In this paper we introduce a modeling methodology for the study of business processes, including their design, redesign, modeling, simulation and analysis. The methodology, called TOP, is based on the theoretical concept of a transaction which we derive from the Language Action Perspective (LAP). In particular, we regard business processes in an organization as patterns of communication between different actors to represent the underlying actions. TOP is supported by a set of extensions of basic Petri nets notations, resulting in a tool that can be used to build models of business processes and to analyze these models. The result is a more practical methodology for business process modeling and simulation.


Three experiments showed that naming latencies were significantly shorter when the patch color was consistent with the object's typical color relative to when they were inconsistent. Such color simulation was also found for verbs involving an object with color and words psychologically-related to color, indicating that color simulation is not limited to situations where there is a concrete, direct connection between the concept and the color information. Results from SOA manipulation indicates a more rapid activation of color information for the words psychologically-related to color, followed by activation of color for object nouns, and slowest color activation for verbs, providing the first clear demonstration that the nature of the concept-color connection affects the time course of color simulation.


Differential cross sections of top-quark pair production are measured in the dilepton decay channel with proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The measurement is performed with a Run II data sample using CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. In this analysis, we measure the differential cross sections with respect to kinematic variables of leptons, b jets, and top-quarks.


Wind shear incidences are always related to local downburst, gust front or other systems. An analysis of a low-level wind shear case at Guangzhou Baiyun airport on Jul 21, 2005 shows that this case was caused by downburst and gust front. The real-time wind data from local terminal Doppler radar and auto weather observation stations were calculated to obtain the degree of wind shear and turbulence. Flight data belong to one aircraft has verified the method to alert wind shear is feasible under the limited resources of Guangzhou Baiyun airport.


The hardware system of three-dimension drawing bed was designed,which applied P89C51RD2 MCU as center of the controlli ng system.In order to realize a man-machine interface,PC is used as upper processor.The upper processor communicates with MCU.MCU outputs controlling data to control the velocity of stepped motor.Three position sensors are adopted to detect real-time position.The detected position parameters are transfered to MCU in order to realize feedback controlling.


Road safety engineering involves identifying influencing factors causing traffic crashes through accident data, carrying out detailed accident studies at different locations and implementing relevant remedial measures. This study was carried out to establish relationship between traffic accident characteristics (frequency and severity) and traffic and road design characteristics on a two-lane highway. Statistical models applied in traffic accident modeling are Poisson regression, Negative Binomial regression (NB), and Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial regression (ZINB).; Traffic flow and road geometry related variables were the independent variables of the models. Using Ilesha-Akure-Owo highway, South-West, Nigeria accident prediction models were developed on the basis of accident data obtained from Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) during a 4-year monitoring period extending between 2012 and 2015. Curve radius (CR), lane width (LW), shoulder factor (SF), access road (CHAR), average annual daily traffic (AADT), parentage heavy good vehicle (HGV) and traffic sign posted (TSP) were the identified effective factors on crash occurrence probability. Finally, a comparison of the three models developed proved the efficiency of ZINB models against traditional Poisson and NB models. Keywords— Traffic accidents. Single carriageway, accident prediction model, road geometric characteristics.


The author investigates the fourth-order integral boundary value problem with two parameters , where nonlinear term function is allowed to change sign. Applying the fixed point index theorem on cone together with the operator spectrum theorem, some results on the existence of positive solution are obtained.


From the interwar period onwards, music now known as jazz transcended geographic and political boundaries thanks to increased mobility and new media. Commonly associated with American mass culture, jazz music and jazz musicianship evoked strong emotions, ranging from love to hate. In this paper, feelings about jazz as a new form of cultural anxiety are the main subject of analysis. By looking at jazz as an emblem of different kinds of fear of the non-European, we can reconstruct the changing perception of Europe's internal frontiers from the dissolution of Europe's continental empires to the early Cold War.


An integrated circuit 2 has one or more functional circuits 4, 6 driven by a clock at an operational frequency. The clock distribution circuit 8 distributes a clock signal at a distribution frequency, which is lower than the operational frequency. Frequency converters 10 convert the clock from the distribution frequency to the operational frequency. The distribution clock may be received from an external clock source 14 or from an internal clock generator. The distribution frequency may be half the operational frequency. If so, the operational clock may be produced by generating a pulse on each transition of the distribution clock. A clock gating circuit may control whether the operational clock is propagated to the functional circuit. The clock gating circuit may include the frequency converter.


Abstract The enhancement of phosphorus (P) acquisition through deep P application has been documented in crops with fibrous root systems, but little is known about this effect on the morphology of a taproot system. A four-year field experiment with P application was conducted using Platycodon grandiflorum with a taproot system as the experimental material at two P rates of 40 and 60 kg ha−1 with middle and deep P application patterns. The biomass and P accumulation of P. grandiflorum were greater with deep P application than with middle P application at the same P rate. Regardless of whether the root diameter being greater or less than 2 mm, the root length, volume and surface area of P. grandiflorum increased due to P application, and they were greater with deep P application than with middle P application at the same P rate. Four-year consecutive P application increased the concentrations of soil NaHCO3-P, HCI-P, NaOH-P and residual-P, resulting in soil P accumulation, especially HCI-P. This is the first report that deep P application was more favorable to the growth of P. grandiflorum with a taproot system than middle P application. And this research provided evidence that deep phosphorus application is also suitable to crops with a taproot system.


Abstract
 This chapter presents guidelines on how to assess fitness for transport, undertake on-farm euthanasia for animals not fit for transport; and develop on-farm policies to avoid transporting animals in a deteriorated and compromised condition. Also, how lairage conditions and the management of animals in a lairage may or may not mitigate the condition of the animals on arrival and avoiding deterioration of their welfare during lairage were discussed. Resting behaviour and the importance of physical and social environmental factors in meeting the behavioural and physiological requirements of the animals while in a lairage were also emphasized.


The purpose of this investigation was to study heat production in the newborn rat, and the factors which may be limiting maximum heat production in the cold. Rats of varying ages between 1 and 30 d...


Much research has been done to evolve cost-effective techniques for fault tolerance of applications running on static distributed systems. With the advent of technology, wireless systems emerged by the end of the last decade, and received considerable attention as useful environments for mobile distributed systems. The requirements for designing fault tolerant techniques for the mobile computing systems have also come to the front. The objective of this paper is to study, analyse the effectiveness of (i) triple modular redundancy (TMR) technique and (ii) checkpoint and recovery technique that may be used by wireless/mobile systems for tolerating faults. A wirelessTMR-(WTMR) checkpointing technique is proposed in the paper that uses checkpointing technique to add fault tolerance to a fault tolerant TMR node in wireless system


The role of religion in the Yugoslav crisis, as well as in the lengthy and still ongoing tensions following its dissolution, has been the matter of continuous and at times hefty debate. More specifically, a number of studies have clearly demonstrated not only the manipulation of religion in the hands of nationalists but also the tacit support that churches and religious communities lent to warring factions in the former Yugoslavia. Others characterised the involvement of organised religion in the former Yugoslavia as a challenge to democratic pluralism and a serious threat to interethnic peace and coexistence. Looking closer at most of these accounts, no author singled out the essential features of religion, such as claims of truth or righteousness from God, but rather the specific political uses that religious, and often nonreligious, actors made of these claims. In the context of the overlap of ethnic and confessional boundaries among South Slavs, these claims emphasised the differences and fostered ethno-confessional homogenisation that underlied the rise of animosity, thus contributing to, rather than causing, the escalation of conflict and protracted tensions thereafter. Initially, the preponderant role of religion in Yugoslav conflict was attributed by foreign observers to the country's Orthodox-Byzantine and Islamic-Ottoman legacy, considered one of the chief markers that distinguished it from Western Europe. In the meantime, historical research has delegitimised this view, offering a more differentiated approach, especially illuminating the contribution of nationalism as a "Western" import, which spurred the notorious identification of religion and nation among Serbs, Croats and, more recently, Bosnyak Muslims, and enthused much of modern-day conflicts among exYugoslavia's confessionally mixed populations.


Wild relatives of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) may contribute genes to improve cultivated species under water stress conditions. This study was conducted to increase genetic diversity of safflower for agromorphological traits and fatty acid profiles using interspecific hybridization. Three species—C. tinctorius, C. palaestinus Eig., and C. oxyacanthus M. Bieb.—were used to develop three segregating populations of C. tinctorius × C. palaestinus (TP), C. oxyacanthus × C. palaestinus (OP), and C. oxyacanthus × C. palaestinus (TO). Seventy-three lines, along with the three parental species, were evaluated for agromorphological traits under water stress and nonstress conditions in F₃ and F₄ generations during 2 yr. Fatty acid analysis of interspecific progenies showed occurrence of transgressive segregation. The results showed that mean values of seed yield for TP and TO progenies, where C. tinctorius was one of their parents, were higher than mean value of seed yield for OP that derived from the two wild species. High genetic variation was observed for seed yield, capitulum diameter, and phenological traits in interspecific populations under both moisture conditions. Indirect selection for flowering and seed yield components under water deficit conditions was most efficient to improve seed yield. Results indicated that gene introgression from wild relatives of safflower into the cultivated gene pool increased genetic variation for the measured traits and allowed identifying superior genotypes for future breeding programs.


Abstract Effective management of river environments requires efficient means of gathering data on the rivers, including stream power and other hydraulic attributes. Traditional methods of data collection are spatially limited and can be restrictively expensive. This study utilizes hydraulically‐calibrated aerial photography and GIS to calculate cross‐sectional and mean stream power on a stretch of the Brazos River in central Texas. Field measured water depths are regressed against image brightness values to establish a highly accurate depth to reflectance curve. GIS‐derived water surface slopes are then combined with estimated water depths to map fully two‐dimensional hydraulic processes. This type of image‐based river monitoring provides both an advance in measurement accuracy and in temporal monitoring.


