A total of 117 sample of ready-to-eat foods from hawker centres and restaurant in Kota Kinabalu were examined the aerobic plate count (APC), coliform, Escherichia coli and staphylococcus aureus as well as selected pathogens such as Lesteria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp and Escherichia coli 015:H7. Approximately 58% sample had APC levels above the miximum limit (>106 cfu/g) permitted by the food Act 1983 and food regulation 1985. The detection rate for coliform was highest in meat whereas egg samples were the lowest. E coli was in all groups of food samples with the highest count for vegetable samples. The highest mean for S.aureus was found in egg samples (4.6x104 cfu/g),followed by meats (1.3x104 cfu/g), vegetables (2.3x 104 cfu/g), chicken (2.0x 104 cfu/g) and fishes (1.3 x 104 cfu/g). samples taken from premises which hygiene training had been given to their food handles had a better microbiological quality as compared with those without training E coli 0157:H7 was only detected in 6% of the samples and was not detected in fish. However, all food samples were negative for Salmonella and L. monocytogenes. Based on these result, it was concluded that the microbiological quality of foods sold in Kota Kinabalu was unsatisfactory and the prevalence of certain pathogens such as E. coli and E. coli 0157:H7 significantly indicating a potential risk to consumers


A numerical investigation was conducted to study some key parameters of multi-injection combustor,including swirl numbers,space between venturis,distance between the dome and the diffuser.The influence law of these parameters on the multi-injection combustor's recirculation zone was concluded.This shows that,with increase of the swirl number,the reverse velocity of the recirculation zone will rise.When the swirl number increases from 0.82 to 1.24,the maximal reverse velocity is 52% greater and the recirculation zone is 34% longer.When the space between venturis changes from 0 to 0.4 times the exit diameter of venture,the radii of recirculation zone is 33% bigger and the length is 43% larger.With the increasing area of inlet of the diffuser and the growing distance between the dome and the diffuser,the distribution of the flow is more uniform.


Throughout the past several years, deep learning-based models have achieved success in super-resolution (SR). The majority of these works assume that low-resolution (LR) images are 'uniformly' degraded from their corresponding high-resolution (HR) images using predefined blur kernels — all regions of an image undergoing an identical degradation process. Furthermore, based on this assumption, there have been attempts to estimate the blur kernel of a given LR image, since correct kernel priors are known to be helpful in super-resolution. Although it has been known that blur kernels of real images are non-uniform (spatially varying), current kernel estimation algorithms are mostly done at image-level, estimating one kernel per image. These algorithms inevitably become sub-optimal in handling scenarios where an image is degraded non-uniformly. A divide-and-conquer form of approach, dividing an image into several patches for individual kernel estimation and SR can be a simple solution for this matter. Nevertheless, this approach fails in practice. In this paper, we address this issue by pixel-level kernel estimation. The three main components for training a SR framework based on pixel-level kernel estimation are as follows: Kernel Collage — a method for synthesizing non-uniformly degraded LR images, designed considering the coherency of kernels at neighboring regions while abruptly changing at times, the indirect loss — a novel loss for training the kernel estimator, based on the reconstruction loss, and an additional optimization — a scheme to robustify the SR network to minor errors in kernel estimations. Extensive experiments show the superiority of pixel-level kernel estimation in blind SR, surpassing state-of-the-art methods in terms of quantitative and qualitative results.


ABSTRACT Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is characterized by the loss of endothelial cell markers and functions, and coincides with de novo expression of mesenchymal markers. EndMT is induced by TGFβ1 and changes endothelial microRNA expression. We found that miR-20a is decreased during EndMT, and that ectopic expression of miR-20a inhibits EndMT induction. TGFβ1 induces cellular hypertrophy in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and abrogates VE-cadherin expression, reduces endothelial sprouting capacity and induces the expression of the mesenchymal marker SM22α (also known as TAGLN). We identified ALK5 (also known as TGFBR1), TGFBR2 and SARA (also known as ZFYVE9) as direct miR-20a targets. Expression of miR-20a mimics abrogate the endothelial responsiveness to TGFβ1, by decreasing ALK5, TGFBR2 and SARA, and inhibit EndMT, as indicated by the maintenance of VE-cadherin expression, the ability of the cells to sprout and the absence of SM22α expression. FGF2 increases miR-20a expression and inhibits EndMT in TGFβ1-stimulated endothelial cells. In summary, FGF2 controls endothelial TGFβ1 signaling by regulating ALK5, TGFBR2 and SARA expression through miR-20a. Loss of FGF2 signaling combined with a TGFβ1 challenge reduces miR-20a levels and increases endothelial responsiveness to TGFβ1 through elevated receptor complex levels and activation of Smad2 and Smad3, which culminates in EndMT. Summary: FGF2 induces the expression of miR-20a, which targets the TGFβ receptor complex and abolishes endothelial–mesenchymal transition, a process that has a major role in fibroproliferative diseases.


A new condition is shown to be equivalent to the other conditions of the Kreiss Matrix Theorem for power bounded families of matrices. This new condition is important for the application of the theory of pseudodifference operators to stability estimates for variable coefficient finite difference equations. As an example of the usefulness of this new condition, it is used to prove stability of the leapfrog scheme for hyperbolic equations with variable coefficients.


H2O-H2O collision cross sections are calculated by adapting the method developed by Anderson and Tsao and Cornette for the calculation of collision broadening of molecular spectral lines. Cross sections are computed with a cutoff limit at 20 Å2 for the rotational levels of water with J ≤ 10 and E < 2000 cm-1 in the temperature range 100-800 K. The accuracy of the calculated values is estimated to be 10%-20%.


Large-scale BF is the tendency of domestic and foreign Iron-making technology.Due to the limit of resource,technology and equipment,we can not reach the planned goal after putting the big BF into production,it is of great significance to explore the key technologies again for the sound development of the large-scale BF.The paper highlights the unique advantages of large-scale BF and the practical performance of BFs in Baosteel,and explores the related parameter choice,comprehensively matched longevity technology optimization and tapping-stability improvement in terms of structure-design,longevity and equipments etc.The author stresses BF centered basic working regulation,hoping it can exert positive effect on the scientific development of large scale BF in China.


The crucial technology to measure the variation of minimum length is analysed.The methods of the measurement are put forward in many ways and several technical methods are summed up systematically.


In order to overcome the drawbacks of the principle governing the signing of contracts based on controllable assignment indexes, optimal contracts between principal and agency on symmetric and asymmetric information are studied using mathematic analytic methods. The principle for signing of financial control contracts is also analysed under the conditions for optimal contracts with their rationality and drawbacks pointed, and it is concluded under the conditions of agency theory that if principal is risk-neuter and agent is strictly risk-averse in symmetric information and certain surrounding the principal takes the total risks and the agent takes nothings, and the agent must take risks on asymmetric information.


The ability to predict links among data objects is central to many data mining tasks such as social network, business analytics, and recommendation system. Link Mining and temporal link prediction is emerging trend in recent years. Link mining deals with heterogeneous and homogeneous data sources that generates link data and this link data provides scope for collaborative filtering tasks, which is a prime requirement in recommending systems and a significant role is played in predictive analytics .The proposed introduction of Neighbourhood Integrated Matrix Factorization method improves the accuracy of missing value predictions as pre-heuristic task of Neighbourhood Similarity Computation which produces object profiles. In general, link prediction problem is modelled as, given link data for times 1 through T, the task is to predict links at time T+1, And if data has underlying periodic structure, up to what extend predictions can be made in future time T+2,T+3………T+k.(k>0).


Between the 7th to the 9th of November 2016, Oxford Archaeology East undertook an evaluation at No. 41 Park Street, Dry Drayton (TL 38167 62032). This evaluation comprised four trenches of various lengths. Three of these trenches revealed archaeological remains that included three medieval ditches and a shallow post-medieval pond or a garden feature.
The medieval ditches probably relate to the 12th- to 15th-century manor, the earthwork remains of which are located to the south-west of the site. The largest of these ditches appears to follow, or have been aligned with, the boundary of The Park, placing the evaluated site within the area of The Park complex. The post-medieval pond is located in close proximity to the subsequent manor house, which was rebuilt in the 1670s, and probably represents part of its garden area. The finds assemblage from the evaluation is modest in size and domestic in character; its small size suggests that the site was located on the periphery of the medieval and later occupation associated with the Manor.


Small myelinated fibers in the lateral corticospinal tract (LCST) were selectively diminished as compared with large myelinated fibers in a patient with an old paramedian midbrain infarct involving the red nuclei, oculomotor nuclei, and inferior olivary pseudohypertrophy.Although the physiologic function of small myelinated fibers in the LCST is unknown in humans, we hypothesize that some of these fibers may include the rubrospinal tract. NEUROLOGY 1996;47: 588-591


Solar dryer chamber is designed and operated for five days of July 2008.
 Drying experiments are conducted for sponge-cotton; as a reference drying
 material in the ranges between 35.0 to 49.5°C of ambient air temperature,
 35.2 to 69.8 °C drying air temperature, 30 to 1258 W/m2 solar radiation and
 0.016 to 0.08 kg/s drying air flow rate. For each experiment, the mass flow
 rate of the air remained constant throughout the day. The variation of
 moisture ratio, drying rate, overall dryer efficiency, and temperature
 distribution along the dryer chamber for various drying air temperatures and
 air flow rates are discussed. The results indicated that drying air
 temperature is the main factor in controlling the drying process and that
 air mass flow rate has remarkable influence on overall drying performance.
 For the period of operation, the dryer attained an average temperature of
 53.68°C with a standard deviation of 8.49°C within a 12-h period from 7:00 h
 to 19:00 h. The results of this study indicated that the present drying
 system has overall efficiency between 1.85 and 18.6 % during drying
 experiments. Empirical correlations of temperature lapse and moisture ratio
 in the dryer chamber are found to satisfactorily describe the drying curves
 of sponge-cotton material which may form the basis for the development of
 solar dryer design charts.


