Increasing reports of herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth ( Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson) pose a serious management concern for Kansas corn ( Zea mays L.) pro-ducers. The objectives of this study were to evaluate various herbicide programs, including preemergence (PRE) alone, PRE followed by (fb) early postemergence (EPOST), and PRE fb late POST (LPOST) for control of glyphosate- and mesotrione-resistant (GMR) Palmer amaranth in glyphosate- and glufosinate-resistant corn, and their effect on crop injury, yield, and net economic return. Field experiments were conducted in 2018 and 2019 in grower fields with natural infestations of GMR Palmer amaranth near Seward in Stafford County, KS. Preemergence programs, including dicamba + thiencarbazone-methyl + atrazine and dicamba + [atrazine, bicyclopyrone, mesotrione, S-metolachlor (ABMS)] or dicamba + ABMS in mixtures with atrazine, mesotrione, S-metolachlor, and metribuzin provided 89–93% control of GMR Palmer amaranth 3 wk after PRE. Preemergence fb EPOST programs provided 87–96% control of GMR Palmer amaranth at 2 wk after EPOST through 7 wk after LPOST. In comparison, PRE-only programs provided 62–82% and PRE fb LPOST programs provided 75–86% control. The various herbicide programs resulted in greater corn grain yield ranging from 9,207 to 10,508 kg ha –1 compared with 6,056 kg ha –1 in the nontreated control. The highest net return ($1,300 ha –1 ) was achieved from dicamba + ABMS + atrazine applied PRE fb EPOST application of ABMS + atrazine. These results suggest that effective PRE fb EPOST herbicide programs consisting of multiple sites of actions are available and provide effective control of GMR Palmer amaranth in glyphosate- and glufosinate-resistant corn.


An analysis of service quality amongst mobile telephony companies in Ghana has been conducted using the SERVQUAL quality measurement scale. The research adopted a quantitative research methodology by employing multiple comparison Bonferroni test to measure responses of customer expectation and perceived service delivery by mobile telephony companies. The study revealed that three (3) out of the four (4) network operators sampled recorded negative weighted mean difference between customers perception and expectation on the reliability service quality variable which relates to coverage and low call drops, and this variable is perceived to be the key performance indicator for the firms. Mobile telephony companies however recorded positive weighted mean difference on the tangibility service quality variable. The study concludes that despite the unenthusiastic performance recorded on the reliability measures, customers are maintaining relationship with network operators suggesting that quality does not mean relationship.


To the Editor: Vascular contribution to the pathogenesis of cognitive decline has been demonstrated in vascular dementia as well as dementia with Alzheimer's pathology. Several biomarkers for atherosclerosis are being used clinically to assess aspects of atherosclerosis. Among them, pulse wave velocity (PWV), carotid arterial intima-media thickness (IMT), and the ankle-brachial index (ABI) 4,5 are associated with cognitive impairment or dementia in the general population. The augmentation index (AI), the ratio of the reflected pressure wave, is another index of atherosclerosis affecting central pulse pressure and has been postulated as an index for pulsatile load to brain circulation, indicating that AI could also be an index for cognitive impairment. One study has compared two indices for predicting lower Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores (<24) in the general population and demonstrated that ABI but not PWV between the brachium and ankle (baPWV) is an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment; no other indices were compared. The present study evaluated four indices for atherosclerosis (baPWV, carotid IMT, radial AI, and ABI) to determine the most-effective marker to predict the presence of cognitive impairment in a middle-aged to elderly general population. One thousand two hundred eighty-eight consecutive participants in the "Anti-aging Doc" medical examination program at Ehime University Hospital (509 men; mean age 66.2 ± 9.0) were analyzed. Cognitive function was evaluated using a touch-panel computerized (TPC) test battery consisting of four tests: immediate recall, delayed recall, arithmetic, and visuospatial. A score less than 13 out of 15 has been shown to predict the presence of Alzheimer's disease with 96% sensitivity and 86% specificity. IMT of the far wall of the common carotid artery was measured using an SSD-3500SV (Aloka Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) with a 7.5-MHz probe as previously described. Ankle and brachial blood pressures (BPs) were measured on both sides using a volume-plethysmographic apparatus (form PWV/ABI; Omron Healthcare Co. Ltd., Kyoto, Japan) with participant in the supine position. ABI was calculated as lower ankle BP divided by higher brachial BP. baPWV was measured simultaneously as PWV/ABI and calculated from the time interval between the wave fronts of the brachial and ankle waveforms and the path length from the brachium to the ankle. Radial AI was measured in the left radial artery using an automated tonometric method (HEM-9000AI; Omron Healthcare, Kyoto, Japan) with participants in a seated position after at least 5 minutes of rest. Right brachial BP was measured simultaneously using an oscillometric device incorporated into the HEM-9000AI. Radial AI 75 was obtained as correction for a heart rate of 75 beats per minute.


This paper presents the characterization and modeling of several correlative powerline channel models, namely, the Phillips model and Zimmermann and Dostert model. In this work we describe some important features and obtain the analytical expressions of the power line channel, explore the validity of the channel transfer function, reports the important applications to contribute to the future consensus of the broadband powerline communication. The proposed modeling approach is based on the radial structure of the low voltage electrical networks and this is an extension of the Zimmermann model.


ABSTRACT This paper describes a creative approach to implementing career counselling and guidance in contemporary higher education. Following a theoretical discussion on the motivational mechanism underlying the career exploration process, the validity of using a storytelling approach to establish undergraduate students' career identity was examined. A Life Journal into the Future was then finalised, linking career exploration and career management. Methodologically, the career writings of 128 students were examined through a template analysis, which was established by a conceptualisation of 132 participants' ideal careers. The results showed that undergraduates' low awareness of personal strengths and lack of motivation for pursuing careers could be mitigated through construction of career identity, career writing and the holistic narrative constitution of a prospective career story.


This research aims to determine the relationship between the performance work culture with MA economics teacher in Sub Padang Bolak District Nort Padang Lawas Year 2014/2015.
This study was conducted in Madrasyah Aliyah in District Padang Bolak. Techniques of data collection consisted of interviews and questionnaires. This study population is 31 people, the number of 31 people with a total engineering Sampling. The data analysis technique used to determine the relationship of X and Y is variables Product Moment correlation analysis, and then to determine the contribution of the variable X to variable Y using the determination and hypothesis testing using t.
From the analysis of the data obtained correlation coefficient between variables X and Y variables rxy at 0.569, this means reletionship between variable X with Y categorized Medium because it is on the interpretation of the interpretation from 0.40 to 0.599. Major contribution to the work culture of teacher performance is 32%. Testing this hypothesis using the test t and obtained thitung of 3.724 while the value table 2.045 at 0:05 significant level. This shows thitung > ttable then the hypothesis can be accepted.
Then the hypothesis which states that There is a positive and significant relationship between work culture with the performance of MA economics teacher in Sub Padang Bolak the District of Nort Padang Padang Lawas is acceptable.


The current rapid development of weak electrical installations has made the monitoring of weak signals increasingly important. For highly sophisticated instruments, the slightest signal deviation will cause terrible and irreparable damage. At present, commercially available multimeters generally have low accuracy, which does not meet the error range required for weak electrical signal monitoring, because it cannot be monitored in real-time, and requires manual handheld data collection. To address the above demands, this study designs and builds a voltage and current signal collector based on the STM32F103 microcontroller. In this case, the DC voltage is designed in the range of −5 V to 5 V, and for the current is from 4 to 20 mA, and the AC voltage from 0 to 5 V can be measured. The measurement results will be displayed on the LCD screen. The collector uses RS485 as the physical transmission interface and the communication protocol uses the Modbus-RTU protocol, which can work properly in the range of 10–24 V DC supply. The analysis of the corresponding requirements is followed by the circuit design to complete the transmission and display of the collected data. The DC voltage measurement part contains the process of boosting and dividing the circuit and then reading it, the current measurement is completed by an isotropic proportional amplifier circuit, and the AC voltage RMS measurement uses the AD637 true RMS conversion chip to realize the circuit, the design contains the software part, the hardware part, and the communication part design. The final device has been tested to meet the national standard of maximum permissible error range within ±0.1 and is suitable for the complex environment envisaged.


The simulation of Penn Station, New York involved a complex array of dynamics that included both operational considerations as well as infrastructure limitations. Today, Penn Station is used by three distinct railroads: AMTRAK, Long Island Tail Road and New Jersey Transit. To accurately simulate the operation of Penn Station, it was necessary to incorporate the operating philosophies of each tenant by defining the project limits from Newark, New Jersey through Penn Station, New York to Jamaica, New York. This regional rail network services nearly 300,000 commuters daily by funneling more than 800 trains per day into Penn Station via six underwater tunnels and a complex network of interlockings and signals. However, the capacity of the station is limited and cannot currently handle the service increases planned by all three railroads over the next fifteen years. Therefore, it was necessary to test various scenarios of operational and structural modifications that could provide a means to achieve the proposed levels of service. To accomplish this task, the project employed a three-phase approach. Phase One tested the efficacy of the computer simulator and established baseline values by simulating the current operating system for all three railroads. Phase Two introduced the proposed operating plan increases for 1998. With service increases planned for all three railroads, a new operating philosophy for the station had to be adopted and significant structural improvements had to be initiated. Operationally, the station had to be viewed as part of a continuous system rather than a terminating point. To do this effectively, peak period train dwells at the station were limited to minimum allowable values by moving Long Island Rail Road trains from station platforms directly to one of the thirty storage tracks located three blocks west of Penn Station in Manhattan's West Side Storage Yard. At the yard, Long Island Rail Road trains were prepared for eastbound departures and returned to the station. However, without modifying the existing infrastructure, access to the West Side Storage Yard was limited. Therefore, Phase Two also introduced a set of track layout alternatives for the complex interlocking located immediately west of the station platforms to improve access between Penn Stations, New York and the West Side Storage Yard.