ABSTRACT This article explores the notions of indexical order and indexical field of Thai English based on 30 interviews conducted with students at a public university in Thailand. The analysis of these interviews examine an indexical field of Thai English where in many cases students perceive Thai English to be spoken by certain types of people, including: tour guides, restaurant workers, street vendors and the prime minister. This indexical field emerged even though many respondents had features of Thai English in their idiolect. The findings shed light on how we classify global varieties of English as the present study illustrates how the features of Thai English are not uniform, nor is the community of speakers who make up this variety. It is argued that a variety of English may be enregistered despite lacking a status of variety directly attributable to a community of speakers.


This study focuses on the landing dynamics of a short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft from a modeling perspective. The dynamic equations of a STOVL aircraft system were derived, and a lift force model was first proposed for stable landing conditions. Subsequently, an optimum control design is performed based on the obtained state-space model. A simulation model is built and tested for the proposed approaches using the initial values of the model variables, and the results are evaluated.


In the afterword to The Birth of Tragedy, added fourteen years after the book was first published, Friedrich Nietzsche famously scorns the Wagnerian-Schopenhauerian impulses of his youthful work. Mockingly, but not without a serious streak, he adds that his aesthetic program should not have been written, but sung: "What a pity," he writes, "I did not dare to say what I had to say at that time as a poet; perhaps I could have done it!" Looking back at his book, Nietzsche resents the fact that he had theorized Greek drama, had approached it at the level of second-order discourse, rather than engaged it artistically. But in spite of his changing attitude to Richard Wagner, Nietzsche's study of Greek tragedy—an art form that, in its expression of myth and religion, grows out of a musical force so powerful that it draws the audience into the play and, in the face of human suffering, initiates a celebration of life—has influenced generations of later philosophers and artists. In the nineteenth century, budding representatives of so-called Nordic modernism studied and worked in Germany, and German philosophy was read and debated at home and abroad. Nietzsche's work played a prominent part in this movement. In a Norwegian context, Edvard Munch not only painted his famous portrait of the philosopher, but also wrote extensive diary notes on him. Scholars have also pointed to the Nietzschean spirit that saturates the work of the dramatist Henrik Ibsen. Like Nietzsche, Ibsen started off with a keen interest in ancient culture. Ibsen had studied classical literature as part of the entrance exam at the university in Christiania (now Oslo). Indeed, the newly erected university building in Christiania was planned with the aid of the classicist architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, whose work should be familiar from the Altes Museum in


This study discusses presupposition and implikature in Abdur's Stand-up Comedy Indonesia (SUCI) Session 4 Kompas TV. SUCI uses Indonesian language as the main material of the jokes. The jokes in SUCI come from everyday life of the comics. The jokes in SUCI have some massages. It uses pragmatics analysis approach to answer the question s about (1) presupposition and (2) implicature of SUCI 4. The data are oral form s of Kompas TV' s SUCI 4 show s . The data are obtained by the observation method and by taking notes technique . The data analysis uses pragmatics equal methods. The theories used are the theory of background knowledge, presuppotition, and implicature. The analysis shows that first, Comica's presupposition about the east of Indonesia are geographycal , society, food, technology, and pulic building condition. Secondly, implicature of Abdur stand up comedy are admit a shortage, found out attention, and critics about government role. Keywords: presupposition, implicature, Indonesian stand up comedy .


The utility model relates to a large focal variation ratio automatic focusing all-in-one video camera, belonging to the optical, mechanical and electric all-in-one technical field, comprising an optical system, an automatic focusing system, a video driving system and a shell. The automatic focusing is realized using a contrast detection method and the image signal is collected, processed, calculated and compared by the control signal sent from a processor 108 of the automatic focusing system and the process signal is sent out to control a step motor 111 and a compensation group G4 of the optical system 101 is driven to move to the focusing position, thus the video camera automatically focuses. When the video camera automatically focuses, an auxiliary light source is not needed and the video camera is free from the effect of object distance and the focusing process uses a microcontroller to control and the time is compact and also has a video drive to automatically adjust the aperture according to the environment, thus the video camera accurately, quickly automatically focuses at light, dark, far and near environments and the image is undistorted and the video camera is widely applied on the fields such as the highway, the airfield, the finance, the military and the harbor.


Under English law the conventional wisdom is that companies should aim to maximize shareholder value. The duty formulated in section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 for directors to promote the success of the company enshrines in statute a reformed and broader concept of shareholder value, labelled as 'enlightened shareholder value'. The meaning of the term 'company' in this context was construed, again and again, by the courts as referring to present and future members,subject to the requirement to take into consideration the interests of other constituencies. But has the recent financial crisis proved that this conception of shareholder value failed? Does it require refinement or re-tuning? Should we look at new ways of thinking about the ultimate purpose of the corporation? This brief commentary intends to highlight some hidden truths and new realities which impact on and bear profoundly on the way the above questions should be dealt with. These questions were recently discussed at a panel at Cass Business School on 24 April 2013, in which the author was part of. Other speakers were: Professor Colin Mayer, Past Dean of the Said Business School at Oxford University, Dr Daniel Summerfield, Head of Responsible Investments at USST, Professor Paddy Ireland, Kent Law School and Professor Igor Filotochev, Associate Dean, Cass Business School. The views expressed in this commentary were presented at the debate and are solely those of the author.


The issue of climate change is no longer an environmental matter of concern per se but has several entangled dimensions to it. India has experienced fast GDP growth which fashioned a great opportunity to improve the developmental indicators including food security but in reality the results are much below expectations. There is scientific consensus on the climate change issue expecting to have substantial impacts on food security. Given this background, this paper reviews the issue of food security in the Indian context and the impending crisis that awaits us.


FIELD: medicine. SUBSTANCE: device for skin treatment comprises a light source providing polarized incident light with incident wave polarization, optical elements to focus the polarized incident light into the focal point within the collagen skin layer, a polarization-sensitive detecting module for selectively detected selected component of light polarization of polarized incident light generated harmonics returning from the skin, and a processor, at least connected to the polarization-sensitive detecting module to determine the depth of the focal point within the collagen layer based on the detected selected polarization component. EFFECT: invention can reduce the side effects of treatment. 13 cl, 2 dwg


Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a T cell‐mediated neuroinflammatory disease that is often used as a model of multiple sclerosis. EAE can follow either relapsing‐remitting (RR) or chronic (CH) courses, yet the factors responsible for differentially inducing these forms of disease remain largely unknown. Proinflammatory cytokines play an important role in EAE, and signaling by these cytokines can be negatively regulated by the suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 protein (SOCS1). We assessed if differential expression of SOCS1 could contribute to the clinical course of RR and CH forms of EAE induced in the same mouse strain (C57BL/6) using the same myelin antigen (myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein). We show that SOCS1 mRNA levels are significantly elevated in the spinal cord in early stages of both RR‐ and CH‐EAE. SOCS1 protein is highly expressed in immune cells in EAE lesions in the spinal cord, with expression predominantly localized within macrophages. Importantly, the number of Mac‐1+ macrophages expressing SOCS1 at the peak stage of RR disease is three‐fold greater than in CH‐EAE. Furthermore, the macrophage effector molecule iNOS, whose expression is regulated by SOCS1, is significantly reduced at the peak of RR‐ versus CH‐EAE. Finally, the administration of a SOCS1‐mimetic peptide reduces disease severity in the CH‐EAE model. Thus, the differential expression of SOCS1 may contribute to the development of RR and CH forms of EAE. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Objective To observe the clinical effect of Liuweiwuling tablet combined with telbivudine in chronic patients with active hepatitis B related cirrhosis. Methods Total of 72 patients with active hepatitis B related cirrhosis were randomly divided into two groups, the treatment group (n = 36) received Liuweiwuling tablet combined with telbivudine; meanwhile the control group (n = 36) received only telbivudine. Both groups were treated for 24 weeks. Liver function, hepatitis B virus markers and undetectable rate of HBV DNA were tested before and after treatment. Results Compared with the control group, serum ALT and AST levels in the treatment group decreased significantly and there was statistical difference between the two groups (P 0.05). The undetectable rate of HBeAg, seroconversion rate of HBeAg/anti-HBe and the total effective rate in the treatment group were higher than that in the control group (P 0.05). Conclusions Liuweiwuling tablet combined with telbivudine therapy is more effective than telbivudine only for patients with active hepatitis B related cirrhosis and with lower incidence of adverse reactions. This combination therapy is an effective way for treating active hepatitis B related cirrhosis patients.


This study aims to develop a learning video media on the subject matter of the human circulatory system for class VIII junior high school students. The form of this research is research and development or research and development using the Four-D (4D) model by Thiagarajan (1974). This media development research was carried out from the define, design, and development stages. The sampling technique used by the researcher is a purposive sampling technique with 10 students from three different schools; SMPN 2 Ukui, SMPN 3 Ukui, and SMPN 5 Ukui. In the data collection technique carried out, it was obtained from the results of validation by validators of learning media experts, material experts, and class VIII Biology teachers. The data analysis technique used is descriptive analysis. The results of this study are kinemaster products on the human respiratory system material in the form of video (mp4). The results of validation by learning media experts indicate that the developed learning media is very feasible to use with an average percentage of 90.06%. The results of the validation of the material experts indicate that the learning media developed by the researcher is very feasible to use with an average percentage of 90%. And the results of validation by three Biology teachers who teach in each school show that the developed learning media is very feasible to use with an average percentage of 95.05%. The learning media developed by students is very feasible with an average percentage of 95.99%. developed by students is very feasible with an average percentage of 96.91%. Based on the validation results from the experts, it was obtained that the video media product for learning biology on the subject matter of the human circulatory system is very suitable to be used as a medium for learning Biology..


