In the present paper,two new species of Tetrix Latreille are described.Type specimens are kept in the Institute of Zoology,Shaanxi Normal University.1.Tetrix subulatoides sp.nov.(Fig.1)This new species is allied to Tetrix subulata(Linnaeus),1761,but differs in: 1) width of vertex(2 times) the width of an eye;2) width of frontal ridge as wide as the width of basal segment antenna;(3) hind process) short conical,the part which surpassing the top of hind femur about 1~1.5 mm;(4) hind) wing not reaching,reaching or slightly surpassing the top of hind process;5) width of midfemur equal to the width of elytra;6) length of upper valvue of ovipositor 3 times of its width;7) size smaller.Length of body: ♂7~8 mm;♀9~10 mm.Length of pronotum: ♂9~10 mm;♀10.0~10.5 mm.Length of hind femur: ♂4.5~5.5 mm;♀6.5~7.0 mm.Holotype ♂,Xinjiang: Xinyuan(Narat),84°E,45°1′N,2005-VII-30,collected by Wang Yan-feng,Zhang Ling and Yang Liang;paratypes 6♂3♀,same data as holotype.2.Tetrix fuhaiensis sp.nov.(Fig.2)This new species is allied to Tetrix shennongjiaensis Zheng et Li,2002 and Tetrix weishanensis Zheng et Mao,2002.It differs from both in: 1) width of frontal ridge wider than the width of basal segment antenna;2) humeral angle obtuse rounded;3) hind process reaching the top of hind femur,apex sharp;5) hind wing reaching half of hind process.It differs from the former in: 1) width of vertex(2 times) the width of an eye;2) in profile,vertex and frontal ridge forming a right angle;3) antennae inserted between the lower margins of eyes;4) without a pair short longitudinal keels between shoulders;5) width of midfemur equal to the width of elytra.It differs from the latter by the lower margin of midfemur wave like.Length of body: ♂6~7 mm;length of pronotum: ♂6~7 mm;length of hind femur: ♂4.5~(5.0 mm.)Holotype ♂,Xinjiang: Fuhai,87°5′E,47°N,2005-VIII-12,collected by Zhang Ling;paratype(1♂,) same data as holotype.


The paper presents results of clinical application of autologous stromal-vascular fraction (SVF) cells in patients with degenerative osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, grade II and III (Kellgren–Lawrence scale). We recruited six patients with knee OA (3 men and 3 women; median age 64 years) with mean disease duration of 7 years. All the patients were administered a single intra-articular injection of autologous nucleated SVF cells at an average dose of 16.8±0.9 × 106 per joint (a total of 11 joints). The patients did not experience any serious side effects (allergic, toxic or inflammatory) related to the knee injection. Patient surveys at 1 month after SVF administration revealed a decrease in the severity of pain, as measured by a visual analog scale (VAS) and a specialized 100-point scale KOOS (subscale "pain") (p < 0.05 on both scales). Moreover, the patients reported improvement in the joint functions and quality of life related to affected joints on a KOOS scale (p < 0.05). These positive clinical changes persisted during 6 month follow up. Significant improvements were noted in ultrasound findings, with increased thickness of the cartilage layer at 3 months (in 73% of cases) and at 6 months (in 82%). Our pilot study demonstrated the safety and tolerability of intra-articular injection of autologous SVF cells in patients with moderate to severe OA. The results obtained also indicate a significant antiinflammatory effect of autologous adipose tissue SVF cells, which is manifested at the early stages of cell therapy. Our further investigations will be focused on exploring the SVF stimulatory effects on regeneration of damaged joints.


The very dynamic economies of Southeast Asia have recently been experiencing a rapid increase in energy demand. Parallel to this development, there has been an increase in the utilization of indigenous natural gas resources. This article reviews gas-pricing policies in the region, which partly explain the rise in gas utilization. Although diverse, energy pricing policies in Southeast Asia address the common objective of enhancing domestic gas production and utilization.

The article concludes that a more rational gas-pricing policy framework is emerging in the region. In global terms, gas pricing in the region tends to converge in a market-related framework, despite the many different pricing objectives of individual countries, and the predominance of non-economic pricing objectives in certain countries (especially gas-rich nations). Specifically, governments have been flexible enough to follow global trends and initiate changes in contractual agreements (pricing and profit-sharing), giving oil companies more favourable terms, and encouraging continued private investment in gas development. At the same time, promotional pricing has also been used to increase utilization of gas, through set prices and adjusted taxes achieving a lower price level compared to substitute fuels.

For an efficient gas-pricing mechanism, refinements in the pricing framework should be undertaken, as demand for gas approaches existing and/or forecast production capacities.


Flash memory has become fundamental to our daily lives. It is essential to a wide range of systems from mobile phones and consumer electronics devices to industrial, automotive and networking applications. In code execution applications, Flash memory is required to rapidly and accurately read and execute program code, while providing high quality and reliability. In data applications, Flash memory must be capable of delivering high-density storage capacity and adequate write speeds for storing digital content. Scaling Flash memory requires that the industry continue to innovate in order to deliver on customer needs. As the industry moves to smaller geometries, it must also deliver improvements in performance and density, while reducing cost and maintaining quality and reliability. Most of the industry has continued to pursue the scaling of Flash memory through the evolution of conventional floating-gate technology, including the development of multilevel cell technology. Spansion, on the other hand, has chosen a revolutionary path with its MirrorBitTM technology. MirrorBit enables scaling with improved performance and cost reduction. Successfully ramping MirrorBit technology, a nitride-based technology, into high-volume production has required different cell management and storage techniques compared to floating gate. These techniques represent the first fundamentally new approach to nonvolatile, solid-state storage since the introduction of electrical erase techniques on floating-gate designs in the late 80s. However, Flash memory scaling presents challenges and complexities that require ground-breaking design techniques, regardless of technology. Nitride-based technologies like MirrorBit are no exception. MirrorBit technology implements entirely new methods to manage the fundamental operations of read, write and erase of a nitride memory cell. The success of MirrorBit technology is due to significant patented innovations. This presentation will discuss some of the unique challenges and solutions considered to arrive at the design innovations that have enabled the successful commercialization of products based on MirrorBit technology. Examples include dynamic referencing and high-performance sensing. The presentation will then investigate MirrorBit scaling considerations at 65nm and beyond. Included within the scaling discussion will be plans to move beyond 2-bitsper-cell. Finally, the discussion will compare and contrast the attributes of competing and complementary Flash memory design approaches, providing opinions on the value of each and early conclusions on possible future technology directions for the industry. 1-4244-0026-0/06/$20.00 ©2006 IEEE.


Data are presented from 63 spectrograms covering two cycles of the nine-year eclipsing system AZ Cas. The orbital elements are derived and it is seen that mass is lost from the M supergiant primary at periastron passage in an eccentric (e 0.55) orbit. Several arguments suggest masses of 13 and 18 'A)(' for the B and M stars, respectively. Spectroscopic phenomena are discussed which indicate the complexity of the mass flows in the system. Difficulties in interpretation of some of the observations remain. A short discussion is given of the observed masses of cool supergiants. Key words: binaries, spectroscopic-binaries, eclipsing- mass exchange-massive stars


The author comments on the inoculation of people with sexually transmitted diseases in Guatemala from 1946 to 1948 and into the 1950s and considers the reasons behind the research and the need for reparations. According to the author, the study in Guatemala was approved by the Syphilis Study Section of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The syphilis study in Tuskegee, Alabama, in the 1950s is also mentioned.


ABSTRACT This paper explores the use of Chitosan as sustainable agent to improve dyeing properties of cotton fabric dyed with Opuntia ficus-indica L fruit peel and the determination of the amount of anthocyanin pigments by the spectrophotometric method. The results of this study highlights that cotton fabrics treated with chitosan have better depth of shade (K/S = 12) than those untreated fabrics (K/S = 3.7) dyed with Opuntia ficus-indica L fruit peel. We have thoroughly investigated the effects of dye bath pH and temperature on the color properties of the aforementioned fabrics. UV protection of cotton fabrics increased after natural dyeing, and it was further improved after being treated with chitosan. Experimental results show that the fastness properties of dyed cotton fabrics treated with chitosan were improved from average to excellent.


CONSIDERABLE eVidence of the interrelations existing between bird and insect life has come to light in connection with investigations into the economic status of certain birds carried on under the auspices of the California State Fish and Game Commission and the University of California. Some of the best evidence came from an investigation of a grasshopper outbreak in the vicinity of Los Banos, Merced County, California. A part of the results of this investigation was published in the University of California 'Publications in Zoology,' volume 11, pages 1-20. In the present paper additional matter is combined with a part of that previously presented, the whole being now offered with a special view to the problem of insect destruction by birds in California. Certain sections of California are annually troubled with grasshoppers, and there is seldom a year when they do not cause considerable damage to crops in some part of the state. Reports of damage caused by grasshoppers in 1912 first began to be received in June. The western part of Merced County, and parts of Kings and Kern Counties were most affected. In the vicinity of Los Banos, Merced County, where the investigation was carried on, grasshoppers give some trouble each year but their depredations in 1912 were more extensive than usual. On many of the ranches the entire summer crop of alfalfa was destroyed. The only control measure resorted to was burning over of pasture and alfalfa land. As most of the grasshoppers already had wings when the burning was done, the majority escaped unharmed. Garden truck and small trees in the infested areas were attacked by the pests. Corn, tomatoes, and even onions were stripped of every leaf. In many instances small shade trees, even including eucalyptus, were completely defoliated. The species of grasshopper causing the damage was the differential. grasshopper, Melanopluw differentialis. The only other species noted at the time were Camnula pellucida, Conozoa behrensi, and Parapomala calamus.


