Since the first float system was used for tobacco transplant production in Kentucky, there has been debate concerning the merits of clear versus black plastic as an additional covering over traditional plant bed covers for rain and freeze protection. An experiment was designed to compare temperature differences under two plastic covers on outside float beds at the Ray Adams farm in Wayne County. Two float beds were seeded on March 27 and covered with Typar. One bed was covered with an additional layer of black plastic and the other with clear plastic. A ceramic heater was placed in each bed and set to operate at temperatures below 40oF. Two maximum/minimum thermometers were placed in each of two outside float beds on April 12. Each bed had a thermometer placed at the end and center of the bed. A shielded thermometer was located outside of the beds for an ambient reading. Maximum and minimum temperature readings were recorded daily from April 12 to May 19. The clear cover was left on for the first five weeks, but ventilated on each end every day. The black plastic was taken off during the daytime except for rainy days. Maximum/minimum temperatures were recorded for 18 days before and 18 days after the plastic covers were removed. The lowest maximum daily temperature was 64oF recorded by all of the thermometers at some point during the initial 18-day recording period (Figure 1). The highest maximum temperature was recorded on April 30 in the center of the bed covered with Typar and a clear plastic cover. On that day the clear plastic was removed for the duration of the test. The temperature was 26oF hotter than ambient, while the black cover surpassed ambient by 18oF. Since the black plastic cover was removed during the day, the maximum temperatures in those beds may represent heat retention by the Typar cover alone. The value compares with temperatures taken after the plastic was removed. Minimum temperatures for the two covers were comparable at 28o to 30oF Measurement of Temperature Extremes in Tobacco Float Systems Gary Palmer and Bob Pearce, Department of Agronomy AGR-176


The purpose of this paper is to show that the coset bound can be used to prove the floor bound. Our proof provides a natural relation between the floor bound and the order bound.


Due to recent advances in CPU and memory system performance, 1/0 systems are increasingly limiting the performance of modern computer systems. Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) have been proposed by Patterson et. al. [10] to meet the impending 1/0 crisis. RAIDs substitute many small inexpensive disks for a few large expensive disks to provide higher performance (both transfer rate and 1/0 rate), smaller footprints and lower power consumption at a lower cost than the large expensive disks they replace, Unfortunately, with so many small disks, media availability becomes a serious problem. RAIDs provide high availability by using parity encoding of data to survive disk failures. As will be shown by this paper, the way parity is distributed in a RAID has significant consequences for performance. In particular, we show that for relatively large request sizes of hundreds of kilobytes, the choice of parity placement significantly affects performance (up to 20-30 percent for the typical disk array configurations that are common today) and propose properties that are generally desirable of parity placements.


In this work, an efficient approach to improving the fire retardancy and smoke suppression for intumescent flame‐retardant polypropylene (PP) composites is developed via incorporating functionalized sepiolite (organo‐modified sepiolite [ONSep]). The PP composites with different amounts of intumescent flame retardants and ONSep were prepared by melt compounding. The morphology, thermal behavior, fire retardancy, smoke suppression, and mechanical property of flame‐retardant PP composites were studied. The results indicate an appropriate amount of ONSep in the flame‐retardant PP composites can increase thermal degradation temperature and char formation as well as a reduction of the peak heat release rate and total heat release; moreover, the addition of ONSep significantly decreases the CO production, total smoke production, smoke production rate, and smoke temperature. Simultaneously, the impact strength of intumescent flame‐retardant PP composite is also maintained by introducing an appropriate amount of ONSep as compared with that without ONSep.


* As a Fellow of the Textile Foundation. Mr. Kruegel worked under the direction of E. R. Schwarz, Associate Professor of Textile Technology, Mass. Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. SINCkj the establislzmeztt of wool top standards in 1926 little use has been made of them in the trade. They have been used as a, reference point only when contracts called for a top equivalent to the government standard. The number of these cases has been relatively small since the only one that issued contracts demanding that the wool used to fulfill these contracts be up to the promulgated standard has been the governmelt itself. All other top business has been done on the various top maker's grades, and their attractiveness to the buyer lay primarily in the price, the good will and integrity of the seller, and the use to which a particular top was to be put. There is, however, a very potential danger in the increasing number of wholesale and retail establishments dealing in worsted goods that are inquiring as to the quality of the material offered. Added to this is the effect Of the Associated Wool Industry's program of making the general public Wool conscious; educating them to appreciate the styling, quality, and coinfort of wool fabrics. As a result, further pressure has been brought to bear on the retailers for qua,lity guarantees. The day is not too far distant when the wholesalers, retailers and the public will be clamoring for c ~ truth in. quality&dquo; identifica,tiozt. There are many engaged in textile manufacturing who, undoubtedly, will brand this statement as &dquo;ridiculous,&dquo; just as there were those who believed that the idea of a &dquo;truth in fabrics&dquo; bill ever being discussed in Congressional Committee was a. little fa,r fetched. It wa,s, however, much to the amaze-


Remanent magnetization in dyke contact zones in the Hoting area of the Fennoscandian Shield in the central part of Sweden has been studied in order to establish the ambient temperature of the host ...


Diese Dissertation ist auf den Internetseiten der Hochschulbibliothek online verfügbar. Preface Graph theory is a delightful research area in discrete mathematics, and its results have many applications in computer science, social and natural science. The Hamiltonian problem is concerned with conditions under which a graph contains a spanning cycle. Named after Sir William Rowan Hamilton, this problem traces its origins to the 1850s. Although this problem is NP-complete, in the last 100 years many sufficient conditions for a graph to be Hamiltonian have been found and many related topics have also been discussed, for example, pancyclicity, proper colored Hamiltonian paths or cycles, etc. In the first part of this thesis, we introduce new sufficient conditions for a graph to be Hamiltonian and some other results on related topics. Chapter 1 will be devoted to an introduction of the terminology and some well-known results about Hamiltonian graphs. Generally speaking, there are two important types of sufficiency conditions with respect to the cyclic properties of graphs. The first is based on the so-called numerical conditions, of which probably degree conditions are the most well-known; structural conditions form the second important type. A typical example of the latter is forbidden subgraph conditions. In Chapter 2, we give some new sufficient conditions for a graph to be Hamiltonian by combining those two types. Let G = (V, E) be a connected graph. The distance between two vertices x and y in G, denoted by d G (x, y), is the length of a shortest path between x and y. A graph G is called almost distance-hereditary if each connected induced subgraph H of G has the property that d H (u, v) ≤ d G (u, v) + 1 for every pair of vertices u and v in H. In Section 2.1, we prove that every 2-connected, 2-heavy and almost distance-hereditary graph is Hamiltonian, where a graph G is 2-heavy if the degrees of at least two end vertices of each claw in G are greater than or equal to |V (G)| 2. In Section 2.2, we assume that G is a connected claw-free graph satisfying the following condition: For every maximal induced path P of length p ≥ 2 with end vertices u and v holds d(u) + d(v) ≥ |V (G)| − p + 2. Under this assumption, we prove that G has a 2-dominating induced cycle, and then G is Hamiltonian. …


The ratio of the capture cross section of a sensitizing center for a photoexcited hole to the subsequent capture cross section for a free electron, in n‐type photoconductors, can be determined from the measurement of the thermal quenching of photoconductivity as a function of excitation intensity. The magnitude of the ratio gives information about the charged state of the sensitizing center. A summary of many such measurements on seven different photoconductors of type II–VI or III–V supports the hypothesis that doubly charged sensitizing centers are present in some of these materials, but that singly charged sensitizing centers are present in the majority.


Method for inputting and recognizing a character string, wherein a plurality of successively entered user input to form the character string are recognized, and a confidence analysis is carried out, wherein each user input is compared to a set of indicia (7) and each so compared mark (7) is a value a confidence measure (22.1, 22.2, 22.3, 22.4) is assigned to the assess the consistency of user input by this sign. From the associated user inputs mark (21.1, 21.2, 21.3, 21.4) character combinations are (24.1, 24.2, 24.3, 24.4) is formed, wherein from the mark (21.1, 21.2, 21.3, 21.4) associated confidence scores (22.1, 22.2, 22.3 , 22.4) Gesamtkonfidenzmase (25.1, 25.2, 25.3, 25.4) for the character combinations (24.1, 24.2, 24.3, 24.4) are determined. Finally, a subset of the character combinations (24.1, 24.2, 24.3, 24.4) in response to the Gesamtkonfidenzmasen (25.1 25.2 25.3, 25.4) is output. The invention further relates to a correspondingly configured device (1) for performing this method as well as a vehicle (9) with such a device (1).


Biodiesel is an alternative fuel made from a renewable biological sources such as vegetable oils, animal fats and waste vegetable oil. The one source that could be used i.e. from waste coconut dregs. Waste dregs of coconut oil contains approximately 12.20–15.90%, this content can be converted into biodiesel. The process of extraction and manufacture of biodiesel was performed using ultrasonic tool. Ultrasonic waves are able to accelerate reactions due to the effect of the cavitation effect, giving the effect of heat, structural effects which makes penetration of the solution of dissolved substance and homogenization occurred more quickly. The process of making biodiesel made with alkaline catalysts heterogeneous CaO. CaO is the material that it's cheap and has low solubility in the solvent methanol. The process of extraction of coconut oil and transesterification waste dregs of coconut oil to was changed to biodiesel is done using ultrasonic frequency 60 kHz. The extraction process is carried out for 2 hours with raw materials from 10 kg of dried waste dregs of coconut produced 1000 ml coconut oil. The process of Transesterification ultrasonic is done with 2 free variables, namely CaO catalyst variation of 1.00%, 2.00%, 3.00% and temperature variations and 500C, 600C, and 700C for 60 minutes. Comparison of the ratio of molar oil methanol used in oil Transesterification process of waste dregs of coconut oil, namely of 1:15 Mole. To know the quality of biodiesel, do some testing with standard biodiesel that is a test of the GC-MS and test the physical form kinematic viscosity, density, and number of the acid. From the overall test already qualify SNI 7182:2015 biodiesel quality standard. Methyl ester of the highest yield reached a 38.40% with conversion rate of methyl ester of 52.30%.