177 Virus-induced alveolar epithelial cell lung injury, abnormal immune response, and attempts at healing are central to the process of viral-induced lung fibrogenesis. SARS survivors who were followed over 1 year after the infection showed abnormal radiological features in 28% and reduced DLCO in 24%, and the extent of radiographic abnormalities correlated with the severity of functional improvement.[9] Another 2-year follow-up study of 55 patients who survived SARS ARDS showed a reduction in DLCO in 53% of patients.[10] Approximately one-third of the survivors of SARS have been shown to have significant pulmonary fibrosis.[11] As there are similarities between SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2, it seems likely that lung fibrosis may be a common long-term consequence of COVID-19 pneumonia.[12]


The outcome of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is poor, and diagnosis is complicated by a lack of biomarkers capable of distinguishing primary MPM from cancers that have metastasized to the pleura. Clinical diagnosis and tissue of origin is currently assessed through the use of a panel of positive and negative markers; however, there remains a subset of cases that are not identifiable by current clinical biomarkers. Recent studies suggest that the human genome encodes more miRNAs than are currently annotated, and that the novel miRNAs may display enhanced tissue and lineage specificity. We conducted a de novo search for novel miRNAs by applying a prediction algorithm to the small RNA-sequence data in a cohort of MPM tumors (n=87) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). This analysis yielded 424 predicted novel miRNA-like sequences, which were subsequently filtered by RNA structure, abundance, and genomic location to identify 154 previously unannotated miRNA sequences. This represents a significant increase to the repertoire of 1,597 annotated miRNAs in MPM. Protein-coding genes predicted to be targeted by these novel miRNAs, using the miRanda algorithm, include genes involved in MPM biology. One of the most highly expressed novel miRNAs identified targets the Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) gene. Another target gene, BRCA1 Associated Protein 1 (BAP1), is also in the DNA damage response pathway. To investigate the ability of these 154 novel miRNAs to distinguish MPM from other thoracic cancers, we assessed their expression in 1,093 lung tumors from four independent cohorts from TCGA and the BC Cancer Agency (BCCA): two adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cohorts (TCGA n=497, BCCA n=94) and two squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) cohorts (TCGA n=467, BCCA n=35). Principal component analyses revealed that novel miRNA expression was able to unambiguously distinguish MPM from LUAD and LUSC. Furthermore, we developed an miRNA-based classifier model using the weighted voting class prediction method. A 10 novel miRNAs classifier was deduced by comparing MPM and LUAD cases from TCGA and validated by comparing MPM against LUAD cases from the BCCA cohort. Remarkably, this classifier successfully identified 86 out of the 87 MPM cases (98.8%) and 100% of LUAD cases (true positive rate = 98.85%, false positive rate = 1.15%). The strikingly high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing MPM from LUAD illustrates the potential of using novel miRNAs to supplement current clinical markers to define MPM. Citation Format: Erin A. Marshall, Christine Anderson, Kevin W. Ng, Brenda C. Minatel, Katey S.S. Enfield, Adam P. Sage, Zhaolin Xu, Wan L. Lam, Victor D. Martinez. Novel miRNAs as tissue-of-origin markers for distinguishing malignant pleural mesothelioma from lung adenocarcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR-IASLC International Joint Conference: Lung Cancer Translational Science from the Bench to the Clinic; Jan 8-11, 2018; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2018;24(17_Suppl):Abstract nr B36.


The extraction behavior of tungsten and phosphorus in alkalescent solution(pH= 7.80 ~8.32) by CL N 1923 LEVEXTREL resin and the conditions for separating the trace phosphorus,arsenic,silicon from the tungsten in impure sodium tungstate solution were investigated.The results of static and dynamic experimental method showed that the resin may separate the trace amounts of phosphorus and silicon from the tungsten in impure sodium tungstate solution effectively.The content of phosphorus、arsenic and silicon in real industrial sodium tungstate solution was decreased to below 0.015,0.030,0.010 g.L -1 from 0.05~0.50,0.04~0.10,0.050~0.30 g.L -1 respectively,the removal rate of phosphorus,arsenic and silicon may get to 97.6%,81.6%,100%,the one pass recovery of high pure tungsten may reach 80%.


Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been applied in civilian and military fields widely. However, because of the inherent characteristic of monostatic SAR, it can not image the forward-looking terrain of the aerocraft [1]. As an emerging SAR technology, bistatic SAR is receiving considerable attention at present. With the choice of proper geometry, it can image in flight direction. We call this case bistatic forward-looking SAR (BFSAR). This might result in some new applications of bistatic SAR in aviation by imaging obstacles (e.g. mountains) in flight direction which are covered by fog, rain and clouds. With such systems, we can also improve the safety of landing airplanes.


An apparatus for flooding prediction network events, comprising: an event rate detector for detecting the rate of events from one or more devices emitted; aggregator, a plurality of the generated event from the device emitted said rate of aggregation rate and the rate of aggregation tendency; level generator for generating a maximum acceptable level comprising a plurality of event rate value of the rate of aggregation of a plurality of trends over a plurality of time periods; storage means for storing comparing at least a selected one comparator for the current trend of the rate of aggregation level;; and informing device of said plurality of levels, in response to detecting the current trend in the rate of aggregation of the first comparator one point in time over the level of at least selection, informed prediction of flood events.


Various multi-antenna designs have been developed in recent years targeting either highperformance, or, high rate. In this paper, we design a layered space-time (ST) scheme equipped with linear complex field (LCF) coding, which enables full diversity with full rate, for any number of transmitand receive-antennas. Our theoretical claims are confirmed by simulations. Main Results Existing multi-antenna designs have been developed targeting either high-performance, or, high rate (e.g., VBLAST [3]). Recently, designs enabling desirable performance-rate tradeoffs receive increasing attention (see e.g., [1]). However, with Nt(Nr) transmit(receive-)antennae none of these schemes achieves simultaneously full diversity (NtNr), and full rate (Nt) for any number of antennas. In this paper, we design a layered space-time coding (STC) scheme equipped with linear complex field (LCF) coding, which enables full diversity and full rate (FDFR). System model: The information bearing symbols {s(i)} are drawn from a finite alphabet As, and parsed into blocks of size N × 1 so that s := [s(1), . . . , s(N)] . Every block s is split in sub-blocks (groups) {sg} g=1, each of length Nsub. Hence, N = NsubNg, where Ng is the number of groups. The LCF encoder {Θg} g=1 per group is an Nsub × Nsub matrix with entries drawn from the complex field. Each sub-block sg is coded linearly (via Θg) to obtain each LCF coded sub-block as: ug := Θgsg. Define an LCF coded group ug as one layer, and Ng as the number of layers per information block. The layers {ug} g=1 are further mapped to space-time matrix C, and transmitted through Nt antennas. Let hν,μ be the Rayleigh independent flat fading channel associated with the μth transmitantenna, and the νth receive-antenna. Selecting Nsub = Nt and Ng = Nt, our LCF-ST coded symbols transmitted per time slot from the Nt transmit-antennas are given by: C =   u1(1) uNt(2) · · · u2(Nt) u2(1) u1(2) · · · uNt−1(Nt) .. .. · · · .. uNt(1) uNt−1(2) · · · u1(Nt)   . (1) The matrix input-output relationship is Y = HC + W , (2) ∗The work in this paper was supported by the ARL/CTA Grant No. DAAD19-01-2-011.


ABSTRACT Forecasts of mortality are included in official population projections. The methodology and performance of British mortality forecasts is reviewed and compared with those of the United States of America in the quarter century up to 1989. The results are found to have been surprisingly poor when compared, for example, with the more widely-criticised fertility component; similar conclusions hold for other developed countries. Although the methodology has become more sophisticated over the years by using detailed information on cause of death and cohort-based approaches, this has not led to obviously better forecasts, and the time period at which the forecasts are made is more important than the method used. The particular importance of mortality assumptions in determining projected numbers of elderly people discussed.


This paper presents the design and characterization of a low power 20 Gb/s 1:4 demultiplexer (Demux) in 45-nm SOI CMOS. For the design of the latch, which is used primarily inside the key building blocks of the 1:4 Demux, a power-speed optimized current-scaling methodology is provided. The results of an electromagnetic (EM) 3D field solver, which was used to simulate the high-frequency performance of the most critical data and clock paths inside the Demux, are presented. The designed 1:4 Demux uses a supply voltage of 1 V, dissipates a total of 77 mW of power, and occupies an active area of 0.122mm2. Among the reported inductorless CMOS 20 Gb/s 1:4 Demuxes, the presented Demux achieves the best energy figure of 3.8 pJ/bit.


Numerical simulations of a three-dimensional model of impingement and film cooling on a flat plate are presented and validated with the available experimental data. Four different turbulence models were utilized for simulation, in which SST  had the highest precision, resulting in less than 4% maximum error in temperature estimation. A simplified geometry with periodic boundary conditions is designed, based on the main geometry, and is used for the optimization procedure. Six geometrical parameters related to impingement and film holes are selected as design variables. To further reduce the time required for optimization, a feedforward neural network is implemented for the function estimation, and 584 CFD observations were performed for randomly generated design points. The data from CFD simulations were fed to network for training and test operations, and the results with good consistency were extracted from the network. The objective of the optimization is to minimize the coolant mass flow rate, subject to maximum temperature and maximum temperature gradient in solid domain being equal to or lower than their values in base design. A genetic algorithm (GA) with 100 population and 50 iterations, coupled with an artificial neural network (ANN), was used for optimization. Finally, the optimum design is simulated numerically to find the exact values of the output parameters. The CFD results for optimum design shows 44% less coolant mass flow rate while both optimization constraints are satisfied. Such a reduction in the coolant flow rate has a huge impact on the overall performance of a typical gas turbine, which is discussed in this paper.