If the science and economics of climate change are reasonably fixed, what impact will an uncertain political environment have on the carbon economy?


Mozzarella cheese was prepared from filled milk, using sunflower oil as the filler fat. The milk was homogenized at 35 bar pressure at 50 - 55°C and pasteurized at 63°C/30 min. Addition of 0.05% calcium chloride to the milk before homogenization improved the body and texture characteristics. Direct acidification of milk (pH 5.6 - 5.2) with dilute citric and acetic acids resulted in better quality cheese compared to the conventional (culture) method. The cheese prepared by using citric acid was softer compared to the cheese prepared by using acetic acid at similar pH. The melting characteristics of filled cheese compared well with control cheese. The unsalted cheese packed in polyethylene pouches kept well for 8-10 days at 8-10°C and for about 90 days in deep-freeze. The stretching characteristics deteriorated, while melting quality improved with increase in storage time at both the temperatures. The final composition of filled Mozzarella cheese was, moisture 55.74, fat 19.83, protein 21.74 and ash 1.19%.


Objectives
This study aims to compare the serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) levels between patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and healthy controls.

Patients and methods
The study included 40 female patients (mean age 39.9±10.2 years; range, 22 to 52 years) diagnosed with primary FMS according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria (1990) and 40 healthy female volunteers (mean age 40.9±8.3 years; range, 25 to 53 years). The sociodemographic data of both groups were recorded. The disease duration and the number of tender points were recorded for patients with FMS, and venous blood samples were collected from the two groups for the measurement of serum VEGF and VEGFR-1 levels.

Results
The FMS and control groups were comparable in terms of age and body mass index (p>0.05). A comparison of the serum VEGF levels of the FMS and control groups revealed a statistically insignificant difference (p>0.05), while a comparison of the serum VEGF-1 levels of the FMS and control groups revealed a statistically significant difference (p<0.05).

Conclusion
Serum VEGFR-1 levels were higher in patients with FMS, while the serum VEGF levels of the FMS patients did not differ from those of the healthy controls.


1. Argenta LC, Morykwas MJ. Vacuum-assisted closure: A new method for wound control and treatment. Clinical experience. Ann Plast Surg. 1997;38:563–576; discussion 577. 2. Saxena V, Hwang CW, Huang S, Eichbaum Q, Ingber D, Orgill DP. Vacuum-assisted closure: Microdeformations of wounds and cell proliferation. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2004;114:1086–1096; discussion 1097–1098. 3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Safety Communication: UPDATE on Serious Complications Associated with Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Systems, Issued February 24, 2011. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm244211.htm. Accessed June 1, 2011.


Remote-cockpit is a new-generation avionics monitoring system that offers the control and visualization of all the avionics' data of remotely located small unmanned aerospace vehicles. It integrates all the features of a Ground station of an aerospace vehicle into a customizable avionics segment that can manage and control multiple aerospace vehicles. Our goal is to design a smart, Comprehensive, Full featured, Multi-touchscreen Remote-Cockpit which should be modular, Adaptive and extendable. This cockpit will function as the General cockpit to display and manage different parameters of multiple aerospace vehicles present at a distant location. In this paper we will present an approach of such kind of remote cockpit station for miniature aerospace vehicles.


In order to study the volatile composition and value of tomato,the tomato extract was extracted with organic solvent extraction.The results show that 25 kinds of compounds were detected and identified by GC-MS.The major components are long-chain acids and esters.Most of acids and esters components benefit the cigarette.A large number of high fatty acids and their esters(64.61%) can improve the smooth and increase the abundance of aroma.The sensory evaluation indicates that it's primary role is improveing the smooth and increasing the abundance of aroma.At the same time it also can improve temperament fragrant,rich incense smoke.


This paper expounds the current challenges faced by university library,discusses the functions of subject librarian in constructing library's competence,and analyzes the difficulties and future roads faced by subject librarian in his domestic development.


Summary: We have developed an improved method for the detection of cystic fibrosis protein (CFP). The method employs the LKB Multiphor to electrofocus whole serum, instead of the apparatus used in previous studies. Two basic modifications were necessary: (1) a pH 2.5–10.0 gradient instead of a pH 5–10 gradient, and (2) constant power for focusing the serum proteins instead of constant voltage. The first modification ensured adequate dissolution of the CFP-IgG complexes (or other precursor complexes which may liberate CFP). The second modification ensured a linear gradient (between pH 3.8 and pH 9.2), excellent resolution in the pH 8–9 region, and the separation of CFP within 2 hr without overheating of the gel.Electrofocusing with the LKB Multiphor permits the detection of CFP in as many as 24 serum samples per gel. Results obtained from the analysis of 31 cystic fibrosis, 28 obligate heterozygote carrier, and 28 normal control sera indicate that CFP can be reproducibly and accurately detected in sera using the LKB Multiphor.Speculation: Strict adherence to our methods of serum sample collection, processing, storage, and the methods described for the detection of CFP using the LKB Multiphor electrofocusing apparatus may ensure the successful use of our technique to detect CFP and to determine individuals with the CF gene.


Apatites in low-Ti mare basalts from the Apollo 15 landing site display a large range of OH content from about 100 ppm up to ~ 2000 ppm. The D/H ratios measured in these apatites yielded δD values of ~ 550-1050 ‰. On the other hand, apatites in the KREEP basalt 15386 have less than 250 ppm OH and yielded δD values in the range ~ 20-500 ‰. These data suggests that the source of KREEP basalts was much drier than the mare basalt mantle sources, implying a late addition of H-bearing species into the mare source regions.


Figurative language is a part of semantic. This research analyzed the figurative language used in the lyric of I wanna be yours by Arctic Monkeys. The aims of this research are to find out the figurative languages used in the lyric of I wanna be yours and to analyze the contextual meaning of the figurative language used in that song. It is expected the result of this study will be useful for the reader especially in knowing what figurative language is and what kinds of figurative language are. The design of this research is descriptive qualitative research. The data of song is got from kapanlagi.com entitle I wanna be yours by Arctic Monkeys. The result found that there are some kinds of figurative language used in Arctic Monkeys song entitle I wanna be yours, such as metaphor, symbolic, personification and hyperbole. The contextual meaning of each figurative language is also stated clearly. The conclusion of this research is there are some kinds of figurative language and the meaning of figurative language use by Arctic Monkeys in his song entitled I wanna be yours.


The IT revolution is dramatically affecting modern military cockpit design. Modern displays add multiple dimensions that contribute to being able to provide more information to the pilot. The abundance of information now available to the military pilot can easily overwhelm him. Whereas automating cockpit functions reduces the pilot workload, automation reduces the flexibility that the military pilot requires. Automation complicates the flight test of the cockpit. With automated tasks, the pilot is in a monitoring role where contemporary workload scales are ineffective for measuring pilot workload. Development of a pilot workload rating system that incorporates the cognitive pilot workload will improve cockpit designs. While efforts continue to focus on improving cockpit automation and the use of modern electronic display systems, reducing the effects of fatigue on the pilot will prevent pilot performance from being degraded and will result in an overall improvement in capability.


A case of lichen planus of the buccal mucosa in a 52-year-old female is reported. Her teeth were cemented by a fixed bridge in a dental clinic three years earlier. A few days later, she had a constant pain in her oral mucosa that was worsening. She visited our hospital with this swelling, so the lesion was examined. Lichen planus was recognized in the biopsy specimen of the lesion. She had a medical history of metal allergy. Patch test for dental metal sensitivity was used to investigate the problem. Positive reactions were observed for tin, copper, chromium, gold, and palladium. Investigation was done by metal biopsy of the surface of the resin disk inscribed on her prostheses. The minute amounts of biopsy on the resin disk were analyzed by ESCA. It was found that her prostheses were made of Au-Ag-Pd and Ag-In-Sn alloys. These results suggested that this case may have lichen planus caused by allergy to dental alloys. Therefore, her metal prostheses were removed and a temporary restoration of resin for 10 months was done. Finally, a titanium prostheses was applied. Her condition has remained good without any allergic reaction. It seemedthat this treatment was successful because her lesion recovered.


The purpose of the present invention is to provide an optical element that is stable over long periods of time and that is an apodizing filter the optical characteristics of which can be externally controlled. Provided is an optical element 100 that comprises a transparent electrolyte layer 110, a pair of solid-state electrochromic layers which sandwich the transparent electrolyte layer 110, and a pair of transparent conductive films 140 that sandwich the pair of solid state electrochromic layers, wherein: the pair of solid state electrochromic layers is constituted by a pair of a reduction color development-type solid state electrochromic layer 120 and an oxidation color development-type solid state electrochromic layer 130; and the optical element 100 has apodization characteristics such that in a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the transparent electrolyte layer 110, light transmissivity gradually increases from the outer circumference towards the center.


(delta) -Aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) is a photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent that utilizes the haem biosynthetic pathway to create therapeutic levels of photoactive agents within tissues. Photosensitizer dosimetry and drug concentrations in target tissues are areas of uncertainty within PDT research. A program is described that uses numerical methods to model mathematically the haem biosynthetic pathway from ALA to haem as a set of partial differential rate equations. The data generated allow analysis and correlation with functions describing the kinetic behavior governing the reactions. This analysis provides insight into the production of protoporphyrin IX and other photoactive agents from exogenous ALA and provides a method for optimizing parameters, and for highlighting metabolic steps to which the product formation is most sensitive.