The aim of the present preprint is to study the graph radii and diameters induced by the $k$-dimensional versions of the well-known six international chess pieces on every finite $\{n \times n \times \dots \times n\} \subseteq \mathbb{Z}^k$ lattice, since they originate as many interesting metric spaces for any proper pair $(n,k)$. For this purpose, we finally discuss a mathematically consistent generalization of all the planar FIDE chess pieces to an appropriate $k$-dimensional environment, finding (for any $k \in \mathbb{Z}^+$) the exact values of the graph radii and diameters of the $k$-rook, $k$-king, $k$-bishop, and the corresponding values for the $3$-queen, $3$-knight, and $3$-pawn. We also provide tight bounds for the graph radii and diameters of the $k$-queen, $k$-knight, and $k$-pawn, holding for any $k \geq 4$.


Do single-party elections benefit autocrats and citizens? Recent work eschews mobilization and co-optation arguments, suggesting that elections provide information on voter preferences. This paper challenges that theory, arguing that "citizen information" theory assumes a modicum of competitiveness and voter attentiveness not likely to exist. Instead, consistent with the classic mobilization view, electoral behavior is driven by party strength. Using unique data from Vietnam, which for the first time combines actual electoral returns with district-level survey data, this paper shows show little evidence of strategic voting, competitiveness driving turnout, or knowledge of candidates. Instead, connection to the party drives participation. The findings and theory have important implications for the burgeoning literature on information acquisition tools and elections in single-party regimes. In short, while single-party regimes have many tools to acquire information, elections should not be included among them. More importantly, elections should not be legitimized as reflective of citizen preferences.


The advantages of combination of Component GIS technology and MapX,designs the safety Geographic Information System of mines based on the GIS are introduced.The system structure and function is given.And the designing of system databse and the establishment of spatial database are also analyzed.A diversified forms of information management platform by binding of GIS and mines safety production information are provided.Thus it's a exploring and attempting in mine construction of GIS.


Abstract Automatic sampling and analysis of environmental atmospheres can result in voluminous amounts of data describing exposures to chemicals. The use of a digital computer to process such data and the advantages and disadvantages of the technique are presented.


Molecular dynamics simulations of proteins and lipid bilayers give detailed information on molecular motions on a timescale of up to a microsecond. Collective motions of proteins are thought to play a functionally important role in many water‐soluble proteins and simulations of potassium channel structures show that ion transport might be linked to structural fluctuations in key areas of the protein. I describe simulations of two model channels —a channel consisting of parallel alpha‐helices formed by the antimicrobial peptide alamethicin, and the bacterial porin OmpF, a large beta‐barrel protein that forms three water‐filled pores that allow transport of small molecules. Structural fluctuations in alamethicin during ion transport are hypothesized to be a possible source of high‐frequency noise observed in single‐channel conductance measurements. In a model of the alamethicin channel on a 100 ns time scale almost all the structural fluctuations are in individual helices with no evidence for collective mot...


Abstract In considering the problem of confidence estimation for the variance of a normal distribution, Tate and Klett [5] raise two questions. "Does the interval of shortest length based on (, S2) depend only on " (S2 denotes the sum of squared deviations.) "Among those intervals based only on S2 is the interval of shortest length necessarily of the form " The answer to the first question is no; to the second, yes. The results are given for the general linear hypothesis model of rank p. The amount of improvement of new intervals is discussed.


Online Material: Figures showing local magnitude versus duration; table of station correction coefficients.

The earthquake magnitude estimate is a routine task in all seismological observatories. Several magnitude scales are available, based on amplitude measurement of different seismic phases, and/or on total signal duration. Among them, the duration magnitude ( M D) is adopted in many regional networks because it provides a rapid and reliable estimate of the earthquake size through a fairly simple procedure based on the measure of the duration of recorded seismograms. Bisztricany (1958) first demonstrated the existence of a relationship between magnitude and duration, and several authors (e.g., Sole'vev, 1965; Tsumura, 1967; Bakun, 1984; Vidal and Munguia, 2005; Hara, 2007; among many others) later discussed the use of duration of the recorded seismograms as a measure of the event size. Furthermore, in a recent paper, Lomax and Michelini (2009) proposed a duration magnitude procedure for the rapid determination of the moment magnitude, based on the P ‐wave recordings at teleseismic distances, which can be applied for tsunami early warning.

In its more general formulation the duration magnitude depends on the ground‐shaking duration, on the hypocentral distance, and accounts for a station correction coefficient. According to Real and Teng (1973) and Hermann (1975), the duration magnitude is defined as ![Graphic][1] (1)in which τ is the signal duration, R is the hypocentral distance, Sc stands for the station correction, and a , b , and c are coefficients to be determined through a regression analysis.

The present work has a double goal. First, we present an automatic procedure, which has been specifically developed to measure the earthquake duration, based on the estimate of the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) along the seismic records. We then calibrate a duration magnitude scale for the area monitored by the …

 [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif


A breakwater embankment was constructed as part of a settling basin for the intake of a thermal power plant in the north of Egypt. The 440-m long breakwater surrounds the intake basin which has an area of about 18000 m2. Sea water is supplied to the intake basin through 50 concrete pipes embedded in the breakwater. Subsurface soil conditions in the area indicated that the embankment would be founded on soft silty clay underlain by a layer of silty sand. Results from the settlement analysis showed that the embedded pipes could not tolerate the predicted differential settlement in the embankment. Accordingly, it was determined that the embankment could not be founded on natural soil and that this soil would require improvement using stone columns. Offshore stone columns were constructed using the blanket method utilizing two vibro flotation probes. The layout was designed such that the stone columns were arranged in a triangular pattern below the embedded pipes, and in a rectangular pattern elsewhere. This paper presents the design method using numerical modeling to show the amount of expected settlement with and without stone columns. The method of construction is discussed showing how the stone columns were constructed using the blanket method. The full-scale load test that was constructed offshore to validate the design is described. The results from the load test and postconstruction settlement readings indicated that the stone columns proved to be an efficient and economical solution in reducing the differential settlement to tolerable limits for the embedded pipes.


The resistance of watermarking schemesagainst geometrical distortions isoneofthestill openedand challenging problems inthefield ofwatermarking. Inthis papera novelapproach forwatermark synchronization basedonuseofscale invariant feature point detector is proposed. Themostimportant feature ofthis technique is that itdoesnotrequire thepresence oforiginal image. The mainideaconsists ofextracting therobust feature points withscale invariant feature point detector andtoembedin theneighborhood ofeveryfeature point twoinformation, whichcanbelater usedtodetect theparameters of undergone geometrical transformations. Whentheaffine transformation, consisted of imagerotation, scaling, cropping orcombination ofthem,occurs, itisenough correctly todetect atleast fromonefeature point neighborhood thesetwoinformation. Afterthat, the parameters ofrotation andscaling canbeeasily calculated.


The spin-lattice and spin-electric dipole interactions have been the focus on the study of strongly correlated electron materials. Herein, spin-phonon coupling constant and non-magnetic ion substitution effects in the strong correlated low dimensional materials Bi2Sr2CoO6+delta and LiCu2O2 have been studied. For low-dimensional and spin 1/2 system, the impact of quantum fluctuations becomes important for the ground state of the system. The quantum fluctuations is even more pronounced if the system under consideration exhibits strongly frustrated interactions. Single crystal samples were grown by using traveling solvent floating zone method and physical properties have been studied thoroughly. Bi2Sr2CoO6+delta shows the antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition (T_N) from 100 K to 280 K depending on the ratio of Co2+ and Co3+. In a Co3+ rich region, where delta ~ 0.5, T_N is around 280 K. While delta ~ 0.25, where crystal has the equal number of Co2+ and Co3+, except T_N reduces to around 100 K and also exhibits ferromagnetic (FM) behavior. For 0.25 5.5% quenches the long range helical ordering and introduces an intriguing Zn level dependent magnetic phase transition with slight thermal hysteresis and a universal quadratic eld dependence for Tc(Zn > 0.055,H). The magnetic coupling constants of nearest-neighbor (nn) J1 and next-nearest-neighbor (nnn) J2 (alpha=J2/J1) are extracted from high temperature series expansion (HTSE) fitting and N=16 finite chain exact diagnolization simulation. We have provided evidence of direct correlation between long range helical spin ordering and the magnitude of electric polarization in this spin driven multiferroic material also.


The problems of technological development and ensuring the competitive advantages of national industry, the role of a current enterprise as a system-forming socio-economic element and social aspect of innovative industrial modernization are discussed. The role of the production team as a customer of innovations, a generator of new knowledge and a consumer of an innovative product is considered. The mechanisms of innovative activation on the example of industrial enterprises of St. Petersburg are studied.


The photonic lantern is an all-fiber-based linear optical element that couples light efficiently and evolves modes functionally between a set of single-mode waveguide and a multimode waveguide. Our study is based on different core photonic lanterns, which are fabricated by using the 'ferrule technique' method, with the single-mode array in a certain geometric arrangement. The process of the light propagation through the lanterns is simulated and the experiments according to the simulation results are conducted. The mode combining and evolution in the 3-core lanterns is simulated to study the necessary conditions for achieving the fundamental mode with good beam quality in large-mode area (LMA) fiber. Appropriate input (the amplitude ratio of each channel is 1:1:1, the phase and polarization state are the same) is injected at the single-mode (SM) end with some random disturbance on amplitude and polarization (the relative change is 20%). The M2 factor at the multimode (MM) end has a standard deviation of 0.0001 orders of magnitude. However, the M2 factor varies from 1.05 to 2 or even more with the changes of the phase difference at the SM end. Thus, the adaptive optics (AO) technique is used in our experiment, which can adaptively determine the appropriate phase to be applied to the input fibers. In addition, the modes behavior in 6- and 7-core photonic lanterns is simulated to obtain the ideal input (including the amplitude, phase and polarization of each SM channel) for achieving the six lowest order modes output. And these two kinds of photonic lanterns are compared from the aspects of drawing difficulty, mode coupling efficiency, transmission loss, and application feasibility in module multiplexing.