The Buck-Boost dc-dc converter has a series switch with the source and a series diode with the load. The series switch makes the input current discontinuous. Filtering out the high frequency switching component from the discontinuous input current of the buck boost dc-dc converter is difficult. In a recent research the one quadrant buckboost has been modified with additional diode-capacitors to have continuous input current which is easy to filter. There are applications where two quadrant dc-dc converters with boost-buck voltage gain/attenuation are necessary. DC motors and battery chargers are the examples of such applications. In this thesis the modified one quadrant buck-boost dc-dc converter has further been topologically changed to operate the converter in two quadrant mode and yet maintain the continuous input current during whichever side is being used as the input of the converter. The proposed two quadrant buck-boost dc-dc converter with continuous input current has been investigated with R, R-L and R-L-Emf loads by interchanging the positions of source and load of the converter. The simulation results indicate the proposed buckboost converter performs two quadrant operations (i.e.-ve voltage ve current and -ve voltage +ve current with the change of duty cycle of control pulse of the switches of the dc-dc converter). In the proposed two quadrant buck-boost dc-dc converter additional switch, diodes, capacitors and inductors are used as per requirement. Number of switches used in the proposed circuit is two and the gate pulses provided to the switches are compliment of each other.


In electrical exploration by the field buildup method the source parameters for interpretation is longitudinal conductivity. As is well known, longitudinal conductivity with longitudinal resistivity maintained depends largely on variation in thickness of the conducting layer and consequently determines the depth of occurrence of the crystalline basement. Under the geologic conditions of the Kuybyshev Trans-Volga region, however, the longitudinal resistivity varies by area, and determination of its systematic variation is one of the complex assignments of electrical interpretation. The depth of occurrence of the crystalline basement increases from north to south about 1.2 times in the northwest part of the Kuybyshev Region (from Melekess to Krasnyy Yar) and 1.5 times in the South Kuybyshe region from Borskiy to Perelyub, whereas the longitudinal resistivity increases in this same direction almost 2 times from 2.1 ohm-m at Melekess to 4.5-5 ohm-m at Krasnyy Yar) and times in the South Kuybyshev region (from 3.5 at Borskiy to 11 ohm m at Perelyub). values in depth crystalline map longitudinal individual do structural elements of the second order The total thickness clastic the the basement), reduce the longitudinal resistivity, from an m on the north m on the south. total thickness clastic Carboniferous), the clastic deposits the upper part of the section and the Devonian, decreases from north to south from 600 to 450 m. a


Explosive volcanic eruptions are able to affect significantly the atmosphere for 2‐3 years. During this time, volcanic products (mainly H2SO4) with high residence
time are stored in the stratosphere/troposphere, and eventually deposited onto polar ice caps; snow layers may thus record signals providing a history of past
volcanic events. A high resolution sulphate concentration profile along a 197 m long ice core drilled at GV7 (Northern Victoria Land) was obtained by Ion Chromatography. The relatively high accumulation rate (241±13 mm we yr-1) and the 5‐cm resolution allowed a preliminary counted age scale. The obtained stratigraphy covers roughly the last millennium and 24 major volcanic eruptions were identified, dated and
ascribed to a source volcano. The deposition flux of volcanic sulfate was calculated and the results were compared with data from other Antarctic ice cores at regional and continental scale. Our results show that the regional variability is of the same order of magnitude
of the continental scale.


The aims of this study were to develop an HPLC-MS/MS method for the trace determination of senecionine (SEN) and senecionine N-oxide (SENNOX) in honey samples with simple dilution and to optimize the strategy for large volume injection (LVI). In the method development, the quantity of sugar, injection volume and sample pH were optimized to increase the efficiency and the retention factor of the analytes. Figures of merit of the proposed method include: good linearity (R2 > 0.99), limits of detection of 57 and 59 ng·kg﹣1 for SEN and SENNOX, respectively, and recovery in the range of 83.4% - 123%. The values for the instrumental precision in relation to the retention time and peak area were 0.65% and 7.1%, respectively, and for the intra-day precision they were greater than 0.95% and 9.7% for SEN and SENNOX, respectively. The LVI-HPLC-MS/MS procedure developed was applied to honey samples prepared by simple dilution with deionized water (1:8 w/w) and the pH was adjusted to 9.5 with NH4OH. The sample volume injected was 100 μL; concentrations in natural and industrialized honey were ﹤LOQ - 1071.3 μg·kg﹣1 for SEN and ﹤LOD - 16.9 μg·kg﹣1 for SENNOX.


Iron‐cobalt alloys with 10, 20, and 40 wt% cobalt have been studied at room temperature under high pressure by means of x‐ray diffraction techniques, employing the diamond‐anvil pressure cell. The crystallographic x‐ray data for the three alloys at zero pressure were obtained using the standard Debye‐Scherrer x‐ray diffraction technique. The volume‐pressure relationship was established and, using the Birch‐Murnaghan equation of state, the compressibility β for the above alloys was found to remain constant or increase slightly with increasing cobalt content. This is consistent with the electron dilution theory. The bcc→hcp phase transformation in each alloy was seen visually under the microscope in reflected light and it was found to take place when the pressure increased to 163±5, 195±6, and 290±10 kbar respectively, for the 10, 20, and 40 wt% Fe‐Co alloys. The volume change at the transition was found to decrease slightly with increasing cobalt content and the crystallographic axis ratio c/a of the hcp phase of the alloys was found to increase with increasing cobalt content.


In this pap, that discriminant function is established for the coarse classification of the known glass, and the sub-classification result of the high-potassium glass is as follows: the K2O-Na2O-SiO2 glass, the K2O-CaO-SiO2 glass, the K2O-CuO-SiO2 glass, the sub-classification result of lead-barium glass are PbO-BaO-Na2O-SiO2 glass, the PbO-BaO-Al2O3-SiO2 glass, the PbO-BaO-SrO-SiO2 glass, the PbO-BaO-CaO-SiO2 glass, The subtaxonomic results correspond to the color and ornamentation, which indicates the rationality of subtaxonomic results. Sensitivity analysis showed that the sensitivity was small and the model was robust. It provides a reference for the subsequent study of the weathering and composition of ancient silicate glass.


In this study, a new analytical model to describe the time‐dependent subsolar magnetopause motion under interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) southward turning has been developed. This model, based on the scenario of magnetopause erosion due to magnetic reconnection, can be approximated by both linear and non‐linear functions. The linear function is simplified under the assumption of constant magnetopause erosion under southward IMF, and the non‐linear function is derived by assuming that the magnetopause erosion decays exponentially. In the limit of a short time, the non‐linear function is essentially the same as the linear function. By comparing with global magnetohydrodynamic simulations, the linear function performs well within the first 10 minutes, and the error then increases with time. The non‐linear function describes the magnetopause motion more accurately with respect to, and consistent with simulations for a time interval of ∼40 min. This model has also been successfully applied to data‐driven simulations of the 17 March 2015 geomagnetic storm event, suggesting the possible applicability of this model in reality.


Before launching a meteorological rocket, the fire table must be used for wind correction to the rocket's flight trajectory.The traditional fire table has defects in accuracy and generality. Based on numerical simulation of the flight trajectory and the technology of search and iteration, software fire table determines the launching angle and flight trajectory by satisfying specific requirements at detach point, and makes improvement in accuracy and generality.


With an increasing number of ocean observations and the development of data assimilation models, the quality of the sea temperature data for the South Pacific has improved greatly. Therefore, many studies of large-scale extratropical ocean–atmosphere interaction and its impact on climate variability have focused on the South Pacific. This review introduces systematic studies of the characteristics of the variability of the South Pacific sea temperature (surface and subsurface sea temperature) anomaly, including the interannual and interdecadal variation in the leading mode, the characteristics of the South Pacific, and the relationships among the South Pacific sea temperature anomaly, El Ni o–Southern Oscillation, and Southern Annular Mode. It also considers the impact of the South Pacific sea temperature anomalies on the atmospheric circulation and the impact of the South Pacific on the weather and climate in South America, eastern Asia, and China. On the basis of a review of former studies, important questions that require further study in the future are proposed in order to increase scientists' understanding of the importance of studies of the South Pacific sea temperature anomaly, which can promote scientific progress regarding the South Pacific sea temperature and its climatic impact.


The aim of the paper was to study N2O emission from Eutric Histosol irrigated with municipal wastewater. The measurements were performed for three years during the vegetative season on experimental fields. N2O emission was measured using three kinds of fields, which had been planted with different plants: 1 Populus alba, Populus nigra; 2 Salix americana, Salix viminalis and 3 a mix of grasses: Alopecurus pratensis, Phalaris arundinacea, Festuca pratensis as dominating species. The emission of gases from the soil surface was measured with a chamber technique. Experiments all treatments included irrigation of soil with single (B-600 mm) and double doses (C-1200 mm) of wastewater and studies of soil without wastewater irrigation as a control (A) supplied with water by precipitation and ground water as well as A1 and A2 control irrigated with dose of deionised water adequate to doses of wastewater, respectively. Irrigation caused an evolution of nitrous oxide in soil environment that depended on the dose of municipal wastewater. The highest level of N2O emission was measured for a short period of time after irrigation for every treatment. The maximal daily N2O emission reached 61.7 mg m -2 h from soil with grass vegetation on the third day after irrigation with a double dose of wastewater, 54.57 mg m h from Populus cultivation and smallest on the level 21.01 mg m h from Salix vegetation. On the basis of obtained dates the EF Emission Factor (kg N-N2O/kg N-NO3) was calculated in the range 23-12% for Populus, 14.72.4% for mix grasses and 7.8-3.7% for Salix fields. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is one of the greenhouse gases playing an important role in the photochemical reactions of the troposphere and stratosphere. It also destroys the ozone layer [1,3]. Nitrous oxide is 300 (mass basis) times more radiatively active than CO2 in absorbing infrared radiation [3, 6]. Atmospheric concentrations of N2O have been increasing at a rate of 0.2-0.3% per year [3, 4, 8] during the last century because of human activities. Agricultural P O L I S H J O U R N A L O F S O I L S C I E N C E VOL. XXXVIII/2 2005 PL ISSN 0079-2985


Summary

The limit to the precision with which moisture-release data may be related to soil structure is examined. Thin sections in two orthogonal planes were prepared from cores for which moisture release data and saturated conductivity measurements were also collected. Structural parameters are inferred indirectly through estimation of the mass fractal dimension from the moisture-release curve, and directly through measurement of the scaling properties of the pore space and solid matrix from the thin sections using image analysis. Theoretical results are presented which show that, in the absence of additional information, the interpretation of the moisture-release curve is ambiguous for several reasons. A power-law exponent is a consequence of either a fractal pore volume; a fractal solid volume; a fractal pore wall; or a non-fractal, self-similar pore wall, and one cannot infer from the measurement which is the case. Experimental results are presented which confirm that direct measurement of the fractal dimension of the solid matrix is a good predictor of the Brooks–Corey exponent for the soils studied here. Therefore, although a specific structural parameter characterizes the moisture-release curve, the latter cannot be used as a detailed measure of soil structure.