Pathophysiological Aspects.- Current View of the Mononuclear Phagocyte System.- The Kinetics of Mononuclear Phagocytes in Man.- Biochemical Properties of Human and Murine Mononuclear Phagocytes and Their Changes on Activation.- Macrophages in the Regulation of Immunity.- The Role of Macrophages as Effector Cells.- The Macrophage as a Cytotoxic Effector Cell.- The Role of Complement in the Function of the Monocyte-Macrophage System.- Macrophage-Dependent Production of Erythropoietin and Colony-Stimulating Factor.- The Relation Between Monocytes and Resident (Tissue) Macrophages.- Development of Exudate-Resident Macrophages in Vivo and in Vitro.- The Monocyte-Macrophage System in Granulomatous Inflammation.- Macrophages in Granulomas: Histochemical Evidence Suggesting Local Control of Heterogeneous Functions.- The Role of Macrophages in Storage Diseases.- Interaction of Lipoproteins with Macrophages.- The Role of Macrophages in Atherosclerosis.- Clinical Syndromes.- Acute Monocytic Leukemias.- Subacute and Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia.- Lysosomal Granules in Leukemic Monocytes and Their Relation to Maturation Stages.- Characteristics and Functions of Monocytes and Promonocytes in Monocytic Leukemia.- Chronic Monocytic Leukemias.- Therapy of Acute Monoblastic Leukemia.- Histiocytic Medullary Reticulosis - Neoplastic or Atypical Inflammatory Process?.- Histiocytic Medullary Reticulosis Re-visited.- Therapy of Malignant Histiocytosis.- Immunohistochemical Marking of Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma and Malignant Histiocytosis.- Malignant Histiocytic Disorders of the Skin.- Childhood Histiocytosis X, Clinical Aspects and Therapeutic Approaches.- Therapy in Pulmonary Histiocytosis X.- Sinus Histiocytosis with Massive Lymphadenopathy and Epidural Involvement.- Familial Lymphohistiocytosis.- Concluding Remarks: The Pathology of the MMS-Present Knowledge and Future Trends.


Robust algorithms applied in Acoustic Echo Cancellation systems present an excessive calculation load that has to be minimized. In the present paper, we propose two different low complexity fast least squares algorithms, called Partial Update Simplified Fast Transversal Filter (PU-SMFTF) algorithm and Reduced Partial Update Simplified Fast Transversal Filter (RPU-SMFTF) algorithm. The first algorithm reduces the computational complexity in both filtering and prediction parts using the M-Max method for coefficients selection. Moreover, the second algorithm applies the partial update technique on the filtering part, joined to the P-size forward predictor, to get more complexity reduction. The obtained results show a computational complexity reduction from (7L+8) to (L+6M+8) and from (7L+8) to (L+M+4P+17) for the PU-SMFTF algorithm and RPU-SMFTF algorithm, respectively compared to the original Simplified Fast Transversal Filter (SMFTF). Furthermore, experiments picked out in the context of acoustic echo cancellation, have demonstrated that the proposed algorithms provide better convergence speed, good tracking capability and steady-state performances than the NLMS and SMFTF algorithms.


This paper proposes a trace reduction method for assessing the improvability of the performance of message passing parallel programs. This assessment is based on a what-if prediction approach that forecasts future program performance, for example, the execution time if the target program is modified according to typical tuning techniques. Our method reduces the size of trace files by aggregating records of communications that do not change the predicted execution time. In order to avoid recording such useless information, our method automatically identifies them during program execution by comparing the occurrence time of sends and receives. In case studies, our method reduces the analysis time for what-if predictions as well as the size of trace files roughly into half. We also discuss the usability of our method.


Introduction Customer agility (CA) and market orientation have been widely discussed in prior research. Also, the role of brand image in business making-decision has been emphasized. However, the current analysis lacks integrating the relationship among the three concepts. Thus, this study creatively creates a causal relationship model of CA, market orientation, and brand image. Methods Finally, 289 valid samples from the managers in Chinese market was collected for further analysis by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results The results show that market orientation can positively affect CA (both customer-sensing capability and customer-responding capability), and CA will further have a positive influence on brand image. Also, market orientation has a direct impact on brand image. Additionally, CA (both customer-sensing capability and customer-responding capability) will mediate the impact of market orientation on brand image. Discussion The research has both theoretical and practical contributions. From the theoretical perspective, the results contribute to enriching the brand theory, strategy management, and marketing research. From the practical perspective, the investigation enlightens managers to pay attention to the roles of CA implementation and market orientation strategies in enhancing their brand image.


but the later also. This fall has largely helped to lower the death rate in all decades. Therefore there is no warrant to assume that there has been a consistent rise in the deaths due to heart disease as a result of the added strain of life, for other causes quite satisfactorily account for the somewhat misleading rise in the graphic curves. All this may seem rather dry, but in reality it is full of interest. It is useful to know that infections are proving less lethal throughout the span of life, and if escape from one peril confronts us with another, our correct attitude is to regard this as a challenge.


Thermodynamic variables include temperature,(19) external pressure,(20) humidity (water chemical potential),(21) and solution Structural data were collected every 50 ps, and thermodynamic data were collected every 0.5 ps. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 71st ed., Lide , D. R., Ed., CRC Press: Boca. CRC Handbook of Phase Equilibria and Thermodynamic Data of Polymer and Thermodynamic Data of Polymer Solutions at Elevated Pressures(pdf)(Zzzzz). 2. Entrepreneurship. Management. 2. Polymer. Thermodynamics and tonnage, shot weight, machine platen size, calculations for cavity pressure. Plastics Mold Engineering Handbook by J. Harry Drebois and Wayne I. Prible, and fatigue properties, thermal properties – tests for elevated performance -heat.


Increased carbamylation of serum albumin is associated with increased mortality in patients with kidney failure. Counteracting Carbamylation: A Possible Route to Treating Complications of Kidney Failure Like a canary in a coal mine, too much glycated hemoglobin in the blood is a warning sign that a diabetic patients' glucose is out of control. Carbamyl groups on another ubiquitous blood protein, albumin, may sound a similar alarm for blood urea, a consequence of failing kidneys. Carbamylation may be harmful in its own right because it has been linked to atherosclerosis and other diseases. By using mass spectroscopy, the authors devised a highly accurate assay for measuring carbamylation of the lysine at position 549 of human albumin. With this assay, they found that in two groups of patients with end-stage renal disease and elevated blood urea, the amount of carbamylated albumin correlated with urea concentrations. Albumin was more carbamylated in patients with end-stage renal disease who died within a year than in those who lived longer. Although knowing the prognosis of patients with kidney failure would let us prioritize transplants for the most needy, it would be even better if we could prevent the complications of kidney failure altogether. The authors have gathered data from biochemical experiments and from mice that suggest that protein carbamylation and its associated pathology might be prevented by boosting amino acid concentrations (which tend to be low in these patients) in the blood through diet or other means. Amino acids can compete with protein side chains during carbamylation, potentially interfering with the reaction and its harmful consequences. Thus, amino acid replacement might help patients with kidney failure. Urea, the toxic end product of protein catabolism, is elevated in end-stage renal disease (ESRD), although it is unclear whether or how it contributes to disease. Urea can promote the carbamylation of proteins on multiple lysine side chains, including human albumin, which has a predominant carbamylation site on Lys549. The proportion of serum albumin carbamylated on Lys549 (%C-Alb) correlated with time-averaged blood urea concentrations and was twice as high in ESRD patients than in non-uremic subjects (0.90% versus 0.42%). Baseline %C-Alb was higher in ESRD subjects who died within 1 year than in those who survived longer than 1 year (1.01% versus 0.77%) and was associated with an increased risk of death within 1 year (hazard ratio, 3.76). These findings were validated in an independent cohort of diabetic ESRD subjects (hazard ratio, 3.73). Decreased concentrations of serum amino acids correlated with higher %C-Alb in ESRD patients, and mice with diet-induced amino acid deficiencies exhibited greater susceptibility to albumin carbamylation than did chow-fed mice. In vitro studies showed that amino acids such as cysteine, histidine, arginine, and lysine, as well as other nucleophiles such as taurine, inhibited cyanate-induced C-Alb formation at physiologic pH and temperature. Together, these results suggest that chronically elevated urea promotes carbamylation of proteins in ESRD and that serum amino acid concentrations may modulate this protein modification. In summary, we have identified serum %C-Alb as a risk factor for mortality in patients with ESRD and propose that this risk factor may be modifiable with supplemental amino acid therapy.