ABSTRACT Species of the Ostreidae family are key ecosystem engineers and many of them – including Crassostrea gigas and Crassostrea virginica – are commercially important aquaculture species. Despite similarities in their morphology and ecology, these two species differ in their ability to defend against pathogens, potentially reflecting species-specific differential specialization of hemocytes on immune defense versus biomineralization. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the expression levels of immune- and biomineralization-related genes as well as mineralogical and mechanical properties of the shells and the calcium sequestration ability of the hemocytes of C. gigas and C. virginica. The expression of biomineralization-related genes was higher in C. virginica than in C. gigas in multiple tissues including the mantle edge and hemocytes, while the expression of immune genes was higher in the hemocytes of C. gigas. Hemocytes of C. virginica contained more calcium (stored intracellularly as calcium carbonate mineral) compared with those of C. gigas. Analysis of the adult shells showed that the crystallinity of calcite was higher and the laths of the foliated layer of the shell were thicker in C. virginica than in C. gigas. Mechanically, the shells of C. virginica were stiffer, harder and stronger than those of C. gigas. Taken together, our results show that the species-specific differences in physiology (such as disease resistance and exoskeleton properties) are reflected at the cellular and molecular levels in the differential specialization of hemocytes on potentially competing functions (immunity and biomineralization) as well as different expression profiles of other tissues involved in biomineralization (such as the mantle edge). Summary: Species-specific differences in oyster physiology are reflected at the cellular and molecular level by differential specialization of hemocytes on immunity and biomineralization.


Objective To evaluate the effects of left ventricular contractility on the changes of average image intensity(AII) of the myocardial integrated backscatter(IBS) and cyclic variation in IBS(CVIB).Methods Seven adult mongrel dogs were chosen to be studied.The curves of myocardial IBS of several cardiac cycle were acquired to calibrate the magnitude of AII and CVIB before and after dobutamine or propranolol infusion.Results Dobutamine or propranolol did not affect the magnitude of AII (P 0.05 ) of the IBS.However,dobutamine produced a significant increase in the magnitude of CVIB(basal septum: 9.5 ± 0.6 vs 6.8 ± 0.3 ,P 0.001 ;posterio wall: 10.9 ± 0.7 vs 8.5± 0.3 ,P 0.001 ) and propranolol significantly decrease the magnitude of CVIB(basal septum: 5.2 ± 0.3 vs 7.1± 0.2 ,P 0.001 ;posterio wall: 6.3 ± 0.6 vs 8.6 ± 0.3 ,P 0.001 ).Conclusions The changes of the magnitude of AII and CVIB have been demonstrated to reflect different physiological and pathological changes respectively.The contractility alteration can not affect the magnitude of AII,but can produce significant change in CVIB.The increase of left ventricular contractility results in a significant rise of the magnitude of CVIB and the decrease of left ventricular contractility results in a significant fall of the magnitude of CVIB.The correlation between the contractility and the magnitude of CVIB was demonstrated.


The paper is concerned with the impact of market research prior to integration with European Union (EU) on the structures of noncompetitive industries in integrated economy. The analysis focuses on monopolistic markets with stochastic demand. Firms are considered in dynamic multiperiod model, where intertemporal links are determined by expenditures on market research in a present period and benefits from this activity (i.e., smaller variance of the prediction error) in the future. We show that the optimal market research strategy is stationary and depends on market size. Consequently, after accession firms operating prior to integration in small markets are expected to have much less information about the total market than their competitors from the EU. This informational asymmetry may affect the structure of the industry in integrated economy. In the extreme case, the firm operating before integration in the small market can be ruled out from the integrated market.


GREEN PLUMS LOCATED IN A TANK AND WASHING SINK (1) TRANSFERRED BY A LIFTING TAPE (2) a calibrating (3) PERMITTED TO DISTRIBUTE two chains (5A and 5B) TRANSPORT GRILLE. ON THE SCREENS ARE STACKED IN LIFTS PLATFORM CARTS (8A and 8B). Once filled, CARTS CAN BE TRANSFERRED TO AN OVEN COOKING (9).


The environmental problems in China ports, the present situation and existing problems of environmental protection management system are summarized in this paper. Then the significance of the establishment of environmental protection management system and technical condition are discussed. At the end, the preliminary conception of the establishment and problems to be settled are proposed.


Vesiculobullous lesions are a type of mucocutaneous disease that is characterized by vesicles and bullae or blisters. Both vesicles and bullae are fluid-filled lesions, and they are distinguished by size, vesicles being less than 5–10 mm and bulla being larger than 5–10 mm, In the case of vesiculobullous diseases which are also immune disorders the term immunobullous is sometimes used. This review will provide an overview of vesiculobullous lesions involving oral cavity, their characteristic features and recent developments in the diagnosis of these lesions. Sridhar Reddy Erugula, Dilip Kumar Singaraju, Jesudass Govada, K.T.S.S. Rajajee, M.V.S. Sudheer, A. Sudharshan Kumar, Brijesh Krishna Bandaru, Kandukuri Mahesh Kumar. Vesiculobullous lesions of the oral cavity. IAIM, 2016; 3(11): 154163.


The medical and psychosocial needs of children and adolescents differ from those of adults, and this should be reflected in the care they receive in all areas of a health service. Children and adolescents must be accommodated separately to adults to ensure that their unique needs are met and risks of harm are minimised. The Standards for the care of children and adolescents in health services have been developed by a working group of clinicians, health service providers and consumer advocates based on a combination of available research evidence, published best practice guidelines and multidisciplinary expert consensus. Stakeholder input was obtained through invitations to comment, and pilot testing of the Standards was conducted in six metropolitan, regional and rural hospitals. The Standards provide detailed recommendations in the areas of recognising rights; the provision of child‐, adolescent‐ and family‐friendly health service facilities; the availability of child‐ and adolescent‐specific equipment; and the importance of appropriately trained staff. To facilitate implementation and allow ongoing performance monitoring, the Standards have been developed for use alongside the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards Evaluation and Quality Improvement Program. The Standards provide a vehicle to ensure patient safety and to facilitate the provision of high‐quality care for children and adolescents in Australian health services.


X-ray diffraction techniques have been widely applied to the structural characterization of carbon materials and have given useful information. In 1963, the 117 Committee of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences (Gakushin) specified standard procedures for the determination of lattice constants and crystallite sizes of carbon materials, especially graphitized materials. This specification has been called the "Gakushin" method and is commonly used in Japan.Progress in computers has been remarkable, making the measurement of diffraction intensities and their corrections for different factors easier. In 2002, the 117 Committee began discussing the revision of the specification using the proposals of Dr. H. Fujimoto, in order to incorporate modem computing processes such as the automatic step-scanning measurements of diffraction intensities, profile fitting for diffraction lines, etc. On the basis of round-robin tests and their results and discussion, the specification of the Gakushin method was revised by a group of the 117 Committee. In this report, the revisions of the Gakushin method are introduced.


Background: Heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a potentially life threatening complication of heparin administration caused by antibodies directed to the heparin-platelet factor 4 (PF4) complex and characterized by thrombocytopenia with a seemingly paradoxical high risk of thrombosis. Diagnosis is challenging, and is based on both clinical suspicion and laboratory detection of heparin-PF4 antibodies. The Warkentin 4 T's "pre-test" probability and Chong's "post-test" probability models have been developed to aid the diagnosis of HIT. Enzyme-linked immunoabosorbant assay (ELISA) laboratory measurement of heparin-PF4 antibodies is commonly used but has a low positive predictive value for thrombosis. Recent reports suggest that using an ELISA optical density (OD) value of ≥ 1 may improve the predictive value for thrombosis. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 105 patients with suspected HIT who were treated with a direct thrombin inhibitor and evaluated the anti-heparin-PF4 ELISA OD values and Warkentin 4 T's scores for sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV, respectively) using the Chong's score to define HITBoth the manufacturer's OD threshold of 0.4 and ≥ 1 were evaluated. Results: The sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of ELISA alone were inferior to the 4 T's clinical scorings system. The sensitivity and negative predictive values of the 4T's score were improved by considering positive or negative ELISA test results. Conclusions: Consistent with previous reports, the PPV of a high probability 4T score alone was 100%. Thus, ELISA results might not change clinical decisions in this situation. Alternative anticoagulation might be inappropriately withheld in 20% of patients if a low probability 4T score alone were to be used for decision-making. The addition of ELISA data using an OD level of 0.4 increased the NPV to a threshold that might be considered clinically acceptable (94%) to withhold therapy. Addition of an OD level of ≥ 1 did not improve the PV of the 4 T's. However, in contrast to other studies that found better predictive value to using this higher OD threshold, our study group was limited to people considered high risk for HIT. Validation of this strategy in a prospective trial with clinical endpoints should be considered.


In each volume of Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, the PCHP editors select one article for our Beyond the Manuscript podcast interview with the authors. Beyond the Manuscript provides authors with the opportunity to tell listeners what they would want to know about the project beyond what went into the final manuscript. Beyond the Manuscript podcasts are available for download on the journal's web site (http://www.press.jhu.edu /journals/pchp). This issue's Beyond the Manuscript podcast was conducted by Deputy Editor Darius Tandon and features Cathy Jordan and Shannon Pergament, the lead author and community partner for "CES4Health.info: An Online Tool for Peer Reviewing and Disseminating Diverse Products of Community-Engaged Scholarship." The following is an edited transcript of the Beyond the Manuscript podcast.