Objective To know human resource allocation status quo in pilot hospitals under county level public hospital reform in order to provide references for rational human resource allocation. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted on 960 medical staffs of 12 county hospitals in Hubei Province. Results(1) Quantity is lower than the national average;(2) County hospitals are expanding,but they ignore the supply of human resources;(3) Medical personnel's quality is very low. Conclusion The configuration of human resources in county hospitals should be controlled in macro scope,talent introduction and training be promoted,and the quality of human resources be strengthened to enhance the medical service quality of county level public hospitals.


The nearest surface distance distribution between neighboring aggregate grains exerts significant influences on the interference between the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) of neighboring aggregate grains, the size range of original crack in concrete, as well as the extent of influencing ring in the assumption of central grains. However few relevant literature can be found due to the difficulties in (1) Extracting the information by means of conventional experimental methods on the spatial distribution of aggregates in concrete; (2) Realizing desired volume fraction of aggregate on the basis of sequential random-generator modeling system. The SPACE system integrated with the dynamic mixing algorithm provides an opportunity to generate a model concrete with high volume fraction of aggregate. In this contribution, influences of size range and volume fraction of aggregates were studied on the nearest surface distance distribution between neighboring aggregate grains in model concrete for assumedly Fuller-distributed aggregate system with the minimal size of 1 mm.


This paper analyzes the influence of tunneling current on threshold voltage shift by channel length of short channel asymmetric double gate(DG) MOSFET. Tunneling current significantly increases by decrease of channel length in the region of 10 nm below, and the secondary effects such as threshold voltage shift occurs. Threshold voltage shift due to tunneling current is not negligible even in case of asymmetric DGMOSFET to develop for reduction of short channel effects. Off current consists of thermionic and tunneling current, and the ratio of tunneling current is increasing with reduction of channel length. The WKB(Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin) approximation is used to obtain tunneling current, and potential distribution in channel is hermeneutically derived. As a result, threshold voltage shift due to tunneling current is greatly occurred for decreasing of channel length in short channel asymmetric DGMOSFET. Threshold voltage is changing according to bottom gate voltages, but threshold voltage shifts is nearly constant.


Land rights based on the evidence of registration of land through land registration emergence soil letter is proof of land ownership . But today a lot going on forgery land made intentionally ( dolus ) to seize the property of others . However, the police play an important role in the crime of forgery of land , and therefore required the implementation of the investigation of criminal offenses of forgery of land in the resort city of Pekanbaru Police Law . The purpose of this thesis , namely : first , the implementation of the investigation of criminal offenses of forgery of land within the jurisdiction of Police Resort Pekanbaru City ; second , the obstacles in the implementation of criminal investigation of forgery of land within the jurisdiction of Police Resort Pekanbaru City ; Third , efforts are being made to overcome the obstacles in the implementation of criminal investigation of forgery of land within the jurisdiction of Police Resort Pekanbaru . This type of research is classified into types of juridical sociological research . Because in this study the authors directly conduct research on the location or place under study in order to give a complete and clear picture of the problem under study , the study was conducted in Pekanbaru City Police Resort . The data used is primary data , secondary data and data tertiary , data collection techniques using interviews and literature study . From the results of research and discussion, it can be concluded that the First , the implementation of the investigation of criminal offenses within the jurisdiction of Police Resort Pekanbaru not function as it should ; Second , obstacles in the implementation of criminal investigation of forgery of land within the jurisdiction of Police resort Pekanbaru is the presence of internal factors : the limited police personnel , lack of facilities , lack of traction on the police in handling criminal cases of forgery of land and external factors : the difficulty in find a letter comparison , and difficulty in calling witnesses ; Third , the efforts made to overcome obstacles in the implementation of the investigation of criminal offenses of forgery of land is on internal factors , namely the addition of personnel Pekanbaru City Police investigators , the addition of patrol cars and vehicles belonging to Pekanbaru City Police , the renewal of the things that are inventory and property for the execution of police duties , and the efforts of the external factors the coordination of the National Land Agency Pekanbaru to obtain a comparison of land documents , for witnesses who have died police call heir , and witnesses in pekanbaru bedomisi not to call the police and visited the residence of witnesses . Advice , implementation activities Pekanbaru Police investigation further enhanced ; party Pekanbaru City Police and the National Land Agency Pekanbaru to coordinate higher again ; types of land documents should be reduced to facilitate the implementation of the investigation of criminal offenses of forgery of land . Keywords : Investigation - Police - Crime - Counterfeiting Land Securities .


This paper use the system layout design(SLP) methods to take several main representative products as the breakthrough point,through the dimensional calculation to convert its outputs into one production of the most representative products,and then analyzes the problems of the process of the main components and the general layout of the factory in present situation,and to divide the work units,to calculate the intensity of logistics between the various work units,combining with the non-logistics factors to conclude the integrated relationship of the operation departments,and to determine the position correlative diagram of the operation departments,then through calculating area to determine the area correlative diagram,finally to determine the general layout plan.improved the work,improved the processes,saved area,improved work efficiency.


The term 'biofumigation' was originally coined by J.A. Kirkegaard to describe the process of growing, macerating / incorporating certain Brassica or related species into the soil, leading to the release of isothiocyanate compounds (ITCs) through the hydrolysis of glucosinolate (GSL) compounds contained in the plant tissues (Kirkegaard et al., 1993). This can result in a suppressive effect on a range of soil borne pests and diseases. Since then, the term 'biofumigation' has been used rather loosely and incorrectly in some contexts, to describe any beneficial effects derived from the use of green manures, organic amendments and composts. In this mini-paper, biofumigation is considered in its strictest sense as referring to the use of glucosinolate-containing plant material with the intention of enabling ITC-mediated pest and disease suppression. Biofumigation could be considered as a 'natural' alternative to chemical fumigation and there is an analogy with the use of metam sodium which releases methyl-ITC, to control a variety of soilborne diseases.


Over the past 25 years of studying type 2 diabetes mellitus, a working hypothesis has emerged to move the development of precision medicine for type 2 diabetes mellitus forward. Earlier studies using amplified genomic DNAs for genomic-wide searches of human genes have led many investigators astray. However, a recent study has taken a different approach, using next-generation RNA sequencing, revealing an essential down-regulation of two genes, TPD52L3 and NKX2-1 . The current compendium focuses on describing all of the important priciples to clarify the hypothesis from the beginning: insulin sensitivity and glucose effectiveness, genetics, free fatty acids, cell membranes, atomistic glucose and glucose transport, β-cell functions, membrane flexibility and (pre-) diabetes type 2. Furthermore, this study sheds light on the importance of considering membrane flexibility in the context of type 2 diabetes and questions the potential risk associated with using the term 'insulin resistance'.


After a brief history of the common agricultural policy (CAP), this chapter asks whether the reform process begun in the 1990s has been completed and whether or not there has been a paradigm change. It then poses the question: what are direct payments for? Pillar 2 is then briefly discussed. Finally two particular challenges for the post-2020 CAP are noted: that arising from the UK's exit from the EU, and the need for European farmers to adapt to climate change, whilst helping to mitigate its effects through carbon sequestration and a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.