A 48-year-old Japanese woman with psoriatic arthritis presented to our department with complaints of arthralgia of the distal interphalangeal joint of the left ring fi nger and both great toes. During the preceding three months, she was treated at an external hospital with infl iximab (IFX) 5 mg/kg on weeks 0, 2, 4, and 12. After initiating IFX therapy, a scaly erythematous plaque with crust erupted on the anterior aspect of the right lower leg (Figure 1 a, lower panel). The plaque became large and ulcerated within several months (Figure 1 c, upper panel) despite topical corticosteroid ointment and IFX 5 mg/kg infusion every 8 weeks after the fourth dose. Biopsy of the lesion showed ulceration with a dense dermal infi ltrate of plasma cells, neutrophils and lymphocytes accompanied by capillary proliferation. The peripheral epidermis of the ulcer was elongated and the granular cell layer was absent (Figure 2 ). The lesion was negative for bacterial and fungal pathogens on culture and histological examination, and was diagnosed as pyoderma gangrenosum (PG). Diagnosis of PG is based largely on exclusion, since there are no uniformly accepted diagnostic criteria [ 1, 2 ] . The patient experienced infusion reactions immediately after the 5 th and 8 th IFX infusions, characterized by urticarial eruption and fever, respectively. Ten days after the 8 th IFX infusion, she experienced sudden ocular pain and blurred vision, and was diagnosed with HLA-B27-negative acute anterior uveitis. Corticosteroid eye drops prevented progression of the uveitis. Due to adverse effects and insuffi cient therapeutic results, psoriatic arthritis therapy was switched from IFX to adalimumab (ADA) (80 mg every other week). The PG lesion re-epithelialized (Figure 1 c, lower panel), and the uveitis resolved without additional therapy. No additional adverse effects occurred. TNF α inhibitors (TNFi) are a treatment option for PG, and IFX is associated with response and healing rates of 82 % and 48 %, respectively [ 3 ] . Paradoxical PG during IFX therapy for psoriasis has been reported [ 4 ] , but to our knowledge, this is the fi rst report of simultaneous IFXassociated uveitis and PG. Eighty percent of paradoxical reactions to TNFi involve a new onset of disease, with 20 % of cases refl ecting exacerbation of a preexisting disease [ 5 ] . Our case, although classifi ed as a new onset of disease, may be due to exacerbation of a preexisting disease, since PG and uveitis are associated with psoriatic arthritis. There have been several reports of paradoxical PG occurring under IFX therapy for other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis [ 6, 7 ] . The mechanism remains to be elucidated, but the most widely accepted hypothesis involves an interaction between TNFα and interferonα . Another theory was proposed based on a mouse model


Mechanical asphyxias are those resulting from a mechanical interruption of air penetration to the respiratory tract. They are usually classified according to the nature of the mechanical mean originating them and the way they perform. Hanging is no more that the neck constriction, executed by a lace attached to a fixed point, on which the proper weight of the body applies traction. Death, according to the circumstances of the case, may occur by an asphyxiating, circulatory, inhibitory mechanism or by medullar lesion (a rare case of presentation). The current work   reports a case of atypical hanging.  The person who died, when abruptly jumped down the balcony of his house with the rope around the neck and the body was left pending, suffered a severe spinomedullar trauma, causing a fracture of the 3 rd cervical vertebra, and a medullar contusion causing an instantaneous death due to the medullar shock. To discuss the case, the authors took into account elements of the location where it took place, and the external and internal examination of the body.


A thorough study of available reports emphasizes the infrequency of chronic peptic ulcer in children. Up to twenty years ago it was considered a rarity, but within the last few years it has been encountered more often. Too often, however, this condition remains unrecognized clinically. Ulcers in childhood are overlooked because digestive upsets are not given the careful attention they merit. It is therefore of the utmost importance to bear this possibility in mind in order that the mortality associated with profuse hemorrhage, pyloric obstruction and perforation with peritonitis may be avoided. This study does not include cases of melena neonatorum, in some of which acute ulcers are found. Sturtevant and Shapiro 1 found only five cases of gastric ulcer in children in 7,219 necropsies. From 1906 to 1925, in 8,260 (6,664 duodenal and 1,596 gastric) peptic ulcers at the Mayo Clinic, Proctor 2 discovered only two in children, one


We compare 2D/3D combination displays to displays with 2D and 3D views alone. Combination displays we consider are: orientation icon (i.e., side-by-side), in-place methods (e.g., clip planes), and a new method called ExoVis. We specifically analyze performance differences (i.e., time and accuracy) for 3D orientation and relative position tasks. Empirical results show that 3D displays are effective for approximate navigation and relative positioning whereas 2D/3D combination displays (orientation icon and ExoVis) are useful for precise orientation and position tasks. Combination 2D/3D displays had as good or better performance as 2D displays. Clip planes were not effective for a 3D orientation task, but may be useful when only one slice is needed.


Objective:Enhances in tanshin water-soluble the effective component(Tanshin element and original catecha aldehyde)content.Methods:Inspection use different resin to tanshin in water-soluble ingredient fractionation by adsorption effect.Results:D613 resin adsorption tanshin element content is relative bigger,moreover is easier to elute.Conclusion:The D613 pocket adsorption resin can selectively adsorb tanshin's active constituent tanshin element and large scale reduce the paste rate,It is the best choice for extration and purification of tanshin water-solubility active constituent.


Background and aims – The Orchidaceae family is vulnerable, because of the destruction of their habitat, as well as the extraction of individuals from natural populations. This is the case of the genus Rhynchostele Rchb.f.; among the actions considered important for appropriate conservation strategies for this genus is the generation of fundamental knowledge, such as on its reproductive biology. The objective of this work is to understand the mating system and reproductive success of Rhynchostele cervantesii, an endangered epiphytic orchid endemic to Mexico. Material and methods – Manual and open-pollination treatments were conducted during 2014 and 2015 in a cloud forest in Michoacan, Mexico. In each period, 30 to 40 randomly selected inflorescences were subjected to the following treatments: a) spontaneous-self-pollination, b) emasculation, c) self-pollination, d) cross-pollination, and e) open-pollination. The developed fruits were counted and harvested, the viability of the seeds was determined, through the observation and evaluation of embryos using microscopy. Key results – Significant differences were recorded between the treatments in both 2014 and 2015, with higher fruit production in cross-pollination than in self-pollination and natural-pollination. There were significant differences in seed viability, with higher values for seeds from open-pollination and crosspollination and lower values for seeds from self-pollination. Conclusions – Rhynchostele cervantesii is a species that requires pollinators for sexual reproduction because there is no fruit production with spontaneous-self-pollination. Under pollen limitation, the fruit set of natural pollination was a lot lower than in cross-pollination although fruits were the same quality. R. cervantesii had a mixed mating system with a tendency to exogamy, presenting high values of female reproductive success compared to other tropical epiphytic orchid species reported in the literature.


The decision to have children nowadays is largely a matter of choice; this has led researchers to model fertility in economic terms. This paper links the demographic effects to the labor market characteristics and consequently to the national economy. It shows that the situation in the Romanian economy is characterized by a steadily declining share of the working age population, a rising share of the elderly and a decreasing share of the young. Therefore if the downward demographic trend should continue, there will only be 15.6 million people left in Romania in 2060 with only 2 million labor force participants. The burden of financing 8 dependents will fall on one labor force participant, thus, the rising old-age dependency ratios will translate into growing tax burdens. The generous pension and health care benefits will crowd out public investment in infrastructure or education, with negative effects on capital accumulation and productivity growth.


In June 1997, the New York Stock Exchange lowered its minimum price increment on most stocks from eighths to sixteenths. We use a sample of institutional trades to directly measure the e!ect of this tick size reduction on execution costs. Though quoted and e!ective spreads decline, realized execution costs for these institutions increase after the change to sixteenths. Costs increase most for orders that aggressively demand liquidity, including large orders, orders placed by momentum traders, and orders not worked by the trading desk. These "ndings emphasize that spreads are not a su$cient statistic for market quality. Smaller tick sizes may actually reduce market liquidity. ( 2001 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. JEL classixcation: G14; G18; G24


In our continuing search for potential anticancer candidates, 2-(3-methoxyphenyl)-6-pyrrolidinyl-4-quinazolinone (JJC-1) was selected as the lead compound.

Starting 5-pyrrolidinyl-2-aminobenzamide was prepared using standard methodology from 5-chloro-2-nitrobenzoic acid by reaction with SOCl2, NH3, pyrrolidine, and H2. The starting benzamide then was reacted with 2-substituted benzaldehyde or benzoyl chloride in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC) in the presence of NaHSO3 at 150 °C. Thermal cyclodehydration/dehydrogenation gave the target 6-pyrrolidinyl-2-(2-substituted phenyl)-4-quinazolinones (15–22).

These target compounds were assayed for their cytotoxicity in vitro against six cancer cell lines, including human monocytic leukemia cells (U937), mouse monocytic leukemia cells (WEHI-3), human hepatoma cells (HepG2, Hep3B) and human lung carcinoma cells (A549, CH27). Most of them exhibited significant cytotoxic effect toward U937 and WEHI-3 cells, with EC50 values ranging from 0.30 to 10.10 μM. Compound 19 was investigated further for its action mechanisms. Preliminary findings indicated that compound 19 induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis on U937 cells.


This report outlines the importance of healthy commercial fisheries to working conditions in the seafood industry, local and national economics, and food supply. It illustrates the connectivity and internationality between sustainable fishing and human rights, focusing on the connection between overfishing and the safety of workers, particularly on human rights abuses in Thailand. This provides a window into the adverse conditions in many other places where exploitive practices put human beings in jeopardy. It is a call to action for consumers around the world who purchase and enjoy seafood and have a shared responsibility in solving this crisis.


Due to the limited generation, finite inertia, and distributed structure, microgrid suffers from large frequency and voltage deviation which can lead to system collapse. Thus, reliable load shedding method to keep frequency stable is required. Wireless network, benefiting from high flexibility and low deployment cost, is considered as the promising technology for microgrid management. In this paper, for maintaining the supply-demand balance and reducing the load-shedding amount, a distributed load shedding solution via wireless network is proposed. Firstly, the active power coordination of different priority loads is formulated as an optimization problem. To solve it, a distributed load shedding algorithm based on subgradient method (DLSS) is developed to shed the loads gradually. Using this method, the generator compensation can be utilized and has more time to lower the power deficit so as to reduce the load-shedding amount. Secondly, to increase the response rate and enhance the reliability of our method, a multicast metropolis schedule based on time-division multiple access (TDMA) is developed. In this protocol, the time slots are dedicatedly allocated and a checking and retransmission mechanism is utilized. Finally, the proposed solution is evaluated by NS3-Matlab co-simulator. The numerical results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of our solution.