Muscle hyperthropy is an indicator of muscle strength . Super set system as media in maximizing on weight training. Free burden is generally preferred over machines by athletes for strength training because they involve the incorporation of muscle mass and require greater stabilization. The use of free weights can allow one to gain more muscle mass and strength with regular training. The objective of the research was to know the effectiveness of free weight and machine training methods super sets, the strength and muscle hypertrophy. The experimental with factorial 2x 2 was given a tire training program which was composed of maximum repetition (RM) 70% to 8 0% for 3 months. Fifteen lifter athletes were used on this study. The result was Group x interaction time for strength with significance (p = 0.054) with the free weight training group experienced a greater strength increase compared to the machine weight training group (13.9% -8.6%). Thigh flexor thickness increased significantly by 3.9% and 5.1% in the group of machine groups and weight free groups, respectively (p <0.01), without differences between groups. There is a significant tendency for free-load groups for the maximum strength compared to the load-machine group. While hypertrophy there is no difference. The conclusion was free weight exercise more effective than super set machine system.


In this paper we consider a scenario in which a declaratively specified policy on a cognitive radio recommends to use a specific type of functionality for communication with another peer radio. The requested functionality is given in terms of a specification in a formal policy language. The specification includes some behavioral aspects, e.g., delays introduced by particular subfunctions. The peer composes a module out of components it has in its library according to its component composition policies. To ensure that the composed functionality will perform correctly, the module needs to be verified against the specification. In this paper we look at two ways of achieving this goal – through direct inference (derivation) within the policy language, and through checking a model automatically constructed for this purpose. For instance, instead of trying to use a theorem prover on a collection of facts in the knowledge base, one could construct a semantic model based on those facts and then check the model to see if a given logical proposition holds. The specific goal of this paper is to discuss advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches to verification mentioned above. One of the aspects to compare is the time complexity of verification. It is known that the inference within a first-order language is undecidable, while checking a specific model is time linear in the size of the data. In this paper we describe our experiments with both approaches.


The Internet of Things will connect many different devices. In order to realise this, users must be willing to trust the devices and communication that happens automatically. We explore the different meanings of trust and strategies that can be used to determine if something is trustworthy and propose a model for trust that takes into account people, devices, and their connections. The model uses ` a priori andposteriori trust to give an indication of how much a user can trust or distrust the information provided by things. This trust indicator can inform users' decisions on whether or not to use a device or service. The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to uniquely identifiable objects (things) and their virtual representations in an Internet- like structure. This term was first used in 1999 by Ashton (1). Other definitions of IoT have appeared as technology progresses. A thing is a real or virtual object, e.g., a device or a web service, offering one or more services. Since im- plementations of the IoT integrate many things belonging to different actors used for various purposes, we must question to what degree we can trust these things both as a individual entities and as a federation of entities. Even when reading the value from one isolated thing we can identify challenges regarding trust. For instance, when looking at a watch we need to consider whether we can trust the time it displays: the watch might show the wrong time for some reason. We also might be observed looking at our watch, which might breach our privacy since observers might consider us impatient or bored. This is in line with Watzlawick's first axiom that suggests that it is impossible not to communicate (2); as a consequence, humans always reveal some information about themselves. These problems are compounded when extending trust issues to the IoT where we are dealing with many different things. It would, therefore, be helpful to have a mechanism to measure how and when to trust things on the IoT and indicate this to the user; users could then take countermeasures if needed. These measures can be based on an applicable model and theory of trust. This would allow users of IoT services to consider their actions and reduce the costs of checking trustworthiness through other frameworks. Our work is inspired by the use of the IoT in health care where monitoring systems using various sensors and devices form a communication internetwork. These devices also need to communicate with a health care infrastructure. In health care systems, the requirements for privacy, security, integrity and availability are especially high. We have previously analysed the security model in patient monitoring systems (3) and suggested a framework for implementing sensor networks in health care (4). We intend to extend this work with a sustainable trust model. We posit that trust in the IoT is not transparent enough for the user. Our contribution consists of ideas for a trust model and metrics for the IoT including both channels, things, humans, and services. In order to reduce threats regarding security, privacy, and functionality when using the IoT, we distinguish between dimensions ofpriori and ` a posteriori trust, as well as computational, technical, and behavioural trust. The developed trust model and its metrics will be used to a) give indications at to which security mechanisms to employ in the implementations of systems; b) give indications to the users at any time of how much they can trust a system, allowing users the opportunity to consider using devices in the IoT, or to use different parameters or settings; and c) annotate data retrieved from a system with trust values derived from the trust model. In this paper, we first define trust and trust models in Section II before presenting our model and metrics of trust in Section III. Finally, we provide an outlook in Section IV.


In this paper we present a small, credit-card sized, and low-cost electromagnetic energy harvester that couples energy from one conductor of an overhead power distribution line. We use a rectangular coil, placed near the power line without encircling it, to extract electrical power from the time-varying magnetic field. The addition of a U-shaped electrical steel sheet (a high-permeability material typically used in transformers) near the coil significantly increases the magnetic flux through the coil and consequently raises the output power. Experiments have shown that the harvester with an optimal load resistance obtains 230 mW (AC) when the power-line conductor current is 50 Arms. The energy harvester is able to power a wireless gas sensor board having a carbon monoxide and an ozone sensors at 10 Arms.


Aims: Hypercoagulation has been shown to exist postoperatively in off-pump coronary surgery patients. The aim of this study was to determine whether protamine sulfate administration ad- versely affects the postoperative coagulation status in these patients. Material and Methods: Forty consecutive patients who un- derwent off-pump coronary bypass surgery between December 2005 and February 2007 were randomized into two groups depending on whether (group A) or not (group B) they received protamine sulfate. Coagulation status was measured on the first and third postoperative days using thromboelastography (TEG). Postoperative blood loss was also compared between the groups. Results: On the third postoperative day all patients in both groups showed an increase in the TEG maximal amplitude (MA), confirming the presence of hypercoagulation. The MA was greater in group A than in group B (76.6 vs. 73.3 mm, respectively), but did not reach statistical significance (ANOVA p=0.40). The total blood loss did not differ significantly between groups A and B (828 vs. 878 ml, respectively). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the routine use of protamine sulfate in off-pump coronary surgery may


The rise of cases of acts of sexual violence lately needs to be addressed by all parties, not only by the government and related institutions but also by the community. School-age children are very vulnerable to being victims of acts of sexual violence. Unfortunately, these actions tend to be carried out by those closest to the victim, namely father, siblings, uncles, neighbours and friends. Increased knowledge and awareness of children need to be built to prevent acts of sexual violence against them. Understanding is given to children regarding the causes of sexual violence, the impact and methods of prevention, and the perpetrators' characteristics. This activity was carried out to motivate and encourage children to understand preventing and handling acts of sexual violence properly. The targeted audience was school-age children in the Cupak Tangah Village, Padang, under 17 years old. The method of carrying out activities was through lectures/counselling and discussion. Parents and several village staff accompany the presence of children. Participants discussed quite enthusiastically and gained understanding and awareness about acts of sexual violence and its prevention efforts.


INTRODUCTION: IVRA is a simple, reliable, and effective technique with rapid onset of action, rapid and prompt recovery after tourniquet release. It provides good analgesia, adequate muscle relaxation, & bloodless operative field. It is widely applicable to patients of different ages and physical status for operations & cost effective. Lignocaine though preferred local anesthetic agent has limitation of short duration of anesthesia & inability to provide postoperative analgesia various additives were added to it. In this study we compared efficacy of clonidine as an adjuvant to lignocaine with plain Lignocaine. MATERIAL & METHOD: Patients undergoing upper arm surgery were included in this study & are divided in two groups. The proximal circulatory isolation of arm was done by placing a pneumatic tourniquet around arm. In group C IVRA was given by 1ug/kg clonidine & 0.5% preservative free lignocaine in a dose of 200mg diluted up to 40 ml & in group L 0.5% preservative free lignocaine 200 mg diluted up to 40 ml. Tourniquet was deflated at least 30 mines after injection of drug. AIMS & OBJECTIVES: To compare onset and quality of sensory analgesia, Onset and quality of motor blockade, onset & severity of tourniquet pain, Complications like hypotension b thus the name, "Bier block". Dr. Bier described a complete anaesthesia and motor paralysis after intravenous injection of Prilocaine into a previously exsanguinated limb. It is a simple, reliable, and effective technique with rapid onset of action, and prompt recovery after tourniquet release. It provides good analgesia, adequate muscle relaxation, & bloodless operative field, widely applicable to patients of different ages and physical status for operations & cost effective. Poor postoperative analgesia, limited duration of anaesthesia (<90 minutes), the potential for local anesthetic toxicity, nerve damage and compartment syndrome are the disadvantages of intravenous regional anaesthesia.


