This article presents a novel waveform relaxation scheme to solve electromagnetically large structures loaded with lumped linear and nonlinear elements. The scheme partitions the problem into a linear electromagnetic structure and a possibly nonlinear lumped circuit, which are coupled using Thévenin interfaces across the steps of an iterative waveform relaxation scheme. The main novel contribution is an adaptive selection of the decoupling resistances used as port references to define incident and reflected scattering signals, whose time-domain samples are refined through iterations. The decoupling resistances are updated through iterations, with the main objective of improving convergence speed and ultimately runtime. The resulting scheme is self-adapting to terminations exploiting high dynamic range in their impedance profiles and is able to provide a suboptimal convergence rate. Three-dimensional shielding structures loaded with nonlinear elements are employed as numerical examples to demonstrate the proposed method.


Yu Dafu loves wine,his novels sends out strong wine fragrance. In the bouquet, Yu Dafu' s sensitive nerve and delicate emotions can be tasted. The culture temperament of Dionysian spirit can be read between the lines. The tragic consciousness in the novels corresponds to the essence that Dionysian spirit breeds the tragedy. The cultural structure happens to coincide with the non-patterned arts,which is also the characteristic of Dionysian spirit.Yu Dafu affirms life which reflects the inner meaning of Dionysian spirit. Elegant and easy mood runs through Yu Dafu' s words, which shapes Yu Dafu's unique cultural temperament of Dionysian spirit.


Background: Glucocorticoids are one of the most commonly used drugs for treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Sirtuin-1 (SIRT-1) belongs to the family of proteins involved in protection against inflammation and oxidative stress. A role of SIRT-1 in regulation of bone metabolism during high-dose steroid therapy is unknown. Objectives: The study assessed influence of high doses of intravenous corticosteroids on plasma inflammation and bone markers in patients with primary glomerular disease. Methods: The study included 40 patients (25 M, 15 F; mean age 53.1 ± 14 years) with chronic kidney disease (mean estimated glomerular filtration rate, 58.9 ± 31.3 mL/min). The main inclusion criterion was clinical and histopathological diagnosis of primary glomerular disease and urine protein excretion >2.0 g/24 h. The patients received intravenous pulses of methylprednisolone 20–30 mg/kg/day for three consecutive days followed by oral prednisone 0.8–1.0 mg/kg/day. The blood was taken before administration of methylprednisolone to assess plasma SIRT-1, sclerostin, calcium, phosphate, and parathormone; and first-morning urine sample was taken for measurement of calcium, phosphate, and albumin to creatinine ratio. The same laboratory tests were repeated after 4, 7, and 30 days during steroid therapy. Results: Plasma SIRT-1 increased significantly during steroid administration. Plasma sclerostin did not change significantly. There was a significant linear negative correlation between changes in SIRT-1 levels and sclerostin throughout the study. In a multiple regression model, changes of plasma sclerostin induced by steroid therapy explained the largest part of variance of respective changes of plasma SIRT-1. Conclusions: Plasma SIRT-1 increase during high-dose corticosteroid therapy is negatively related to the change of plasma sclerostin that may suggest a protective role of SIRT-1 against the negative effects of steroid therapy on bone.


Transportation corridors are classified as critical infrastructure in the United States and Canada. Successfully maintaining these corridors in safe, operational condition requires strategies that address individual hazard classes and manage associated risks. Natural and constructed slopes along transportation corridors represent one such category of hazard; typical risk management strategies involve quantitative measurements and qualitative evaluations of their present condition and the hazards that they pose to infrastructure, people, and shipments along the route. At some sites, traditional field-based observations are supplemented by high-resolution remotely acquired three-dimensional (3-D) imaging data of the ground surface, generated from various sensors and platforms, including terrestrial lidar and photogrammetry, airborne lidar, and oblique aerial photogrammetry. The collection, processing, and implementation of 3-D data collection and analysis into a slope management system are complex and frequently result in poorly collected, poorly understood, and underused data. Furthermore, the intricacies of the applications and limitations of different technologies generally are well understood only by specialists. As a result, the industry is reluctant to implement these technologies in active slope management systems. Practical procedures for remote data collection are illustrated, and the applications and limitations of the previously mentioned technologies are explained. The current capabilities of these technologies are presented; because the field is advancing rapidly, innovation and development soon will enhance the applicability of these technologies.


