71% of the watershed area (7.76 km2) is located in sub- watersheds 4,
5, 9, 13, with an average value of Smf 2.25, Vf 8.18, Af 55.2, Bs 1.65. The results
of the morphometric analysis indicated that the study area was mostly affected
by tectonics and erosion.


With the development of economy and expansion of cities in China, land resource for construction is becoming scarce. Some important infrastructures, such as airports are located in mountainous areas where the engineering geological conditions are complicated. Due to the limitations of natural conditions like steep terrain and deep-cutting gorges, the high embankment engineering has no natural sloping conditions. So the stability of high embankment engineering possesses a critical problem at present. Since the specific structure of the geo-grid can embed and occlude the soil particles, structure of reinforced retaining wall with geo-grid is widely used in high embankment engineering. However, there are very few theoretical explanations of such design. Here, we present a theoretical calculation of reinforced retaining wall with geo-grid based on strength reduction finite element method. This paper also proves the adaptability of reinforced retaining wall with geo-grid in the engineering under complicated geological conditions and the reliability of the established calculation method in the design and calculation of reinforced retaining wall with geo-grid.


This is a monograph that presents both a comprehensive literature review and original research results on the diffusion and the implications of e-business technologies. The diffusion of e-business technologies among firms is regarded as part of the ongoing process of technological change and economic development. It is shown that increasing returns to adoption can arise if the technologies do not substitute each other in their functionalities, leading to an endogenous acceleration mechanism of technological development. Hence, the probability to adopt any e- business technology is hypothesized to be an increasing function of previously adopted, related technologies. Early mover advantages can exist until the early mover has exhausted all possibilities of the new technological paradigm that promise positive returns on investment. Thus, history matters for the technological development of a firm and adoption decision today affect the expected value of any other related technology in the future. The existence of the endogenous acceleration mechanism has important implications for the management of new technologies, the performance of enterprises, the development of market structures and entire economies. The theory is empirically tested and supported in four independent inquiries, using two different exceptionally large datasets and different econometric methods. The existence of a growing digital divide among companies is demonstrated for the period between 1994 and 2002. In addition, the adoption of new e-business technologies by firms creates opportunities to conduct innovation, either to reduce the costs for a given output, to create a new product or service, or to deliver products to customers in a way that is new to the enterprise. Hence, it is argued that the adoption of new technologies does have strategic relevance for firms. Empirical evidence is presented showing that e-business technologies are currently an important enabler of innovations. It is found that innovative firms are more likely to grow. Also, e-business related innovations are at the very least not inferior to traditional kinds of innovations in terms of simultaneous occurrence with superior financial performance of enterprises. The study takes an interdisciplinary approach by relating both to the economics and the management literature, with the objective to show complementarities between both research fields and to draw conclusions for both kinds of audiences.


A concise, incremental algorithm for raster approximations to ellipses in standard position produces approximations that are good to the last pixel even near octant boundaries or the thin ends of highly eccentric ellipses. The resulting approximations commute with reflection about the diagonal and are mathematically specifiable without reference to details of the algorithm.


The linear combination of atomic orbitals discrete variational method is used to investigate the electronic structure and interatomic interactions of small transition metal particles in the local density theory. Binding energy curves to two‐, three‐, and four‐atom clusters of Fe, Ni, and Pt are calculated at different geometries, and some Fe–Ni clusters are also studied. We thus determined effective pairwise potentials, and three‐ and four‐body effects in an energy expansion by fitting to the binding‐energy vs distance data. Use of these data in generating effective potentials for molecular dynamics simulations is discussed. Relativistic effects are estimated for the Pt systems.


OBJECTIVE To investigate the distribution behavior of propranolol enantiomers in the aqueous and organic phase containing a chiral selector S, S-tartrate, and to establish the optima chiral extraction conditions.METHODS The influence of pH in aqueous phase, the stoichiometry relation of selector concentration and enantiomers concentration, organic solvents and different alkyl chains of S, S-tartrates on the extraction performance were investigated. On these extraction conditions, the calorimetry was analysed on extraction process. The application effect of multi-step extractive separation was researched by hollow fiber membrane.RESULTS S, S-di-n-dodecylltartrate was used as chiral selector, chloroform was used as organic solvent,pH in aqueous phase was about 4.4, and the enantiomers concentration was about 5.0 mmol·L-1. The process was demonstrated thermodynamically to be a process controlled by enthalpy and entropy at the same time. The concentration ratio of S to R (1.46) was obtained in the aqueous phase by hollow fiber membrane extraction. CONCLUSION It is feasible for enantioselective separation of propranolol enantiomers under appropriate chiral extractions.