The effects of organic Zn-L-selenomethionine (Zn-L-SeMet) and inorganic sodium selenite (Na-Se) on broiler chickens'carcass composition and meat characteristics were compared. The 360 one-day-old broiler chickens subjected to a 3 phases feeding program with basal diets of corn-soy. The chickens were divided into 2 groups supplemented with 0.3 ppm of Zn-L-SeMet or Na-Se throughout 37 days of raising period. Each treatment consisted of 6 replicated with 30 male broilers. Birds were deprived of feed for 12 h and weighed prior to slaughter. Three birds from each treatment replicate were sacrificed by cervical dislocation before carcass compositions were measured. Breast muscles were collected and then determined meat characteristics. Carcass composition was not affected (P>0.05) by different selenium sources. Chicken fed Zn-L-SeMet had higher cooking loss and lower color of L* value compared to those fed with Na-Se. Shear force value of Zn-L-SeMet was significant lower than Na-Se at 1 day postmortem but the effect of selenium sources was not significant later than at 4 day post mortem.


Lab, using a Cray YMP-C90 for the Fourier acceleration and a Cray-2 to test all the other algorithms. We do not present timings of the programs because we have not fully optimized our codes. For each algorithm we found the maximum value of the step size parameter which could be used without destabilizing the algorithm. Figure 1 shows div A as a function of iteration number. This was similiar to all the runs we did, except sometime the DAUB2 acceleration was a bit better than the unaccelerated algorithm. The practical performance of each algorithm is a function of time slice. For example, on one time slice we tested, the DAUB6 gauge xing algorithm only reduced the number of iterations by a factor of 1:2 over the unaccelerated algorithm; for comparison , on the same time slice, Fourier acceleration reduced the number of iterations by a factor of 3:4. For the wavelet transforms we tested, the acceleration improves as the wavelet gets smoother. The step size parameter for the unaccelerated al-Figure 1. Comparison of various transform accelerated gauge xing algorithms. gorithm (= 0:19) was an order of magnitude larger than for the DAUB6 wavelet algorithm (= 0:015). This could be caused by the pre-conditioner we used having a destabilizing large step size for the biggest length scale. We also tried using a preconditioner which increased by a factor of between length scales, where lies between 1 and 2. By decreasing from 2 and increasing in an ad-hoc way, we were able to improve the performance of the wavelet algorithm. This suggests that there are gains to be made by systematically tuning the parameters of a more sophisticated preconditioner. 6. CONCLUSIONS Although for the 8 4 lattices of this study, Fourier acceleration is superior to wavelet acceleration , we have indicated the areas where the wavelet algorithms could be improved. A clearer picture will emerge after we have studied the volume dependence of all the gauge xing algorithms. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank Peter Perry for introducing us to wavelets. Daubechies 3]. All the DAUB wavelets have compact support and are characterised by the vanishing of the moments of (x) Z (x)x n dx = 0; n = 1; (4) As n increases the wavelets get bigger and \smoother". The DAUB2 wavelet transform is the Haar transform. We remark that wavelets can be used to characterise smoothness spaces 3] (e.g. Sobolev …


Presented are the results of a program, sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, conducted to determine the state-of-the-art knowledge pertaining to the effects of acid deposition on the properties of portland cement concrete structures (PCC). Information was collected from a computerized literature survey, interviews, and replies to mail and telephone inquiries addressed to cement and concrete researchers and to governmental agencies and private firms active in the maintenance and restoration of concrete structures. In general, the study revealed very little qualitative or quantitative information on the effects of acid deposition on PCC structures. The rate of deterioration of reinforced PCC structures in polluted areas, however, appears to be increasing, and available information makes it readily apparent that acids and acid waters significantly affect the durability of concrete, and that SO/sub 2/, NO/sub x/, and HCl accelerate the corrosion of reinforcing steel. On the basis of this evidence, it was recommended that an experimental test program, consisting of both laboratory and field tests, be developed and implemented to quantitatively measure the effects of acid deposition on PCC structures. 51 refs.


High-purity hydrogen was produced by catalytic steam reforming of coke oven gas (COG) in a fluidized bed membrane reactor (FBMR), assisted by calcined dolomite and a tubular palladium membrane. Thi...


The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of vision therapy (VT) in the treatment of symptomatic convergence insufficiency (CI). Symptomatic CI subjects were given 10 sessions of 60 minutes of inoffice VT (IVT) followed by 30 minutes of home vision therapy (HVT) per day for 3 months. Near exophoria, near point of convergence (NPC) break and near positive fusional vergence (PFV) break were the primary outcome measures which were reviewed after IVT and at the end of three consecutive months of HVT. Out of 29 subjects recruited (age 23.9 + 7 years [mean + SD]; range 9–39 years), 10 have completed the 3-month follow-up visit, 8 were in the HVT phase, 6 were in the IVT phase and 5 were lost to follow-up. There was a significant improvement in the primary outcome measures at the end of 3 months. The near exophoria improved to 4.0D from 7.0D, NPC from 11.0 to 5.0 cm and PFV from 16.0D to 45D after VT. The success rate was 80% after IVT and 90% at the end of 3-month follow-up visit. IVT combined with HVT is very effective in treating CI.


A communications system is described in which user devices are allocated sub-carriers on which to transmit uplink data to a base station. ACK/NACK messages for the data transmitted on the uplink are then transmitted by the base station on sub-carriers that depend on the sub-carriers used to carry the uplink data. A direct mapping function is preferably used to determine the sub-carriers to be used for the ACK/NACK messages from the uplink sub-carriers. In another embodiment, the ACK/NACK messages are transmitted to the user devices on sub-carriers that are previously identified to the user devices, preferably by transmitting one or more index values to the user device in a control channel thereof.


The paper is focused on the possibility of replacing petroleum-based oils used as electro-insulating fluids in high voltage machinery. Based on ten years of study the candidate base oil for the central European region is rapeseed (Brassica napus) oil. Numerous studies on the elementary properties of pure natural esters have been published. An advantage of natural ester use is its easy biodegradability, tested according to OECD–301D (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) standard, and compliance with sustainable development visions. A rapeseed oil base has been chosen for its better resistance to degradation in electric fields and its higher oxidation stability. The overall ester properties are not fully competitive with petroleum-based oils and therefore have to be improved. Percolation treatment and oxidation inhibition by a phenolic-type inhibitor is proposed and the resulting final properties are discussed. These resulting fluid properties are further improved using titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles with a silica surface treatment. This fluid has properties suitable for use in sealed distribution transformers with the advantage of a lower price in comparison with other currently used biodegradable fluids.


The paper analyzed various Relevant factors in the PDM implementation process.It established a model of hierarchical implementation of PDM,The model can express the relationship of various technical and Non-technical factors clearly,and it can guide PDM implementation in every stages,make the communication harmony between the staff of both sides of the implementation,so that the implementation process can develop maximally towards the direction that the two sides are desired in the limited external resources constraint.


Abstract Background The case-control design and disease heterogeneity may be major limiting factors impeding biomarker discovery in brain disorders, including serious mental illness such as schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) or bipolar disorder (BPD). We propose that this heterogeneity represents an opportunity for discovery by uncovering relevant biologically driven sub-types within disorders. Individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) have deficits in social cognition related to poor functional outcome. Methods A total of 109 SSD and 70 matched healthy controls (HC) were recruited across three sites. Participants performed an fMRI task in which they observed or imitated emotional faces. For each participant, an individual pattern of activity (Imitate > Observe for emotional faces) was identified. Hierarchical clustering (Ward's method) identified clusters of individuals with similar patterns of activity. We then examined whether new data-driven groups of participants (based on patterns of brain activity) demonstrated performance differences on a batter of social and neuro cognitive tests completed out of the scanner. As a validation of the importance of cluster membership, Euclidean distance was compared between participants to members of their own cluster, diagnosis, or site. The clustering analysis was repeated on a replication sample consisting of 32 SSD, 37 euthymic BPD, and 39 HC. Results Three clusters with distinct patterns of neural activity were found. Cluster one (24 HC and 44 SSD) represented 'typical activators' (lateral frontal and parietal activity). Cluster two (21 HC and 31 SSD) were identified as 'hyper-activators', showing more intense and extended activity. This was interpreted as a 'compensatory' response of over-activation related to impaired neural circuits, such as is seen in aging. Interestingly, cluster three (25 Controls and 35 SSD) showed a very atypical pattern, including suppression of activity during imitation in regions involved in the default mode network and/or higher order social cognition (e.g. theory of mind). This group also had improved social cognitive performance relative to the other clusters. Participants were found to have more similar patterns of brain activity to members of their cluster rather than to members of their diagnostic group or scanning site. Importantly, when clustering was applied to the replication sample, the same three patterns (typical activators, hyper activators, and deactivators) were identified. Discussion In independently collected samples, our findings demonstrate different patterns of neural activity among individuals during a socio-emotional task that were independent of DSM-diagnosis or scan site. Our findings may provide objective neuroimaging endpoints (or biomarkers) for subgroups of individuals in target engagement research aimed at enhancing cognitive performance independent of diagnostic category.


Systematic testing of multithreaded programs is challenging as possible execution paths depend not only on input values but also on how threads interleave their executions. As the number of all interleavings is typically too large to explore exhaustively, ways to avoid testing irrelevant interleavings are needed. We have previously presented a testing approach that is based on dynamic symbolic execution to handle input values and on Petri net unfoldings to succinctly represent how threads can interleave their executions. In this paper we improve this approach by using contextual nets instead of ordinary nets. This way, the interleavings of threads can be represented even more succinctly which allows the local states of threads to be covered with less test executions. Furthermore, the new approach makes it possible to test programs that create threads dynamically which was a limitation of the previous approach. We have implemented our improved algorithm in a testing tool for Java programs. Experiments demonstrate that the new approach can significantly reduce the number of needed tests to cover all the reachable local states of threads while keeping additional overhead required by the algorithm small.