Explanations promise to bridge the gap between humans and AI, yet it remains difficult to achieve consistent improvement in AI-augmented human decision making. The usefulness of AI explanations depends on many factors, and always showing the same type of explanation in all cases is suboptimal—so is relying on heuristics to adapt explanations for each scenario. We propose learning to explain"selectively": for each decision that the user makes, we use a model to choose the best explanation from a set of candidates and update this model with feedback to optimize human performance. We experiment on a question answering task, Quizbowl, and show that selective explanations improve human performance for both experts and crowdworkers.


The continuous radiation spectrum of an open microstrip transmission line and its nonspectral leaky modes are conceptualized through a transform-domain integral-operator formulation and relevant spectral analysis. The radiation spectrum is identified with branch cuts in the axial wavenumber plane, which constrain the migration of branch-point singularities in the transverse wavenumber plane. Leaky-wave modes occur only when the branch cuts in the axial wavenumber plane are violated. The relationship among spectral radiation modes, nonspectral leaky-wave modes, and branch cuts in the axial wavenumber plane is discussed. The influence of branch cuts in the axial wavenumber plane upon the location of branch points in the transverse wavenumber plane is detailed, and a rationale is offered for the choice branch cuts in the latter plane. The formulation is applicable to a wide class of open conducting or dielectric waveguides. >


Synopsis The Paper first shows the influence of erosional history, contemporary eathering, and other geographical factors on the formation of deep residual soils, in the light of borehole records. Important differences are found between the patterns of variation in granite—derived and phyllite—derived soils. These patterns have been investigated further by mineralogical analyses and engineering tests. Parameters of sample location within the pattern of subsurface drainage are defined, and the significances of their correlations with grading and other engineering properties are assessed. Problems of sampling and testing techiniques are mentioned. L'Expose montre d'abord l'influence de l'erosion passee, de l'alteration contemporaine et d'autres facteurs geographiques sur la formation de terrains detritiques profonds, d'apres les donnees fournies Par les forages. Des differences importantes apparaissent dans les formes de variation de sols a basc de granit—derive ou phyllade. Ces formes ont en outre ete exam...


an utterly mistaken view to regard it as a mere 'passing phase' of unionism. It is also probably safe to say with Mr. John Mitchell that 'with the growth of trade unionism in the United States the exclusion of non-unionist§ will be more complete.' &dquo; The sympathetic yet critical spirit with which the author has treated his subject cannot be better illustrated than by quoting the two closing paragraphs of his monograph, in which he summarizes the social aspects of the closed shop: &dquo;If it be true, as has been said, that 'the excesses of unionism which have done and are still doing the greatest injury to she prospects of the movement are all traceable to the use of the arbitrary and coercive power of the closed shop,' it is equally true that the closed shop is responsible for the greatest advances made by unionism. On the one hand, the closed shop, if universally enforced, would afford unions the opportunity to commit gross excesses by virtue of the power lodged with them. On the other hand, the closed shop opens the way to the highest and most efficient form of collective bargaining. &dquo;Since regulation of employment is a matter of public concern, and since there is danger that trade unions may become arbitrary in exercising control over a trade, it has been suggested that the state should control their 'constitution, policy and management.' In this way requirements for admission to union


Failure to tackle tuberculosis (TB) in Africa is undermining inroads made in response to the AIDS epidemic in the continent, say MPs in a new report on global tuberculosis.

At a discussion on tackling tuberculosis and HIV in Africa held by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Global TB on 22 March, the UK development minister Stephen O'Brien said: "We need to make still greater progress against HIV and TB co-infection—and the double cruelty it can represent."

The UK Coalition to Stop TB says that tuberculosis kills more people living with HIV than any other infection. People who are HIV positive are 20 to 40 times more likely to develop active tuberculosis than people not infected. And without proper treatment, nine …


The character and appearance rate of cardiovascular and pulmonary complications at 924 laparoscopic cholecystectomies have been studied. The duration of surgical interference, gas-flow speed and the value of intraabdominal pressure are the main risk factors in the development of these complications.