Body composition assessments commonly focus predominantly on fat mass, however lean mass (LM) measurements also provide useful information regarding clinical and nutritional status. LM measurements help predict health outcomes and diagnose sarcopenia, which has been associated with frailty. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is an established technique used in clinical and research settings to assess body composition including total and regional LM. Currently, there are no reference values available that were derived from GE-Healthcare DXA systems directly for US adults for LM, LM index (LMI), percent LM (%LM), and appendicular lean mass index (ALMI) and it is known that whole-body and regional LM measures differ by DXA manufacturer. Objective To develop reference values by age and sex for LM measures using GE-Healthcare DXA systems. Methods A de-identified sample was obtained from Ball State University's Clinical Exercise Physiology Laboratory and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Physical Activity & Health Research Laboratory. DXA scans of 2,076 women and 1,251 men were completed using a GE Lunar Prodigy or iDXA. Percentiles (%ile) were calculated for all variables of interest (LM, LMI, %LM, and ALMI) and a factorial ANOVA was used to assess differences for each variable between 10-year age groups and sex, as well as the interaction between age and sex. Results Men had higher mean total LM, %LM, LMI, and ALMI than women (p<0.01), across all age groups. All LM variables decreased significantly over the 5 decades in men, however in women only total LM, %LM, and ALMI decreased from the youngest to oldest age groups (p<0.01). Conclusion These reference values provide for a more accurate interpretation of GE-Healthcare DXA-derived LM measurements offering clinicians and researchers with an initial resource to aid in the early detection and assessment of LM deficits.


The Wages of Cyn The Inner London Crown Court was the setting for a quintessentially British case recently in which a woman, to whom the first blush of youth was but a memory, was found guilty of controlling the prostitutes who gave their services at sex parties held at her home in South London. Endowed with the soubriquet, Madame Cyn, and apparently obsessed with sex, she regularly organized parties at which, it was alleged, her guests were treated to live lesbian sex shows, talks on intimate sexual matters, scenes of widespread self abuse and the opportunity to either witness or engage in sexual intercourse, depending on taste, wherever and whenever the mood arose. It was stated in evidence that full blooded copulation often took place on the stairs between couples who found themselves unable to wait until a bedroom became vacant. In short, scenes of unrestrained erotica, orgies of sexual abandonment, with only the civilizing influence of food and a decent wine to bring some semblance of decorum to the proceedings the former, presumably to maintain the stamina apparently required. Madame Cyn admitted a charge of keeping a brothel; she could hardly do otherwise, but denied the more serious offence of controlling prostitutes, on the grounds that she threw the parties for her friends at no cost to them. Apparently, the jury was not satisfied with the prosecution's evidence that she organized them for gain and she was discharged by the Judge, who awarded her £5,000 costs. It is understood that the charge relating to keeping a brothel will be allowed to remain on the table. The trial lasted for 13 days, during which it provided the media with a "hell"-sent wealth of material, of which they made full use; doubtless many a frisson was vicariously enjoyed in the privacy of a room by those whose powers of imagination enable them to create erotic worlds of fantasy.


Since his comments, for the most part, are denigrating and thoroughly destructive in nature, it seems only fair to look for motives. Almost at once we find them, for he goes out of his way to drag in by the heels a fourth major Ungava report by me (Lee 1966) that, interestingly, he does not undertake to review. His concern in so doing appears to be with the defense of Mr. William E. Taylor, Junior's, work. It seems to me that it would have been more appropriate if Taylor himself had found some occasion to defend his Ungava works in the seven years that have passed since my mildly critical report was published. Possibly there is a difficulty there, as my procedure in that report was to bring statements from several publications into juxtaposition for comparison. Mr. Dekin, however, chooses to point out that it was my first season in the Arctic (but not in archaeology, let us remember), whereas Taylor, in marked contrast, was becoming "highly respected." What Mr. Dekin does not say is that Taylor had been my assistant and friend for three summers, and that the calibre of his work was very well known to


The invention provides a method for manufacturing a composite resilient product selected from a thermosetting material and a thermoplastic material. The method includes selecting a primary staple from thermosetting material and thermoplastic material. Then, a pressure is applied so that the thermosetting material and the thermoplastic material present a sheet state. Then, the thermosetting material and the thermoplastic material are laminated and heated. After the thermoplastic material is heated at a high temperature, thermoplastic resin molecules in the thermoplastic material are activated, and the distance between the thermoplastic resin molecules is increased to present a medium layer which is moved to intertwine the thermosetting material and the thermoplastic material. Then, the thermoplastic resin molecules between the thermosetting material and the thermoplastic material are fused by a pressing operation so that the thermosetting material and the thermoplastic material are combined together. Finally, the thermoplastic resin molecules are cooled and cured to obtain a composite resilient product including the thermosetting material and the thermoplastic material.


We have studied the infrared spectra of H2O, D2O, and HDO in hydrated Nafion membranes in the sodium form. The spectrum of isotopically isolated HDO exhibits two distinct absorption bands in the OH...


The invention belongs to the field of a metallurgical technology, particularly provides a method for preventing nitrogen increase of molten steel in LF (Ladle Furnace) refining process by top-blowing argon gas. In the LF refining process, pure argon is top blown with an LF top-blow argon gun or an LF accident argon gun at a site 140-170mm from the surface of molten steel at a flow rate of 20-80NL/min to create an inert gas environment, so as to stably control the amount of nitrogen increase smaller than 5ppm. The method of the invention has the following advantages: low-slag refining is adopted to reduce cost; the requirement for operation is simple; the impact on process is low; the original LF accident argon gun is utilized, so that no equipment needs to be additionally provided; the refining time needs not to be deliberately compressed in order to reduce nitrogen absorption, other refining effects are not influenced, and the quality of molten steel is improved; and the method has significant social and economic benefits.


In this paper, rst we investigate some properties of (lEQ)EQ-algebras. Fur-thermore, we study some characterizations of lEQ-algebras. It is proved that every linearlyordered EQ-algebra and every EQ-algebra with three and four elements are lEQ-algebras.Finally we characterize 5-element lEQ-algebras and nd EQ-algebras that are not lEQ-algebras.


concepts, which is common enough in anthropology. We seem to have a professional interest in making our discipline appear scientific, using formulae that look mathematical, and in other ways shrouding ourselves in mystery. As Leach observes, "ethnographic facts will be much easier to understand if we approach them free of all . . . a priori assumptions." One cannot complain about Needham's statement that "social anthropology is in a state of confusion expressed in proliferating technical taxonomies and definitional exercises." The "model" for 1967 Morapitiya seems to be taken from Bailey, whose work the author acknowledges as a major influence on her own. Readers of this review will be familiar with this "model" of political competition, ethnographically exemplified in such works as Barth's Swat Pathan study. This "model," to me, rests on a theory of society that ignores the value element and overemphasizes mundane interests. Of the many details that cannot be scrutinized here, mention must be made of the discussion on cooperative labor, which appears to me a trifle confusing. Witness even the theme of the discussion, the contrast between the categories attam and nikang\ attam refers to a specific and clear relationship, but nikang, in Sinhalese, is the ultimate non-word. The work refers to Knox, the seventeenthcentury traveler, as "Sir Robert Knox." This genuine anthropologist deserves imperial honor; but to my knowledge, it seems to have been destined for those to come a century later and onwards. To refer to another triviality, I also wonder what use "Morapitiya" and other pseudonyms have in a small and relatively media-ridden country like Ceylon—especially when, about 1963 as I recall, a major Sinhalese newspaper carried a front-page story about an American menike studying the pristine grandeur of village life in the hills of


The republic of Singapore has long been presented as an example of a "free market" success story. It is used, along with the other "little tigers" of East Asia, to support the contention that exportoriented industrialization is the most effective strategy for development. Certainly in general economic terms, Singapore has been remarkably successful in generating growth and improving the living standards of its populace. At independence in 1957, the island was still very much a lessdeveloped country with little manufacturing industry, a decaying urban structure, rapid population growth (4.4% per year), widespread poverty, and high unemployment (1O-15%).1 By 1984, per capita GNP had reached US$7,260-higher than that of Ireland and Italy, the manufacturing sector was vibrant, having grown at an annual rate of over 17% between 1960 and 1982;2 the physical and social infrastructure was the most developed of any country in the region; and poverty had been dramatically reduced. This is all the more remarkable given that the republic had few natural advantages except for its geographical location and the industriousness of its workforce. Further, the decision to leave the Federation of Malay States in 1965 cut the island off from its traditional hinterland. But in 1985 the expansion of Singapore's economy, which had been averaging 9.7% per year since 1965 and had never fallen below 4%, slowed precipitously and real GDP showed a negative rate of 1.7% (see Table 1). The following discussion will examine the various factors that have been


Microgrids (small-scale power systems optimizing variable generation and loads) that use renewable energy (RE) for generation, are complex systems featuring nonlinear dynamics. Among a variety of different optimization tools, there are only a few ones that adequately consider the entire complex system. This paper evaluates applicability of two somewhat similar optimization tools tailored for standalone RE microgrids and also assesses a machine learning tool for performance prediction that can enhance the reliability of the two chosen optimization tools. It shows that one of these microgrid optimization tools has certain advantages over another and presents a detailed routine of preparing input data to simulate RE microgrid behavior. The paper also shows how neuralnetwork-based predictive modeling tools can be used to forecast power generation time series data based on whether time series data, and therefore to enhance the effectiveness of using optimization tools. Keywords—Microgrid, renewable energy, complex systems, optimization, predictive modeling, neural networks.


SummaryMicrolaparoscopy is an established technique for diagnostic procedures using only analgesics. Selected therapeutic procedures including appendicectomy are also possible under general anaesthetic for the time being.


Active sḏm-f in the so-called "circumstantial" paradigm shows an occasional i-prefix in the earliest Old Egyptian textual data. The present article discusses the possible significance of this phenomenon to the morphological analysis of this particular paradigm and that of the subjunctive sḏm-f.


Objective To investigate the relationship between disease severity and serum CRP and melatonin levels in patients with hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy.Methods Patients with mild preeclampsia and severe preeclampsia in the research group(each 30 cases) and normal late pregnancy women(n=30) in the control group were selected,and the serum CRP and melatonin values were detected.Results The values of serum CRP in severe preeclampsia group were significantly higher than those in mild preeclampsia group.The serum CRP values in research group were significantly higher than those in control group(P0.01);The serum melatonin values in control group were significantly higher than those in mild preeclampsia group,and the serum melatonin values in mild preeclampsia group were significantly higher than those in severe preeclampsia group(P0.01).Conclusion The CRP levels were increased obviously in the patients with hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy,and the increased CRP levels were significantly correlated to the severity of this disorder.The melatonin levels were obviously reduced in the patients with hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy,and the reduced melatonin levels were significantly correlated to the severity of this disorder.