Objective To study the effect of calcium on human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs). Methods Proliferation abilities of HPMCs were assessed by tetrazolium salt colorimetry assay (MTT assay) and the levels of LDH in the supernatant were detected in all groups to evaluate the damage of HPMCs. The expression of TNF-α in cytoplasm was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results Calcium enhanced proliferation of HPMCs in a time-dependent manor(P<0.01), especially calcium with 1.25 mmol/L(0.5098±0.016,0.6763±0.048) and 1.0 mmol/L(0.4853±0.016,0.6678±0.076). Calcium with different concentrations significantly increased the levels of LDH in HPMCs in a time-dependent manor, while the effect of calcium with 1.25 mmol/L was lowest(17.78±1.18,23.60±1.39,P<0.01). Calcium with 2.0 mmol/L[(42.61±3.29)%] and 1.75 mmol/L[(33.32±1.88)%] significantly up-regulated the expression of TNF-α(P<0.01) . Conclusions High calcium damaged HPMCs and up-regulated the expression of TNF-αby HPMCs, while physical calcium (1.25 mmol/L)can protect peritoneum and prevent peritoneal fibrosis.

Key words:
Calcium/AD; Peritoneum/CY/ME; Stromal cells/DE; Tumor necrosis factor-alpha/ME


In this paper, we describe the semantics of three types of expressions of repetition that constitute presupposition triggers in Spanish, a verbal periphrasis, adverbs of repetition, and prefixation. We show that the main difficulty in their semantic analysis is that of formulating the minimal presupposition they trigger, and we assume that, in the case of the periphrasis, Ramchand's first-phase syntax templates are better predictors of this minimal presupposition than analyses relying on less fine-grained structures for the VP (such as those merely distinguishing adjuncts from arguments and internal from external arguments). As for the differences between the three types of expression, the periphrasis shows a clearly temporal nature, since it both modifies temporal structure and relies exclusively on temporal orders. Adverbs of repetition do not modify temporal structure and may rely on other types of order. Re1-prefixation in Spanish is confined to expressing the restitution (with or without modification) of a previously holding state.


Density functional theory calculations by using both generalized gradient approximation (GGA) method and the GGA with considering strong correlation effect (GGA+U) were performed to elucidate the effect of Ce-4f orbit on the electronic structure of ZnO. It is found that after the cerium incorporation, a new localized band appears between the valence and conduction bands, which corresponds to the majority spin of Ce-4f states. It is this localized band that constructs a bridge between the valence and conduction states, which will improve the optical performance of ZnO. ZnO:Ce is a degenerate semiconductor. The strong correlation effect is very important for the 4f orbit of the Ce atom in ZnO:Ce. The mismatch of the majority and minority spin for the Ce-4f, Ce-5d states and the spin-polarized holes in O-2p states induced by Ce doping leads to the presence of the magnetic order for ZnO:Ce. We also studied the band structure and optical properties of ZnO:Ce with lacking one electron and two electrons, respect...


The influence of geopolymer binder characteristics on the performance of geopolymer concrete has been extensively investigated. Yet, the influence of aggregate properties has not been thoroughly studied, and it is usually assumed that their effect is the same as in cement concrete. This study investigates the effect of aggregate on the performance of fly-ash-based geopolymer concrete. A systematic experimental study was undertaken to investigate the effect of aggregate parameters, including volume fractions (AVFs), coarse aggregate to the total aggregate ratio (CAR), maximum coarse aggregate size (MAS), and fineness modulus of fine aggregate (FFM) on the compressive strength, slump, apparent volume of permeable pores (AVPPs), and the air content of geopolymer concrete. Response surface methodology (RSM) using the central composite design approach was utilized to design the experiments and analyze the results statistically. The analysis shows that all of the investigated aggregate parameters have significant first-order effects on the measured properties. No significant interaction between any of the investigated parameters was found. The aggregate may alter the geopolymerization processes, whereby SEM-EDS analysis revealed statistically significant variations in the elemental concentrations of the produced paste as the aggregate parameters changed. Quantitative weights were assigned to the effect of the investigated aggregate parameters on the measured properties. Multi-objective optimization was carried out to obtain the best combinations of the investigated parameters. Additionally, the developed contour graphs may provide an effective tool that can be used as a guide in establishing the first trial mixtures. A wide range of consistencies (10–210 mm slump) and compressive strengths (15–55 MPa) can be obtained by controlling the aggregate grading and proportions.


With the division achievements of agricultural land in Yunnan Province,from the view of Direct Transition Area,the urgency and necessity of sustainable use of cultivated land in Direct Transition Area were introduced. The quality of cultivated land and six restraint factors of its sustainable use in Banlao Village in Cangyuan autonomous county of Wa Nationality of Yunnan Province were analyzed. Some relevant countermeasures and proposals were put forward from the aspects of system,funds and technology.


In 1985, approximately one mile of prestressed concrete pavement (PCP) was placed on IH35 north of Waco, Texas. The project was an experimental installation to develop construction techniques for potential use of PCP in an urban installation. The PCP was constructed as an overlay on an existing jointed pavement and placed in a group of sixteen test slabs. Seven of these slabs had a 440-ft joint spacing and nine slabs had a 240-ft joint spacing. There was a need to maximize the benefits of the investment made in the project (construction and design) and use the results of the study in the future development of behavior and design concepts; therefore, the primary objectives of this study were to study the performance of a PCP overlay and calibrate prediction models of the PCP overlay. This report describes in detail the instrumentation techniques used in the collection of the horizontal and vertical displacements, the associated climatic changes, the non-destructive deflection tests and analyses, the background and theory of the analytical models, and the calibration of the models.


Abstract The effect of Tinoridine (2-amino-3-ethoxycarbonyl-6-benzyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrothieno [2, 3-C] pyridine) in stabilizing lysosomal membrane of a rat liver has been demonstrated (1). Dingle, et al. (2) reported that lysosomal membrane of kidney from vitamin E-defi-cient rats appeared to be very labile but stabilization in liver was no different from that in the control.


Plasma concentrations 01 dopa were measured during "on" (mobile and dyskinetic) and "off" (akinetic and/or tremulous) episodes in 10 patients who had been treated chronically with levodopa for Parkinson's disease. Dopa levels were higher during "on" than "off" spells (1.29 ± 1.08 versus 0.62 ± 0.59 mcg per milliliter; p < 0.01). A diet containing less than 10 gm per day of protein resulted in higher plasma dopa levels (2.05 ± 1.00 versus 1.20 ± 0.92 mcg per milliliter; p <0.001). The "on-off" effect was greatly relieved by low protein diets in 3 of 1 1 patients, possibly because of decreased competition for absorption by dietary amino acids. These results suggest that extracerebral metabolism of levodopa may be important in the "on-off" effect.


In this paper, we discuss the existence of solutions for a hybrid boundary value problem of Caputo fractional differential equations. The main tool used in our study is associated with the technique of measures of noncompactness. As an application, we give an example to illustrate our results.


thus transforming the problem into one of a stationary, rather than a moving, medium. However, on applying the new boundary conditions, for T*, there results another untabulated Laplace transform. In this case, the required transform may be found by a differentiation, rather than an integration, but the differentiation seems to involve a step of doubtful justifiability. In conclusion, I wish to thank Dr. P. E. LeCorbeiller for his interest in this problem and for several helpful discussions of it.


Gravitational waves (GWs) are fluctuations in the fabric of spacetime predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity. Using a collection of millisecond pulsars as high-precision clocks, the nanohertz band of this radiation is likely to be directly detected within the next decade. Nanohertz-frequency GWs are expected to be emitted by mergers of massive black hole binary systems, and potentially also by cosmic strings or superstrings formed in the early Universe. Direct detection of GWs will open a new window to the Universe, and provide astrophysical information inaccessible via electromagnetic observations. In this paper, we describe the potential sources of low-frequency GWs and the current status and key advances needed for the detection and exploitation of GWs through pulsar timing.


Resonant tunneling is studied theoretically in asymmetrical double-barrier structures with arbitrary potential profile. Analytical expressions of the transmission coefficient and resonance condition are derived by taking into account the mass difference between the well and barrier layers. It is confirmed that resonant tunneling with unity resonant transmission or under-unity resonant transmission may occur in asymmetrical double-barrier structures. Two independent conditions are required for unity resonant transmission: one is the Phase Difference Condition for Resonance (PDCR) and the other is the Maximum Condition for the Peak Value (MCPV). The under-unity resonant transmission occurs when only PDCR holds. Furthermore, wave functions of an electron at resonance level are calculated and the confining phenomenon is studied.


The life of Paul Eluard holds a remarkable number of mysteries for that of a man who became prominent rather young and whose friends frequently made a particular effort to have themselves talked about. Specifically, three crises from the first period of his career, when he was attached to the surrealist movement, are either avoided or barely mentioned by biographers: the strange disappearance from Paris in 1924 which turned out to be a trip around the world; the breakup of Eluard's first marriage in 1930; and the rupture with Breton and the surrealists in 1938. Our ignorance about these questions does not stem from a lack of witnesses, but rather from the tendency of some of the poet's friends to withhold information for reasons of tact, and the tendency of others to write with such an evident bias that their testimony is unreliable. Doubtless we will soon be better informed, since every year new documents appear, and the reasons for restraint or excess become regularly less compelling.