This paper presents the study of thermal conductivity of shredded tyre at varying temperature gradient. To accomplish this objective, laboratory tests have been conducted to determine the heat transfer properties of the materials that compose tyres (i.e., tyre rubber and wires) by using a hot-plate apparatus. A hot plate was adopted by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) as a standard method. In addition, one-dimensional heat conduction experiments have been conducted to compare the flow of heat through the materials while varying the physical and environmental conditions. A one-dimensional heat transfer equation was developed, and parametric studies have been conducted to verify the laboratory model. The experimental data were compared to exact solutions and Fourier's unsteady state equation. From the comparison, the respective average heat coefficient was 3.3 W/m-K; the average diffusivity was 4.6E-4 meters/hr; and the thermal conductivity was 0.30 W/m K.


As in France and Britain, immigration into the Netherlands after World War II is partly an inheritance of the country's colonial past. In this paper we consider four post-colonial migration flows to the Netherlands, two from the East Indies—the Eurasian population known as 'Indische Nederlanders' and the Moluccans—and two from the West Indies—the Surinamese and the Antilleans. We examine the factors that have been crucial for the integration (or non-integration) of these immigrants into Dutch society. Although all these immigrants may be labelled 'post-colonial immigrants', the term is misleading to the extent that it suggests homogeneity. A wide variety exists as to the volume of the migration flow; the composition of the immigrant population—social class, ethnic origin and cultural background; the timing of the migration and the perceptions and expectations of the immigrants. The context of reception also varies considerably, due to the economic situation at the time of arrival, government policies vis-à-vis these immigrant groups and the perception and acceptance of them by the general public. Two factors seem to have been of the essence for the integration process: Dutch citizenship and the amount of 'cultural capital'—in the form of school attainments and familiarity with the Dutch language and culture—that the immigrants already possessed before migrating to the Netherlands.


The invention relates to a centrifugal pendulum device, in particular a trapezoidal centrifugal pendulum device (1), for a damping device and/or a torque-transmitting device, in particular for a drivetrain of a motor vehicle, having a pendulum mass carrier (10) which is rotatable about an axis of rotation (S) and on which in the circumferencial direction (U) there is suspended a multiplicity of pendulum masses (20) which are movable relative to the pendulum mass carrier (10), wherein an individual pendulum mass (20) is suspended on the pendulum mass carrier (10) by way of an individual guide element (30), and a counter bearing (40) serves for the mounting of said individual pendulum mass (20) additionally on the pendulum mass carrier. The invention also relates to a centrifugal pendulum device, in particular a trapezoidal centrifugal pendulum device (1), for a damping device and/or a torque-transmitting device, in particular for a drivetrain of a motor vehicle, having a pendulum mass carrier (10) which is rotatable about an axis of rotation (S) and on which in the circumferencial direction (U) there is suspended a multiplicity of pendulum masses (20) which are movable relative to the pendulum mass carriers (10), wherein the centrifugal pendulum device is designed such that at least two pendulum masses (20) exhibit different vibration and/or pendulum behaviour during operation of the centrifugal pendulum device.


The chloroplast genome evolves through the course of evolution. Various types of mutational events are found within the chloroplast genome, including insertions-deletions (InDels), substitutions, inversions, gene rearrangement, and pseudogenization of genes. The pseudogenization of the trnT-GGU gene was previously reported in the Cryptomeria japonica (Cupressaceae), Pelargonium x hortorum (Geraniaceae), and in the two species of the tribe Gnaphalieae (Asteroideae, Asteraceae). Here, we performed a broad analysis of the trnT-GGU gene among the species of twelve subfamilies of Asteraceae and found pseudogenization of this gene is not limited to the two species of Gnaphalieae or the tribe Gnaphalieae. We report for the first time that this gene is pseudo in the species of three subfamilies of Asteraceae, including Gymnarrhenoideae, Cichorioideae and Asteroideae. The analyses of the species of 78 genera of Asteroideae revealed that this pseudogenization event is linked to the insertion within the 5′ acceptor stem and not linked to the habit, habitat, and geographical distribution of the plant.


To be presented for public examination with the permission of the Faculty of Para a minha família TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ORIGINAL PUBLICATIONS i ABSTRACT ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv INTRODUCTION 1 1. The development of telencephalon in mouse 1 1.1. Neural development within the telencephalon 2 1.1.1. Neurogenesis and cell migration within the dorsal telencephalon 3 Use of decloaking chamber-based heat-induced epitope retrieval method improves the detection of Olig2-labeled cells in the ventral telencephalon (I) 23 2. NKCC1 regulates cell proliferation in the ventral telencephalon (II) 26 3. GDNF binds to syndecan-3, and promotes the tangential migration of immature interneurons in the ventral telencephalon (III) 29 CONCLUSIONS 32 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 33 REFERENCES 34 i LIST OF ORIGINAL PUBLICATIONS This Thesis is based on the following original articles, which are referred to in the text by their Roman numerals: I Magalhães AC and Rivera C. Superior performance of decloaking chamber-based heat-induced epitope retrieval method improves the quantification of Olig2 cells in paraffin-embedded section of embryonic mouse brain (2014) J Neurosci Methods 235: 226–233. II Magalhães AC and Rivera C. In vivo role of NKCC1 in ventral telencephalon cell cycle reentry. Manuscript. III: Planning and performing the experiments, and analyzing the data for figure 6, and contributing to the writing of manuscript (Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion sections) ii ABSTRACT The time of arrival of interneurons and oligodendrocytes to the neocortex is critical for proper functional brain development. Aberrances in this sequence can be detrimental, and involved in different developmental diseases. Thus, understanding the mechanisms for temporal control of the genesis and migration of neural cells is crucial. In this study we have focused on the ventral telencephalon, a major source of interneurons and oligodendrocytes. We have developed a more sensitive method for detecting and quantifying oligodendrocyte precursor cells, e.g. Olig2. Current immunohistochemistry methods for detection and quantification of this cell type are poor. Optimal immunohistochemistry often requires heat-induced epitope retrieval (HIER) method for improving the staining in paraffin-embedded sections, and therefore helping in quantitative studies. Here, we have developed an immunohistochemistry protocol using the device decloaking chamber for HIER. This method was compared to the microwave oven-based HIER method by studying the labeling of Olig2 marker in paraffin-embedded sections from embryonic mouse brain. We have demonstrated that the decloaking chamber-based HIER method is the most suitable technique for the detection of single Olig2-labeled cells in the ventral telencephalon. This …


We investigate the influence of an electric field on trapped modes arising in a two-dimensional curved quantum waveguide Ω i.e. bound states of the corresponding Laplace operator − Δ Ω . Here the curvature of the guide is supposed to have an analytic extension in some complex domain around the real axis satisfying ∣ γ ( z ) ∣ = O ( ∣ z ∣ − ε ) , ε > 3 as ∣ Re z ∣ → ∞ . We show that under conditions on the electric field F , H ( F ) = − Δ Ω + F · x has resonances near the discrete eigenvalues of − Δ Ω .


Dissection of 1423 specimens of 11 species of small fossorial Australasian blindsnakes (Ramphotyphlops) provided extensive information on dietary differences among species, on the seasonality of feeding, and on intra- and interspecific correlations between blindsnake morphology and prey size. Larvae and pupae of ants comprised almost 80% of all prey items identified, except in the New Guinean R. subocularis which appears to feed entirely on earthworms. At least two temperate-zone typhlopid species (R. australis and R. nigrescens) showed strongly seasonal feeding schedules. Heavy-bodied blindsnake species (R. pinguis, R. proximus, R. ligatus) had wider mouths and heads relative to snout-vent length than did more slender species and fed mostly on the brood of large stinging ants (Myrmecia). Larger specimens of these three species (and the morphologically intermediate R. australis and R. nigrescens) consumed larger prey. In contrast, slender-bodied blindsnakes (R. bituberculatus, R. hamatus, R. polygrammicus, R. waitii, R. weidii) took smaller ants and showed no significant intraspecific correlations between predator size and prey size. We infer that the heavy build of some typhlopid species may be an adaptation to feeding on Myrmecia, but further phylogenetic and experimental data are needed to test this hypothesis.


('There is no safer way of mummifying Greek Comedy than by trying to reproduce the form that it supposedly had in the fifth century B.C. . . .'), which we may take in good part, accepting that his aim of bringing Aristophanes to modern audiences involves a different approach from ours. So it is disappointing to find that his book in fact follows a conventional academic plan: one chapter on Aristophanes' early life, one on Dionysiac festivals, one on the origins of comedy, one on the Peloponnesian War, and then a chapter on each play, sketching its historical background and outlining its plot, with finally a chapter on the influence of Aristophanes on later dramatists. Outside the 'prolegomena' there are hardly any references to Solomos's own productions or to anything which he has learned from them. Any competent university lecturer in Classics could have written a book like this—or indeed a better one. For Solomos's book unfortunately contains many errors of detail. Some are just mistakes of orthography or English idiom, but others are clear mis-statements of fact or misrepresentations of the text of Aristophanes. He is also given to imaginative fiction ('Now let us imagine that a few years have passed since the middle of the glorious century and that the son of Philip and Zenodora is already a schoolboy. Let us accompany him to school and follow some of his classes . . .') and statements so abstract that they mean nothing ('In this crazy comedy he will dissolve the last drops of his peace-loving anguish in the pure wine of Dionysiac art. With an overpowering skill he will bring his message from darkness to light, from yesterday's death to tomorrow's life').


Poly(4-vinylbenzyl thiocyanate) (PVBT) and a copolymer of styrene and 4-vinylbenzyl thiocyanate (PST-co-VBT) were assessed as dual-tone imaging systems. These polymers change their refractive index under deep UV irradiation as a result of the photoisomerization of SCN to NCS groups. Subsequent modification of the illuminated zones with gaseous amines grave thiourea groups via an addition reaction. The post-exposure modification of the film with gaseous amines produced large increasese of the film thickness (formation of negative images). This effect was utilized to produce surface relief gratings. Using contact lithography with λ + 193 and 248 nm, gratings with periods Λ = 300 and Λ = 600 nm were obtained. Under selected experimental conditions, a nucleophilic substitution (S N ) of the SCN units in the unirradiated zones by amines was achieved (formation of positive images). Gratings of these types are of general interest for the setup of organic lasers based upon the principle of distributed feedback (DFB) as well as for holographic recordings.