As design complexities soar, companies continuously improve their development process in order to remain competitive and meet their time‐to‐market constraints. Development methods based on textual specifications of the requirements often lead to late deliveries of the wrong product. To address this, companies need to formally capture the requirements and generate an executable specification model as a way to verify the correctness of the specification. Through the use of code synthesis methods, the model can be used for rapid prototyping, thus allowing for an early validation of the needs, and therefore, delivering the right product. However, this requires commitments to process adjustments.


No mammal has yet undergone birth, or parturition, in the microgravity of space. Previous studies (Ronco & Alberts, 2000) have shown that mid-pregnant rat dams exposed to spaceflight (0-g) and landed 48-72 hrs before term successfully delivered robust, healthy offspring Microgravity-exposed dams exhibited twice the expected numbers of labor contractions whereas length of pregnancy, duration of labor, fetal wastage, number of neonates born and litter gender ratios were identical to controls. In the present study, we report the results of rodent pregnancy and parturition at the opposite end of the gravity spectrum, in hypergravity. Dams exposed to either: 1.0-g, 1.5-g, 1.75-g or 2.0-g from Gestational day (G) 11 and throughout the births of their litters had comparable pregnancy and labor durations, fetal wastage, numbers of neonates born and litter Tender ratios. During parturition, hypergravity-exposed dams exhibited significantly fewer labor contractions as compared to 1.0-g controls. Dams that underwent birth in hypergravity had significantly fewer offspring surviving the immediate postpartum period (P1: 1.0-g, 11.92 +/- 2.84; 1.5-g, 10.88 +/- 2.17; 1.75-g, 9.22 +/-1.99; 2.0-g, 8.83 +/- 3.31). Within 24 hrs postpartum, neonatal survival was further diminished in hypergravity [P2: 100% (1.0-g); 96% (1.5-g); 96% (1.75-g); 73% (2.0-g)] and continued to decline (P10: 100%(1.0-g.); 90%(1.5-g); 87%(1.75-g), 40%(2.0-g)]. Neonatal losses stabilized by P5 for the 1.5-g andl.75-g conditions but continued until P9 for the 2.0-g condition. Together, these findings show that postnatal, but not prenatal, survival is compromised following birth in hypergravity, Maternal and neonatal factors that contribute to peri-parturitional vulnerability to altered gravity environments will be discussed.


In this paper, Ant Lion Optimizer (ALO) was presented to train Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP). ALO was used to find the weights and biases of the MLP to achieve a minimum error and a high classification rate. Four standard classification datasets were used to benchmark the performance of the proposed method. In addition, the performance of the proposed method were compared with three well-known optimization algorithms, namely, Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). The experimental results showed that the ALO algorithm with the MLP was very competitive as it solved the local optima problem and achieved a high accuracy rate.


We extend the standard model of general equilibrium with incomplete markets (GEI) to allow for default. The equilibrating variables include aggregate default levels, as well as prices of assets and commodities. Default can be either strategic, or due to ill-fortune. It can be caused by events directly affecting the borrower, or indirectly as part of a chain reaction in which a borrower cannot repay because he himself has not been repaid. Each asset is defined by its promises A, the penalties lambda for default, and the limitations Q on its sale. The model is thus named GE(A,lambda,Q). Each asset is regarded as a pool of promises. Different sellers will often exercise their default options differently, while each buyer of an asset receives the same pro rata share of all deliveries. This model of assets represents for example the securitized mortgage market and the securitized credit card market. Given any collection of assets, we prove that equilibrium exists under conditions similar to those necessary to guarantee the existence of GEI equilibrium. We argue that default is thus reasonably modeled as an equilibrium phenomenon. Moreover, we show that more lenient lambda which encourage default may be Pareto improving because they allow for better risk spreading. Our definition of equilibrium includes a condition on expected deliveries for untraded assets that is similar to the trembling hand refinements used in game theory. Using this condition, we argue that the possibility of default is an important factor in explaining which assets are traded in equilibrium. Asset promises, default penalties, and quantity constraints can all be thought of as determined endogenously by the forces of supply and demand. Our model encompasses a broad range of moral hazard, adverse selection, and signalling phenomena (including the Akerlof lemons model and Rothschild-Stiglitz insurance model) in a general equilibrium framework. Many authors (including Akerlof , Rothschild and Stiglitz) have suggested that equilibrium may not exist in the presence of adverse selection. But our existence theorem shows that it must. The problem is the inefficiency of the resulting equilibrium, not its nonexistence. The power of perfect competition simplifies many of the complications attending the finite player, game theoretic analyses of the same topics. The Modigliani-Miller theorem typically fails to hold when there is the possibility that the firm or one of its investors might default.


Introduing the purpose and significance of the main shaft hoisting skip equipment transformation,the profile of new shaft hoisting system and upgrading program of hoisting skip.Mentioned by lord arai skip to enhance the technological transformation of the system to ensure the safe operation operation of lifting equipment.


The hypothesis that contamination of large-volume parenteral containers may be due to improper handling technique was examined. Extensive studies were implemented involving carefully controlled conditions for both test (900) and control (450) units. Test containers were immersed in bacterial broth preparations in intact and "partially uncapped" conditions and were not swabbed; control containers were handled under "ideal" conditions except that they were not swabbed. A new administration set was used for each container examined and was opened only at the time of examination. Statistical evaluation of the results indicated that certain procedures may indeed result in contamination in many cases, whereas there was no significant contamination of any of the three systems tested when recommended procedures, even without swabbing, were followed.


A replaceable automobile inside rear-view mirror support comprises a support base and an original base, wherein the support base is arranged in an automobile inside rear-view mirror, and the original base is arranged on an automobile windshield. The replaceable automobile inside rear-view mirror support further comprises a replaceable support arranged between the support base and the original base. The replaceable support comprises a ball head base, a support pipe and an adapter. The ball head base is fixed to the original base. The support base is provided with a connector. The connector is connected with the adapter on the replaceable support. The connector and the replaceable support are fixed through a fastening screw. By means of the replaceable automobile inside rear-view mirror support, a double-ball-head support or a three-ball-head support can be replaced, and the replaceable automobile inside rear-view mirror support has the advantages of being easy to disassemble and assemble, safe, reliable and the like.


TNumerical simulations of the supersonic impinging jet flows are carried out using the 3D Navier-Stokes code. This paper is focuses on the unsteady flow features associated with stagnation hubbies and other oscillatory behavior. The 3D code was validated by reproducing the results of Lamont's experiments. Computation is carried out for the cases in which the unsteadiness of the plate shock has been observed experimentally. The computational results confirm the oscillatory feature in several ㎑. Unsteady calculation with algebraic turbulence model is also performed. It is found that the laminar and turbulent results have some discrepancy in the transient period. However, hath of them reveal the oscillatory behavior with similar frequency.


The utilisation of sanitary products in the context of increasing amounts of household waste is a very important question. Their lack of susceptibility to biodegradation generates great social and environmental problems. This article presents the results of tests aimed at devising biodegradable non-woven fabrics which would be characterised by sufficient strength and the ability to disintegrate quickly in a water environment. The non-woven fabrics were obtained from polypropylene or viscose fibres with the use of buffered chitosan salt as a binding agent. The obtained results of ground & water degradation and the respirometric test encourage the use of modified non-woven fabrics in the production of disposable hygienic products.


This study examined the validity and the components of the new Shyness/Self-Consciousness (Si1), Social Avoidance (Si2), and Self/Other Alienation (Si3) subscales of the Social Introversion (Si) scale of the MMPI-2. Data provided by 410 college students were used to evaluate subscale performance against self-report measures of constructs that were believed to be differentially related to the 3 subscales. Results suggested that the Si subscales are valid. It also appears that individuals with elevated scores on Si1 may be more socially anxious, less social, and have lower self-esteem ; that those who have elevated Si2 scores may be more shy and less social ; and that those with elecated Si3 scores may possess lower self-esteem and have a more external locus of control


This paper proposes a new proactive weighted threshold signature scheme based on Iftene's general secret sharing, the generalized Chinese remainder theorem, and the RSA threshold signature, which is itself based on the Chinese reminder theorem. In our scheme, group members are divided into different subgroups, and a positive weight is associated to each subgroup, where all members of the same subgroup have the same weight. The group signature can be generated if and only if the sum of the weights of members involved is greater than or equal to a fixed threshold value. Meanwhile, the private key of the group members and the public key of the group can be updated periodically by performing a simple operation aimed at refreshing the group signature message. This periodical refreshed individual signature message can enhance the security of the proposed weighted threshold signature scheme.


Heterogeneous wireless Mesh networks will be dominant in the next-generation wireless networks with the integration of various wireless access networks. The deployment of various wireless technologies (2G, 3G, WLAN, WMAN, etc.) in combination with the evolution of Mobile Terminals (MTs) with multiple network interfaces and the development of IP-based applications (non-real-time or real-time) has allowed the user to have access to IP services anywhere at any time from any network. One revolutionary step, driven by this universal wireless access, is the fourth Generation (4G) of wireless communications. This next-generation of wireless systems represents a heterogeneous environment with different access networks technologies that differ in bandwidth, latency or cost. In this kind of environment, mobility management is the essential issue that supports the roaming of users from one system to another. Handover management, and Path restoration are one of the mobility management components, controls the change of the MT's point of attachment during active communication. Under the circumstances where more data and packets are sent than the capacity, quick rerouting and alternate path selections are required. Therefore A fast simulation technique based on importance sampling is developed for the analysis of path service availability in mesh networks with dynamic path restoration. The method combines the simulation of the path rerouting algorithm with a "dynamic path failure importance sampling" (DPFS) scheme to estimate path availabilities efficiently. The simulated model uses "failure equivalence groups," with finite/infinite sources of failure events and finite/infinite pools of repair personnel, to facilitate the modeling of bidirectional link failures, multiple in-series link cuts, optical amplifier failures along links, node failures. The main concept used for the problem is polling of the existing routes from source to destination and organize them based on power loss and bandwidth availability. Once a fault is detected in the current session either by means of a node failure or link quality degradation, the system switches to the other available path. In case of absence of such a path, a rerouting is


Localized blooms of phytoplankton observed in the upper 60 m of the North Pacific Central Gyre during three expeditions are accompanied and often dominated by an increase in the abundance of species of the diatom genus Rhizosolenia that contain the endophytic cyanophyte Richelia intracellularis, which may fix molecular nitrogen. It is hypothesized that the phytoplankton blooms are stimulated and sustained by an increase in the available nitrogenous nutrients resulting from nitrogen fixation by Richelia.