Abstract Seven high spin octahedral chelates of the Schiff bases of 4-acetyl-3-methyl-1-(3′-chlorophenyl) -2-pyrazolin-5-one with o-toludine, m-toluidine, p-toluidine, m-chloroaniline, p-chloroaniline, ethanolamine and glycine have been prepared. The chelates contain two molecules of the Schiff base. The first five Schiff bases function as a bidentate ligand coordinating through the azomethine group and the oxygen of the enolic hydroxy group, while the rest of the positions in the coordination geometry of the metal ions are occupied by water molecules. The latter two Schiff bases function as a tridentate ligand. The octahedral structure of the chelates have been investigated by elemental analysis, diffuse reflectance and infrared spectra, molar conductance and magnetic moments.


In this paper, the Kuusk-Nilson forest reflectance and transmittance (FRT) model was inverted to retrieve the overstory and understory leaf area index (LAI) of forest stands in the Longmenhe Nature Reserve (Xingshan County, Hubei province, China). Atmospherically and topographically corrected hyperspectral Hyperion imagery and field data had been input to retrieve the overstory and understory LAI simultaneously using FRT inverted model. An uncertainty and sensitivity matrix was used to analyze the sensitivity of the FRT model parameters based on field data. Twenty-one Hyperion bands were selected based on principal-components analysis and band importance from total Hyperion bands. Eight different Hyperion band combinations from 21 Hyperion bands were tested to evaluate the accuracy of the inversion of overstory and understory LAI. Our study showed that the overstory LAI of stands can be better retrieved when considering the understory LAI compared to only use total LAI.


1. Predicting population responses to environmental conditions or management scenarios is a fundamental challenge for conservation. Proper consideration of demographic, environmental and parameter uncertainties is essential for projecting population trends and optimal conservation strategies. 2. We developed a coupled integrated population model-Bayesian population viability analysis to assess the (1) impact of demographic rates (survival, fecundity, immigration) on past population dynamics; (2) population viability 10 years into the future; and (3) efficacy of possible management strategies for the federally endangered Great Lakes piping plover Charadrius melodus population. 3. Our model synthesizes long-term population survey, nest monitoring and mark–resight data, while accounting for multiple sources of uncertainty. We incorporated latent abundance of eastern North American merlins Falco columbarius , a primary predator of adult plovers, as a covariate


The article mainly deals with the subject of RTV Universities' roles in upgrading city image education. It argues that this special educational form can help realize city's development object of "Person First" in sharing high-quality education resource among every citizen, improving social productivity, serving local economic development as well as standardizing adult educating market, and filling a gap for basic education.


This thesis extends the growing literature relating shareholder protection and greater valuation. Using a governance index built from 24 firm-level takeover defenses over a sample of 491 mergers from 1990 to 2001, we provide evidence that investors value a change in corporate governance. We find that firms acquired by bidders with relatively greater investor protection experience significantly greater abnormal returns. On average, 2.49 percent in additional abnormal return is recorded when bidders with above median shareholders rights acquire firms with below median investor protection. In contrast, we do not find evidence that bidders benefit from the increased social surplus created in transactions where the target corporate governance is improved. The thesis also examines the relationship between the protection of minority shareholder at the firm-level and the probability of a takeover bid, a stock settlement and the premium paid. Although no statistically significant relation is established between the investor rights and the takeover premium, we are able to confirm a negative correlation with the intensity of M&A activity, providing additional support for the efficiency hypothesis. Evidence is also provided that the method of payment is influenced by the previous degree of shareholders rights in the target and acquiring firm but not by the change in corporate governance following a takeover bid.


The first-principles calculations predict a stable biphenylene carbon network (BPN) like the Boron-nitride structure named inorganic biphenylene network (I-BPN). A comparison has been done between BPN and I-BPN to examine the stability of the I-BPN monolayer. We calculate the formation energy, phonon dispersion and mechanical parameters: young modulus and Poisson ratio for mechanical stability. It has been found that the stability of I-BPN is comparable with the BPN. The lattice transport properties reveal that the phonon thermal conductivity of I-BPN is 10th order low than the BPN. The electronic band structure reveals that I-BPN is a semiconductor with an indirect bandgap of 1.88 eV with valence band maximum (VBM) at Y and conduction band maximum (CBM) at the X high symmetry point. In addition, the thermoelectric parameters, such as the seebeck coefficient, show the highest peak value of 0.00292 V/K at 324K. Electronic transport properties reveal that I-BPN is highly anisotropic along the x and y-axes. Furthermore, the thermoelectric power factor as a function of chemical potential shows a peak value of 0.0056 W/mK2 (900K) along the x-axis in the p-type doping region. An electronic figure of merit shows an amplified peak approach to 1. The total figure of merit (including lattice transport parameters) shows peak values of 0.378 (0.21) for p-type and 0.24 (0.198) n-type regions along the x(y) direction. It is notice that the obtain ZT peaks values are higher than any B-N compositions.


Four uranium(VI)-polycarboxylates frameworks with honeycomb (6,3) nets have been assembled from solvothermal systems, which contain different guest molecules (transition metal complexes and methyl viologen). These compounds exhibit photocatalytic activities for the degradation of rhodamine B. Interestingly, the methyl viologen-containing one possesses the highest efficiency, which can be attributed to the electron acceptor nature of methyl viologen for the stabilization of active peroxide anions.


The beauty of the sea and the land of the islands of Malta and Gozo always fascinated Maltese and foreign artists. Malta is not only known for its exotic beauty but also for the richness of its cultural heritage. The archaeological monuments that survived attracted interest from some artists at a very early date. Today, it seems that prehistoric imagery is becoming a major influence on the art of some local artists. These artists are inspired and produce images of Maltese prehistoric temple sites and motifs because of the qualities they find so appealing in ancient art. Artists find primeval art to be closer to nature. They want to return to 'nature'; therefore they use the temples as metaphors for their enquiry of the relationship between humans and the natural world. It is a primitivistic appeal to nature, thus artists explore the primal conditions of humankind. It is a 'transformation of and communication through matter – the primitive connection with the substance of life, or prima materia.' This is the fundamental realm of all artists.


We studied for one year 60 patients separated in 3 groups of 20: first reference group without treatment; second group receiving netilmicin in premedication; third group treated by netilmicin for 2 days postoperatively. This series clearly demonstrates the high urinary tract infection rate after transurethral surgery, the benefit of antibioprophylaxis with netilmicin and the efficiency of one dose of this aminosid given one hour preoperatively.


Data caching is an indispensable part of high-speed data acquisition system, and it makes an important effect on coordinating the speed of data transfer and data processing. In the article, a data caching controller with ping-pong operation is designed after discussion on the features of data transmission with PCI Express interface. The controller's structure and principle is described, as well as the control logic. Additionally, the controller shows the idea of pipeline, where the command sending and data transfer control are separated on controlling the DDR controllers. The result indicates that the design could be widely used in the seamless caching and high-speed data process system. System efficiency will be improved, and the logic design will be simplified.


The 15 kilometer wide Sovanco Fracture Zone is a dextral-slip transform fault linking the Juan de Fuca and Explorer Ridges in the N.E. Pacific. SEABEAM bathymetry shows that the Sovanco comprises several rhomb-shaped elevated blocks of oceanic crust bounded by northeast- and northwest-trending lineaments. We hypothesize that the northeast-trending lineaments are sinistral strike-slip faults that are reactivated ridge-parallel normal faults. Both the sinistral block-bounding faults and the blocks themselves have rotated clockwise about 30 degrees in response to dextral shear within the Sovanco zone.


To reduce tissue injury in shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) while maintaining satisfactory stone comminution, an original HM‐3 lithotripter was upgraded by a reflector insert to suppress large intraluminal bubble expansion, which is a primary mechanism of vascular injury in SWL. The pressure waveforms produced by the original and upgraded HM‐3 lithotripter were measured by using a fiber optical probe hydrophone (FOPH), which was scanned both along and transverse to the lithotripter axis at 1‐mm step using a computer‐controlled 3‐D positioning system. At F2, the pressure waveform produced by the upgraded HM‐3 lithotripter at 22 kV has a distinct dual‐pulse structure, with a leading shock wave of ∼45 MPa from the reflector insert and a 4‐μs delayed second pulse of ∼15 MPa reflected from the uncovered bottom surface of the original HM‐3 reflector. The beam sizes of the original and upgraded HM‐3 lithotripter are comparable in both axial and lateral directions. The pressure waveforms measured at the reflector ape...


The present invention relates to a vehicle, in particular a rail vehicle, with a body (102) which is supported via a spring device (103) in the direction of a vehicle vertical axis on a chassis (104), and a wall compensating means (105) connected to the body ( 102) and the chassis (104) is coupled. The wall compensation device (105) can be arranged in particular kinematically parallel to the spring means (103). When traveling through curves the Wankkompensationseinrichtung (105) counteracts body roll of the car body (102) to outside of the curve about an axis parallel to a vehicle longitudinal axis roll axis. To increase the inclination comfort the Wankkompensationseinrichtung (105) is adapted to the body (102) in a first frequency range under a first transverse deflection of the car body (102) a first roll angle about the roll axis impart toward a vehicle transverse axis, of a current curve of a currently traversed track section corresponds. Furthermore, the Wankkompensationseinrichtung (105) for increasing the vibration comfort is adapted to the body (102) in a second frequency range, a first transverse deflection superimposed impart second transverse deflection, the second frequency range is at least partially, in particular completely, above the first frequency range.