The need for electrical power supply has spurred different technologies to cater the requisite. Energy harvesting from ambient vibration is a promising mechanism to satisfy the indispensible power requirements. Piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) systems are perfectly used to convert mechanical strain into a usable form. Hence it requires a system to be developed to harvest electrical power. In automobile industry, battery is the vital device for power supply and is being charged using the fuel. This in turn would have an impact on fuel consumption of the automobile. The alternate for this can be the unused vibration from engine mount to charge the battery. The anticipated system would obtain its input from the unused vibration prevailing in the car engine and is the mechanical source. They are projected on the state-of-the-art micro thin film cantilever piezoelectric sensor and it would provide electrical energy and it would be supplied to the low power appliances. Before being supplied to the appliances, it is necessary to develop a proper power management and signal conditioning circuits. A practical model of the system is developed to verify the experimental results emphasizing on device-design innovation with high efficiency and conversion technology.


Abstract : This final technical report summarizes a research investigation conducted by Desmatics, Inc. under sponsorship of the office Office of Naval Research. The Desmatics research focused on the development of improved statistical methods for addressing 'real world' problems, primarily for application in the Navy's Pollution Abatement and Ship Auxiliary Machinery Program. Under this contract, Desmatics investigated statistical methodology and developed statistical techniques to aid the Navy in reaching the goal of this program. Desmatics' involvement and accomplishments during the overall research effort have been documented in 16 formal technical reports and 96 informal technical notes distributed to cognizant Navy engineers. The technical reports, which generally address basic statistical research, have also been submitted to the Defense Technical Information Center. In addition, four presentations based on this research have been made at technical meetings, and two journal articles have been published. The following sections briefly summarize the research accomplished under this contract and provide reference lists of all technical reports (with abstracts), technical notes, journal articles, and presentations resulting from this research effort.


A practical how-to guide to speaking with confidence and clarity. Chapter checklists, dos and don'ts, and evaluation guidelines walk readers step by step through preparation, practice, and delivery to ensure that each presentation is professional and powerful.


Prospective donors are often sensitive to the amount of overhead in charitable fundraising. The present studies examine how differences in one's personal commitment to a cause moderate the relative focus on overhead versus outcomes in charitable fundraising. Three experiments find that donors who are more committed to the cause are, in fact, accepting of higher levels of overhead. Experiment 1 demonstrates that people are willing to accept a higher level of overhead for causes that are more (vs. less) important to them. Experiment 2 provides process evidence by showing that perceptions of cause importance generally influence how people evaluate the intentions behind charitable fundraising versus its outcomes. Experiment 3 directly manipulates cause importance and demonstrates a downstream effect on actual donations. Together, these studies suggest a more general framework whereby differences in personal commitment change the relative focus on the intentions behind pro-social behavior versus the outcomes achieved.


The utility model relates to a plastic hose cut-off machine which is used for cutting a plastic hose (3), the plastic hose cut-off machine comprises a plastic hose clamping and rotating mechanism and a plastic hose cut-off mechanism; the plastic hose clamping and rotating mechanism comprises a motor (1) and a hose cutting mandril (2) fixed on the output shaft of the motor (1); the plastic hose (3) is sheathed on the hose cutting mandril (2), and the hose cutting mandril (2) is provided with a cutter slot (21); the plastic hose cut-off mechanism comprises a cutting blade (4) and a linear blade feeding mechanism; the cutting blade (4) is fixed on the linear blade feeding mechanism, and in forwards feeding for cutting, the cutting blade (4) extends into the cutter slot (21). The realization of the embodiment can accurately cut a plastic hose, and can avoid the phenomena of unsmooth cut, sharp corners, burr and the like, thus improving the production quality and the use performance of the plastic hose.


Bacterial genomes exhibit a wide range of compositional diversity, most spectacularly represented by variation in genome GC content, which varies in different organisms from as low as 17% to as high as 75%. The nature of the biological processes underlying these differences has been long debated and two polarizing interpretations have been advanced, one proposing that GC content is driven by genome-specific mutational biases (the mutational hypothesis), and one that it reflects different selective processes in different organisms (the selectionist hypothesis). The hypothesis that differences in GC content are mostly driven by species-specific mutational biases [1] implies that smaller variation in GC content across genomes should be seen at positions that are most constrained by any form of purifying selection, and conversely that greatest variation should be observed in positions that are functionally neutral. Differences in GC content among prokaryotic genomes largely reflect on, or are driven by the GC content of protein coding sequences, which usually occupy the majority of the genome. When considering separately the GC content at the three codon positions of genes (GC 1 , GC 2 , GC 3 ), typical patterns are observed Figure 1-A. The GC content of all positions varies roughly linearly with the overall content of the genes, but variations in the first two codon positions, and especially in the second codon position, are much reduced compared to the variability observed in third codon positions, where the GC content spans across species almost all possible values from close to GC 3 = 0.0 to almost GC 3 = 1.0. These differences in variability are consistent with expected constraints imposed by the relation between codons and amino acids [2], with first and second codon positions mostly determining the amino acid type (and second codon position mostly determining the physico-chemical properties of the amino acid), and third codon position being mostly either synonymous, or encoding amino acids with similar properties. It is interesting to observe that the GC content of genomic intergenic regions closely correlates with the GC content of the coding sequences Figure 1 panel B, and it varies across genomes approximately to the same extent as it does in coding regions, and thus much less than in third codon positions. A simple toy model relating mutational bias to codon compositional substitutability can be advocated to explain the overall contrasts and variability in GC content observed between codon positions of different genomes. In this model, coding regions are represented as sequences formed from a two-letter alphabet {S, W} in which bases are identified either as Strong (S = G or C) or as Weak (W = A or T). Each sequence position is assumed either to evolve freely by substitution between S and W states, or to be constrained by purifying selection either in state S or in state W. Each of the three codon-base-positions i (i = 1, 2, or 3) will be then characterized by a codon-position-specific fraction () i s f of sites constrained to be of type S, a fractions () i w


OBJECTIVE To detect the quantity of endotoxin in Azithromycin for injection by the method of the kinetic turbidimetric limulus test. METHODS Four endotoxin concentrations were prepared to generate the standard curve by kinetic turbidimetric limulus test. The interfering factors test was studied to range the effective concentration of samples and basing on standard curve the sample was measured. RESULTS The diluted concentration of sample preparation down to 0.208 3 mg.mL?1 can be effective measured and recovery of endotoxin is within 50% to 200%. CONCLUSION The kinetic turbidimetric limulus test can be used to quantitate the endotoxin level in Azithromycin for injection.


In order to study the characteristics of wetland plants and their ecological benefit in the Binhai New District and better understand the value of the wetland plants,the wetland plant species and their flora composition,the plant diversity and its distribution,and the wetland plant succession patterns were studied in this paper.The results showed that there are a total of 232 species of wetland plants in this area,with a large distribution in the family and genera;the abundance of plants is relatively high but the evenness level of wetland plants is low,and the wetland plant community and its vegetation succession are affected greatly by the soil moisture and salt contents;the hydrophytes and phreatophytes,such as Tripolium vulgare Nees and Phragmites,occur when the wetland community has a high water content but low salinity,and the meso-halophytes,such as Aeluropus pungens,occur when the wetland community has a high salinity but low water content.


In this work, the impact of dyes and fillers on the process of heat generation during ultrasonic welding of plastics was studied, which made it possible to influence the weldability and quality of products. Experiments to weld samples of plastics with various concentrations of dyes and fillers were carried out. Based on the experimental data, it was established that the main parameters of the welding process and the properties of the polymer influenced weldability and performance indicators of the weld joint. The nature and the concentration of the dyes and fillers injected into the polymer to obtain certain characteristics and colors had an impact as well. Optimal concentrations that provided the best weldability, strength and quality of the weld products were obtained for fat-soluble dyes and organic pigments (0.1–1.5 g/kg) as well as disperse fillers and inorganic pigments (5–12 g/kg). Types of dyes and fillers and their optimal concentrations for fat-soluble dyes, organic pigments and disperse fillers were determined. Parameters of the process of ultrasonic welding of dyed and filled plastics were defined. It was established that welded products with the recommended optimal concentration and types of dyes and fillers showed the best weldability, increased strength and performance, and could be used longer under various climatic conditions.


A large sample ( n = 590) of location-tagged digital photographs was examined to assess regional or subspecific variation in iris colour of the White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis complex, which may be a diagnostic character misrepresented in the literature. The irides of the western/Spotted Scrubwren group ( maculatus , balstoni , mellori , ashbyi ) were found to be consistently more blue-green in colour compared with the remainder of the complex; this difference approached criteria for diagnosability and matched reported taxon boundaries. Lack of variation within the western group suggests a genetic rather than an ecophenotypic basis. Since juveniles of both groups have similar irides, this difference probably represents the acquisition of yellow-orange pigmentation with maturity in eastern but not western birds.


[Objective] The study aimed to study the relationship between soil and environment on the basis of multivariate statistical analysis. [Method] Through field investigation, sampling and laboratory analysis, we discussed the relationship between soil properties and environmental factors in Mizhi County, North Shaanxi by using Canoco multivariate statistical analysis. [Result] According to the effects of various environmental factors on soil properties, the influencing order of environmental factors was land use wayvegetation typevegetation restoration yearsvegetation coverageslope aspectgradientelevation. In a word, soil properties were significantly affected by land use way and vegetation type which were the most important environmental factors of soil properties in spatial variation, while vegetation restoration years were closely related to the accumulation of soil nutrients. [Conclusion] The research could provide theoretical references for the construction of ecological environment in Loess Plateau of China.