Lennard-Jones theory describes the atom-surface interaction as the instantaneous interaction between a fluctuating dipole and its image predicting a surface induced shift of the atomic energy levels given by −C3/Z3, where z is the atom-surface distance and C3 is the van der Waals (vdW) coefficient. In Casimir-Polder theory, demonstrated experimentally with ground state atoms in ∼1μm thick metallic cavities [1], atom-surface interactions arise from the modification of vacuum fluctuations next to a dielectric boundary. More recently, Casimir-Polder theory has been tested with ground state cold atoms at intermediate distances from a dielectric surface [2]. Nevertheless, testing the limits of the van der Waals law in the extreme near field remains an important experimental challenge. Additionally, excited state atoms are also of fundamental importance, as their interaction with surfaces can also be of resonant nature. This is of particular interest when atomic dipole transitions couple resonantly to surface polaritons, allowing for exotic near field effects.


A handheld, standalone optical instrument was developed for the in-vivo assessment of the eye's macular pigment optical density. The instrument is based on the reflectometry method, where the retina is illuminated with light of the appropriate spatial, temporal, and spectral characteristics and the reflected light from the fundus is collected using a high-speed photodetector. The collected light is then analysed and the corresponding value for macular pigment in the eye is computed.


The deconstructive ideas and operations of Jacques Derrida have found an amenable target in American experimental fiction of the last decade. Three recent books on postmodern fiction—Allen Thiher's Words in Reflection, Charles Caramello's Silverless Mirrors, and Jerome Klinkowitz's The Self-Apparent Word—provide Derrida-influenced readings of Barth, Barthelme, Coover, Gass, Pynchon, and those novelists, most of whom are associated with the Fiction Collective, that Klinkowitz introduced in his Literary Disruptions: Ron Sukenick, Raymond Federman, Walter Abish, Gilbert Sorrentino, and Steve Katz. Although the names of some new writers—Kenneth Gangemi, Frederick Tuten, Stephen Dixon, Guy Davenport—do surface in these three books, for the most part criticism repeats, covers the same texts with the same approach, a procedure at odds with Derrida


The active defense (AD) is deemed a very promising way how to protect military vehicles, especially in contemporary fight against terrorism in the Third world countries. Cheap and easily accessible hand-held cumulative missiles (e.g. RPG-7) are able to penetrate up to 300 mm of the hard-hardness armour (HHA). Thus light transport military vehicles equipped typically with less than 10 mm thick armours, used frequently e.g. in Afganistan are very vulnerable. The AD systems are based on radar sensors that detect approaching missiles and activate a suitable counter-measure able to destroy the threatening missile. The article describes the microwave curtain, which is one of the radar sensors applicable in AD systems, and signal-processing methods used for generation of ignition signals from its output signals. Practical results obtained at army shooting range are also presented.


Virtual Tourism Enterprises, as a new organizational model, are being increasingly seen as offering substantial competitive advantage, particularly for Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs), enabling them to organize themselves in the form of a temporary alliance for the creation of dynamic tourism products. This paper is going to address the main requirements and research challenges by suggesting an information systems architecture for a Virtual Tourism Enterprise, focusing on a systemic approach that combines (a) enterprise modelling and dynamic simulation to design the business integration model for the VE, with (b) the design of a flexible and innovative architecture to enhance interoperability and collaboration among agents, and which is going to serve as a paradigm for the analysis, design and implementation of efficient and flexible Virtual Travel Agent (VTA) information systems.


Objective To analyze the relationship between the anatomical variation of intervertebral segment of vertebral artery(the artery do not get into skull via C-6 transverse foramen) and the onset of vertigo. Methods Fifty-four patients with vertigo were selected as vertigo group, and 56 healthy person without history of cardiocerebrovascular diseases and vertigo were selected as control group.The types of variation of the intervertebral segment of vertebral artery and the peak systolic velocity (PSV) were detected by color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), and the PVS of intracranial segment of the vertebral artery was detected by TCD. The effect of running variation on the PVS of intracranial and extravertebral arteries and their relationship with the onset of vertigo were analyzed. Results The incidences of the variation of vertebral artery running in the vertigo and control groups were 83% (45/54)and 21.4% (12/56), respectively (P=0.001). There were 57 patients with variation of vertebral artery running altogether in both groups, and the patients with bilateral variation were more likely to develop vertigo than those with unilateral variation(P=0.021); There was no statistical significance between the high(higher than C3) or low position of variations of the vertebral artery running and the incidence of vertigo(P=1.000). The PSVs of intervertebral segment of vertebral artery and intracranial segment in patients with running variation were 56±10 and 53±10 cm/s respectively, and in patients with normal vertebral artery running were 59±12 and 56±11cm/s, respectively. There were statistical differences between the PSVs of intervertebral and intracranial segments in patients with running variation and normal vertebral artery(P=0.047 and 0.041, respectively); and the PSV in patients with running variation in intracranial segment of vertebral artery was lower than that in intervertebral segment, and there were significant differences between them(P=0.038). Conclusion The combined detection with CDFI with TCD can objectively analyze the variation of the vertebral artery running, and this variation may be the cause leading to vertigo.


The objective of this study was to develop the methodology for water allocation during the water shortage in the multipurpose-multireservoir system. The water shortage of the multireservoir system was first identified. The water allocation alternatives taken into account the profitability, equity and reliability of the multireservoir system and allowing the stakeholders involved in diagnosis and making decision for the water allocation were developed. The Upper Mun basin was selected as a case for the study. The HEC-3 was used as a tool to simulate the multireservoir system by using 25 years of inflow data and using the selected dry, normal and wet years data for the study of the water shortage. The results of simulated annual water shortage in the driest year were 17.79% and 40.03% of the water demand, occurring during July - September and December - May respectively. The - constraint linear programming was used to generate 16 optimum alternatives. The alternatives were ranked by the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) based on the three criteria as profitability, equity and reliability. The results indicated that the priority of water allocation criteria were ranked as profitability (41%), reliability (32.3%) and equity (26.7%). The first ranked alternative (29.38%) was the alternative which did not allow water shortage in the municipal and industrial sectors, the downstream requirements for the ecological system would lack water by 43.99% of demand (55.43 million cubic meters) and allow the yield for agriculture reducing to 56% of the maximum yield. Thus, the water allocation methodology developed in this study can help the priority setting in water allocation and define the most preferable alternative for the concerned stakeholders.


This paper first analyzed and discussed application of DIV + CSS technology In page layout.Then mainly elaborated DIV + CSS technology is how to replace TABLE technology and summaried the advantages of the application of DIV + CSS technology in page layout.Finally it resolved applications of DIV + CSS technology in Yan'an University online examination system and gave implementation code of the corresponding detailed.It provided reference for readers.


This paper addresses an extensive study of the operational planning of horizontal carrier cooperations. Based on current collaboration literature, a distinction has been made between three main research streams: order sharing, capacity sharing and profit / cost allocation. First, existing solution methods for each of these cooperation approaches are reviewed. Second, on the basis of possible study voids, proposals are made to expand the scientific knowledge base on joint route planning through vehicle routing, various capacity sharing techniques and allocation methods making use of game theory.


Abstract This paper seeks to undertake an electoral ecology approach to voting behaviour in Northern Ireland. The returns of the 1991 population census and the 1993 local election results are examined in order to explore the demographic and socio‐economic characteristics of voting behaviour. Two aspects are considered: the party share of first preference votes and turnout. While the analysis confirms that some of the basic divisions remain strongly in evidence, there is also evidence from the profile of voters that voting behaviour may permit more 'rational choice' in the future.


The dimeric MnII title complex, di-μ-4-aminobenzoato-bis[(4-aminobenzoato)(2,2′-diamino-4,4′-bithiazole)manganese(II)] dihydrate, [Mn2(C6H6N4S2)2(C7H6NO2)4]·2H2O, bridged by aminobenzoate anions, is located on an inversion center. Each MnII atom is coordinated by one diaminobithiazole and three aminobenzoate ligands with a distorted octahedral geometry.


Abstract Background: Several botanically derived agents are available for the treatment of male-pattern baldness. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of 5% hexane extract of Curcuma aeruginosa, a botanically derived inhibitor of 5α-reductase and 5% minoxidil in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. Methods: Eighty-seven men with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) were randomized to receive 5% Curcuma aeruginosa, 5% minoxidil, combination formulation (5% hexane extract of Curcuma aeruginosa + 5% minoxidil) or placebo, twice daily for 6 months. Efficacy was assessed by target area hair count, global photographic review as well as patients' subjective assessments of hair regrowth and hair shedding. Results: There were statistically significant improvements in global photographic review (p < 0.001), subjects' overall assessments of hair regrowth (p = 0.008), and hair shedding (p = 0.004) when the combination formulation was compared with placebo. Similarly, treatment with 5% minoxidil and 5% C. aeruginosa extract also led to some degrees of hair regrowth. There were no serious adverse events during and after the study. Conclusion: In men with hair loss in the vertex area of the scalp, the combination of 5% hexane extract of C. aeruginosa and 5% minoxidil slowed hair loss and increased hair growth.