The striatum is the main input structure of the basal ganglia and is involved in voluntary motor control, habit learning and reward processing. Medium spiny neurons (MSNs) comprise 80% and 95% of striatal neurons in primates and rodents, respectively, while the remaining population is made up of gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic (GABAergic) and cholinergic interneurons. Up to 90% of MSNs are specifically lost in Huntington's disease (HD), which is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by an extended CAG-repeat mutation in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. Although the exact mechanism by which mutant Htt protein disrupts striatal cell homeostasis and leads to MSN loss remains largely unknown, several studies using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patients have proven that this could be a powerful platform for understanding HD (Camnasio et al., 2012; Consortium, 2012). Furthermore, with no disease-modifying treatment currently available, cell replacement has long been recognized as a potential therapy for HD. Human fetal tissue from the ganglionic eminences, the developmental birthplace of striatal neurons, has been used as a proof-of-principle in both pre-clinical animal studies and clinical trials (Dunnett and Rosser, 2014). However, fetal tissue is in limited supply, involves ethical concerns and therapeutic product derived from it is impossible to quality-control; all of which could be avoided by using human PSCs (hPSCs) as a source of tissue for transplantation. In order to exploit the full potential of hPSCs, a robust differentiation paradigm is required to obtain an enriched population of MSNs in vitro and in vivo following transplantation. This article will be focused on a recent discovery of a novel approach to generate MSNs from hPSCs using Activin A (Arber et al., 2015).


This failure is no new thing. For more than a quarter of a million years various types of humanity have waxed and waned-the prey of adverse natural conditions or of human, animal, insect, or bacterial enemies that they could not withstand. But it is unique because it is happening at a time when man's power to control his environment is historically unsurpassed. We are the unwitting victims not of some inimical external force, but of the social traditions we have ourselves evolved.


Venus surface has been studied extensively using SAR (synthetic aperture radar) –imagery provided by the NASA Magellan mission in 1990 1994. The radar images with ~98% coverage and resolution of ~100 m may be used in order to understand the global suite of surface structures, and to analyze single features and their formation processes using photogeological approaches and methods. This study recognizes and catalogues four Venusian surface structure types, the coronae, arachnoids, novae and corona-novae. The study goals are: a) To provide a thorough survey of the four Venusian volcano-tectonic feature groups (characteristics, distribution, measurements of size and location), and to defend the recognization of the feature groups, a. 596 coronae, 139 arachnoids, 74 novae and 35 corona-novae b) To present a characterization method that is based on the generalized governing geological units: I deformation zones, II plains, III tessera, and IV regions with volcanic concentration, c) To present results on the observations of formational processes: a. Arachnoids display implications for at least three different formational origin b. Model of corona-novae formation provides theoretical explanations to meet the observations of the individual features c. Observations of young arcuate tectonic features on the flanks of some of the volcano-tectonic features located in the rift zone –region All gathered information supply to the goal of understanding Venus. As a single plate planet without plate tectonics, an alternate heat flow mechanism is in effect. The volcano-tectonic features may be part of the solution.


We present a relaxation-based dynamic programming algorithm for solving resource-constrained shortest-path problems (RCSPPs) in the context of column generation for the dial-a-flight problem. The resulting network formulation and pricing problem require solving RCSPPs on extremely large time-expanded networks having a huge number of local resource constraints, i.e., constraints that apply to small subnetworks. The relaxation-based dynamic programming algorithm alternates between a forward and a backward search. Each search employs bounds derived in the previous search to prune the search space. Between consecutive searches, the relaxation is tightened using a set of critical resources and a set of critical arcs over which these resources are consumed. As a result, a relatively small state space is maintained, and many paths can be pruned while guaranteeing that an optimal path is ultimately found.


T HE development of the various branches of physical science has never proceeded from well-defined beginnings to deliberately chosen ends. At first it was impossible to discern either a beginning or an end. On the contrary, investigation progressed from commonplace observations to intimately related phenomena. Like Abraham of old, the primitive scientists went out not knowing whither they went. In the last three centuries the desultory character of ancient scientific observation has indeed been superseded by a systematic search for the basic causes of natural phenomena. But the horizons of knowledge seemed continually to recede as investigation advanced, and while the new horizons were quite as alluring in their promise of finality, the promise once more proved illusive. One or two illustrations will make this point clear. The aggregations of matter in planets, sun, and stars, seemed ever to grow larger as more de:fini te knowledge was secured, until some bodies forty times as massive as the sun have been located in the heavens. Even though there is some indication that stars have generally the same order of magnitude so far as their mass is concerned, it is always possible that among their countless numbers one may be found in which these apparent limits will be far exceeded. When in the contrary direction matter is subdivided, it is found to consist successively of minute


Esoteric Buddhism, by which I understand a distinct form of Mahāyāna that originally arose on the basis of beliefs in magic, chiefly brought into effect through the use of spells during the 3–4th centuries in India. In the course of the following centuries it developed into a number of complex systems―sometimes inter-related sometimes not―focusing on ritual practices in which ritualized hand‐gestures (Skr. mudrā), sanctified, ritual spheres symbolizing the spiritual world (Skr. maṇḍala), and various types of powerful incantations (Skr. dhāraṇīs and