The Tiger That Isn't: Seeing Through a World of Numbers is the latest manifestation of an idea to have numbers on the radio. First, the idea found a place on BBC Radio 4 as the programme More or Less, which has been broadcasted for several years. From More or Less and the audience response to it, the programme's creator, Michael Blastland, and a presenter, Andrew Dilnot, extracted the material for this book. Prompted by the abundance of numbers in news and politics, they set out to provide consumers of numbers with a short and comprehensive guide on how to see through this wealth of information. With The Tiger that Isn't: Seeing through a World of Numbers, they "hope to light the path towards clarity and confidence", seeking to achieve this ambitious aim by making use of the experiences every consumer of numbers possesses. After an Introduction, the book's eleven chapters touch in essence on a variety of aspects to be considered when consuming the numbers used in news and politics by journalists and politicians. Each chapter starts with a short paragraph which explains why the specific topic is an issue. This issue is then elaborated in some detail, mainly by using examples. Each chapter closes with a final quintessence of the issue, for the reader to absorb. Assuming my role as a consumer of numbers, and primed by the introductory chapter, I started to consume The Tiger that Isn't. The second chapter focuses on the simple question of how big a given number, such as the National Health Service budget deficit of £1 billion, really is. The authors propose that a sense of proportion should be all that is required to answer this type of question, to break especially large numbers down to a comprehensible, individual level. However, to do so, I had to leave my rather passive consumer role and start to think about the population in the UK. Luckily I kept reading, so that I found the figure on one of the next pages — it is 60,000,000. I then realised that this book is written by English authors, primarily for an English audience. Therefore, it represents an additional challenge for 'foreign' readers, especially when its examples are taken from UK policy. Nevertheless, the message from these examples gets across. The following section deals with counting. Using the simple example of counting sheep, and complementing it with the proportion of 25% UK teenage boys who are criminals, nicely underlines the importance of defining How and What when counting. Unfortunately, these definitions make no headlines and are usually not reported, but it might make a difference if a pregnant sheep is counted as 1, 1.5 or as 2 sheep. If the consumers of numbers can get hold of those definitions, it is up to them to judge whether they are content with them. This is a very reasonable approach; however, the consumer has again to become active, in order to retrieve the definitions. The next chapter pays homage to chance as being a "dry challenge to instinct", highlighted with the examples of the effects of speed cameras on road accidents and the unusually high death rates of medical general practitioners. Furthermore, staying with the speed camera example, it is explained how chance can be, and has been, used to increase success rates. The authors propose vigilance and stamina as countermeasures, so as to avoid having chance, or those who ally with her, outwit us. The next chapter about averages calls again on our mindfulness. Averages are presented as a powerful, but also easy-to-abuse, summary measurement. To make sense of an average, what is summarised has to be clearly defined. In addition, the importance of an accompanying measure of variability is emphasised. Here, the authors present one of the most simple and intriguing examples of the book: As the average number feet is very slightly less than two, because some people will have only one foot or no feet, most people, i.e. is those with two feet, have more feet than the average! In chapter 6, the reader can learn by means of astonishing examples from the UK health sector, what targets and performance indicators can do. Being often a limited, one-dimensional surrogate measurement for a complex topic, such as the quality of healthcare, a target can, for example, reduce the police accidents statistics by about 30%, whilst they slightly increased in the same period according to hospital records. Indeed, there are even more amazing examples, which make this chapter one of the most entertaining in the book. It is concluded that many targets directly influence what is measured. Due to the underlying complexity of the multi-dimensional topic, the authors appeal again to the consumer's attentiveness, with the comforting observation that solutions capable of dealing with this problem, do, at least, exist. The following chapter about risk, elaborates how relative risks are used and abused. It emphasises that natural frequencies, which are easier to grasp, should be communicated. If not, it is again up to the consumer to become active, in order to get that information. The authors explain that the failure to adopt this way of communication is the result of the vested interest in presenting bigger numbers (which relative risks usually are) of, for example, advocacy groups and journalists. They point out that the use of confidence intervals, by statisticians, indicates how (un)certain a single number can be, but "this is a kind of modesty the media often ignore". The next chapter deals with sampling. Here, the guiding principle of the representativeness of a sample is acknowledged. Illustrative examples explain how bias in sampling, deliberately or not, can endanger the meaningful interpretation of the results of a study. To be able, as a consumer, to spot bias, it is necessary to get down to the nitty-gritty of data collection, a task which could be too challenging and time-consuming for the average consumer. Chapter 9, about data, points out the importance of data quality, storage and accessibility. The authors arrive at two conclusions which are both provocative and debatable. First, they claim that a culture that respected data would be the most valuable improvement to the conduct of government and the setting of policy that Britain could achieve. However, whilst getting their idea, I nevertheless see more-pressing issues that a culture should respect. Second, they propose to get answers to questions, about which we are absolutely ignorant, based on personal experience. I agree that one might get close to the right answer in some cases, but I think that there are ATLA 35, 701–702, 2007 701


This paper discusses the development and performance of an integrated navigation system used in deep ocean mining exploration. Few navigation aids are available in the area of operations. A system utilizing the Navy Navigational Satellite system, the Omega Navigation system, an electromagnetic log and gyrocompass for dead reckoning, and an acoustic transponder net was configured for the application. A Kalman Filter was implemented for ease of combining the various sensor inputs in an integrated fashion. Satellite fixes were used as a basis for computing local Omega phase propagation corrections, and for obtaining the geographic locations of the acoustic transponders. Data from several extended cruises are presented to indicate at-sea system performance.


The processing of this plant (1) for the four new oncolytic agents, vincaleukoblastine, leurosine, leurosidine, and leurocristine, has resulted in obtaining eight new companion dimeric alkaloids, these latter being obtained in yields of not more than 1.5 × 10−4 %. To date, a total of 24 new alkaloids have been reported from these laboratories. Procedural details and preliminary characterization of carosidine, carosine, pleurosine, neoleurosidine, vincarodine, catharicine, vindolidine, and neoleurocristine are described.


The electrical resistances of thin films of 24 metals, deposited on glass substrates (near room temperature) by evaporation, sputtering, or electroplating, have been measured before and after artificial aging by heating in vacua. Reductions in resistance of 25 to 50% as a result of aging were commonly noted. Evaporated films were reduced from approximately 2ρb to 1.3ρb (resistivity of the bulk metal) and sputtered films from 4–10ρb to 1.5–1.8ρb. A preferred aging temperature, specific to each metal but influenced somewhat by film thickness, was noted. This temperature agreed closely with the temperature of recrystallization of the metal. Thin metal films, as usually deposited, appear to be in a state of strain not associated with the bulk metal as it crystallizes from the melt. The application of heat energy to the film promotes the removal of strains, occluded and adsorbed gas, and the growth of the crystallites of the film. These concurrent actions reduce the electrical resistance of films of 1000 A thi...


The 2010 eruption of Merapi produced pyroclastic deposits and lava flows that are compositionally very similar, raising the question as to the underlying reason of the differences in eruptive styles between the various phases of the 2010 eruptive events. To test whether primary magmatic volatile content is the reason for the different eruption styles, we analyzed magmatic water contents in nominally anhydrous clinopyroxene crystals contained in lava and ash from the 2010 eruptive events. We utilized two analytical approaches: (i) Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of fresh clinopyroxene from the ash and lava samples and (ii) FTIR analysis of clinopyroxene both prior to and after experimental re-hydration. By employing calculated partition coefficients, we determined the magmatic water content of the magma from which the various crystals grew. The magmatic water content determined from the unmodified clinopyroxenes from lava samples yield a range of 0.35 wt.% to 2.02 wt.% H2O, whereas magmatic water contents determined from untreated clinopyroxene contained in the ash samples range between 0.04 and 3.25 wt.%, with two outliers at 4.62 and 5.19 and wt.%, respectively. In contrast, for the rehydrated crystals the range for lava derived clinopyroxene crystals is between 1.94 and 2.19 wt.% and for ash between 1.74 and 2.66 wt.%, with two crystals at extreme values of 0.85 and 3.20 wt.%. We interpret these results to indicate that crystals from different populations are present in the 2010 eruptive products, with the dominant group reflecting relatively low magmatic H2O contents (around 2 wt.%) due to storage in shallow magma reservoirs and pockets at high levels within the Merapi plumbing systems (e.g. top 3 km). The overall higher H2O range and the occasionally more extreme values recorded in clinopyroxenes from ash deposits may then represent the presence of a crystal population that last equilibrated at deeper levels and at higher water contents, i.e. these crystals derive from the replenishing magma that activated the shallow portion of the plumbing system during the 2010 events. While this is work in progress, our results so far seem to suggest that the pyroclastic deposits of the 2010 Merapi eruption may contain a higher fraction of clinopyroxene derived from ‘deeper magma’ with higher H2O contents then what we have detected in associated lavas.


In our societies, the number of senior citizens living on their own is increasing steadily. The lack of permanent attention results in the late detection of emergency situations. Labour-intensive care is already a high burden for the society; therefore, it seems reasonable to promote technology that helps to detect and react in case of emergency situations that elderly people may encounter.

In the last decade, assistive environments have been established by integrating surveillance devices into the living environments giving remote operators access to monitor the senior inhabitant at home for detecting emergency situations. However, due to poor privacy in terms of intrusion into the private life of an elderly person, there will be an unfavourably low acceptance of such systems.

This paper introduces a two-stage strategy and proposes to replace a possibly large number of human-controlled monitoring devices by a single autonomous mobile system. The first stage will be performed by the autonomous system to detect an emergency situation. The human operator will be obligatory only at the final stage when the system assumes that an emergency has occurred and the final evaluation of the situation is required. The self-assessment will reduce the human factor related to privacy issues. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


[Carbonyl-14C]methabenzthiazuron (MBT) was applied to growing winter wheat in an outdoor lysimeter. The amount applied corresponded to 4 kg Tribunil/ha. 140 days after application the 0-2.5 cm soil layer was removed from the lysimeter. This soil contained about 40% of the applied radioactivity. Using 0,01 M CaCl2 solution or organic solvents, the extractable residues were removed from the soil. The bioavailability of the non-extractable as well as aged residues remaining in the soil was investigated in standardized microecosystems containing 1.5 kg of dry soil. During a 4 weeks period the total uptake (4 maize plants/pot) amounted up to 3.6; 2.2; and 0.9% of the radioactivity from soils containing aged MBT residues, MBT residues non-extractable with 0.01 M CaCl2 or MBT residues non-extractable with organic solvents, respectively. About 20% of the radioactivity found in maize leaves represented chromatographically characterized parent compound. At the end of the plant experiment the soil was extracted again with 0.01 M CaCl2 and with organic solvents. The soil extracts and also the organic phases obtained from the aqueous fulvic acid solution contained unchanged parent compound.


Information System Planning(ISP) of enterprises mostly depends on previous knowledge and experience.In order to effectively support ISP knowledge reuse and management innovation,this paper uses the Case-Based Reasoning(CBR) technology to the whole process of ISP knowledge reuse and proposes a case-based knowledge reuse method for ISP: Hybrid Retrieval Method combining Knowledge-Guided Approach with Nearest-Neighbor Approach(HRM-KGANNA) method.The application framework,case representation,case retrieval algorithm and case reuse are thoroughly explored.After organizing the cases base,the ISP knowledge retrieval experiment is conducted,and experimental results demonstrate that HRM-KGANNA can satisfy retrieval requirements with high retrieval accuracy and efficiency.