Abstract Compounds with two mesogenic groups connected by a hexamethylene chain and terminal butyl groups were synthesized by the Wittig reaction from the newly described bis-Wittig salts 1,6-bis[4-(triphenylphosphoniomethyl)benzyl]hexane dichloride (1) or 1,6-bis[5-(triphenylphosphoniomethyl)-2-thienyl]hexane dibromide (2) and various aromatic aldehydes. All derivatives containing two or three vinylene units and three or four aromatic rings in each mesogenic group have liquid crystalline phases. These aromatic rings are 1,4-disubstituted benzene and/or 2,5-disubstituted thiophene rings. The transition temperatures of these compounds increase with increasing numbers of benzene rings in each core. All-E-1,6-bis{4-[4-(4-butylstyryl)styryl]phenyl}hexane (3) (which is one of the few examples of conventional rod-like liquid crystalline materials without any hetero-atoms) has the highest transition temperatures compared to all the other substances. The formation of smectic phases of a high order is dependent on...


A network of these devices will collaborate for a common application such as environmental monitoring. We expect sensor networks to be deployed in an ad hoc fashion, with individual nodes remaining largely inactive for long periods of time, but then becoming suddenly active when something is detected. The technique of using watchdog is a fundamental building block to many trust systems that are designed for securing wireless sensor networks (WSNs). But this kind of technique consumes much energy and hence largely limits the lifespan of WSN. Watchdog is a monitoring technique which detects the misbehaving nodes in the network. Watchdog technique is a fundamental building block to many trust systems that are designed for securing wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In our work the power consumption models of the microcontroller and the sensor node are defined based on their digital operations so that the parameters of the digital algorithms can be optimised to achieve the best energy efficiency. This technique has been proved as a very effective approach to build up WSNTS's foundations. However, this kind of technique consumes much energy and hence decreases the lifespan of WSN.


The professional practice of M.E.of full-time education is important for M.E.to transform into professional talents.The research on quality evaluation of its professional practice helps to perfect quality and training system for M.E.of full-time education,and to promote the reform of fundamental education.However,examining the status quo of the quality evaluation of professional practice for M.E.of Full-time Education,we find many problems such as the deficiency in institutional arrangement,the vagueness of evaluation subject,and the lack of scientific quality evaluation index system,etc.,which require immediately solution.Corresponding countermeasures are provided in this paper for the problems stated above.


Understanding the molecules that are essential for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) entry can provide insights into viral infection and dissemination. Recently, it has been identified from several studies that angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 receptor and transmembrane serine protease 2 are the main entry molecules for the SARS‐CoV‐2, which produced the pandemic of Covid‐19. However, additional evidence showed several other viral receptors and cellular proteases that are also important in facilitating viral entry and transmission in the target cells. In this review, we summarized the types of SARS‐CoV‐2 entry molecules and discussed their crucial roles for virus binding, protein priming and fusion to the cellular membrane important for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.


In this study, a problem space genetic algorithm (PSGA) is used to solve bicriteria tool management and scheduling problems simultaneously in ¯exible manufacturing systems. The PSGA is used to generate approximately ef®cient solutions minimizing both the manufacturing cost and total weighted tardiness. This is the ®rst implementation of PSGA to solve a multiobjective optimization problem (MOP). In multiobjective search, the key issues are guiding the search towards the global Pareto-optimal set and maintaining diversity. A new ®tness assignment method, which is used in PSGA, is proposed to ®nd a well-diversi®ed, uniformly distributed set of solutions that are close to the global Pareto set. The proposed ®tness assignment method is a combination of a nondominated sorting based method which is most commonly used in multiobjective optimization literature and aggregation of objectives method which is popular in the operations research literature. The quality of the Pareto-optimal set is evaluated by using the performance measures developed for multiobjective optimization problems.


Transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric transformations are among the most powerful and straightforward strate-gies to access various enantioenriched compounds. Hence, considerable efforts have been focused on the development of novel chiral ligands capable of highly efficient and enantioselective catalysis. The importance of olefin as ligand in transi-tion-metal-catalyzed reactions wasn't realized until the report of the Zeise' salt in 1827. Nevertheless, application of chiral olefins as ligands for asymmetric catalysis has been overlooked for quite a long time owing to their relatively weak binding affinity toward the central metal. Since the groundbreaking work of Hayashi and Carreira in 2003 ~ 2004, chiral dienes as steering ligands in asymmetric catalysis have emerged as a fascinating new field. Given the weak coordination ability of olefins to transition-metals, functional groups with high coordination ability were considered to incorporate into the olefin framework to create a new type of hybrid olefin ligands for asymmetric catalysis. Over the past few years, a diverse range of hybrid olefin ligands were developed for various enantioselective transformations. Among these, phosphorus-based olefins represent a particularly interesting class of ligands since the first concept demonstration by Grützmacher in 2004, combining the strong coordinating phosphorus atom and the weak coordinating olefin into one ligand molecule. Typically, three structur-ally different types of phosphorus-based olefins are known in the literature, including phosphine-olefins, phospho-ramidite/phosphinamidite-olefins, and phosphite/phosphinite-olefins. They have been successfully utilized in a series of tran-sition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric reactions, such as iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of imines, allylic substitution; rhodium-catalyzed conjugate addition of organoboron reagents to α , β -unsaturated compounds, 1,2-addition of organoboron reagents to imines/carbonyl compounds, intramolecular hydroacylation; and palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation/amination/etherification of allylic esters, as well as Suzuki-coupling reactions. In many cases, the reactions occur with high enantioselectivities, allows for access to a broad range of valuable chiral products. This paper reviews the litera-tures in this field and summarizes the remarkable progress and advances in the use of various P-olefins as powerful ligands for diverse transition metal-catalyzed asymmetric transformations since 2004. The aim is to offer an overview of the recent achievements in the rational design and development of new hybrid chiral olefin ligands for effective enantioselective catalysis. We hope that the current success of chiral phosphorus-olefin catalysis would provide an exciting opportunity for future exploration of chiral olefin ligands in a wide variety of asymmetric reactions.


The article attempts to apply the concept of «soft power», characteristic of international relations, to analyze the struggle of participants in separatist conflicts at the national level. The purpose of the study is to consider the «soft power» resources and tools of each of the parties to the conflict between Catalonia and Spain and the conflict between Scotland and the United Kingdom. The main research methods are general logical, institutional and comparative. It is concluded that in the countries under consideration, in the conditions of the manifestation of separatism, the «soft power» has obvious socio-cultural, political, institutional and legal grounds. According to the authors, despite the specifics of the «soft power» confrontation, in each of the cases considered, culture in its various manifestations, image strategies of the parties to the conflict, as well as the institution of the monarchy are crucial.


Status of the Problem: As the transmitter of the culture, language enables people to learn and transfer knowledge, traditions and values relating to their pasts to the next generations. Only a pure language can be proper transmitter of the culture. Today, it seems that the language will lose its pureness due to the negative impact of the media and the internet, which are the products of the communication age, on proper use of the language. Purpose: This research aims at describing the use of Turkish on the internet environment. This description was made based on the classification of the uses of internet users apart from standard Turkish. Method: This research is a qualitative study based on document analysis. MSN Micro Soft Network and Facebook correspondences of 163 people were taken as the universe of the research. Findings and Conclusion: It was determined in this research that our language's characteristics of sound are not taken into consideration, orthographic rules are disregarded and word and sentence structures are not observed during the use of Turkish on the internet environment. As a result, it was seen that Turkish is used carelessly on the internet environment


A theoretical model for studying pattern formation in electroconvection is proposed in the form of a modified Swift-Hohenberg equation. A localized state is found in two dimension, in agreement with the experimentally observed ``worm" state. The corresponding one dimensional model is also studied, and a novel stationary localized state due to nonadiabatic effect is found. The existence of the 1D localized state is shown to be responsible for the formation of the two dimensional ``worm" state in our model.


Pulsed-laser-induced dewetting (PLiD) was used to assemble patterned, nanoscale metallic thin film features into bimetallic nanoparticles. The liquid-phase flow is related to a conventional droplet impact test and, in appropriate dimensions, have inertial and viscoinertial flow characteristics. The final size, morphology, composition, and interdiffusion of the nanoparticles is governed by the interplay of capillary, inertial, and viscous forces and an appropriate dimensional regime defined by competing Rayleigh-Plateau and spinodal instabilities.


. In this paper, we investigate certain submodules in C*-algebras associated to effective ´etale groupoids. First, we show that a submodule generated by normalizers is a closure of the set of compactly supported continuous functions on some open set. As a corollary, we show that discrete group coactions on groupoid C*-algebras are induced by cocycles of ´etale groupoids if the fixed point algebras contain C*-subalgebras of continuous functions vanishing at infinity on the unit spaces. In the latter part, we prove the Galois correspondence result for discrete group coactions on groupoid C*-algebras.