DESIGN OF PORTLAND CEMENT CONCRETE PAVEMENTS IS A COMPLEX PROCEDURE INVOLVING THE EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS OF NUMEROUS VARIABLES. VARIOUS METHODS OF DESIGN HAVE BEEN PRESENTED IN THE PAST, BUT NO PROCEDURE IS GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE DUE TO THE LIMITED NATURE OF THE PROBLEM AND ANALYSIS, THE WIDE VARIETY OF STRUCTURAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS DEMANDS THAT A PROCEDURE BE EVOLVED TO ANALYZE VARIOUS PARTS IN A COORDINATED EFFORT CALLED SYSTEMS ANALYSIS. A CONCEPTUAL RIGID PAVEMENT SYSTEM IS PRESENTED WHICH FORMALIZES THE MYRIAD OF INTERTWINED VARIABLES INTO A SERIES OF MATHEMATICAL MODELS. A METHOD IS DEVELOPED IN THE FORM OF A COMPUTER PROGRAM TO SOLVE VARIOUS MODELS, SOME DEVELOPED AS PART OF THIS WORK AND OTHERS ADOPTED FROM THE STATE-OF-THE-ART. THE PROGRAM UTILIZES ABOUT 115 DIFFERENT INPUT VARIABLES AND ANALYZES NUMEROUS POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS GENERATED WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES DEFINED BY CONSTRAINTS. OUTPUT IS A SET OF PAVEMENT DESIGN STRATEGIES BASED ON INCREASING VALUE OF PRESENT WORTH OF OVERALL COSTS. DETAILS WITH RESPECT TO SELECTION OF THICKNESSES, MATERIALS, REINFORCEMENTS, AND JOINTS AS WELL AS OVERLAY PATTERNS AND PREDICTED LIVES ARE PRESENTED FOR EACH DESIGN. A SMALL SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF THE DEVELOPED SYSTEM IS ALSO PRESENTED IN ORDER TO CREATE CONFIDENCE IN THE REASONABLENESS OF THE SYSTEM AND ITS OUTPUT. /AUTHOR/


Soluble surfactants in suspended soap films are distributed on the surface monolayers and inside the films. We study theoretically the effects of the dynamics redistribution of surfactants between these two places on the linearized soap film hydrodynamics. The interchange of surfactants can be incorporated into the existing hydrodynamic analysis as an effective complex surface modulus. The main effects are on Marangoni modes and the peristaltic modes. The presence of micelles at high surfactant concentration can be easily included for submegahertz frequencies provided the surfactant solution has a fast micelle forming/breaking kinetics. The effects of any intrinsic surface viscosities in the monolayers are briefly discussed.


Bearing arrangement, in particular for a transmission, and methods for adjusting the bias of a bearing assembly wherein a shaft is mounted in a housing part by means of bearings, wherein on the shaft a shaft nut is screw with which the inner ring of a bearing of the bearing arrangement is axially displaceable, in particular wherein the outer ring of the bearing to abut against a shoulder, in particular said shoulder being arranged on the side remote from the shaft nut side of the bearing, whereby in the shaft a means for expansion of the shaft.


[Objective]To study fresh quality of Hypomesus olidus in different modified atmosphere packaging. [Method]By measuring sensory characteristics,drip-loss value,total volatile basic nitrogen( TVB-N),thiobarbituric acid value( TBA) and pH value,effects of different modified atmosphere packaging on fresh quality of Hypomesus olidus during cold storage( 0 ± 1) ℃ were compared. [Result] The results showed that modified atmosphere packaging can prolong products shelf life by inhibiting bacteria increase and preventing spoilage. [Conclusion]The study can provide reference basis for modified atmosphere packaging technique.


The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has led to lockdowns across the world with people being separated from their loved ones including partners, family, and friends. Here, using a large sample of 1,749 Australians and Americans, we investigated the impact of COVID-19 isolation on younger populations (13–25 years), and the influence of coping strategies and mental well-being on this impact. Overall, COVID-19 isolation had a more negative impact on adolescence (13–17 years) than young adulthood (18–25 years), but with no difference apparent between men and women, or between Australian and American residents. However, a deeper analysis revealed a gender-specific effect: the type of coping strategies differentially influenced the negative impact of COVID-19 isolation on men with various levels of well-being, an interaction effect not apparent in women. For men with lower levels of mental well-being, COVID-19 isolation appeared to have a less negative impact on them if they used more approach-oriented coping strategies (e.g., actively focusing on the problem). Our results provide cross-sectional evidence for a differential impact on young men at low levels of wellbeing by pandemic isolation. In sum, young men and adolescent boys with lower well-being coped better with COVID-19 isolation when they used more approach coping strategies.


The increased demand and depletion of the fossil fuels for power generation led to the need for extracting power from the renewable energy resources (RERs). The microgrids (MGs) are designed with the help of effective power extracted from renewable sources such as solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal. The advent of DC MGs overcomes the conventional AC grids. The hybridization of the AC and DC MGs will provide more advantages for various levels of consumers. This article proposes the design and modeling of a hybrid DC/AC MG with the efficient use of RERs and it can reduce numerous power conversions. The solar energy is extracted through photovoltaic (PV) panels meritoriously using interval type 2 fuzzy logic technique as the maximum power point tracking algorithm. The AC grid is designed using wind energy source and tidal energy. The permanent magnet synchronous generator is used as the wind turbine. Various control mechanisms are employed in order to extract maximum power from the wind and tidal waves at varying conditions. These generated powers can supply the load and are connected to the utility grid. These are executed with the aid of MATLAB/SIMULINK software.


In resolutions based on the solubility difference between pairs of diastereoisomeric salts, the maximum efficiency (parameter S) can be calculated from a knowledge of the eutecic composition of the binary T–x diagram. We demonstrate that an approximate binary phase diagram can be determined from the DSC melting curve of a single diastereoisomeric salt mixture, namely the global 1:1 mixture of diastereoisomeric salts isolated from a resolution without separation. Data estimated with the reported method are compared to the experimental results of seven resolutions. The method has proved to be efficient for diastereoisomeric salt systems forming crystalline conglomerates. Comparison of calculated S values obtained from a single racemic substrate with different resolving agents facilitates selection of the best resolving agent in the set.


In the early days of the Miny Dynasty, Zhouwei-an administrative divison was established and then was cancelled until after Mongol tribes' endless disputes, separations and reunions, Feng Zhoutan was rebuilt. The population of Huhhot increased gradually in number. In the course of disputes, separations and reunions, the area got the recuperation and ecology was protected. Either Mongol tribes or the Ming administration had a less impact on the ecology of the Huhhot area thus the ecological environment in this area was more or less ideal.


Diagnosis and investigation of patients who present to the emergency department with chest pain continues to be a difficult problem despite technological advances and improved availability of new investigative techniques. This is unfortunate because clinical history and physical examination, although suggestive, are not definitive for myo cardial ischemia in most patients. In the USA alone there are more than six million patients who present to the emergency services with chest pain related emergencies. The cost of chest pain triage and management has been estimated to be as high as $8 billion annually, with most of those patients ultimately not having acute coronary syndrome (ACS) .


Abstract This article reports on a study carried out into the context dependency and construct validity of practical skill assessment in science. The skills concerned are observing, manipulating, planning, interpreting, reporting and self‐reliance. The literature relating to context dependency of practical skill assessment is reviewed as is that relevant to the construct validity of practical skills. Pupil performance in observation and reporting skills appeared to be context‐dependent, while, in contrast, performance on interpretation and self‐reliance were generalisable. The study further compares pupil performance on a range of practical tasks with external examination grades awarded in biology and chemistry. The findings indicate that performance on few of the skills correlates highly with the external examination grades awarded to pupils. This further evidence of the construct validity of practical skills supports the view that practical work should be given a prominent and discrete place in the asse...


4026 Background: BV prolongs overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) when added to CT for 1st- line (FL) and 2nd-line treatment (tx) of pts with mCRC. Subgroup analyses (ages ≥65 vs 75 and >80. Methods: Pts and methods for BRiTE have been described (Sugrue, GI Cancer Symposium 2007; A345). Cox regression assessed the independent effect of age on survival after adjusting for other known prognostic factors. Results: Of 1,953 pts in BRiTE, 896 were ≥65 [65–74 (533), ≥75 (363)] and 161 were ≥80. Table shows tx, BV-targeted safety events, and survival outcomes. As predicted based on SEER-Medicare data, a lower median OS for elderly subgroups was observed in univariat...


We show how to use EXIT charts for convergence prediction of a threefold serially concatenated system. The corresponding chart has three dimensions and allows us to appropriately select system parameters and to find an optimal schedule of decoding iterations between the three decoders of such a system. Convergence thresholds are obtained to determine the minimal signal-to-noise ratios for which convergence is possible. It turns out that threefold concatenated systems do not achieve any additional performance gain compared to suitably designed twofold systems. We conclude that a threefold concatenation should be considered only when the decoders cannot be chosen freely.


In 1686, Bernard de Fontenelle wrote the book titled Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds. This book was written from a dialogue between a philosopher and a marquise with the proposal to publicize the Copernican system of the world and the vortices of Descartes to the general public. The historical study of this book led us to develop a survey to answer the question: what question about the female participation in the process of the construction of the science could arise in Physics classes from the Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds? The results of the qualitative empirical research developed in physics classes of a public school indicate that the students highlighted in their speeches that the role of men and women in science and society are culturally and historically constructed, and the scientific space was built as male territory.


Public mass shootings are relatively rare occurrences in the United States. As such, focusing on individual-level factors to develop a prevention framework is ill-advised. However, starting with veterans, as an overrepresented group of offenders, may be an important step to determining and developing policies that work to prevent mass shootings. The Veteran's Administration (VA) is the largest employer of social workers in the United States and employs more than 15,000 master's level social work professionals. Policy and training changes made to the VA system have the potential to begin reducing incidents of public mass shootings. The purpose of this study was to determine whether veteran-status or the phenomenon of leakage influences the number of casualties in public mass shootings. Further, a renewed call-to-action is issued for social workers engaged with veterans, military personnel, and their families. A negative binomial regression analysis was utilized to examine 168 public mass shootings events in the United States from 1966 until 2019. While veteran status was not associated with increased casualty this does not underscore the importance of policy changes that limit access to firearms for high-risk people. Further, because leakage was statistically significant in explaining casualty rates in mass shootings additional training related to duty to warn may be necessary for social workers engaged in therapeutic relationships with veterans, military personnel, and their families. The results of the negative binomial regression offer insights into what effective policy interventions may look like to reduce mass shootings.