Brettanomyces bruxellensis yeast represents a serious problem in winemaking because it can cause off-odours and mousy off-flavours in red wine, as well as high levels of acetic acid and undesirable colour of wine (1). This can lead to significant reduction of wine quality and economic loss for winemakers. Until now, several different approaches were applied in preventing and controlling B. bruxellensis presence in winemaking (2). One of new approaches is applying non-thermal processing techniques such as high power ultrasound (HPU). HPU induces mechanical, physical and chemical/biochemical changes through cavitation (3). Combining this treatment with mild temperature (thermosonication) could increase microbial inactivation (4) as well as reduce HPU treatment duration, which could prevent the loss of organoleptic qualities of wine such as colour, flavour and taste. The main compounds in red wine that affect organoleptic qualities and also contribute to the complexity and stability of the wine are phenolics (5). Phenolic compounds are also natural antioxidants that could protect human health and it is important to preserve them in wine (6). The aim of this work was to investigate the impact of thermosonication on colour and phenolic compounds content in red wine during its application for inactivation of B. bruxellensis yeast.


Amphitropic proteins have a variety of strategies to bind to target membranes. Electrostatic interactions often drive them to the membrane where other interactions occur. The latter can include hydrophobic side chain insertion and binding of specific phospholipid headgroups as well as phospholipid cation – protein aromatic pi interactions that transiently anchor the protein to the membrane. However, it is often hard to identify and characterize specific phospholipid binding sites on the protein. We have developed high resolution 31P field cycling relaxometry, where the spin‐lattice relaxation rate is measured over a wide range of magnetic fields (typically 11.7 down to 0.004 T) as a method to define such phospholipid binding sites in terms of residence times on the protein and to obtain distances of the bound amphiphile to one or more spin‐labels on the target protein. When a crystal structure of the protein is available, the distances can then be used to search the surface for these discrete phospholipid binding sites. Use of the technique is illustrated with two examples: (i) the Akt1 PH domain interacting with cytotoxic alkylphospholipids and 3‐deoxy‐phosphatidylinositols, and (ii) PTEN binding its product and activator phosphatidylinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate in a site distinct form the active site. In both cases, the new site detected sheds light on how that particular lipid achieves it biological effect.


This paper presents the results of an experiment to decide the question of authenticity of the supposedly spurious Rhesus - a attic tragedy sometimes credited to Euripides. The experiment involves use of statistics in order to test whether significant deviations in the distribution of word categories between Rhesus and the other works of Euripides can or cannot be found. To count frequencies of word categories in the corpus, a part-of-speech-tagger for Greek has been implemented. Some special techniques for reducing the problem of sparse data are used resulting in an accuracy of ca. 96.6%.


Anke Patzelt, Goss Gilroy Inc. The international competition for the best and brightest has resulted in countries increasingly implementing immigration policies to attract and retain highly skilled individuals. On the one hand, these individuals are seen as "desired immigrants" because they possess high human, social, cultural, and economic capital, and thus, supposedly integrate easily into their new host societies. On the other hand, there is a common understanding that highly skilled migrants are drivers of economic and technological innovation allowing countries to stay competitive in the global economy. Despite this increasing interest in highly skilled migrants, little is known about their actual migration decision-making behaviour and their lived experiences. This is especially true for highly skilled migrants moving between Western Europe and North America. To address this research gap, this paper explores the migration trajectories of highly skilled German migrants moving to and from Canada. Drawing on 48 narrative life story interviews with German migrants during different stages of their migration trajectories (i.e., pre-movement, when settling down and living in Canada and upon return and/or onward movement), this paper specifically focuses on two aspects that are often closely linked: First, the phenomenon of year-by-year planning which means that my interviewees often renegotiated their migration decisions in ongoing processes and determined whether they wanted to stay, or leave and return to Germany or move elsewhere; second, the phenomenon of step-by-step immigration that many interviewees made use of, i.e. slowly transitioning their status from a more temporary to a more permanent one in Canada.