Milton and Blake are considered representatives of what may be called the visionary tradition in English poetry. Focusing on Paradise Lost and The Four Zoas an attempt is made to first, delineate the myths embodied in these texts and second, to point out their differences. After a few remarks about what is meant by the term »visionary«, the author gives a brief appraisal of the poems. Although both texts start from an identical starting-point, even the most superficial reading will uncover decisive divergences. The paper analyses the following five structural differences: (i) while Milton uses a linear, deterministic organization of episodes, in Blake's work their nature is thought to be cyclical, interchangeable, (ii) the selective and intergrative use of material, (iii) the different characterization of protagonists, (iv) the different modes of representing space/distance, and (v) dissimilarities that are evident on the level of language. Relying on certain judgements propounded by George Steiner, Joseph Campbell and Arthur O. Lovejjoy a proposal is put forward to explain these differences as originating in a changed perception of the world, different psychological types and in the emergence of a new stylistic formation (Romanticism).


Sexual dimorphism in birds and mammals is a phenomenon that has provoked intense interest. Two explanations (not mutually exclusive) are most commonly given for selection favoring dimorphism. The first, put forth by Charles Darwin, is based on the competition of one sex for the other and the different selective pressures resulting on the competitor and the object of competition (Darwin 1859; see Trivers 1972 and Ralls 1976 for reviews). Trivers argues that the sex contributing most to parental care will be in short supply and hence will be the object of competition. Thus, in most mammalian species, males compete for females. Large size is often advantageous in intraspecific competition, so males tend to be larger than females when competition occurs. The second explanation of sexual dimorphism is that differences between males and females are a means of reducing intraspecific competition for resources, especially food (Amadon 1959; Selander 1966; Storer 1966; Schoener 1967; Earhart and Johnson 1970). Vespertilionid bats tend to be sexually dimorphic in size. The differences are slight but are found in many species (see below). Females are larger in all cases where significant differences have been found. Bats are unique among mammals because they fly. Flight places strict limitations on the size and proportional relationships of different parts of the body; coefficients of variation for wing measurements of bats are lower than those for limb measurements of terrestrial mammals (Long 1968). Bats have further undergone a reduction in the size of the extreme anterior and posterior parts of the body, resulting in the reduction of weight and the concentration of mass in the pectoral region. Yet, despite the apparent importance of size, female bats are capable of carrying large young. Near-term embryos commonly weigh 20%-30% of the female's body weight after birth (table 1). This is a considerable load, and its effect on flight is increased because it is located well posterior to the point of attachment of the wings. Furthermore, females may carry their newborn young to new roosting sites if disturbed after parturition (Davis 1970). Based on these considerations, a different selective basis for the sexual dimorphism of vespertilionid bats has been suggested (Phillips 1966; Jones 1967; Fenton 1972; Baker et al. 1972; Kunz 1974b). Body size is determined by a compromise between many requirements. In the case of male bats, feeding and roosting habits are probably paramount. For females these same factors are important, but in addition an increase in body size reduces the proportionate load of the fetus or newborn young. Wing size may increase even more, resulting in a reduction of wing loading (grams carried per square centimeter of wing area). In a similar manner, the relative cost of producing milk (measured, for example, as calories per gram female weight) is reduced when females are larger. Further, lactating females consume more food than males (Kunz 1974a). Large size may permit females to carry a larger quantity of insects in their stomachs. Thus,


John Zerzan (born 1943) is the most prominent living American anarchist and primitivist philosopher. His works criticize modern civilization as inherently oppressive, and encourage modern people to draw on "primitive" ways of life in developing new cultures. His rhetorical attacks on modernity are intense and extend beyond technology to even more basic elements of civilization, like domestication, language, symbolic thought (such as mathematics and art), and the concept of time. His books include Elements of Refusal (1988), Future Primitive and Other Essays (1994), Against Civilization: A Reader (1998), and Running on Emptiness (2002). He has published articles in Telos, Green Anarchy, and Fift h Estate, and is widely published on the web. He has been featured in articles in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and he has been influential both in intellectual and in activist circles for several decades. According to a recent article on him in Orion magazine, his thought is the wellspring for much contemporary radical activism. We spoke with him in a café during his visit to Michigan in the spring of 2007. It is perhaps symbolic that our digital voice recorder broke just prior to the interview, and the two substitute recorders also malfunctioned during the interview. Nonetheless, the conversation provides insight into Zerzan's thought and into how he came to his radical ecological critique of contemporary technological society.


The May 2008 Jammu & Kashmir government9s decision to transfer 99 acres of land to a Hindu shrine reignited the Kashmiri nationalist movement. This essay argues that Kashmiri ethnonationalist aspirations remain entrenched among the Valley9s Muslim population and that electoral participation is no guarantee of attenuated ethnonationalist demands.


ABSTRACT A short and efficient protocol for the synthesis of β-lactam containing α-hydroxy phosphonate esters using inexpensive catalysts such as tartaric acid and fumaric acid is described. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


Toughening effect of poly(butylenes terephthalate) with a novel toughener(modified maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene-octene elastomer,M-POE-g-MAH) was studied. Compared with pure POE-g-MAH, influence of impact modifier's ingredients and contents on mechanical properties of the blends was investigated. Using scanning electronic microscopy photographs of impact fracture surfaces, morphologies responsible for brittle-ductile transition were also analyzed. The results indicated that a brittle-ductile transition occurred when POE-g-MAH content was up to 10 % in M-POE-g-MAH/PBT blends, whereas brittle-tough transition occurred when POE-g-MAH content was up to 15 % in POE-g-MAH/PBT blends. PBT toughened by M-POE-g-MAH impact modifier has more advantages in properties and cost, and its blend has a higher ratio of property to cost in contrast with pure POE-g-MAH impact modifier.


The evolution of an isolated line vortex generated by a starting two-dimensional jet is studied experimentally using time-resolved particle image velocimetry. The vortex growth in this current configuration is not linked to any externally imposed length scales or interactions with other vortical structures or walls that could potentially influence vortex growth. A model for the early-stage vortex growth, based on the transport of circulation from the shear layer into the vortex, is proposed and found to agree well with experimental data. The model provides a scaling scheme for vortex growth using shear-layer characteristic velocity and shear-layer thickness. The vortex growth is limited through a gradual separation of the vortex from the feeding shear layer, arising from decreased shear-layer curvature. This phenomenon is linked to a competition between the shear-layer tendency to remain in the streamwise direction and the induced velocity from the vortex on the shear layer. Finally, a dimensionless number representing this competition is introduced, which in turn is able to describe the gradual separation of the vortex from the shear layer.


This paper describes a procedure for developing and validating the dynamic models in electromagnetic and electromechanical simulation. The model development is achieved by using the trapezoidal integration and the hierarchical initialization. The black-box testing method is introduced to validate the accuracy of the developed models through several examples.


The aim of this study was to investigate whether individualized resistance training improves the physical mobility of young people with cerebral palsy (CP).


Understanding political and social effects of violence in local populations through public opinion surveys has become increasingly common internationally. Yet while researchers are attuned to possible challenges induced during survey implementation, this work focuses almost uniformly on respondents. This paper considers survey enumerators as critical actors for data collection in violent research settings. We present survey results from 245 enumerators in Côte d'Ivoire to show that their personal feelings of insecurity and exposure to violence while conducting surveys may condition challenges faced and compromises made to gathering data. We shed light on how academic research in violent political settings poses unique security concerns for enumerators, with ramifications for data integrity.


Objective To know the existing conditions, influence factors of country women's puerperal dietary and to study scientific puerperal dietary and health care pattern.Methods712 countrywomen in Macheng country, Hubei province were studied by layered sampling and cluster sampling,then the objects were investigqted by questionnaires about their puerperal dietary conditions. ResultsThere were many food taboos and unreasonable dietary custom. The daily intake of eggs and brown sugars in puerperium reached 365.12g and 81.44g respectively. At the same time, the daily intake of milk, fruits and vegetable were 4.44ml, 6.94g and 424.20g respectively.The disadvantages were dietary taboos and parent's opinions. The advantages were income, education and health care. ConclusionSo health education should be carried out widely in countries to correct the wrong conventional opinions of women and strengthen scientific guidance in dietary to form scientific puerperal dietary and health pattern of modern women.


Slicer has been used in medical community for several years now. This paper describes a Python extension imported in Slicer application. The main contribution of the paper is to outline and explain how to import and test a Python extension which we created to isolate gray matter and bone in MR brain volume images. Our future plans include both qualitative and quantitative analysis, validation, and comparison to other similar techniques, and extensions to 3D surface extractions and interpretations using Slicer. Keywords—3D slicer; medical visualization; thresholding


This paper presents some results of a Master's research completed recently that aimed at the study of a group of techniques for the performance evaluation of accessibility in parks and squares for visually impaired persons. A deep bibliographic review about the theme was done, besides the application of the following methodological tools of PostOccupancy Evaluation (POE): interviews, focus groups, accompanied walks, and


The efficacy studies for lactic acid were conducted using rats to observe the toxicity of food grade lactic acid, produced in laboratory through fermentation process. The Sprague-Dawley rats were used for the evaluation of food grade lactic acid and was given in the feed to five groups of rats (A-E) at the dose of 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4%, respectively. The behavioral changes, feed intake, body weight and hepatocytic changes were recorded during the experiment for 28 days. Incorporation of lactic acid in the diets at these concentrations did not manifest a significant (p<0.05) effect on behavior, feed intake and body weight in all the rats groups tested for lactic acid toxicity. Liver weight, relative liver weight, cell diameter and nucleus diameter remained unchanged (p<0.05) on ingestion of lactic acid suggesting that the consumption of lactic acid up to 4% is safe in the rats. However, these results are yet to be validated in the humans as far as the use of lactic acid produced through bacterial fermentation in the food is concerned.