The birth, rise and success (or fall?) of an intervention project. GodA – a project set up to test a model of the prerequisites for a healthy workplace.("GodA" is a Swedish acronym for "Good work environment and healthy workplace")Per Lindberg, symposia leader, Department of Occupational and Public Health Sciences, University of Gavle, firstname.lastname@example.com, +46 26 64 87 59Ingrid Anderzen, Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, firstname.lastname@example.com, + 46 703 18 90 09Thomas Karlsson, Department of Occupational and Public Health Sciences, University of Gavle, email@example.com, + 46 26 64 81 01Susanne Gustafsson, Department of Occupational and Public Health Sciences, University of Gavle, firstname.lastname@example.com, + 46 26 64 81 10Annika Stromberg, Department of Social Work and Psychology, University of Gavle, firstname.lastname@example.com, + 46 26 64 86 53 With the ongoing GodA-project as a starting point, the main purpose of this symposium is to discuss methodological aspects of intervention research.The GodA-project - an introduction and some baseline results, presented by P. LindbergConditions in today's working life make new approaches necessary in order to limit negative health effects of working life and to enhance wellbeing and health at work. Despite rather progressive legislation, a century of labour inspections, and the efforts of thousands of occupational health personnel, still around 20% of the Swedish workforce report to have had work-related disorders other than accidents during the last year (1). Even if this "elimination approach" partly has succeeded it´s obvious that it is insufficient or inadequate for a working life where key issues for progress are motivation, cooperation and creativity (2). In order to achieve a sustainable working life, not the least to coop with issues related to the ageing population in the developed countries, it is likely that strategies and actions from different and new angles are needed.Healthy workplace has been defined as an organization that maximizes the integration of worker goals for wellbeing and company objectives for profitability and productivity(3). It is noteworthy that the notion healthy workplace is not a substitute for good work environment it is a consequence. Different models, e.g. the PATH-model by Grawitch et al.(4) shows a synthesis of earlier research in a number of different disciplines and frames how a healthy workplace with wellbeing for the individual and organizational improvements can be achieved. Five general categories of healthy workplace practices were identified in the literature: work-life balance, employee growth and development, health and safety, recognition, and employee involvement. Previous research also suggests that the link between these practices and employee and organizational outcomes is contingent on the effectiveness of communication within the organization and the alignment of workplace practices with the organizational context.The GodA-project aims at investigating if work place strategies in line with the PATH-model lead to better health and wellbeing among the employees as well as organizational improvements.The GodA project is a 2 year follow up study with a survey feedback design in three companies with both blue- and white collar workers within the energy sector. One of the companies serves as "intervention company", the other two as controls. The project started out with a pre-project, by means of focus groups and individual interviews, in 2012 in order to find out how employees and managers in the three companies describe the concept of a healthy work environment, what they consider to create well-being at work, and how they perceive their own work environment:What factors are important for well-being at work? presented by T. KarlssonIn 2013 a baseline questionnaire where was sent out including items a) based on the results from the pre-study, and b) well-established questions and indices on health and work environment. The results from the survey have been reported back to the companies, which now are processing their results. Research question to be presented and discussed at the symposium:Is there a balance between factors of importance for wellbeing at work and the extent to which they are present at the workplace? presented by P. Lindberg.Is there a correlation between psychosocial work climate indicators and work-related well-The PATH-model emphasizes internal communication as critical in establishing a healthy workplace. As the baseline results show that the communication is not very well developed, this is the primary target for our intervention. We will demonstrate a method for how the survey data are presented back to the intervention company and how they are going to work with the results to improve their work environment, and at the same time enhance communication skills.After our presentation we invite the audience to discuss both the GodA-study and more general methodological issues when conducting intervention-studies, e.g:- When is a company ready (mature) to take part in research activities?- What are the pitfalls in workplace intervention studies?- To what degree can the researchers interact at the workplace and still be objective?- What is the value of focusing on the items that the employees responded to in the survey?References1. Swedish Work Environment Authority. Work -related disorders 2010 - Arbetsmiljostatistisk Rapport 2010:4. Stockholm: Swedish Work Environment Authority. & Statistics Sweden 2010.2. Aronsson G, Gustafsson K, Hakanen J. On the development of a positive work-life psychology. In: Christensen M, editor. Validation and test of central concepts in positive work and organizatinal psychology The second report from the Nordic project 'Positive factors at work'. TemaNord 2009:564. Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers; 2009. p. 93-4.3. Sauter S, Lim S, Murphy L. Organizational health: A new paradigm for occupational stress research at NIOSH. Japanese Journal of Occupational Mental Health. 1996;4:248-54.4. Grawitch MJ, Gottschalk M, Munz DC. The path to a healthy workplace: A critical review linking healthy workplace practices, employee well-being, and organizational improvements. Consulting Psychology Journal. 2006;58(3):129-47.


Two studies examined the influence of attachment avoidance on accuracy in reading a romantic partner's emotions (empathic accuracy) during positive couple interactions— conversations about love. Study 1 found that higher attachment avoidance was related to less accuracy in inferring a partner's positive emotions during a conversation about love, but was not related to accuracy for negative emotions. Study 2 examined whether avoidant individuals' lower empathic accuracy in love conversations could be increased by framing accuracy as unrelated to intimacy. The framing manipulation did not consistently alter avoidant individuals' accuracy. However, there was some evidence that avoidant individuals performed worse when they believed accuracy reflected intimacy, compared to when accuracy was unrelated to intimacy. These results suggest that lower empathic accuracy may be a strategic defence avoidant individuals use to maintain emotional distance. By incorrectly reading their partner's positive emotions, avoidant individuals may miss the relational benefits afforded by empathic accuracy.


1535Background: Inherited mutations in cancer predisposition genes typically associated with adult-onset cancers, including BRCA1/2, have been found in children with cancer. However, it is unknown whether such mutations are causative. Our objective is to determine whether there is an increased risk of pediatric malignancy in families known to carry BRCA1/2 mutations. Methods: We utilized the Cancer Risk Evaluation Program (CREP), a registry of high-risk breast and ovarian cancer families undergoing BRCA1/2 testing. We compared the proportion of pediatric malignancies (age ≤ 18 years) among families tested positive vs negative for BRCA1/2 mutations in 1) the proband's siblings and 2) other potential at risk relatives of the proband (siblings, children, nieces and nephews). We used generalized estimating equations to account for familial clustering. We compared pediatric malignancy rates in BRCA1/2 mutation positive families from CREP to the general population from SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End-R...


Multiplexed immunofluorescence imaging enables high-dimensional molecular profiling at subcellular resolution. However, learning disease-relevant cellular environments from these rich imaging data is an open challenge. We developed SPAtial CEllular Graphical Modeling (SPACE-GM), a geometric deep learning framework that flexibly models tumor microenvironments (TMEs) as cellular graphs. We applied SPACE-GM to 658 head-and-neck and colorectal human cancer samples assayed with 40-plex immunofluorescence imaging to identify spatial motifs associated with cancer recurrence and patient survival after immunotherapy. SPACE-GM is substantially more accurate in predicting patient outcomes than previous approaches for modeling spatial data using neighborhood cell-type compositions. Computational interpretation of the disease-relevant microenvironments identified by SPACE-GM generates insights into the effect of spatial dispersion of tumor cells and granulocytes on patient prognosis.


In ultrasonic phased array nondestructive testing system, CORDIC is used to optimize the algorithm of key function calculation or data processing in ultrasonic phased array instrument. This paper focuses on the research of ultrasonic phased array FPGA signal processing technology based on CORDIC algorithm, focusing on the ultrasonic echo orthogonal demodulation technology, dynamic FIR filtering technology, time gain control technology. It can reduce the hardware complexity of ultrasonic phased array instrument system, speed up the detection speed and improve the detection accuracy. After the system comprehensive test, the ultrasonic phased array system designed in this paper meets the requirements of industrial application.


The article covers a number of problems arising in the process of implementation of executive procedure legislation. The author gives brief review of legislation in the sphere and focuses attention on its contradictions. The author analyses the reasons, preventing bailiffs from current implementation of executive acts. The author provides different approaches to the elimination of the reasons and gives his own way of problem solving.


Abstract : The (001) surfaces of AuGa2 and AuIn2 intermetallic compounds were studied using synchrotron radiation excited angle-resolved photoemission. Spectra collected for photoelectron emission normal to the sample surfaces were used to map the E versus k dispersion relation of both compounds along the delta symmetry line of the bulk Brillouin Zone. The results show that the Au 5d bands of each compound are relatively flat, but the splittings of the bands at gamma are nearly the same as for elemental Au. A surface state is also observed on each surface in a band-gap region about 6 eV below the Fermi levels of the 2 compounds. Originator furnished keywords include: Synchrotron radiation - angle-resolved photoemission - valence band structure - d-bands - surface state.


The mobilities of the singly clustered ions of Li+ with constituent gases have been measured with a conventional drift tube over the E/N range 8–89 Td in N2, 10–25 Td in O2, 10–139 Td in CO, 50–348 Td in CO2, and 40–80 Td in CH4. Two methods were employed to determine the mobilities; one was a difference method and the other was based on the pressure dependence of apparent mobilities. It is found that the mobilities of each cluster ion species remain constant over most of the E/N range used and the zero‐field values are 1.87±0.07 for Li+(N2)–N2 at 303 K, 1.89±0.11 for Li+(O2)–O2 at 303 K, 1.70±0.06 for Li+(CO)–CO at 303 K, 0.92±0.04 for Li+(CO2)–CO2 at 303 K, and 2.22±0.08 cm2/V s for Li+(CH4)–CH4 at 302 K, respectively. The zero‐field mobilities of these polyatomic ions considerably deviate from the values of the Langevin polarization limit. They are predicted with moderate accuracy by assuming a hard sphere‐r−4 potential which takes a repulsive core size into account.


Data normalization is necessary in GPS elevation transformation based on neural network. There are two ways in sample data normalization. In this paper,it analyzed the causes that generate data difference after normalizing the sample data. Then it used the standard BP neural network model,generalized regression neural network model and RBF neural network model to calculate the transformation and compare the results. It was verified that different normalization methods could generate some influences on GPS elevation transformation,and finally the authors gave some suggestion on the selection of normalization methods.


For the limitations of conventional measurement technology in the pipeline surveying,Constructions and error of VRS are introduced.The pipeline sarveying is discused.Through the analysis and contrast of some instances of the application of VRS and conventional measurements,some useful conclusions is obtained.