In this paper, an efficient approach is proposed to improve detection efficiency of sliding window based detection methods by setting adaptive thresholds for regular object detection in the moving environment. In the proposed approach, the symmetry and variance (SYM-VAR) information of targets is learned from current frame and historical frames, and the information is used to filter out the sub-windows which may not contain the targets in the next frame. Our experimental results have demonstrated that the proposed approach can reduce nearly 50% of the average detection time with a small tradeoff of accuracy compared to typical HOG-based (histogram of oriented gradient) methods.


The PhD in psychology is taken at the Abo Academy University (Turku, Finland). The dissertation has been published by the Police College of Finland.


. (2018) A Closed Chest Trauma Revealing Primary Pleomorphic Sarcoma of The Chest Wall. SAJ Case Rep 5: 305 Abstract


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a carry of a hitting ball by increasing resiliency of a face surface while securing a degree of freedom of design of a head, to lower the center of gravity of the head, and to firmly fix a weight member to a sole part. SOLUTION: This iron golf club head is provided with a plate-like face member 2 having the face surface 2a, a back face member 3 having the thick sole part 33, joined to the back face side of the face member 2, and forming a hollow part 6 between the back face member 3 and a back face 2b of the face member 2, and a weight member 5 composed of a weight body 51 and a projecting part 52 inserted into the sole part 33 and having a specific gravity larger than the face member 2 and the back face member 3. The projecting part 52 is fitted in a through-hole 33b formed in the sole part 33, and is fixed to the through-hole 33b by being collapsed and plastically deformed.


Large scale biomedical research projects involve analysis of huge amount of genomic data which is owned by different data owners. The collection and storing of genomic data is sometimes beyond the capability of a sole organization. Genomic data sharing is a feasible solution to overcome this problem. These scenarios can be generalized into the problem of aggregating data distributed among multiple databases and owned by different data owners. However, we should guarantee that an adversary cannot learn anything about the data or the individual contribution of each party towards the final output of the computation. In this paper, we propose a practical solution for secure sharing and computation of genomic data. We adopt the Paillier cryptosystem and the order preserving encryption to securely execute the count query and the ranked query. Experimental results demonstrate that the computation time is realistic enough to make our system adoptable in the real world.


The cultivation of poultry without the use of antibacterial drugs is a vital direction of modern production, since the entry of domestic poultry products to the foreign market involves their absence in raw materials of animal origin. As experience confirms, enrichment of feed rations with enzyme preparations and vitamins reduces the waste of young animals, significantly increases the feed absorption, and reduces their feed-gain relations per production unit. This allows enhancing the productivity of poultry farming while simultaneously improving the quality of resulting products. We have studied the effect of the new vitamin-enzyme complex Vitaferm on the broiler-chickens body against the background of the antibacterial drugs exclusion from their antiepizootic measures. Studies have shown a positive effect of Vitaferm on the poultry body which is manifested by an increase in average daily growth, livability enlargement and reduced feed-gain relations per production unit. These changes can be explained by the normalization of the digestive system of broiler-chickens with the Vitaferm use. It is known that antibiotics inhibit the body's immune system and disturb the balance of intestinal microflora. Thus, the use of vitamin-enzyme complex Vitaferm with broiler-chicken feed at the rate of 15.0 g/kg, starting from the day-old up to 10 days, is proposed for the complete or partial exclusion of antibacterial drugs from the antiepizootic measures scheme.


Received: 20 May 2020 Accepted: 26 July 2020 The Regularized Least Square (RLS) method is one of the fastest function estimation methods, but it is too sensitive to noise. Against this, ε-insensitive Support Vector Regression (ε-SVR) is robust to noise but doesn't have a good runtime. ε-SVR supposes that the noise level is at most ε. Therefore, the center of a tube with radius ε, which is used as the estimated function, is determined in a way that the training data are located in that tube. Therefore, this method is robust to such noisy data. In this paper, to improve the runtime of ε-SVR, first, an initial estimated function is obtained using the RLS method. Then, unlike the ε-SVR model, which uses all the data to determine the lower and upper limits of the tube, our proposed method uses the initial estimated function for determining the tube and the final estimated function. Strictly speaking, the data below and above the initial estimated function are used to estimate the upper and lower limits of the tube, respectively. Thus, the number of the model constraints and, consequently, the model runtime are reduced. The experiments carried out on 15 benchmark data sets confirm that our proposed method is faster than ε-SVR, ε-TSVR and pair v-SVR, and its accuracy are comparable with that of ε-SVR, ε-TSVR and pair v-SVR.


This paper analyzes prices in the day-ahead electricity market in Norway. We consider the hypothesis that generators are better able to exercise market power when transmission constraints bind, resulting in smaller, more-concentrated markets. We test this hypothesis by comparing equilibrium prices across periods with different demand elasticity and with and without binding transmission constraints. We find some empirical evidence that prices in local markets are higher during constrained periods when demand is less elastic. * We would like to thank Jim Bushnell, Severin Borenstein, Bill Hogan, Paul Joskow, and Klaus Skytte for valuable comments. We are also grateful for financial assistance from the Harvard Electricity Policy Group. The views expressed in this paper are ours alone and do not reflect those of the HEPG. The bulk of the work was completed while the last author was a visiting research associate at the University of California Energy Institute, and she is grateful for their hospitality. Johnsen: Statistics Norway, PB 8131 Dep N-0033 Oslo, Norway, firstname.lastname@example.com; Verma: Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, email@example.com; Wolfram: Littauer 209, Harvard University Department of Economics, Cambridge, MA 02139, email@example.com.


In 2002, with data supplied by the British National Health Service, newspapers in England began publishing the names of hospitals with high infection rates. By 2004, every hospital in Great Britain was required to display its infection rate in a prominent place where patients could see it.


Refractories undergo severe conditions and are attacked by, e.g., slag consisting of various components at a high temperature. Therefore, the refractories have been developed with various anti damage countermeasures. The countermeasures are "densification", "intensification of bond among grains", "use of components with a low dissolution for slag", "formation of protective surface layer", and so forth. Furthermore, the refractories will advance to become "refractory comprising selfrepairing function". The development of refractories based on the antidamage countermeasures is described in this article.


Many negotiate their way through and make sensible choices, but my oncology colleagues and I continue to see patients who choose extreme dietary and alternative treatments for potentially curable cancers and don't turn to us until they are quite ill and their cancer has spread and become incurable. To see patients with early disease, who would have an excellent prognosis if standard treatment protocols were followed, return with advanced disease after eschewing this standard treatment for dietary cures is extremely distressing for the patients, their loved ones and their treating doctors.


Simple Summary Overexpression of unmutated RRAS2 could be behind the development of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This is, in part, supported by the presence of a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the 3' untranslated region of the RRAS2 mRNA that is linked to higher RRAS2 overexpression and worse prognosis. Determining the nucleotide composition (G or C) at the SNP position might be of prognostic value and helpful in orienting the choice for therapies. To make SNP analysis more feasible, we show here the implementation of a new PCR method that allows the characterization of the SNP allele composition with a little amount of genomic DNA. As an example, we show in a small subset of CLL patients that treatment with the drug Ibrutinib results in a stronger reduction in circulating leukemic cells if the patients bear at least one RRAS2 allele with a C at the SNP position. Abstract Unlike classical RAS genes, oncogenic mutations on RRAS2 are seldomly found in human cancer. By contrast, RRAS2 is frequently found overexpressed in a number of human tumors, including B and T cell lymphomas, breast, gastric, head and neck cancers. In this regard, we have recently shown that overexpression of wild-type RRAS2 drives the formation of both chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and breast cancer in mice. In support for the relevance of overexpression of wild type RRAS2 in human cancer, we have found that RRAS2 expression is influenced by the presence of a specific single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of the RRAS2 mRNA. Perhaps more importantly, the presence of the alternate C, rather than the G allele, at the RRAS2 SNP designated as rs8570 is also associated with worse patient prognosis in CLL. This indicates that the detection of this SNP allelic variants can be informative to predict RRAS2 expression levels and disease long-term evolution in patients. Here, we describe a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method that facilitates the rapid and easy determination of G and C allelic variants of the SNP. Using this approach, we confirm that the C allelic variant is associated with higher expression levels of RRAS2 transcripts and poor patient prognosis. However, we have also found that expression of the C allelic variants correlates with better response to ibrutinib, a Bruton kinase inhibitor commonly used in CLL treatments. This suggests that this method for detecting the RRAS2 rs8570 SNP might be a useful as a tool to predict both patient prognosis and response to targeted therapy in CLL.


Medical damage appraisal plays a decisive role in settling disputes on medical tort.Therefore,medical damage appraisal becomes an important approach in handling medical disputes.On the basis of detailed and profound literature review of medical appraisal,the authors analyzed current situation of judicial practice in China and summarized the disadvantages of the dual medical damage appraisal mode in practice.Furthermore,they argued that the development trend should be selective integration of technical appraisal of medical malpractice and judicial authentication mechanism of medical negligence.A unified medical damage appraisal mechanism should be constructed,including unification of authentication institutions and identification procedures,clarification of appraisal subjects,standardization of cross-examination procedure and improvement of legislation and regulation.