Abstract : The first volume contains a summary of the development of thoracic surgery in previous wars, the general and statistical background of the World War II experience, administrative considerations in the Mediterranean and European theaters and in the Zone of Interior, the evolution of policies of management of chest wounds, and the routine of management of thoracic casualties from their emergency care on the battlefield through their rehabilitation chest centers. JMD


The phisical characterristics of breaking wave are investigated in cases of permitting to occur the return current and compulsorily removing it.Breaking wave motion is complicated by variety factors and connecting them.Effective one of these factors is return current which have a large scale effect compair with other factors as viscosity, capiraly stress, and turbulent. Therefore it is very important to investigate how the return current affect to the inner velocity field at breaking.Since the fluid motion is temporally and spacially unsteady in the breaking zoon, the messurement of fluid motion should be carry out in the view of these aspects.In this paper, the inner velocity at breaking is spacially investigated by perticle image velocimeter.Especially, we could understand that the structure of fluid motion is sufferd by the return current.


A stand-alone ground resistance acquiring device and a ground resistance measuring system are provided to inspect reliability of a ground model by obtaining a temporal variation in the ground resistance. At least one stand-alone ground resistance acquiring device(10,20,30,40) independently measures a ground resistance of a ground facility. A management server(300) manages the ground resistance acquiring device. Plural auxiliary potential electrodes and auxiliary current electrodes measure the ground resistance. A selection signal generator generates a selection signal for selecting a specific auxiliary potential electrode. An electrode selector applies a current on the ground facility and the auxiliary current electrode according to a selection signal from the select signal generator and measures a potential difference between the ground facility and the auxiliary potential electrode. A controller generates a measurement request signal and activates the electrode selector, when a confirmation signal is received from the management server. The management server includes a scheduler which receives the request signal from the controller and manages operation timings for the stand-alone ground resistance acquiring devices.


The reasons for the expected high component of power cost associated with the fuel in the AGR are discussed in comparison with the EGCR fuel. The major differences between AGR and EGCR fuel assemblies are outlined. It is shown that the higher fuel costs of AGR are due to the choice of CO/sup 2/ rather than He as the coolant. A group discussion of other factors is given. (D.L.C.)


In Nature Microbiology, Palleja and colleagues studied the changes in gut microbiome composition in twelve healthy men over a period of six months following an antibiotic intervention. The authors argued that the 'gut microbiota of the subjects recovered to near-baseline composition within 1.5 months' and only exhibited a 'mild yet long-lasting imprint following antibiotics exposure.' We here present a series of re-analyses of their original data which demonstrate a significant loss of microbial taxa even after the complete study period of 180 days. Additionally we show that the composition of the microbiomes after the complete study period only moderately correlates with the initial baseline states. Taken together with the lack of significant compositional differences between day 42 and day 180, we think that these findings suggest the convergence of the microbiomes to another stable composition, which is different from the pre-treatment states, instead of a recovery of the baseline state. Given the accumulating evidence of the role of microbiome perturbations in a variety of infectious and non-infectious diseases, as well as the crucial role antibiotics play in modern medicine, we consider these differences in compositional states worthy of further investigation.


Heat generation and laser performance were studied in Nd:YAG oscillators pumped with a Ti:Sapphire laser in two regimes: band pumping at 802nm and direct pumping at 885nm. Slope efficiencies of 52% and 57%, when pumped at 802nm and 885nm, were obtained, respectively. Heat per unit laser output was found to be 27% lower when pumped at 885nm (direct pumping regime) as compared to traditional band pumping around 808nm.


This study explores the use of the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), a neuro-fuzzy approach, to analyze the log data of technology-based assessments to extract relevant features of student problem-solving processes, and develop and refine a set of fuzzy logic rules that could be used to interpret student performance. The log data that record student response processes while solving a science simulation task were analyzed with ANFIS. Results indicate the ANFIS analysis could generate and refine a set of fuzzy rules that shed lights on the process of how students solve the simulation task. We conclude the article by discussing the advantages of combining human judgments with the learning capacity of ANFIS for log data analysis and outlining the limitations of the current study and areas of future research.


The paper presents a multi-axis motion controller based on DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) to meet the communication demands of modern complex control systems. In details, the paper first introduces a design method of the structure of the motion controller which is based on PC. This controller consists of FIFO (First In First Out) circuit block and baud rate generator circuit block etc within FPGA. They are used to implement real-time communication in modern complex master-slave control systems effectively when PC and slave controllers are set at different Baud Rate. In addition, the paper renders a method used for Synchronous control and analyzes the synchronization error between slave controllers. In order to test the performance of the developed controller, a 3-DOF planar parallel robot is used to follow a plane line trajectory. The high position precision of plane trajectory has been drawn which shows the ability of the developed multiaxis controller to realize a real-time and high-precision coordinated motion control.


We propose a light detection and ranging (LIDAR)‐based relative navigation scheme that is appropriate for uncooperative relative space navigation applications. Our technique combines the encoding power of the three‐dimensional (3D) local descriptors that are matched exploiting a correspondence grouping scheme, with the robust rigid transformation estimation capability of the proposed adaptive recursive filtering techniques. Trials evaluate several current state‐of‐the‐art 3D local descriptors and recursive filtering techniques on a number of both real and simulated scenarios that involve various space objects including satellites and asteroids. Results demonstrate that the proposed architecture affords a 50% odometry accuracy improvement over current solutions, while also affording a low computational burden. From our trials we conclude that the 3D descriptor histogram of distances short (HoD‐S) combined with the adaptive αβ filtering poses the most appealing combination for the majority of the scenarios evaluated, as it combines high quality odometry with a low processing burden.


Our technology and our science for coal liquefaction can build profitably on the experience of the past - especially on the great successes of the German efforts. Those efforts included the direct liquefaction of coal by the high-pressure hydrogenation approach and indirect liquefaction in which fuels were catalytically produced from coal-derived synthesis gas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen). At its peak, the German program was producing oil from coal at the rate of 6,000,000 metric tons per annum. So we are dealing with a program that has already been brought to a high technological level and has been carried out on an industrial scale. In such an area, where so much experience has been accrued, dramatic advances in technology are likely to require an increase in our fundamental understanding of what coal is and what its reactions are. Modern theory and instrumentation give us fresh hope that such advances are possible, both in coal structure and chemistry and in catalysis.


Evidence indicates that failure of nuclear transfer (NT) embryos to develop normally can be attributed, at least partially, to the use of a differentiated cell nucleus as the donor karyoplast. It has been hypothesized that blastocyst production and development to term of cloned embryos may differ between population doublings (PDs) of the same cell line as a consequence of changes in DNA methylation and histone acetylation patterns during in vitro culture. The objective of this study was to determine gene expression patterns of the chromatin remodeling proteins DNA methyltransferase‐1 (Dnmt1), methyl CpG binding protein‐2 (MeCP2), and histone deacetyltransferse‐1 (HDAC1), in addition, to measuring levels of DNA methylation and histone acetylation of bovine fibroblast cells at different PDs. Bovine fibroblast cell lines were established from four 50‐day fetuses. Relative levels of Dnmt1, MeCP2, HDAC1, methylated DNA, and acetylated histone were analyzed at PDs 2, 7, 15, 30, 45, and 70. RNA levels of Dnmt1, HDAC1, and MeCP2 were examined using Q‐PCR. Global levels of methylated DNA and acetylated histone were determined by incubation of fixed cells with an anti‐5‐methylcytidine and anti‐acetyl‐histone H3 antibody, respectively. Cells were labeled with a second antibody, counter‐stained with propidium iodide and analyzed by flow cytometry. These data demonstrate that chromatin remodeling protein mRNAs involved in epigenetic modifications are altered during in vitro culture. Methylated DNA and acetylated histone patterns of in vitro cells change with time in culture. Subsequent use of these cells for NT will provide insight as to how these epigenetic modifications affect reprogramming. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 74: 1514–1524, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


With the aim to compare simple phenotypic methods for detecting metallo-β-lactamases in low complexity laboratories, we studied 15 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains resistant or with decreased susceptibilityto carbapenems, collected from in-patients at health centers of Posadas between April 2007 and March 2008. The methods tested were the modified Hodge test, the double disk synergy test (imipenem/EDTA and imipenem/ dipicolinic acid), the imipenem-EDTA combined disk test, the modified Hodge test, and the MIC of imipenem vs imipenem/EDTA. MIC reduction with imipenem/EDTA combination was observed in 1/15 strains studied. Only the modified Hodge test and the modified Hodge test gave results comparable to the ones obtained with the MIC. Considering our results, we suggest the implementation of at least two methods, selected according to the technical capabilities of the laboratory, in order to investigate metallo-β-lactamases, both in clinical practice and for surveillance purposes.


Committee final report submitted on July 28, 2017 by the chair of NMRT Annual Social, records the committee's charge, project descriptions, goals, and objectives for the coming year.


Settlement charts are developed, using elastic stress considerations and conventional settlement theory, to determine settlements at desired points, caused by square or rectangular footings of groups of footings of various size and shape. The variables considered include length and width of footings, spacing of various footings, variation of void ratio, magnitude of loading, distribution of loads, variation of coefficient of compressibility, and stratification. The use of normalized, nondimensional charts is presented in terms of illustrative examples.