Keyword extraction is an integral task for many downstream problems like clustering, recommendation, search and classification. Development and evaluation of keyword extraction techniques require an exhaustive dataset; however, currently, the community lacks large-scale multi-lingual datasets. In this paper, we present MAKED, a large-scale multi-lingual keyword extraction dataset comprising of 540K+ news articles from British Broadcasting Corporation News (BBC News) spanning 20 languages. It is the first keyword extraction dataset for 11 of these 20 languages. The quality of the dataset is examined by experimentation with several baselines. We believe that the proposed dataset will help advance the field of automatic keyword extraction given its size, diversity in terms of languages used, topics covered and time periods as well as its focus on under-studied languages.


The genesis of the digital image is determined, on the one hand, with computer programming, on the other  with the field of interactivity. To classify phenomena of digital art, one should determine the degree of viewer's aesthetic engagement. A digital image is classified according to how and to what extent the audience uses the matrix of understanding, formed on the basis of direct and sensuality cultural aesthetic standards in the act of perception. On this basis, we identify three groups of artefacts in contemporary digital art practices. 1. Technical experiments of creation "hybrid aesthetics", integrating the achievement of drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, music and even the architecture on the basis of digital technology. In this case all available spectator's perceptive codes, such as iconic, kinetic, subliminal codes qualitativeness sensations of colour and texture act as interpretants. An example could be a film made with the CGI technology (computer-generated imagery) with the use of the digital backlot technology, virtual backlot, chroma key, scanography where the technology of scanning and subsequent computer image processing is the aesthetic appearance of the hybrid images, digital photography, painting, drawing, computer graphics, collage (of S. Pozharskaya, K. Staebler, J. Ruas, R. Wilde). 2. Technical experiments aimed at finding their own specific features of a digital image and at the same time  the perception areas, which are open for this specificity. Aesthetic codes, which organize the plastic image in the traditional plastic art, are minimized. An example could be immersion video installations "Maps In Flux" (2009) and "Snowglobe" (2006) by H. Alvgren, as well as virtual installation "Osmose" (1995) by Ch. Davis, which is classic for digital art. 3. In the third group aesthetic discovery of pure virtuality are led to forms of hybrid aesthetics. Instead of digital virtual reality, the perception of which requires a reduction of perceptive and interpretive abilities of the viewer (otherwise, he risks being surrounded by a quasi-aesthetic simulacrum), creates a description of this reality (J.-P. Frenay's "Artificial Paradise, Inc.", 2009), or interactive installation, which con jugates directly the physical reality of a digital action through an active participant-spectator (P. Dombis's "Geometries Irrationnelles", 2008; M. Benayoun's "Cosmopolis. Overwriting the City", 2005). We assume that the purest kind of a digital image will be the one in the perception of which a minimal or basic level of sensory experience is involved.


In the title compound, C35H28O6·C7H8, the dihedral angle between the mean planes through the naphthalene ring systems of the dibenzo[a,g]fluorene moiety is 22.44 (3)°. The aromatic ring system of the naphthalenone unit is approximately perpendicular to the mean plane of the five-membered ring, forming a dihedral angle of 87.51 (5)°. An intramolecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond is observed. In the crystal, pairs of C—H⋯π interactions link the molecules, forming inversion dimers.


The effects of hexametaphosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium citrate, sodium silicate,triethanolamine for rare earth orewere studied. As the results showed the four grinding aids can increasing the grinding efficiency in the same conditions. The contents of- 0. 074 mm in the grinding products were increased by 12. 25%,6. 5%,5% and 4. 75%,withadding 1. 25 kg / t hexametaphosphate,1. 05 kg / t sodium tripolyphosphate,0. 75 kg / t sodium citrate,0. 75 kg / t sodium silicate's,successively. When the dosage of hexametaphosphate was 1. 25 kg / t,it showed the best grinding efficiency.


The paper presents a set of criteria which can be used for comparing, and in general analyzing, GDMO-based management information models (MIMs) designed for network configuration modeling. The criteria have been obtained by applying three selected MIMs, namely the NMF network model, the ITU-T M.3100 model and the ETSI GOM model, to a simple example SDH network. This process has highlighted similarities and differences between those MIMs which have been then summarized as comparison criteria. Those criteria can be used for assessing the difficulty of integrating management systems implementing different MIMs and hence having MIBs of different structure, for designing new MIMs and upgrading existing ones, and for choosing the most appropriate MIM for a given network and a given modeling case.


Bullera species in the Trichosporonales (Tremellomycetes, Agaricomycotina) are phylogenetically distinct from Bullera alba (teleomorph: Bulleromyces albus), the type species of Bullera that belongs to Tremellales. In the present study, the three Bullera species, namely Bullera formosensis, Bullera koratensis and Bullera lagerstroemiae, and Cryptococcus tepidarius belonging to the Trichosporonales are transferred into a new genus Takashimella gen. nov. (MycoBank No. MB 810672) based on sequence analysis of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene, the D1/D2 domains of large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene and the ITS+5.8S rRNA gene sequences. In addition, the genus Cryptotrichosporon is emended to accommodate a novel ballistoconidium-forming species of the Trichosporonales, which is named as Cryptotrichosporon tibetense (type strain CGMCC 2.02614T = CBS 10455T). The MycoBank number of this new species is MB 810688.


Unmanned helicopters (UHs) are a versatile class of aerial vehicles with huge potential in civil and defense settings. In this paper, the linear time invariant mathematical model of unmanned helicopter at hover and small speed conditions is used. The linearized dynamics is regulated using Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) controller. This constitutes the inner loop of the control topology. The inner loop holds the attitude angles of the UH, which are fast varying and responsible for its stability. Outer loop holds the position dynamics (for trajectory tracking), which are slower in nature. The trajectory tracking of UH is achieved using a novel Integral LQR controller. The weighing matrices associated with the optimal control problem are tuned using particle swarm optimization. The controller is implemented in simulation and the results obtained are fairly promising in terms of the control effort required and tracking error.


Mixtures of 1(3)-monostearin and distearin were prepared by direct esterification of glycerol with stearic acid or transesterification using ethyl stearate as acyl donor in the presence of Candida antarctica lipase (Novozym 435) using a variety of solvents of differing polarity. In all cases, the transesterification resulted in higher product yields. In n-heptane as reaction medium the addition of water (3%) was essential for high product yields, with mono- and distearin being produced in almost equal amounts. Using more polar solvents as reaction media, such as acetonitrile or acetone, again the highest yields were obtained in the transesterification mode; employing these solvents the reactions were much more selective towards the formation of monostearin.


Water storage cisterns are the main source of water supply in roman cities in many cases. Their existence has been identificated as a water management model which employs these hydraulic infrastructures exclusively, or together with others forms as groundwater extraction by wells. Starting to a theoretical conceptualization of the latin term cisterna, we carry out a review to identify this model in specific cases in Hispania as general spatial framework, and in Hispania Ulterior Baetica province as particular framework.


The invention discloses a combined type box which comprises a hollow main box body (2) with an upper cover (1) and a first rotating wheel (4). The first rotating wheel (4) is connected to the bottom of the main box body (2) in a rotating mode. The combined type box is characterized in that a vertical plate assembly (6) which is vertically arranged and is in a plate shape is further included; the main box body (2) is provided with a first side plate (7) which is opposite to the vertical plate assembly (6) and is parallel to the vertical plate assembly (6); the vertical plate assembly (6) is further connected with a second rotating wheel (8) in a rotating mode, wherein the height of the bottom of the vertical plate assembly (6) is the same as the height of the bottom of the first rotating wheel (4); the first rotating wheel (4) or the second rotating wheel (8) is driven to rotate through a power device; a connecting device which can at least horizontally rotates is further connected between the vertical plate assembly (6) and the first side plate (7), and the connecting device can be completely clamped into a containing space on the vertical plate assembly (6) or the main box body (2). The combined type box has the advantages that through combined connection, multiple functions can be achieved, and the production and living cost is saved.


Global food systems are no longer sustainable for health, the environment, animal biodiversity and wellbeing, culinary traditions, socioeconomics, or small farmers. The increasing massive consumption of animal foods has been identified as a major determinant of unsustainability. However, today, the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is also questioned. The main objective of this review is therefore to check the validity of this new hypothesis. We first identified the main ingredients/additives present in UPFs and the agricultural practices involved in their provision to agro-industrials. Overall, UPF production is analysed regarding its impacts on the environment, biodiversity, animal wellbeing, and cultural and socio-economic dimensions. Our main conclusion is that UPFs are associated with intensive agriculture/livestock and threaten all dimensions of food system sustainability due to the combination of low-cost ingredients at purchase and increased consumption worldwide. However, low-animal-calorie UPFs do not produce the highest greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) compared to conventional meat and dairy products. In addition, only reducing energy dense UPF intake, without substitution, might substantially reduce GHGEs. Therefore, significant improvement in food system sustainability requires urgently encouraging limiting UPF consumption to the benefit of mildly processed foods, preferably seasonal, organic, and local products.


New cermet film structures suitable for selective solar absorbers, composed of two cermet sublayers with identical metal volume fractions in each sublayer, on metal reflectors with an antireflection dielectric layer coating are described. The absorbing cermet sublayers have thickness and volume fractions such that solar radiation is absorbed internally and by phase cancellation interference. They are substantially transparent in the thermal infrared region. Modeling of the new cermet layer structures has revealed a number of different selective surfaces, involving a variety of practical cermet materials, with better performance than recent published results. For example, the best predicted ratio of absorptance to normal emittance α/e at room temperature is 46 for a Cu‐SiO2 cermet, 49 for a Cu‐Al2O3 cermet and a Au‐Al2O3 cermet. The best laboratory results of α/e at room temperature thus far are 46 for a Cu‐SiO2 cermet, and 45 for a Au‐Al2O3 cermet. From computer modeling, using published experimental diel...