Hearing loss is one of the main health chronic problems that causes disability in a large segment of the young population because of the hearing damage that originates. Regrettably, to the present days there are only a few researches on the topic that allow the establishment of the risk of having this disability at a young age of the human life.
Taking into account the previous words, a main objective has been proposed, to determine the hearing loss using otoacoustic emissions techniques in students of the last year of high school at "Colegio Experimental Bernardo Valdivieso" in the city of Loja during the period from February to July of 2014. The present investigation is a prospective and transversal research, its objects are 267 senior high school students. Enough data was gathered to be analysed with the aim of fulfilling the objectives proposed in the investigative process. It was determined that all students who were tested, 7.5% had hearing loss. According to Otoacoustic emissions techniques, 65% had bone conduction hearing loss of the test; and according Weber and Schwabach test 20% had mixed hearing loss. As the test of Rinne and Weber 15% showed airway hearing loss. Using the Rinne test it was determined that 40% have sensorineural hearing loss in the left ear, 25%, sensorineural hearing loss in the right ear; 10% presented conductive hearing loss in the right ear, 5%, conductive hearing loss in the left ear; 10% showed a mixed hearing loss in the right ear and 10% presented a mixed hearing loss in the left ear. An analysis by gender showed a 70% of hearing loss in men and a 30% of hearing loss in women.
Key words: hearing loss, acumetria.


Three promising directions for the development of technical means are given for sowing perennial grasses and restoring forage lands without plowing. Stubble, cavity and sod cut. Stubble or stubble sowing is applied immediately after harvesting grain crops. Saves time and reduces the cost of creating forage areas. Cavity is used on forage lands after their use for 3–5 years to improve cultural herbage. The method of cutting sod with sowing seeds into the formed cracks, followed by rolling, is used to restore the productivity of hayfi elds and pastures. The necessity of developing domestic machines for the above technologies is substantiated. Examples of combined machines are given, demonstrating the high quality of work and material savings.


The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of Return on Assets (ROA), Debt to Total Assets (DTA), Cash Ratio, Growth, and Firm Sise on Dividend Policy. The population in this study is a manufacturing company listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange period 2013-2016. While the sample of the study was determined by using purposive sampling, which obtained a number of 25 companies that qualify as research samples.Based on the analysis results can be seen that the Return on Asset (ROA) have a significant positive effect on dividend policy, Debt to Total Asset (DTA) and Cash Ratio (CR) have no significant positive effect on dividend policy. While Growth and Firm Size have no significant negative effect on dividend policy.
Key Words: Return on Assets (ROA), Debt to Total Assets (DTA), Cash Ratio, Growth, Firm Size, Dividend Payout Ratio (DPR)


The deployment of photovoltaics (PV) has demonstrated a remarkable annual growth rate of 54% from 2010 to 2015 [1], yet PV only currently satisfies approximately 1% of the world's electricity demand [2]. As solar deployment continues to grow, some new technologies being researched today have the potential to enable faster cost reductions and increased deployment compared to more established technologies. To catalyze this development, the DOE SunShot Initiative strategically invests in the research and development of emerging technologies that hold the promise of facilitating large-scale and cost-competitive deployment of PV. The DOE investment strategy and research priorities are based on stakeholder engagements and an analysis of how specific technology improvements impact the levelized costs of electricity (LCOE). Herein, the strategy that the SunShot Initiative uses to engage with the complex research environment to support the development of novel PV technologies is described.


Abstract: This article presents findings and a model from a constructivist grounded theory study about purpose development for college students with disabilities. The 59 participants, drawn from 4 different higher education institutions, self-identified as having 1 or more of a variety of disabilities. Students engaged in imagination, exploration, and integration as part of the developmental process of developing a sense of purpose. Important social contexts and intersecting social identities also influenced the narrative of self that students created regarding their purpose.


Behemoth buildings are becoming practical thanks to new technologies and innovations in construction materials. This paper presents the use of different innovative technologies in the construction of mile-high skyscrapers


Thread-level speculation (TLS) is a promising method of extracting parallelism from both integer and scientific workloads. In this thesis we apply TLS to exploit intra-transaction parallelism in database workloads. Exploiting intra-transaction parallelism without using TLS in existing database systems is difficult, for two reasons: first, significant changes are required to avoid races or conflicts within the DBMS, and second, adding threads to transactions requires a high level of sophistication from transaction programmers. In this thesis we show how dividing a transaction into speculative threads (or epochs) solves both problems---it minimizes the changes required to the DBMS, and the details of parallelization are hidden from the transaction programmer. Our technique requires a limited number of small, localized changes to a subset of the low-level data structures in the DBMS. We also show that previous hardware support for TLS is insufficient for the resulting large speculative threads and the complexity of the dependences between them. In this thesis we extend previous TLS hardware support in three ways to facilitate large speculative threads: (i) we propose a method for buffering speculative state in the L2 cache, instead of solely using an extended store buffer, L1 data cache, or specialized table to track speculative changes; (ii) we tolerate cross-thread data dependences through the use of sub-epochs, significantly reducing the cost of mis-speculation; and (iii) with programmer assistance we escape speculation for database operations which can be performed non-speculatively. With this support we can effectively exploit intra-transaction parallelism in a database and dramatically improve transaction performance: on a simulated 4-processor chip-multiprocessor, we improve the response time by 46--66% for three of the five TPC-C transactions.


This article aimed to reveal the periodization of political  and cultural Islam in Indonesia from time to time. In its development, political and cultural Islam had become an entity that hadattracted the attention of academics in Indonesia. Both types of Islam have always been part of the history of this nation. Therefore, the periodization of the rounds needs to be disclosed in a neat and measurable manner. This research was qualitative using a historical approach, and the existing data were presented in a descriptive analytical manner. The primary data of the research covered the statutes and bylaw of Islamic parties, such as Partai Syarikat Islam Indonesia (PSII), Masyumi Party, Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP), Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS) and Partai Bulan Bintang (PBB), while the secondary data were documents of works of Indonesian authors, journals, and online news or articles. The results revealed that the periodization of Indonesian political and cultural Islam started from pre-independence to post-reformation. PSII, Masyumi Party, PPP, PKS and PBB respectively were examples of political Islam that were established in their era. Meanwhile, cultural Islam was patronized by Jam'iyyat al-Khair, Al-Irsyad, Muhammadiyah, Persis and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). Both types and groups of the Islam basically had the same goal, namely to carry out Sharia. Therefore, for the political and cultural Islam, the power and sympathy of the people seemed to support the realization of this goal.


This work studies the stabilization control synthesis of switched symmetric systems. The main contribution includes two parts. First, a necessary and sufficient condition for existence of asymptotic stable output feedback controller of symmetric switched linear systems under arbitrary switching signal is established. It is also pointed that if the condition holds, constant controller can be used as well. Next, a sufficient condition for existence of output feedback controller for quadratic stabilizability of switched symmetric systems is established. If there are only two subsystems, this condition is also necessary.


Exploring new pedagogical approaches and technologi es in learning experiences such as MOOCs offers educators a clear opportunity to reflect on and expand their teaching methods and document effective pract ices. However, while research has affirmed the value of self-reflection as an important means to improve one's pedagogical practices, very limited d ata about self-reflection during course design exists for online instructors in higher education. A team of MOOC course designers thus seized the opportunity t o investigate whether they could improve their teaching practices by engaging a connectivist and reflective process to create an innovative MOOC. T he MOOC design team for Educational Technology and Media Massive Open Onlin e Course (ETMOOC) created a virtual laboratory for reflecting on the p dagogical approaches and technologies they were considering. The underlying question they sought to answer was whether their experiences with the conne ctivist design process would impact their own self-reflective teaching practice. The design team encouraged exploration of various pedagogical models, leverage d th web to create connected learning experiences, networked learning, and refle cted on the design throughout the development of the course. For the author, des igning, developing, and teaching a MOOC created trigger moments for improvi ng teaching. The author provides a list of suggested practices for reflecti ng on teaching and improving course design for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC ) in particular.


The invention relates to a method and system for acquiring CDMA mobile terminal information. In the method, when a mobile terminal is turned on, a real mobile terminal identifier number of the mobile terminal, the type of the mobile terminal, a mobile terminal software version number, an IMSI parameter inserting into a UIM card of the mobile terminal and a content formation version number of a registering short message of the mobile terminal are sent to a mobile terminal server in a communication system to turn on the terminal and perform register, so that the mobile terminal server can acquire user information and mobile terminal information; the content formation version number of the registering short message is used for providing proofs for the mobile terminal server analyzing the short message content. The invention is compatible with MEID terminals and ESN terminals with different types, is compatible with the traditional UIM cards, long-formation EUIM cards and short-formation EUIM cards, the invention is capable of realizing successful self test of mobile terminals with ESN and MEID identifiers, notifying the mobile terminal information to the network side, so that the network holds the terminal information data and develops pertinency services.


A study of photoluminescence, photo-EPR, and of photoconductivity was carried out on SrTiO3 and Sr1-xCaxTiO3 (x equals 0.007) crystals containing a small amount of Cr. As a result, the location of Cr electronic levels in the band gap was found, Cr3+ being a donor located at 1.85 eV below the CB bottom and Cr4+ being an acceptor at 1.4 eV above the VB top. In accordance with this scheme, it was shown that: (1) Photons with energies exceeding 1.85 eV excite Cr3+ R luminescence in the course of the events; h(nu) exc + Cr3+ yields e + Cr4+ yields Cr3+(2E) + phonons yields Cr3+(4A2) + h(nu) R. (2) Excitation with photon energies above 1.4 eV converts Cr4+ to Cr$3+):h(nu) exc + Cr4+ yields h + Cr3+. (3) A band with low energy threshold at 2.1 eV is observed both in excitation spectra of R luminescence and of photoconductivity. The specific character of photoluminescence excitation manifests itself in a number of interesting observations: (i) Strong increase of steady-state R luminescence intensity under IR irradiation additional to excitation in the visible. (ii) IR induced transient R luminescence caused by previous irradiation in the visible. (iii) Very long tails on the time scale of 1000s in R luminescence decay with weak dependence on temperature from 2 K to 78 K.