The present invention relates to apparatus and method for generating haptic interaction haptic and sound effects for the interaction device (10) comprises a touch-sensitive surface (1) and the chassis (4), capable of generating a tactile, sound (100, 101) and visual interaction effect . The sound and a tactile effect generated by the electronic device and a common structural component (1,2,31,32,4), the structural components and the electronic device is arranged to touch-sensitive surface (1) and the chassis (4) behave like speaker. The present invention further relates to a method for generating interaction effect. The present invention is a visualization device (10), and applied, for example a computer, television, telephone and a touch-sensitive panel. It is preferably applied to the visualization device having a large screen diagonal.


not reveal any cases of AFX arising within a tracheostomy scar, although there have been reports in other scars, including several in burn scars and one case in a scar due to discoid lupus erythematosus (see Table S1). Neoplastic degeneration of scars is a well-recognized phenomenon. The development of malignancy, most commonly squamous cell carcinoma, in scars is referred to as Marjolin ulcer. Several factors could contribute to carcinogenesis in scars, including chronic irritation, reduced immunologic surveillance, increased local susceptibility to ultraviolet radiation (UVR), genetic predisposition and co-carcinogens such as human papillomaviruses. The genotoxic effects of UVR are central to the pathogenesis of AFX. This view is supported by the predilection for the head and neck of elderly individuals and the high rate of UV signature mutations in genes such as TP53. Sensitivity to UVR may be increased by the loss of melanin pigmentation in some scars. Additionally, the occurrence of AFX in scars suggests that this tumour might arise as a reactive cicatricial neoplasm. A keloidal variant has been described, and this may indicate a relationship with abnormal fibrous tissue production in scars, possibly mediated by transforming growth factor-b1 (TGF-b1). Since pathogenic mechanisms may be shared between scar-associated AFX and other tumours, the development of AFX may indicate a higher risk of synchronous or metachronous malignancy in the scar. The natural history of AFX is controversial. Some reports have identified instances of recurrence and metastasis, while others have failed to do so suggesting a benign behaviour. The characteristics of reported cases of scarassociated AFX, including age group, anatomic site and clinical course, support the notion that scar-associated AFX has a similar biology to classic AFX (see Table S1). Given the small number of cases and short duration of follow-up, it is possible that disease might recur or metastasise, as has been reported with classic AFX. For accurate prognostication, scar-associated AFX must be carefully distinguished from aggressive pleomorphic neoplasms such as pleomorphic dermal sarcoma, malignant melanoma, and sarcomatoid or spindle cell SCC.


Includes list of cast and crew, description about the project, description about the wall and description of the Lyceum Youth Theatre.


Despite many studies on the cartographic characteristics of Daedongyeojido, there has been little systematic research focusing on the map projection. This study aims at estimating the map projection of Daedongyeojido and examining its characteristics through a GIS-based analysis. First of all, practical procedures for estimating map projections of old maps and related GIS-based analysis methods are established. The best fit projection is chosen after the process that the control points in the reference map based on each candidate projection are converted to the old map using geometric transformations and the location similarity and the shape similarity is measured, is repeated for all candidate projections. These procedures were applied to 13 candidate projections of various types with varying projection parameters (central meridian and standard parallels) to estimate the projection of Daedongyeojido. As a result, it was revealed that the conformal conic projection and the conformal cylindrical projection was the best fit. However, the distribution of errors showed spatial heterogeneity that both the positional error and the shape error increased toward the north. So, additional analyses were performed assuming that the projections with better fit would be different between the southern and northern regions. It turned out that the best fit one was cylindrical equal area projection in the north, but the equidistant conic projection and the conformal conic projection showed the highest fitness in the south. It is meaningful that this study contributes to expanding the study of old maps based on the GIS analysis, but further research is needed to improve methods for measuring fitness of map projections and to analyze using verified control points.


In a series of studies, we investigated a user interface intended to help users stay aware of their access-control policy even when they are engaged in another activity as their primary task. Methodological issues arose in each study, which impacted the results. We describe the difficulties encountered during each study, and changes to the methodology designed to overcome those difficulties. Through this process, we shed light on the challenges intrinsic to many studies that examine security as a secondary task, and convey a series of lessons that we hope will help other researchers avoid some of the difficulties that we encountered.


The reptiles present an impressive array of social systems and complex behavioral displays (Carpenter and Ferguson 1977, Stamps 1977). Unlike birds and mammals that often require radio tracking to monitor their movements, most reptiles are sedentary and range over relatively short distances. Few species are secretive, and many are seemingly oblivious to human observations. Moreover, although there are nocturnal reptiles, such as the geckos, most species are active during the day. Recent studies have revealed intricate social structures in which territoriality is common, and harems ruled by male despots have also been reported. With this great diversity in social systems is a corresponding richness of vocal, olfactory, and visual displays. Many nocturnal geckos have distinct courtship and dominance calls. Female crocodilians open the nest in response to calls of hatching young deep in the nest. Snakes, turtles, and some lizards depend heavily upon olfactory cues, and many lizards, especially the iguanids, have dramatic postures and behavioral displays. Because they represent a pivotal group in vertebrate evolution, I have been using reptiles to investigate the possible origins of physiological and psychological influences upon reproductive behavior. Much of this work has been directed toward understanding how an animal's behavior and physiology adapt it to the environment in which it lives. My research began as an investigation of the factors controlling the reproductive cycle of the common green anole (Anolis carolinensis), a lizard that depends almost exclusively on visual communication (Crews 1975a, 1977, 1980). More recently, I have begun to study the reproductive behavior of garter snakes (Thamnophis spp.), animals that use pheromones to communicate their repro-


This article deals with the mathematical modeling of Tsallis entropy in fuzzy dynamical systems. At first, the concepts of Tsallis entropy and Tsallis conditional entropy of order where is a positive real number not equal to 1, of fuzzy partitions are introduced and their mathematical behavior is described. As an important result, we showed that the Tsallis entropy of fuzzy partitions of order satisfies the property of sub-additivity. This property permits the definition of the Tsallis entropy of order of a fuzzy dynamical system. It was shown that Tsallis entropy is an invariant under isomorphisms of fuzzy dynamical systems; thus, we acquired a tool for distinguishing some non-isomorphic fuzzy dynamical systems. Finally, we formulated a version of the Kolmogorov–Sinai theorem on generators for the case of the Tsallis entropy of a fuzzy dynamical system. The obtained results extend the results provided by Markechová and Riečan in Entropy, 2016, 18, 157, which are particularized to the case of logical entropy.


Shoes are conventionally produced from materials like plastic or rubber that have detrimental impacts on the environment such as exacerbating existing waste accumulation, increasing global amounts of greenhouse gasses, or releasing toxic chemicals into soils and groundwater. These impacts have pushed footwear companies to introduce more sustainable and ecologically-friendly materials in their products. Roughly half of all cork production occurs in Portugal. The present work employs a comparative life cycle assessment approach between traditional plastic and rubber insole material and cork insole material to investigate the environmental impact of each. Results show that during each stage of the insole life cycle, cork had less environmental impact, resource use


The Dúchas project involves the digitization of heritage material collected in the Irish Folklore Commission Schools' Scheme. This collection contains a small amount of stories that make derogatory reference to named individuals or families. Digitization and publication in an online database makes the sharing of this material online remarkably easy. To this end, a set of guidelines regarding the identification of sensitive material has been developed and pages marked as containing such material are automatically withheld. This article discusses the formulation of those guidelines as well as the technical solution for withholding such material.


The invention discloses a digital electric energy meter checking device based on an analog source tracing method, which is used for the accuracy testing of an electric energy meter based on an IEC61850 standard. The device comprises an AC signal conditioning board, a central control board, an industrial personal computer and a liner power panel which provides power to the device, wherein the AC signal conditioning board carries out front-end low-distortion conversion to three-phase voltage and three-phase current provided by a circumscribed standard power source, and the three-phase voltage and the three-phase current are converted into a voltage signal ranged by the AD analog to digital converter of the rear central control board; the central control board finishes the functions of AC signal sampling, electricity energy accumulation, IEC61850 standard communication, error calculation and data exchange with the industrial personal computer; the industrial personal computer is used for developing a human-computer interface, finishing the functions of giving an order, communicating data and displaying a result and exchanging the order and the data with the central control board via a serial port. The self precision of the checking device reaches 0.05 level, and the magnitude can be upwards traced to the source to higher level of the existing national standard.


Objective: To determine causes of death in patients with pure polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) compared to matched population controls. Methods: In a population based study from 1987–1997, 315 patients were diagnosed with PMR. The patients were each randomly assigned four population controls, totally 1260 controls. The date and causes of death were identified from the data files at Statistics Norway up to the end of 1997. Results: A total of 65 cases (20.6%) with PMR died compared to 338 (26.8%) among the controls (mortality rate ratio (MRR)=0.73, 95% CI 0.56–0.97, p=0.03). No statistically significant difference was found between patients and controls with regard to mortality from coronary heart disease or stroke (MRR=0.78, 95% CI 0.52–1.18), cancer (MRR=0.59, 95% CI 0.30–1.17), and other causes (MRR=0.75, 95% CI 0.48–1.17). Conclusion: The increased survival found in patients with PMR could not be explained by reduction in any particular cause of death.


The following research study is an attempt at finding the solution regarding the ever present complication of scheduling of n tasks being prepared on the machines with a special focus on preparing time consisting of the shipping time as well as arbitrary lags. These lags include both or any of the start lag and stop lag. The main aim lies in finding an optimal order such that make span could be minimized. To support the conceptual viewpoint an illustrative example with numerical data entries has also been included.


Web2.0 is a conceptual framework that aims at enhancing the World Wide Web with semantic and social functionnalities. For this framework to fully develop, there is a need for concrete applications in different domains. This paper presents an effort to instanciate the Web2.0 concepts in a teaching/leanring context. An ontology based collaborative multimedia annotation tool that features pedagogical functionnalities is presented. An original approach to design software based on ontologies is used. A pedagogical scenario, from the KPLAB European project, that makes use of the tool to train medical staff to handle pediatric surgical operations is presented.


This author was asked to design a course on adhesives and sealants to a BS in engineering curriculum. This paper describes the details and development of the course.