Two cases with an eyelash in pterygium and conjunctiva were presented in this work. A 76-year-old woman presented with bilateral ocular irritation, itching, and visual loss without any history of trauma or ocular surgery. On slit lamp examination, there was a pterygium closing the visual axis of the right eye. Careful slit lamp examination revealed also an eyelash in the pterygium in the right eye. A 36-year-old woman presented with complaints of redness, and itching in her right eye. She had undergone a penetrating keratoplasty on the right eye one year ago. On slit lamp examination, an eyelash was seen that had a 3 mm portion of it under the conjunctiva. The other portion of the eyelash was lying on the conjunctiva extending to the limbus. A broken lash may rarely be seen under conjunctiva or even the pterygium probably due to predisposing conjunctival disorders even without any history of trauma or surgery.


The goal of this dissertation research was to better understand relationships among physical activity (PA), cardiorespiratory fitness, adiposity, and cardiovascular (CV) health in children and adolescents. The aim of the first paper was to examine whether fitness and adiposity are independently associated with CV risk factors during puberty. Study participants were 126 prepubertal Caucasian children participating in a longitudinal four-year follow-up study. Fitness level was determined by VO2 max (L/min) obtained from maximal graded exercise testing and adiposity level was determined by the sum of skinfolds. Gender-specific individual growth curve models, including both VO2 max and the sum of skinfolds simultaneously, were fit to predict CV risk factor variables. Models also included covariates such as age, height, weight, and pubertal stage by the Tanner criteria. In both boys and girls, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, and systolic blood pressure percentile were positively associated with the sum of skinfolds (P 0.05). In conclusion, fitness was not associated with CV risk factors, after adjusting for adiposity, among healthy adolescents. This study suggests that adiposity may play a role in the mechanism underlying the effect of fitness on CV health during puberty. The aim of the second paper was to examine whether early adiposity level is inversely associated with subsequent PA behaviors in childhood. Study participants were 326 children participating in the Iowa Bone Development Study. PA and fat mass were measured using accelerometers and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at approximately 5, 8, and 11 years of age. Genderspecific generalized linear models were fit to examine the association between percent body fat (BF%) at age 8 and intensity-weighted moderateto vigorous-intensity PA (IWMVPA) at age 11. After adjusting for IW-MVPA at age 8, an interval between the age 5 and 8 examinations, residualized change scores of BF% and IW-MVPA from age 5 to 8 and mother's education level, BF% at age 8 was inversely associated with IW-MVPA at age 11 among boys (P < 0.05). After adjusting for IW-MVPA at age 8, physical maturity,


Case note on re St Andrew's (Cheam) Lawn Tennis Club Trust, in which a trust underpinning an unincorporated association was void due to offending the rule against perpetuities. The note suggests that the result is correct, but suggests that Arnold J's interpretation of re Grant's Will Trusts, as well as his application of the law on resulting trusts, are inadequately explained.


The systemic inadequacies of models of health systems propagated by the advocates of global health policies (GHPs) have fragmented health service systems, particularly in middle- and lower-income countries. GHPs are underpinned by economic interests and the need for control by the global elite, irrespective of people's health needs. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the advocates of GHPs, leading to calls for a movement for "decolonisation" of global health. Much of this narrative on the "decolonisation" of GHPs critiques its northern knowledge base, and the power derived from it at individual, institutional and national levels. This, it argues, has led to an unequal exchange of knowledge, making it impossible to end decades of oppressive hegemony and to prevent inappropriate decision-making on GHPs. Despite these legitimate concerns, little in the literature on the decolonisation of GHPs extends beyond epistemological critiques. This article offers a radically different perspective. It is based on an understanding of the role of transnational capital in extracting wealth from the economies of low- and middle-income countries resulting in influencing and shaping public health policy and practice, including interactions between the environment and health. It mobilises historical evidence of distorted priorities underpinning GHPs and the damaging consequences for health services throughout the world.


Thex-raycrystal structure ofapeptide designed toform adouble-stranded parallel coiled coil showsthat itisactually atriple-stranded coiled coil formed bythree a-helices. Unlike thedesigned parallel coiled coil, thehelices runup-up-down. Thestructure isstabilized by adistinctive hydrophobic interface consisting ofeight layers. Asinthedesign, eacha-helix inthecoiled coil contributes oneleucine sidechain toeachlayer. Thestructure suggests that hydrophobic interactions areadominant factor inthestabilization ofcoiled coils. The stoichiometry andgeometry ofcoiled coils areprimarily determined bysidechain packing inthesolvent-inaccessible interior, butelectrostatic interactions alsocontribute.


An independent assessment of the physics of Ignitor is presented. Ignitor is a physics demonstration experiment, with the main goal of achieving thermonuclear ignition, defined as the regime where fusion alpha heating compensates for all forms of energy losses. Simulations show that a pulse of α particle power up to 10-20 MW is produced for a period over a few seconds. Crucial issues are the production of peaked density profiles on a time-scale of several energy confinement times, the control of current penetration for the optimization of ohmic heating and sawtooth avoidance. The presence of a 10-20 MW Ion Cyclotron Radio frequency system and the operation of a high-speed pellet injector are considered essential to provide added flexibility in order to counter unexpected, adverse plasma behavior.


Abstract Harry Stack Sullivan (1953, p. 11) spoke fondly of the time when therapy would become "easy." By that he meant he looked forward to the day practitioners would know precisely what to do to help their clients regardless of the symptoms they presented. He was wise enough to know, of course, that the time he anticipated would not arrive soon, for he said he would be a long-forgotten myth before it came. Those who practice in the third decade after Sullivan's demise know that we are probably no closer to the halcyon conditions he longed for than he and his associates were in the 1940's. In fact, psychotherapy is under stronger attack for lack of precision (effectiveness) now than at any time in the recent past.


The expansion of a distribution of in terms of regular orthogonal wavelets is considered. The expansion of a distribution of is shown to converge pointwise to the value of the distribution where is exists.


So writes Paul Manning, the narrator of Elizabeth GaskelFs novella Cousin Phillis (1864). He never refers to this incident again, nor explicitly connects his offence against his "father's sense of right" with the events in the story he tells. Most critical analyzes of Cousin Phillis read the text in terms of a pastoral/anti-pastoral love story, as the retelling of the Eden story contrasting nostalgic rural idyll and modern industrial fall, or as the tale of a young girl's first romantic and sexual awakening. Few take into account the narrator, Phillis's cousin Paul, other than to dismiss him as "an onlooker", the "naive consciousness" through whom the story is told, or as "socially inept" and "unmanly".1 Paul, however, is far from "naive" or "inept", although he might appear so from his actions in the story. It is an older, wiser Paul who controls the retrospective account. In writing Phillis's story he is able to obscure his own role in her life and to construct a truth which confines and silences her. Paul's overt concern is to record an important time in the life of his cousin ? "it is about cousin Phillis that I am going to write". However he inscribes Phillis's life through his own subjectivity. Not merely a detached narrator, he plays an active part in her story (it takes him two pages even to get to the point of mentioning she is the "subject" of his narrative), and in telling that story, he tells something of his own life, his


A submicron precursor of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-5 wt% Al was synthesized by high energy milling, and the precursor was sintered at 1400{degrees}C in Argon-0.5% H{sub 2} at a total pressure of 1.5 kPa. For the milling experiment, the particle sizes, which were measured by TEM directly as well as calculated by XRD patterns using the variance and integral breadths methods, ranged from 20-110 nm. The sintered samples exhibited 3 zones: (1) a dense, well sintered zone near the surface, (2) a porous composite in the center and (3) a transition zone with varying composition and properties. The microhardness of the zone near the surface (at 3 N) was 270 VHN in some cases, whereas that of the composite core ranged from 100-200 VHN.


The hot streak exerts significant influence on the heat load of the turbine. So, results of investigation about the hot streak will promote the performance of the aircraft engine. A primary numerical study about the hot streak effects in a counter-rotating turbine is presented. Due to its convective nature, a three dimensional time-accurate solver is used to simulate the hot streak/blade row interactions. Many interesting and importan understandings are obtained.


Hemifacial spasm is painless uncommon disorder characterized by involuntary paroxysmal movement of one side face. In the treatment of hemifacial spasm, the Western operation or non-operation therapy has many side effect such as hearing loss, exudative otitis media, facial paralysis etc. So we studie...


The present study aims to compare criminals and non-criminals on the basis of psychological factors like depression, guilt-feeling, hostility, and conflict over hostility. The study was conducted on 200 respondents including 100 criminals and 100 non-criminals. The criminals were selected from the four important jails of Bihar namely Patna, Buxar, Gaya and Bhagalpur and equal number of non-criminals (persons having non-criminals record) were also selected from the same four towns of Bihar mentioned above. The sample was incidental-cum-purposive one and included only married males in the age group of 21 to 40, who had minimum education up to seventh standard. The scales used were (1) Beck Depression Inventory (BDI, Hindi adaptation by Arora et al., 1988), and Questionnaire of Hostility, Guilt and Conflict (Q-HGC, Sowaid & Singh, 1975). The data obtained were analyzed by t-test. The hypotheses formulated were: (1) the criminals would score higher on depression level than the non-criminals. (2) The criminals would score higher on hostility as compared to the non-criminals. (3) The criminal group of subject would score lower on guilt feeling toward hostility than their non-criminal counterparts and, (4) the criminal group of subjects would score high on conflict over feeling of hostility than the non-criminal group of subjects. The findings confirmed all the four hypotheses.