Medium voltage power distribution equipment and power line are the basic equipment in electric power system. Because of their great usage amount and the bridge function between the main power grid and users in the electric power system, therefore, their technological development trend also attract users and enterprises' great concern. With the expanding of the scale of power grid and smart grid construction, many new trends appear in the technology development of medium voltage distribution equipment and power line. The smart grid industry is an emerging industry to deal with global environmental change, improve the efficiency of energy use and reduce carbon emissions. To develop smart grid industry has positive effect for implementing the development strategy of China's emerging industries, to seize the new commanding heights of industry development.


Was the apostle Paul convinced that the end of this age was coming soon? Did he believe that this was going to happen in connection with the «parousia» of Jesus Christ from heaven? Was he expecting to witness this event? Probably the answer to all these questions is yes. But, what did he think his own role was in this unfolding of salvation history? This article will attempt to give an answer to this question by suggesting that perhaps he saw himself as the eschatological Elijah who, according to the prophecy of Malachi, was to be sent at the end of time to restore the people of Israel to a saving relationship with God.


Introduction: Alluvial fans contain a record of the interactions between rocks, water, and climate in their depositional history. Sedimentological analysis of alluvial fans on Earth can help explain surface water activity during the time of formation [1]. Alluvial fans occur at topographic breaks where confined, sedimentheavy flow becomes unconfined as it moves into lowrelief plain or basin. Alluvial fans are defined by morphologic characteristics: they have straight or slightly concave-up radial profiles, plano-convex cross-fan profiles, and radial slopes > 1.0° [2]. On Mars, alluvial fans commonly occur in steep-sided craters and at topographic breaks along the dichotomy boundary[3– 6]. Determining sediment characteristics, specifically grain size, for martian alluvial fans is critical to assessing surface water activity during fan formation. Sedimentological analysis of Martian alluvial fans is difficult because the resolution of available data is often orders of magnitude larger than the scale of sediment and sedimentary features. Thermal inertia (TI=(kρC)) is a measure of how resistant a material is to changes in temperature in response to insolation and can be used to investigate sedimentary characteristics of a rock at sub-pixel scale. For rock and regolith material, thermal inertia (TI) is primarily controlled by variations in thermal conductivity (k), which is controlled by grain size. Small grains gain and loose heat rapidly during daily solar heating, which is shown by low TI values [7]. Loosely consolidated, dust-sized particles typically have a TI <125 JmKs on Mars [8]. Bedrock and material that is highly indurated heats up slowly under solar radiation but is able to retain heat much more effectively at night, giving very high TI values. TI values of very fine sand to very coarse sand on Mars range from 150-523 JmKs [8]. Objectives: This project looks at TI variations and across 48 alluvial fan surfaces located between 30°N and 30°S to determine whether spatial variations in TI seem to be correlated to visible sedimentary features. Our goal is to better define constraints on where variations in TI can confidently be linked to sediment grain size versus induration or post-depositional processes based on visible erosional and depositional features. Methods: For this project we analyzed the TI and surface morphology of large alluvial fans (>10km radial length) on Mars between 30°N and 30°S which had been identified by previous studies [3–6]. Alluvial fans in areas of high dust coverage (<0.94 DCI) [9] were excluded because the dust particles are expected to dominate TI values of the surface. In total, 48 alluvial fans were investigated in this study. This is a subset of the global population of martian alluvial fans but forms a starting point for investigating trends in surface and sedimentary characteristics of depositional features within the global population of alluvial fans. Sedimentary Analysis. For each alluvial fan we identified any large-scale morphologic features on the fan surface and made a qualitative assessment of whether the features seemed to be depositional or erosional. Erosional features were identified by steep sides which did not appear to follow stratigraphic boundaries and which showed either cross-fan orientation or had no dominant orientation (Figure 1A). Low relief features that are either oriented in a radial pattern from the fan apex or appear to follow stratigraphic boundaries have been identified as potential depositional features (Figure 1B). Thermal Inertia. Thermal inertia values across each alluvial fan surface were extracted from the Mars


The paper aims to investigate the relationship between the artificial intelligence as narrated by science fiction movies in the late five decades and the socio-technical imaginary related to intelligent systems.The first sci-fi movies in analysis shed away from the idea of a symbiotic interaction between humans and AI as forecast during the 1960s by informatics and AI scientists. Afterwards, from the 1970s to the 1990s, AI systems played mainly the role of mirrors for the crisis of human identity: in these narratives the AI is presented as a risk, a possible enemy for human kind. Finally, during the last twenty years, a new frontier of AI seems to emerge in the imaginary. More recent stories forecast a future in which intelligent systems try to take their own place in the human social environment.All these perspectives emerge in conjunction with innovations and technical experimentations, bringing back up the relationship between "legein" and "teukein" as theorized by Cornelius Castoriadis.


Objective To explore the change of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) expression and cytosolic Ca 2+ in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and to learn the relation between CAMs,cytosolic Ca 2+ and CHD. Methods CAMs and cytosolic Ca 2+ were examined using flow cytometry (FCM).Results The expression of CD11b,CD18 in CHD patients was markedly higher than that in control group,but the expression of CD62L in CHD group was lower than that in control group ( P 0 001). Up regulation on cytosolic Ca 2+ was found in CHD group ( P 0 001).The positive correlation between the expression of CD11b,CD18 and cytosolic Ca 2+ ,the negative correlation between the expression of CD62L and cytosolic Ca 2+ were also found ( r =0 595,0 563,-0 656).Conclusion The results suggested that the expression of CAMs in periphered blood leukocytes and the change of cytosolic Ca 2+ in patients with CHD were associated with occurrence and progression of CHD.


This paper answers a question of Burns, Karrass and Solitar by giving examples of knot and link groups which are not subgroup-separable. For instance, it is shown that the fundamental group of the square knot complement is not subgroup separable. Let L denote the fundamental group of the link consisting of a chain of 4 circles. It is shown that L is not subgroup separable. Furthermore, it is shown that L is a subgroup of every known non-subgroup separable compact 3-manifold group. It is asked whether all such examples contain L. A group G is said to be subgroup separable if each nitely generated subgroup H is the intersection of nite index subgroups of G. The rst example of a 3-manifold group which is not subgroup separable was given in BKS]. In that paper, Burns, Karrass, and Solitar observed that their example K is not a knot group, and they asked if knot groups are subgroup separable. The primary purpose of this paper is to answer their question by giving examples of knot and link groups which are not subgroup separable. In section 1, the example K of BKS] is used to show that a closely related group L is not subgroup separable. L is the fundamental group of the complement of a very simple link: the chain of four circles illustrated in gure 2. In section 2, L plays the role of a poisonous subgroup in the proof of theorem 2.1 which characterizes the subgroup separability of certain amalgamated free products. For instance, as a special case of theorem 2.1 we obtain, is subgroup separable if and only if G is virtually F q Z for some q. The example of BKS] was exploited in LN] to produce various other non-subgroup separable groups. For instance, LN] construct a non-subgroup separable example R Z R, where R is the (4; 4; 2) triangle group. Their examples motivated theorem 2.1, which places their examples in a more general class. In section 3, theorem 2.1 is used to show that various knot groups are not subgroup separable. Perhaps the simplest such example is,


ISTITUTO DAVID CHIOSSONE, Onlus, Corso Armellini 11, 16122 Genova, Italy This paper deals with the problem of providing and disseminating information about the accessibility fea-tures of educational software products. Its ultimate aim is to support educational actors in choosing tools that facilitate the inclusion of pupils with disabilities into everyday classroom activities. It focuses both on the type of information to be conveyed and on the way to do so, and, more precisely, it seeks to answer the question: "In the field of educational software what kind of information about accessibility features is actually needed by potential users and how should it be delivered"?


According to the clinical practical application of CPR,connecting with the features of CPR,this paper analyzes the problems existing in current hospital CPR system,and advances some countermeasures.


Abstract This descriptive research aimed to measure levels of knowledge, understanding, and participation in Quality Assurance Operation comparing between factors of age, work position, and years of working among personnel at Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Saraburi. There were 70 participants, which were nursing instructors, administrators, and clerical staff. Data were collected during the academic year 2010 using the Demographic & Work Data, and the Quality Assurance Questionnaires. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and One Way ANOVA. The result showed that the overall means of knowledge, understanding, and in the quality assurance operation of school personnel were at high level. Factor of age and job position were statistical significantly associated with the overall mean of knowledge and understanding in the quality assurance operation, but not years of working (p < .05). The overall means of knowledge and understanding of staff in the group of 40-49 years old was higher than those 20 - 29 years old (t = 2.1750, p < .05). The nursing instructors had higher scores of knowledge and understanding than the clerical staff (t = 1.654, p < .05). Among the clerical staff, although the score on participation in quality assurance operation was high, there was no significant different among different among factor of age, years of working, and job position. It is recommended that finding could be used as a basis for promoting appropriate knowledge, of quality assurance for personnel with regards to age, period of practice, and where the different lines of management at the early years of work needs which needs to get knowledge support system, clear understanding about the Quality Assurance. The college must develop the knowledge and the awareness at the beginning of the personnel work commencement to be able to understand which important to quality assurance processes. This will lead to a culture of actual work quality of the personnel.