The purpose of this essay is to understand the way yoga is practiced in Sweden through postcolonial feminist theory. The ambivalence of the form yoga takes in a swedish context between the positive aspects it provides for many practitioners in relation to the colonial history and the commodification of the practice is examined through the theoretical and political debate regarding the word cultural appropriation. Through semi structured interviews with yoga teachers the form yoga takes in the swedish society is mapped out and analysed using postcolonial feminist theory. The results of the essay show that understanding the power structures underlying the concept of cultural appropriation is essential to understand the form yoga takes in the swedish society. The understanding of power structures within yoga opens up to the potential of viewing yoga as a feminist emancipatory personalized practice. This becomes important in line with the gender studies informed ambition of understanding societal phenomenons and their subjects as comlex. (Less)


X-ray reflectivity has been used to measure the roughness of perfluoropolyether (PFPE) polymer films on silicon substrates and carbon overcoats. For PFPE on smooth silicon, we find that the rms roughness of the PFPE–air interface increases slowly from about 2 to 4 A as PFPE thickness increases from 5 to 33 A. This increase is consistent with capillary waves roughening the polymer film, but inconsistent with current theories for the dewetting of polymer films. For PFPE on the rougher surface of amorphous hydrogenated carbon, we find that the PFPE polymer smoothes the surface with the rms roughness decreasing from 9 to 4 A. We also discuss the implications of these results on the limits of disk drive technology.


This paper proposed an one-to-many negotiation model adopting elimination system,contrast to the concurrent bi-lateral negotiation,it could reduce the complexity of the coordinator Agent and the communication cost between agents,avoid the unfair phenomenon for the seller agents.The model put forward the concept of cooperation possibility, which was used to evaluate the sellers and eliminate the sellers having smaller cooperation possibility,so that reducing the negotiation cost.During the negotiation,this model divided the seller agents into different types according to the track diagram,gave respective strategies to propose counter offer,and proposed unify offer in the next round to the seller agents on this foundation.This method not only ensured the quality of the negotiation but also reduced the negotiation cost,could complete the one-to-many negotiation more availably.


This article suggests that video detection systems can detect incidents on roadways, tunnels or bridges, as well as prevent secondary accidents from occurring, investigate the nature and cause of the incident, and monitor security. Video detection systems also provide a permanent digital recording of pictures from cameras trained on highways, bridges or tunnels to evaluate causes of incidents. The author also describes the European experience with recent tunnel fires, such as the Mont-Blanc Tunnel, and the decision to deploy video detection systems.


This paper develops and presents economic user benefits associated with alternative Electronic Route Guidance Systems (ERGS) for a sample test highway network in Springfield, VA (45,000 population), which contains several major freeway and arterial streets. The basis conclusions of the analysis are: (1) Benefits accrue faster than costs for all loop density patterns studied which range from 15% to 100% deployment of the test network; (2) the most critical components of the benefit functions were found to be the cost per accident and the value of lost time; (3) the benefits of a fully developed Electronic Route Guidance System (ERGS) in the test network were $3,270 per day; and (4) if in the vehicle display unit, costs are increased to values over $135, there will be no excess accident and mistake avoidance benefits with a fully developed static ERGS.


Bortezomib is a proteasome inhibitor that shows a high antineoplastic effects mainly in the treatment of a multiple myeloma. Painful bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy represents the dose-limiting factors in its use in clinical practice. To reproduce the clinical pain symptoms, we have established an animal model of bortezomib-induced nociceptive sensory neuropathy. This study was performed by repeated administration of bortezomib in Wistar rats at doses of 0.15-0.20 mg/kg [3q7d] for eight weeks, followed-up by an observation period of 4 weeks. Bortezomibtreated rats had a reduced weight gain at the end of treatment if compared to controls, that recovered after the follow-up period. A significant decrease in the nerve conduction velocity in both doses group was observed after the treatment period. The sensory behavioural assessment, demonstrated the onset of mechanical allodynia after the eight weeks of treatment. Sciatic nerve and DRG specimens, collected at the end of treatment and after the follow-up period, were processed for light and electron microscope analysis to evaluated any pathological alteration on fibers and on dorsal root ganglions (DRG). Morphological evaluation described a dose-dependent axonopathy in treated rats' sciatic nerves vs. control rats, involving also the unmyelinated fibers. No pathological alteration in most of DRG satellite cells or neurons was observed. This model can be useful for the study on the neurotoxicity and pain onset mechanisms related to the treatment with bortezomib.


According to the present situation of the budgeters of the construction enterprise,the aritcle puts forward the measures to improve the professional qualities of the budgeters,such as strengthening the theoretical knowledge,accumulating the practical experience,collecting the extensive information,increasing the vocational ethical level,creating the outside conditions.


From 2004 to 2006, cold hardiness assays were performed to evaluate the relative winterhardiness of flower buds in selections of pure Vaccinium ashei Reade and V. constablaei Gray as well as in selections/families composed of various combinations of V. ashei and V. constablaei germplasm. Significant differences were observed among entries with LT 50 values ranging from -17.2 to -28.4 °C. An analysis of LT 50 versus percent V. constablaei yielded a regression of LT 50 (°C) = (-0.08 x V. constablaei percentage) - 21.57. Families or selections with 50% (or greater) V. constablaei and some with 25% V. constablaei had LT 50 values equivalent to or better than 'Bluecrop'. Based on this information, a 25% V. constablaei constitution appears suitable to develop northern-adapted rabbiteye types if proper parents are selected and if sufficient selection pressure for winterhardiness is exercised.


Age-related changes in the adult language addressed to children aged 2;0-4;0 years in polyadic conditions were investigated in Australian childcare centres. The language that 21 staff members addressed to these children was coded for multiple variables in the broad social categories of prosody, context, speech act and gesture. The linguistic components were coded within the categories of phonology, lexicon, morphology, syntax and referential deixis. Minimal age-related differences were found. Explanations for the similarity of the adult language input across the age groups within the early childhood educational environment, will be discussed.


Effects of some heavy metals on superoxide anion(O2-)production by coelomocytes of Stichopus japonicus were tested at laboratory.The results showed that superoxide anion production by coelomocytes of Stichopus japonicus in vitro can be inhibited by Zn2+,Pb2+,Cd2+,Cu2,respectively.We found that superoxide anion production by coelomocytes of Stichopus japonicus in vitro increased at low concentrations of Zn2+(1,5,10 mg·L-1),Pb2+(0.5 mg·L-1),Cd2+(0.05 mg·L-1),respectively and inhibited at high concentrations of Zn2+(50,100,200 mg·L-1),Pb2+(1,5,10,50,100 mg·L-1),Cd2+(0.5,5,10,50,100 mg·L-1) respectively.In addition,the anion production by coelomocytes of Stichopus japonicus in vitro could be inhibited by 0.1 mg·L-1 Cu2+.


This study uses the expertise of an ethnomusicologist who uses preexisting music in the brain music as the cue to trigger the autobiographical memories of her own mother struggling with dementia.


A new record of Callixylon based on the anatomical study of wood from the Late Devonian of the Main Devonian Field (north-west of European Russia) has filled one of the lacune on the map of archaeopterids distribution. The new locality of this important genus is placed on the conserved territory of Geological Monu- ment named Andoma Mountain (Andoma Gora). According to the palaeogeographic reconstruction this new Late Devonian locality of Callixylon was located inside the palaeo-equatorial zone.


The theoretical background and hardware implementation of optimal matching filters designed to minimize harmonic generation by RF switches and provide harmonic filtering of the PA generated harmonics is presented. The switch with the optimally matched filters shows 5-7 dB improvements in harmonics generated under high VSWR, leading to better than -39dBm harmonics at 35/33 dBm for all phases of VSWR=5:1 for low/high band GSM applications. This technique leads to a fully integrated solution offering both improved harmonics performance and reduced size.


An angry, tense, young man of 19 and his austere, perplexed, middle‐aged parents sit and talk with a psychiatrist; it is not their first meeting. Though the young man's future occupation is ostensibly the focus of discussion, other issues have arisen. The young man says: "What would you know, how can you dictate what is good for me … the vibrations are different … it's all a matter of levels of consciousness. My level of consciousness is just being more aware … you will never see and understand what I do." The father, less able to contain his obvious exasperation, answers immediately with: "You don't give us any credit for our understanding. Of course we understand you, we've been through all that you have and more. … What you don't realize, no, you won't realize, is that you're selfish, using us, you're mercenary. … All this talk of vibrations is just a cover." The mother interrupts: "Now look, I'm not just saying this, but I'm just as spiritual as you. It's nothing different, my belief in God and your talking of levels of vibrations. But we've not brought you up for 19 years just to sit here and talk about religion. What are you going to do?" The young man says to the psychiatrist: "Can you see now, here and now … do you see I can be here now, be now here … and that's all." Eventually the psychiatrist fills a silent gap with: "Perhaps now means different things to all of us." After the young man's explosive "for sure", the psychiatrist goes on: "But now is being here for all of us — perhaps where we all could start to understand."


The curvature effects on unsteady free convection during the initial period of a suddenly heated circular cylinder immersed in a viscous liquid are studied. It is shown that the curvature leads to an increase in skin friction as well as heat transfer rate from the surface of the cylinder.


Objective To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of extended profundaplasty for treatment of critical leg ischemia. Methods Twenty-five legs (stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ in Fontaine′s classification) of 23 patients with critical leg ischemia caused by extensive occlusion of the distal arteries were reviewed during past 12 years. All patients underwent extended profundaplasty and were evaluated by clinical observation of API, tcPO 2, PSaO 2, Treadmill test, NIRS and ultrasound perioperatively. Results Fourteen legs in 13 patients had a favorable outcome, seven legs in 6 patients had an improvement on their symptom and sign, three legs in 3 patients underwent below knee and one case medio-tarsal amputation during the periods of 7 months to 7 years follow-up. Conclusion The extended profundaplasty is simple, less invasive, safe and effective for the treatment of limb-threatening ischemia.