By using a semi-rigid multidentate carboxylate linker 4,4′,4′′-(((2,4,6-trimethylbenzene-1,3,5-triyl)tris(methylene))tris(oxy))tribenzoic acid (H3L), four coordination polymers, namely, [Cd3(L)2(H2O)4]·(guest) (1), [Mn3(L)2(DMF)2(H2O)2]·(guest) (2), [Co7(L)4(DMF)6(COOH)2]·(guest) (3), and [Zn3(L)2(DMF)2(H2O)3]·(guest) (4), were obtained and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric and photoluminescent studies. Compound 1 is a two-dimensional (2-D) hcb-type layered structure made of rare, interlocked double-layered honeycomb sheets. Compound 2 is a doubly-interpenetrating (3,6)-connected 3-D network, in which L and Mn3 act as triangle and trigonal prismatic nodes, respectively. Compound 3 has a (4,12)-connecting 3-D polycatenated network made of a rare four-ladder 2-D sheet, in which the Co7 cluster is considered as a 12-connecting node and the ligand L3− is a 3-connecting node. Similar to 1, compound 4 also possesses a 2-D hcb-type layered structure, but it is built from two interpenetrating single sheets. Compounds 1 and 4 exhibited strong blue photoluminescent emissions at room temperature upon excitation, owing to a ligand-centered excited state. The emission intensities of the two compounds varied upon contact with different solvents or analytes, exhibiting selective emission quenching responses towards nitroaromatics.


BOTH THE COLLEGE INSTRUCTOR of biology or genetics and the high school teacher seeking a good reference on genetics for the school library face a difficult task. How does one select from among the many textbooks available the "right" one for the situation? Numerous parameters enter into making a wise decision. Among these are the intellectual level at which the book is written, its length, its cost, the quality and number of its illustrations, its pedagogical style, and its readability. The following questions reflect other considerations: Is the book to be used for classroom instruction or is it to serve as a reference? Is the book authoritative and current? Does it reflect the present state of the discipline? The selection of a genetics textbook is complicated by the rapid expansion and evolution of the discipline and by the plethora of textbooks available. Some of these books are intended for use in introductory college-level courses in general genetics (table 1); others are human genetics textbooks (table 2), which emphasize the unique aspects of the genetics of Homo sapiens and the universal principles of genetics as they relate to humans. Still other textbooks are "science and society" approaches to the discipline, which are useful in courses designed for nonmajor students especially interested in the impact of genetics on society (table 3). Textbooks in each of these categories have their own "target" audience and their own special uses. For this review, however, we chose to restrict our evaluation to thirteen books (table 1) intended for, or often used as, textbooks for introductory genetics courses for biology majors. We further restricted our evaluation to books published from 1975 to 1979. We recognize that


Amid increased size and complexity of the banking industry, operational risk has a greater potential to transpire in more harmful ways than many other sources of risk. This paper provides a succinct overview of the current regulatory framework of operational risk under the New Basel Capital Accord with a view to inform a critical debate about the influence of varying loss profiles and different methods of data collection, loss reporting, and model specification on the reliability of operational risk estimates and the consistency of risk-sensitive capital rules. The presented findings offer guidance on enhanced market practice and more effective prudential standards for operational risk measurement.


Meshfree methods are suitable for solving problems on irregular domains, avoiding the use of a mesh. To deal with the boundary conditions, we can use Lagrange multipliers and obtain a sparse, symmetric and indefinite system of saddle‐point type. Many methods have been developed to solve the indefinite system. Previously, we presented an algebraic method to construct an LU‐based preconditioner for the saddle‐point system obtained by meshfree methods, which combines the multilevel clustering method with the ℋ‐matrix arithmetic. The corresponding preconditioner has both ℋ‐matrix and sparse matrix subblocks. In this paper we refine the above method and propose a way to construct a pure ℋ‐matrix preconditioner. We compare the new method with the old method, JOR and smoothed algebraic multigrid methods. The numerical results show that the new preconditioner outperforms the preconditioners based on the other methods. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Linear regression models are constructed to predict seasonal runoff by fitting streamflow to temperature, precipitation, and snow water content across a range of elevations. The models are quite successful in capturing the differences in discharge between different elevation watersheds and their interannual variations. This exercise thus provides insight into seasonal changes in streamflow at different elevation watersheds that might occur under a changed climate.


In this paper, the characterization of measured electric fields on first return stroke due to lightning channel was studied done. Likewise, previous studies on this case were discussed and reviewed accordingly. Furthermore, the first return stroke was analyzed done in detailed and was indicated on the real measured electric fields. Later the results were discussed appropriately. The behaviorsof first return stroke signal has beencharacterized from previous researchers. This study shows themeasured data in detailed, which include there are slow front time, first return stroke peak, time to peak, zero crossing time and 10% to 90% rise time. The characteristic of first return stroke signal data in Malaysia was compared with data gathered in Sweden. Moreover In addition, the statistical correlation between electric field zero times and corresponding rise times was also been studied.