Advances within the field of magnetic resonance (MR), as relevant to diagnostic radiology, are examined in this review with attention to publications in Investigative Radiology during the past 2 years (2004–2005). Trends are examined from the perspective of anatomic region, together with separate consideration of research involving MR contrast media. Statistics based on literature searches using PubMed are provided to support comments regarding these and other topics subsequently discussed. Fifty-six percent of all publications in Investigative Radiology during 2004 and 2005 involved the field of MR, representing a small sustained growth relative to the 2003– 2004 time period. During the 5-year period from 2000 to 2004, the percent of papers in which magnetic resonance played a role has been slowly increasing (from 40% in 2000 to 53% in 2004), averaging over this time span 47%. For comparison, during the same 5 years, on average 29% of all publications in the American Journal of Roentgenology involved magnetic resonance and 36% in Radiology. These statistics reflect the importance of magnetic resonance in diagnostic radiology today and the rapid pace of developments within this field. The bias towards MR publications in Investigative Radiology underscores the focus of the journal on leading edge research and technology. The pace of technologic advance in MR remains rapid, providing a rich environment for research and clinical advance. In 2005, we saw the introduction of 3 T multichannel, multicoil clinical systems with up to 102 coil elements and 32 radiofrequency channels. Evidence continues to build that high end clinical imaging is migrating from a field strength of 1.5 T, which was the mainstay for 15 years, to 3 T. Scan time continues to decrease, and image quality increase, as a result of these advances (Figs. 1 and 2). The improved signal-tonoise ratio (SNR) available at 3 T can be used either to acquire images faster (while maintaining spatial resolution) or to improve spatial resolution (while maintaining scan time). Whole-body anatomic coverage without patient or coil repositioning has became a clinical reality at both 1.5 and 3 T, with studies now suggesting that whole-body screening with MR can be justified in more situations that just metastatic disease. How diagnostic radiologists will cope with the ever-increasing number of available images, together with continuing decrease in reimbursement (and time available for interpretation of any individual study) is yet to be seen. Innovative gradient coil and magnet designs have been introduced in recent years, with continued developments in this area anticipated. MR systems are being designed as well with greater consideration of patient comfort, which has led to shorter and wider bores, and greater acoustic noise reduction. Looking in greater detail at the articles, 110 of 203 publications in Investigative Radiology during the past 2 years (2004–2005) actually had a substantial research focus involving magnetic resonance. Examining these papers by anatomic topic, research involving the vascular system (artery, angiography, aorta) led in terms of overall number of publications (25% of all MR publications) in Investigative Radiology during 2004–2005. This was followed by research involving chest/heart/lung (16%), the central nervous system (CNS, brain, spine; 15%), and the genitourinary system (kidney, prostate, bladder; 7%). Publication of 2 focus issues on breast imaging led to 13% of manuscripts in 2004–2005 involving breast or mammography, a substantial increase from past years. A major historical focus of Investigative Radiology has been contrast media research. Thus it should not be surprising that, in 2004 –2005, slightly more than half of all MR publications involved research with contrast media (contrast agent, contrast media, Gd, gadolinium, iron). It should be noted that this group of publications includes papers that focus on clinical applications of contrast media, clinical trials, and research involving experimental animals, the latter likely representing the greatest subset. The field of magnetic resonance continues to advance rapidly in terms of both hardware and software, creating enormous research opportunities, while at the same time expanding substantially the breadth of clinical applications. Publications in the field of diagnostic radiology, and in particular in Investigative Radiology, reflect these developments. There continues to be a strong focus on contrast media research within the field of magnetic resonance, covering the spectrum from basic research to the evaluation of clinical efficacy. MR today is possibly an even more dynamic field of From the Department of Radiology, Scott and White Clinic and Hospital, Temple, Texas. Reprints: Val M. Runge, MD, Robert and Alma Moreton Centennial Chair in Radiology, Scott and White Clinic and Hospital, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, 2401 South 31st Street, Temple, TX 76508. E-mail: email@example.com. Copyright © 2005 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins ISSN: 0020-9996/05/4012-0798


The stability and level of aggregation of nanoparticles (NPs) in physiological conditions or different media are important for biomedical applications. The interaction of NPs in different media could affect the physicochemical properties of NPs. In this study, two different sizes of amorphous silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) encapsulated dye were synthesised using the micelle entrapment method. The SiNPs encapsulated dyes suspension was mixed with different concentration of salt solution, NaCl and mouse serum and incubated at 37°C to mimic human body environment to study the interaction of SiNPs encapsulated dyes in physiological conditions. Particles agglomeration or aggregation of SiNPs encapsulated dyes in NaCl solution and mouse serum were investigated and analysed. The absorbance spectra and the stability efficacy were recorded and calculated using UV-Vis spectrometer, while the particle size was measured using Zetasizer particle analysis and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results obtained showed that 53 nm of SiNPs was more stable compared to 30 nm both in NaCl solution and mouse serum.


Cash flow is very important in any practice, but it is critical to the survival of a small practice. Generally, small practices have little financial leeway, especially in the early stages of setting up.


We present a comprehensive study of star-forming (SF) regions in the nearest large spiral galaxy M31. We use Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) far-UV (1344–1786 Å, FUV) and near-UV (1771–2831 Å, NUV) imaging to detect young massive stars and trace the recent star formation across the galaxy. The FUV and NUV flux measurements of the SF regions, combined with ground-based data for estimating the reddening by interstellar dust from the massive stars they contain, are used to derive their ages and masses. The GALEX imaging, combining deep sensitivity and coverage of the entire galaxy, provides a complete picture of the recent star formation in M31 and its variation with environment throughout the galaxy. The FUV and NUV measurements are sensitive to detect stellar populations younger than a few hundred Myr. We detected 894 SF regions, with size ⩾ 1600 pc2 above an average FUV flux limit of ∼26 ABmag arcsecond−2, over the whole 26 kpc (radius) galaxy disk. We derive the star formation history of M31 within this time span. The star formation rate (SFR) from the youngest UV sources (age ⩽ 10 Myr) is comparable to that derived from Hα, as expected. We show the dependence of the results on the assumed metallicity. When star formation detected from IR measurements of the heated dust is added to the UV-measured star formation (from the unobscured populations) in the recent few Myr, we find the SFR has slightly decreased in recent epochs, with a possible peak between 10 and 100 Myr, and an average value of SFR ∼0.6 or 0.7 M☉ yr−1 (for metallicity Z = 0.02 or 0.05, respectively) over the last 400 Myr.


The development of proteomics technology over the past decade has advanced the identification and validation of new biomarkers. Clinical applications of serum biomarkers will benefit us by being cost-effective and non-invasive, as well as by allowing the simple detection of diseases. Numerous serum biomarkers for lung cancer have been identified and reported in publications. Despite extensive studies, cancer detection via a single marker remains difficult due to the low sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of the identified lung cancer serum biomarkers. An optimal combination of multiple biomarkers, rather than a single biomarker, should be considered for the development of a lung cancer detection biomarker panel and should be validated with these combinatory markers. This review summarizes the lung cancer biomarkers that have been published within the last five years. Citation: Ahn JM, Cho JY (2013) Current Serum Lung Cancer Biomarkers. J Mol Biomark Diagn S4: 001. doi:10.4172/2155-9929.S4-001


The first phase of a government R&D laboratory's career guidance program is described. A joint Naval Weapons Center (NWC)-California State Polytechnic College effort, the program is aimed at aiding both the individual and the organization by achieving more effective placement of professional employees through career guidance and counseling. The first phase involved the development of a job description checklist and its use in the functional grouping of jobs held by employees hired four to nine years earlier as junior professionals. Five job types emerged from the study: Analyst, Design and Test-and-Evaluation Engineer, Supervisor-Project Administrator Applied Researcher, and Development Project Engineer. The tendency for persons with different educational backgrounds to pursue each of these job types was examined. Comparisons were also made of the distribution of the job types within the various technical departments at NWC.


Let T (n, k) be a hypergeometric term of n and k. We present in this paper an algorithm to construct the minimal telescoper for U (n, k) = ∑<inf>m=b</inf>n-1 T (m, k), b ε ℤ, if it exists. We show a Maple implementation of this method and discuss the problem of finding closed forms of definite sums of U (n, k).


Studies of calcium compartmentalization in smooth muscle organelles have been limited due to the operational methods of isolation of sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria (1, 2). Although these methods give qualitatively excellent results their quantitation in respect to the whole cell is difficult. Since smooth muscle cells can now be isolated before fractionation (3), we employed these newer techniques to examine the distributions of sarcoplasmic reticulum fragments, lysosomes, catalase-containing organelles, mitochondria, and plasma membrane fragments in continuous sucrose gradients. This study confirms that smooth muscle organelles isolated from vascular tissue are heterogeneous and demonstrates that plasma membrane fragments and, to some extent, mitochondria can be separated from the other organelles. Materials and methods. Hog carotid arteries (6-10 g) were obtained locally3 from freshly slaughtered hogs. Fat and connective tissue were removed and the arteries were cut and placed in ice-cold complete Hank's solution for transport to the laboratory. There they were dissected and isolated cells were obtained by enzymatic digestion (3), omitting the hyaluronidase from the isolation mixture, since equally good results were obtained without its addition. The washed cells isolated by this procecedure were disrupted in 0.25 M sucrose solution containing 0.02 M KCl with 25 strokes of a Type B pestle in a small Dounce homogenizer. This total homogenate was centrifuged at 600g for 10 min. The postnuclear supernatant (PNS) was removed and saved; the nuclear fraction (N) was re-suspended in 0.25 M sucrose containing 0.02 M KCl. The postnuclear supernatant (PNS) was adjusted to a sucrose concentration of 22% (w/v) and a volume of 160 ml and used as the light limiting solution in the construction of a 22-65% linear sucrose gradient that was pumped into a Z-60 zonal rotor (Beckman) spinning at 3000 rpm.