We developed an optimum image-fusion system to improve remote sensing precision of farmland fertility with interpretation-lattice. Specifically, we analyzed the image-fusion system implementation through information measures and modeling, and taken into account that the benefits of image-fusion are maximized and the risk of error farmland fertility recognition with remote sensing is minimized. We also tested our RS image-fusion method with an application about monitoring farmland fertility that is based on several TM and SPOT images and local statistical data. Analyses revealed that this method is better able to estimate the farmland fertility level in comparison with only one single TM or SPOT image, the main method that was previously applied in this context.


We introduce and investigate a new way of generating mildly context-sensitive languages. The main idea is that the contexts are adjoined by shuffling them on certain trajectories. In this way we obtain also a very general class of contextual grammars such that most of the fundamental classes of contextual gram-mars, for instance, internal contextual grammars, external contextual grammarsn-contextual grammars, are particular cases of contextual grammars with contexts shuffled on trajectories. The approach is very flexible, able to model various aspects from linguistics.


This study concerns on how reading text is developed for vocational school. This study was conducted by using Research and Development (R & D) design through six phases; gathering information and data, analyzing, designing new materials, validating by experts, revising, and final product. The subject of this research was students class XII at Broadcasting Bina Creative Vocational School consisting of 42 students. The instruments for collecting data were questionnaire, interview and document like syllabus. After analyzing the data, the researcher found the students' need in learning English in term of vocation. The data were gathered by administering interview and distributing questionnaire to 43 respondents to get the students' needs. The interview and questionnaire results prove that the students need English reading materials which contain English for Broadcasting major. There were 6 developed report texts related to the vocation that the students had. The products have been validated by two experts and the average score got 4.7 which is very good. It means the developing materials catagorized to be relevant for students of Broadcasting grade XII.


A cause-consequence chart is applied in analysing failures of a redundant protection system (a core spray system in a nuclear power plant). It is shown how the diagram provides a basis for calculating two probability measures for malfunctioning of the protection system. The test policy of components is taken into account. The possibility of using parameter variation as a basis for the choice of test policy is indicated.


Satellite missions for measuring winds in the troposphere and thermosphere will be launched in a near future. There is no plan to observe winds in the altitude range between 30-90 km, though middle atmospheric winds are recognized as an essential parameter in various atmospheric research areas. Sub-millimetre limb sounders have the capability to fill this altitude gap. In this paper, we summarize the wind retrievals obtained from the Japanese Superconducting Submillimeter Wave Limb Emission Sounder (SMILES) which operated from the International Space Station between September 2009 and April 2010. The results illustrate the potential of such instruments to measure winds. They also show the need of improving the wind representation in the models in the Tropics, and globally in the mesosphere. A wind measurement sensitivity study has been conducted for its successor, SMILES-2, which is being studied in Japan. If it is realized, sub-millimeter and terahertz molecular lines suitable to determine line-of-sight winds will be measured. It is shown that with the current instrument definition, line-of-sight winds can be observed from 20 km up to more than 160 km. Winds can be retrieved with a precision better than 5 ms-1 and a vertical resolution of 2-3 km between 35-90 km. Above 90 km, the precision is better than 10 ms-1 with a vertical resolution of 3-5 km. Measurements can be performed day and night with a similar sensitivity. Requirements on observation parameters such as the antenna size, the satellite altitude are discussed. An alternative setting for the spectral bands is examined. The new setting is compatible with the general scientific objectives of the mission and the instrument design. It allows to improve the wind measurement sensitivity between 35 to 90 km by a factor 2. It is also shown that retrievals can be performed with a vertical resolution of 1 km and a precision of 5-10 ms-1 between 50 and 90 km.


Unemployment is a macroeconomic indicator that reflects the inability of an economy to make full use of labor resources. The phenomenon itself is based on the concentration of socio-economic activity, the improvement of high productivity means of production, the higher supply of people able to occupy the available places in the economy than the real number of them or the non-synchronization of the labor supply and the available places at the regional level Or national. Of course, the lack of adequate conversion of the labor force leads to an increase in the number of unemployed and thus the unemployment rate. The number of unemployed, somewhat rising in Romania, has two negative effects through the economic effort of paying unemployment benefit, on the one hand, and the existence of a percentage of the labor resource that can not be used to increase the production of goods and services, on the other part. The analysis of the unemployment figures set in the BIM or AMIGO system reveals the availability of the labor market and the inability to assimilate the national economy. The inflation rate has a direct correlation with the evolution of the Gross Domestic Product, which we analyzed using some appropriate econometric models.


Retail investors are the bedrock upon which the Australian equities market is based. The last Share Ownership Study, published in May 2011, showed that 43% of the adult population own shares, ranking Australia among the leading share-owning nations in the world. And recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data suggest that retail investors - either directly or through institutionally-managed funds - control around 40% of the value of the Australian equity market. Clearly, retail matters.


Catching is one of the important issues in Content Centric Network (CCN). The default CCN caching scheme mainly focus for redundancy. However, the usage of the cache is inefficient because, CCN Routers store the whole Data in their Interest forwarding paths and multiple duplicated data are in the network. We would like to reduce cache storage usage and forward Interest message efficiently. In this paper, we propose a cluster based chunks de-duplication and forwarding mechanisms within an Autonomous System (AS). A content data is divided and parts of data are cooperatively stored in multiple routers. Thus, cluster based cooperative caching and forwarding mechanism can significantly reduce the Content storage size on each router as well as forwarding Interest traffic in the network.


Large quantity of oil in oil storage tank is highly flammable and explosive.If any accident happens, consequences are beyond measure.According to characteristics of broad area of the security management in oil storage tank,and by analysis of the influencing factors and conditions related to fire and explosion accident in the oil storage tank,integrated fault tree model is established.The logical relationship between the accident and the basic events is clarified by carrying out qualitative analysis,while the structure importance factors of the basic events are ranked by carrying out quantitative analysis.Therefore the emphasis part in which there is potential of fire and explosion is found,and reasonable strategy for setting the security monitoring points is worked out.The results can provide basic for decision-marking of informational application in security management.


I have set forth here the PowerPoint slides I presented on January 5, 2015 at the AALS Conference session sponsored by the Section on Law School Administration and Finance. The presentation was entitled The Variable Affordability of Law School – How Geography and LSAT Impact Tuition Cost. (I am very grateful to my research assistant, Kate Jirik, and her husband, Sam, for awesome work on the spreadsheet that supported the data I presented.)The presentation begins with two slides summarizing data presented in my article Reflections on the Decreasing Affordability of Legal Education showing the extent to which average public school and private school tuition increased between 1985 and 2011 relative to law school graduate income. While many have observed that law school has become increasingly expensive over the last few decades, this "macro" discussion fails to highlight the extent to which differences in tuition exist at a "micro" level either based on geography or on LSAT score.Using 2012 tuition data, the first set of slides focuses on geographic differences – noting some states where legal education generally is very expensive, some states where legal education generally is very affordable and the balance of states in which tuition costs are in the middle or have a mix of affordable and expensive. Following those slides, there is a set of slides that describe the process I used to calculate net tuition costs after accounting for scholarships for all entering first-year students at the 195 fully accredited and ranked law schools in fall 2012 in an effort to allocate all students into a five-by-five grid with five LSAT categories (165, 160-164, 155-159, 150-154 and The concluding slide sets forth a couple of short observations about the data. There was a robust discussion with some great questions following the presentation of this data.


ARTICLE INFORMATION ABSTRACT Original Research Paper Received 29 December 2013 Accepted 23 March 2014 Available Online 21 September 2014 Wear phenomena in wheel-rail contact for railway vehicle is very important parameter. For this purpose, simulation and dynamic analyze of new and worn wheel profiles are done. Then wagon's derailment factor along curved track is determined. Analytic solution is achieved by using Hertz contact theory and Kalker linear theory. Also, simulation and analysis is done in ADAMS/Rail software and for different wheel profiles and derailment factor is determining using derailment criteria. Results showing that derailment factor are low initially but vertical forces decreases and centrifugal force increases lateral forces and consequently derailment factor increases along wagon entering curved track and worn profiles have more tendencies exposed to derailment. However, permitted wear limit must be defined. In many cases, worn profiles have fewer tendencies to derailment. Using this method can determine wear limit of wheel profile to maintenance and re-profileoperation. It is revealed that the curve length does not effect on derailment factor. Also, damper coefficient does not affect on mean derailment factor But it is much more turbulence. Perturbation in curve beginning is considerable and at the end of the curve, it restores to initial value.


Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) as local level governance mechanism have been proclaimed as the vehicles of socio-economic transformation. PRIs establish a linkage between local people and the government and translate the policies of the government into action. Assam possesses a unique variety of people of different caste, race and tribes. Demographically, Assam is the most populous state in the North-East India out of the eight North-Eastern States including Sikkim. It has a very strong historical background of local self-government in different nomenclature and forms since long past. This paper has made an endeavour to focus on historical development of local self-Governance mechanism, especially of PRIs from ancient period to recent era and an effort has also been made to discuss the present dynamics in Assam. The present paper is basically based on analytical method and data have been collected from both primary and secondary sources, especially from Government Acts, Gazetteers, different government reports, Planning Commission etc. Secondary sources include relevant books, journals, articles, newspapers etc.


Twenty diferent steroids, labelled with two to four deuterium atoms have been synthesized according to simple procedures. Labelling techniques have been adapted or modified to make them more efficient for the production of internal standards with high isotope enrichments. The stability of the carbon–deuterium bonds has been checked according to the following criteria: storage time in non-protic solvents, incubation in biological samples and derivatization reaction conditions. Care has been taken not to introduce more than four deuterium atoms per molecule, otherwise retention time decrease becomes significant. The limitations of the gas chromatographic mass spectrometric technique for the accurate measurement of the isotope composition of these highly enriched deuterium labelled compounds has been discussed in relation to the existing carrier effect.