Introduction Tuberculosis continues to be a great public health problem throughout the world. 30 .000 .000 . new cases are reported anually of whom 5 . 000 .000 die per year. In search for new immunoprophylactic methods to control this disease , a series of chemi cal and immunological studies of the Koch ' s bacil l i , capable of inducing a protective im mune response against the infection caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been developed . The great chemical complexity of this microorganism is seen when analyzing the Myco bacterium tuberculosis sonicates on Coomassie-blue stained SDS-PAGE . A large number of protein bands of different sizes can be observed , with molecular weights ranging from 1 75KD (Kilodaltons) to peptides of 6 . 000 daltons . Despite the numerous studies o n the composition o f the M . tuberculosis bacil l i , little i s known about the chemical structure of i ts proteins mainly due to the fact that only a few have been isolated and characterized in detail . To understand the biology o f M. tuberculosis our laboratory started working on the iso lation and chemical and immunological characterization of a series of these molecules , cen tering its interest in the molecules capable of inducing an immunogenic specific response in human beings . Thi s research is the purpose of this report .


The natural interpretation of fish catch-at-age data leads to an approximate multiplicative model with three factors: year, age, and yearclass. These factors are related however (yearclass=year- age) and estimates of the parameters expressed in a log-linear model are not unique. Specific solutions are obtained by generating estimable functions of the parameters and imposing biologically meaning- ful constraints. Choosing an appropriate error distribution for the model was not so simple. For data from a series of cod surveys in the North Sea, the variation of the large catches was too great for a model with variance proportional to mean and the variation of the small catches too great for a model with constant coefficient of variation. Closer examination of the method of sampling suggested that a mixture of these variance structures would be appropriate.


Smokeless Tobacco: not a healthy alternative Traveling from his home in rural Illinois, Gruen Von Behrens spent a week in late October touring schools throughout Saskatchewan with an inspiring and powerful message for students fortunate enough to hear his story. Speaking to audiences of grade nine students, a notable quiet came over the room in city after city as Gruen introduced himself with a Midwest accent and a slight slur to his speech, the result of over 30 life saving surgeries to his jaw and face. Diagnosed with oral cancer at the age of 17, Gruen began using spit tobacco at the age of 13. What began as a white spot on his tongue in time became Oral Cancer. Now at 31,Gruen encourages students throughout his tour to think for themselves and to consider his disfigured face before they decide to use any tobacco product.


The article presents the results of many years of research on the cultivar selection of pear of the North Caucasian Zonal Research Institute of Horticulture and Viticulture. The role of domestic breeding of varieties increases in the terms of the problem of import substitution. The results of the research confirmed the adaptation of varieties set up in the North-Caucasian Zonal Research Institute of Horticulture and Viticulture to the conditions of the southern region. A brief characterization of 11 varieties of pear breeding of NCZRIH£V is given; 4 varieties transferred to state variety testing: Duet, Dachnica of Kuban, Iunskaya rannyaya, Krasnodarskaya letnyaya, Luberskaya, Leven, Samorodok. Varieties sources of signs and of interest test under production conditions of farms of different ownership forms with late flowering and flowers with sufficiently stable to return frost are found: Zolushka, Iunskaya rannyaya, Krasnodarskaya letnyaya, Malishka, Shehan. Varieties of sources of evidence of drought are Iunskaya rannyaya, Zolushka, Krasnodarskaya letnyaya, Shehan; varieties of sources of evidence of productivity are Iunskaya rannyaya, Zolushka, Leven, Malishka, Shehan. Varieties with field resistance to scab over a number of years are found: Iunskaya rannyaya, Duet, Zolushka, Krasnodarskaya letnyaya, Malishka, Samorodok, Shehan. Varieties on appeal and taste the fruits are recommended: Dachnica of Kuban, Zolushka, Luberskaya, Leven, Shehan. The chemical composition of the fruit of pears due to the varietal characteristics are studied. Varieties of sources of the high content of soluble solids are Zolushka, Dachnica of Kuban and Luberskaya; high content of acids are Krasnodarskaya letnyaya, Dachnica of Kuban, Rannyaya Sergeeva; high content of vitamin C – Leven, Samorodok, Zolushka; high content of vitamin P – Shehan, Leven, Samorodok. Promising varieties of pears for industrial use in the south of Russia, which can be used in addressing issues on import substitution are recommended.


A 38-year-old chronic alcoholic man presented for acute gastroenteritis. Physical examination revealed multiple tophi over the joints of extremities and a subcutaneous painless mass measuring 12×5 cm 2 with a hard texture and sharp margin at the right calf, which he recalled having for many years. His blood tests were remarkable with blood urea ni-trogen of 45.6 mg/dL, creatinine of 3.5 mg/dL, and uric acid of 11.4 mg/dL. The subsequent computed tomography (CT) disclosed two masses in the right gastrocnemius mus-1


Bupleurum shanianum X. G. Ma & X. J. He, previously recognized in China as B. gracillimum, is proposed here as a new species. This new species and B. gracillimum differ in many morphological characters (flowering stem position, bract size, number of flowers per umbellule) and have non-overlapping distribution ranges. Bupleurum shanianum is most similar to B. yunnanense Franch., but the new species has shorter cauline leaves, and umbellules usually with 4 bracteoles and 3–6(–9) flowers. Bupleurum shanianum is known from eastern Himalayas to western Sichuan.


OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The preclinical stage of Alzheimer disease (AD) is a clinically silent period that can be detected through neuroimaging and biofluid biomarkers. The goal of this study was to determine whether performance of complex daily tasks is associated with plasma biomarkers of brain amyloidosis or neuroaxonal injury in cognitively normal (CN) older adults. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This is a cross-sectional analysis of an ongoing longitudinal cohort study. CN older adults performed three complex daily tasks (shopping, checkbook balancing, medication management) from the Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills in their home. Tasks were scored for independence, with more assistance required indicating worse performance. Participants had a plasma sample obtained within two years of completing the tasks. Plasma amyloid (Aβ42 and Aβ40) were evaluated by high precision immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry assays and neurofilament light (NfL) was measured with single molecule array (Simoa) assays. Nonparametric partial correlations were used to quantify the associations between task performance and plasma AD biomarkers, controlling for age and gender. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: 105 CN participants (mean age 74.7 years, 55% female, 88% white) were included. After controlling for age and gender, worse performance of complex daily tasks (more assistance required) was associated with increased plasma NfL (Spearman's: 0.23, p=0.04) but not plasma Aβ42/Aβ40. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This study suggests that worse performance of complex daily tasks in CN older adults may be associated with increased plasma NfL a marker of neuroaxonal injury, but not with plasma amyloid. These findings could lead to a better understanding of clinical changes that may occur prior to the onset of noticeable memory symptoms in AD or related dementias.


Abstract Inspired by the inaccessibility of laboratory experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, we designed an at-home experiment on diet and diabetes for a high school (9th grade) life science course. It promotes active learning through an affordable experiment, embedded hyperlinks, and video content to make virtual learning exciting and accessible.


Speaker verification is the process of authenticating a person's identity. Most of the available speaker verification systems have been implemented today is based on the step by step analysis of the acoustical signal itself. However, they are very sensitive to noise and work only at very high signal to noise ratio (SNR). On the other hand, the neural responses under noise are very robust, and the behavioral responses are also robust under diverse background noise. Therefore, a speaker verification system is proposed using the neural responses at the level of the auditory nerve (AN). For this, a very well-developed AN model by Zilany and colleagues (Zilany et al. 2009) is employed to simulate the neural responses on verifying a speaker. For this project, the feature extraction of the speech is analysed using the responses from the AN model, where the output is in the form of synapse output. A neurogram is constructed from the synapse responses of neurons with a wide range of characteristic frequencies. The neurogram's average discharge or envelope (ENV) is then calculated. The resulted vector is then used to train the system using Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) classification technique. Features are then extracted for testing data set and compared to the vectors for each of the trained speakers in order to verify a particular speaker. The speaker database is made up of recordings in a quiet room of 10 speech samples with 8 kHz sampling rate from 39 different speakers. Out of them, 70% speech samples of the speaker are used as the training set and the remaining 30% are for testing. As the neural responses are very robust to noise, speaker verification using AN model responses can substitute or outperform the current technology and thus improve performance for application such as in security processing.


A new reagent isonitrosopropiophenone thiosemicarbazone (HINPTC) is proposed for extraction and spectrophptometric determination of copper. The reagent HINPTC reacts with copper to give yellow coloured complex, which can be quantitatively extracted into isoamyl alcohol at pH 10. The organic extract shows maximum absorption at 390 nm where absorption due to a similarly prepared reagent blank is negligible. The Beer's law is followed in the concentration range 0.5-6.0 μg/mL of copper. The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity of Cu(II)-HINPTC complex are 5.826 x 10 3 /mol/cm and 0.010 μg/mL/cm 2 ,respectively. The stoichiometry of extracted species is found to be 1:2 (M: L). The proposed method is rapid, sensitive, reproducible and is applied for the determination of copper in synthetic mixtures and real samples like pharmaceuticals, aluminium alloys (Al chips and Al pins), and brass ash. It also provides a relative inexpensive alternative to more expensive instrumental method like AAS.


The next generation of mobile communication systems will be an integration of complementary wired and wireless network technologies. A mobile user equipped with multiple interfaces that support different technologies should be able to switch between them when needed without losing its connection to the system. This is called a vertical handover. A vertical handover may cause abrupt changes in the throughput and delay experienced by the mobile user because of the differences in the characteristics and conditions on the old and new networks. This is an issue for all rate/congestion control mechanisms, especially slow responsive ones such as TFRC. TFRC was designed for a smooth transmission rate, therefore it can not follow closely the sudden change in the available bandwidth. Significant change in the end-to-end delay may also cause false no feedback timeout or packet reordering and affect the sending rate calculation. In this paper we propose a fast adaptation mechanism that tries to solve all these problems in a systematic and unified way. We show that our mechanism can greatly reduce the adaptation time and packet loss during TFRC vertical handover between any technologies, while preserving the original TFRC behavior otherwise. It is also designed to be robust in a lossy environment, in case of bad wireless link quality or network congestion.