Recent legislation imposing 'performance management' on schools seems to assume that teachers apply learned skills to standard situations in pursuit of their goals. Yet if professional teaching is knowledge-based and value-driven, teachers will not manage their own practices in any straightforward sense. Teaching practices are slow-developing outputs from much thought and experience, not easily changed through direct intervention. It is the circumstances of teaching which are directly managed, allowing teachers to use their expertise freely in service of their pupils.


A novel tandem reaction, including nucleophilic addition, defluonination and destannylation reaction, has been found and its application to the stereopecific synthesis of trifuoromethylated alkyl-and aryl vinyl ehers with exclusive fomation of E-isomers in 73-96% yields is reported. An and-E mechanism for the tandem reaction leading to alkyl-and aryl vinyl ethers is proposed.


Anthrax is caused by the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The pathogenesis of this disease is dependent on the presence of two binary toxins, edema toxin (EdTx) and lethal toxin (LeTx). LeTx, the major virulence factor contributing to anthrax, contains the effector moiety lethal factor (LF), a zinc-dependent metalloprotease specific for targeting mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases. This review will focus on the protease-specific activity and function of LF, and will include a discussion on the implications and consequences of this activity, both in terms of anthrax disease, and how this activity can be exploited to gain insight into other pathologic conditions.


Sphenopalatine ganglion block has been advocated in the past for relieving muscle spasm, neuralgia, vasospasm, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, low back pain, low back strain, sciatica, and angina (1,2), although no well-controlled studies have been published. Classically, cocaine has been used for this block. The present study was undertaken to determine the duration of action and efficacy of sphenopalatine ganglion block for relief of chronic low back pain and to compare the efficacy of cocaine with that of lidocaine and a placebo.


based on the fluid energy equation,applying theoretic resarch result and fluid boundary layer theory,according to physical characteristic of fluid,a combined multi-parameter fluid monitoring suitable for the reguirements of gao and liguid pipeline system was proposed.The key technology of multi-parameter,initiator,multi-parameter complex type sensor,signal converter and digital signal hardware handling and calculation method were analysed in detail.


Work continued on two projects which had been started during previous years. Both projects involve calculations of the subsonic, turbulent far wake of a two-dimensional object at a Reynolds number of 1000 (based on wake momentum thickness). This flow was used as a test case for direct comparison of various turbulence models and a direct numerical simulations (DNS) of this flow were undertaken. In the turbulence model comparison studies, for any particular model tested, a unique self-similar solution was obtained far enough downstream, regardless of inlet conditions. Furthermore, different turbulence models led to different far-wake equilibrium solutions. No turbulence model could correctly predict all features of the turbulent far wake. For example, the spreading rate and turbulent shear stresses were underpredicted by all the standard models (both two-equation and full Reynolds stress models). In cases where a more correct spreading rate was achieved, it was at the expense of the turbulent kinetic energy, which was overpredicted. In general, the Algebraic Dissipation Rate Model of Gatski and Speziale, 1992, when added to any of the standard models, improved the results dramatically. Also, full Reynolds stress closure models did a much better job at predicting the shapes of both the mean and turbulence profiles, but the spreading rate was not significantly improved over that predicted by the simpler two-equation models. There are two main conclusions from these studies: First, in a comparison such as this, it is not enough to compare just one parameter, like the spreading rate. A good prediction for one parameter does not necessarily imply good predictions for all parameters in a flow. Second, since no turbulence model could correctly predict the turbulent far wake, much of the important physics of turbulent free shear flows is apparently lost by the assumptions inherent in today's methods of turbulence modeling; turbulence models must be improved. Direct simulations of this flow were begun last year in order to provide a data base through which some of the deficiencies of the existing turbulence models could be identified. Quantities such as the pressure-strain correlation, turbulent diffusion, and the dissipation rate tensor can be easily calculated from the DNS results, whereas these quantities are nearly impossible to measure experimentally. Improvements to existing turbulence models (and development of new models) require knowledge about flow quantities such as these. During this summer, diagnostics codes were written which will calculate the parameters mentioned above, along with other single-point and multi-point statistics. The DNS calculations are still in progress at the time of this writing. When these calculations are complete, the diagnostics codes will be applied so that the results can aid turbulence modelers. In addition, the results will show whether or not there exists a universal equilibrium turbulent far wake, independent of initial conditions.


To provide a high-quality communication service to their users, VoIP service providers use some monitoring and warning systems that notify them of any malfunctions that may occur in the system. Because the VoIP service is delivered over the internet, issues with the internet infrastructure and related hardware have a direct impact on the quality of service (QoS) and experience provided. In such cases, service providers analyze the QoS reports to analyze the incidents. The QoS reports consist of various parameters such as packet loss, delay, jitter, and codec information extracted from the related VoIP call. However, in some cases, these parameters may be insufficient or corrupted. Therefore, real sound recordings are used to determine the source of the complaint. However, listening to audio recordings made by third parties is not preferred when the content is sensitive. Thus, a computer-based analysis is an important requirement in such cases. In this study, a machine learning-based model was developed that can classify a given packet loss into six classes, which is one of the most important factors affecting the quality of experience. The audio recordings were represented with Mel Frequency Cepstrum Coefficients (MFCCs). The model trained using 9000 5-second audio recordings from 15 different speakers can predict the packet loss rate and the mean opinion score (MOS) with an accuracy of 87%.


One of the newest and the most popular mathematival methods for image processing is introduced.Variational principle and Euler-Lagrange equation based on partial differential equation can get the geometry image model based on curvature,and recover the image of smooth boundary.Finally,we bring forward some difficulties and hot spots in image processing.


A novel approach entailing the introduction of incongruent insulating magnetic inclusions to the grain boundary region of polycrystalline ferrite cores has been proposed to target the eddy current loss as the major source of core loss at high operating frequency. To demonstrate the efficacy of this approach, highly resistive ferrimagnetic nanoparticles (NPs) of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) were introduced to the grain boundaries of MnZn ferrite. Diamagnetic NPs of barium titanate (BTO) were similarly added as a nonmagnetic insulating grain boundary control additive. A profound decrease was observed in the eddy current loss (up to 79%) by using this approach. For the case of magnetic inclusions, a retained high permeability (24% reduction) was achieved, whereas the samples with nonmagnetic additives experienced a considerable sacrifice to permeability (64% reduction). The sustained high permeability was attributed to the ferrimagnetic YIG NPs maintaining long-range magnetic interactions, whereas the BTO NPs both frustrated the eddy current and long-range intergranular magnetic interactions. These results indicate that low permeability is no longer a necessary constraint for suppression of core power loss.


Patients with advanced congestive heart failure (CHF) or chronic kidney disease (CKD) often have increased systemic angiotensin II (Ang II) levels and cachexia. We previously demonstrated that Ang II infusion in rodents results in skeletal muscle wasting and reduced muscle regenerative potential via Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R) signaling, potentially contributing to cachexia in CHF and CKD. Contrary to AT1R signaling, we found that signaling via Ang II type 2 receptor (AT2R) potentiates skeletal muscle satellite cell (SC) differentiation and muscle regenerative potential. However, mechanisms whereby AT2R regulates SC differentiation and cachexia development remain unknown. In this study, we found that GSK3β activity was significantly suppressed during SC differentiation, whereas it was retained in SCs with AT2R knockdown. AT2R knockdown leads to higher GSK3β and decreased β-catenin activities both in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with GSK3β inhibitor BIO restored β-catenin activity and differentiation capacity of SCs with AT2R knockdown. Conversely, transgenic overexpression of AT2R in SCs inhibited GSK3β, associated with increased β-catenin activity and SC myogenic capacity both in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, AT2R expression in undifferentiated SCs was regulated post-transcriptionally. An increase in systemic Ang II blunted AT2R induction during muscle regeneration. However, overexpression of AT2R restored AT2R levels and myogenesis in vivo. Together, these data suggest that the AT2R/GSK3β/β- catenin signaling pathway could serve as a potential therapeutic target to promote muscle regenerative capacity in chronic disease conditions characterized by heightened activation of the renin-angiotensin system, such as CHF and CKD.


Here, the author takes an advocacy position for the proposed Mars Global Network Mission (GNM); it is not intended to be an objective review, although both pros and cons are presented in summary. The mission consists of launches from earth in the '96, '98, and '01 opportunities on Delta-class launch vehicles (approx. 1000 kg injected to Mars in 8 to 10 ft diameter shroud). The trans Mars boost stage injects a stack of small independent, aeroshelled spacecraft. The stack separates from the boost stage and each rigid (as opposed to deployable) aeroshell flies to Mars on its own, performing midcourse maneuvers as necessary. Each spacecraft flies a unique trajectory which is targeted to achieve approach atmospheric interface at the desired latitude and lighting conditions; arrival times may vary by a month or more. A direct entry is performed, there is no propulsive orbit capture. The aeroshelled rough-landers are targeted to achieve a desired attitude and entry flight path angle, and then follow a passive ballistic trajectory until terminal descent. Based on sensed acceleration (integrated to deduce altitude), the aft aeroshell skirt is jettisoned; a short later a supersonic parachute is deployed. The ballistic coefficient of the parachute is sized to achieve terminal velocity at about 8 km. However the parachute is not deployed until a few Km above the surface to minimize wind-induced drift. The nose cap descent imaging begins, a laser altimeter also measures true altitude. Based on range and range rate to the surface, the parachute is jettisoned and the lander uses descent engines to achieve touchdown velocity. A contact sensor shuts down the motors to avoid cratering, and the lander rough-lands at less than 5 m/sec. The remaining aeroshell and a deployable bladder attenuate landing loads and minimize the possibility of tip over. Science instruments are deployed and activated, and the network is established.