Republic of China. So, we could split a few hairs and have an interesting discussion about whether that was a question of recognition or membership. It certainly sounds like a question of membership. Unfortunately, the Asian Development Bank as far as I know has not made many of its documents public, and so I do not know how much one can further that debate. The State Council Bulletin in the PRC did publish the letters and a resolution of the State Council approving the PRC's participation in the Asian Development Bank. According to what I have read in the press, the result was not an accommodation that was necessarily accepted by the Republic of China. It involved, as I understand it, changing the name of the initial member from "China" to "China/Taipei." From an international lawyer's point of view, this is a fascinating solution. The final international economic organization, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), will be discussed by one of my copanelists. There is, as far as I know, an interesting recognition-versus-membership issue involved in GATT. My own view is that the resolution of that issue is not going to affect how and when China participates in GATT, whereas 16 or 17 years ago that was the question. The economic questions now have become much more important. What I would draw from this historical view is that the PRC's participation in international organizations is an interesting mirror of its international relations and of what kinds of issues are important for the Chinese. There are a number of other aspects to participation in international organizations that I will only mention. For example, the PRC has sent representatives to and has participated in a number of international law treaty conferences, and it has in recent years acceded to quite a number of multilateral treaties. There is a recent article by Hungdah Chiu that summarizes that development, and there are probably a couple of other articles coming out that discuss in somewhat more detail the particular institutions and the ways in which the PRC has participated. It is now, as I said, much too difficult to pretend to look at that whole topic. You would have to look at all the U.N. agencies, which I think now have PRC participation, from the Children's Fund to the World Health Organization to the Food and Agriculture Organization to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, which has made some loans to the PRC. There is a whole range of institutions in which the PRC is now participating, and it is no longer possible to look at the subject in a nutshell.


The purpose of the paper is to present a cornucopia of approaches and ways of defining, measuring and using the concept of Economic Value Added (EVA). EVA is a financial performance measure that emphasizes the maximization of shareholder value, as opposed to mere maximization of net profit. The authors familiarize the readers with important ideas and research that have contributed to the development of the concept of EVA. The nature of this paper is exclusive to the review of secondary sources, such as theoretical insights as well as the results of numerous empirical research of EVA. Furthermore, the paper will show various adjustments to financial statements before accounting profits can be used to calculate EVA. The results of the aforementioned research will unequivocally present EVA as one of the most widely used and accepted measures of overall firm performance, gaining more popularity when coupled with the notions of strategic (financial) management. The paper concludes by determining the role and place of the concept of EVA in the process of value and performance management, as well as strategic management.


This paper addresses the single-level capacitated lot sizing problem (CLSP) with setup carryover. Specifically, we consider a class of production planning problems in which multiple products can be produced within a time period and significant setup times are incurred when changing from one product to another. Hence, there might be instances where developing a feasible schedule becomes possible only if setups are carried over from one period to another. We develop a modelling framework to formulate the CLSP with setup times and setup carryovers. We then extend the modelling framework to include multiple machines and tool requirements planning. The need for such a model that integrates both planning and lot sizing decisions is motivated by the existence of a similar problem in a paper mill. We apply the modelling framework to solve optimally, an instance of the paper mill's problem.


Atomic-absorption spectrophotometry is a useful technique for the determination of many of the minor elements commonly present in iron and steel. It is rapid and relatively free from most of the troublesome inter-element effects associated with alternative techniques such as colorimetric and polarographic analysis. This paper reviews published and certain unpublished information dealing specifically with the analysis of iron and steel by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry.


The use of tools to forecast faults over computational resources composing highly distributed system, like Grid systems, represents an interesting approach to control the comprehensive performance of these systems, limiting the number of job submissions to those computational resources temporally unable to complete any job. The analysis of log information retrieved from a real system shows an homogeneous behavior of the computational resources involved, and therefore the possibility to bu ild forecasting tools limiting the number of job submissions that fail. The results obtained in this paper show on one side the possibility to obtain high percentage of correct forecasts even with simple models, and from the other side the difficulty to improve these results even using adaptive models relatively complex.


We report the first Ni and Cr stable isotope data for ureilite meteorites that are the mantle residue of a carbon‐rich differentiated planet. Ureilites have similar Ni stable isotope compositions as chondrites, suggesting that the core‐mantle differentiation of ureilite parent body (UPB) did not fractionate Ni isotopes. Since the size of Earth is potentially larger than that of UPB; with diameter >690 km), resulting in higher temperatures at the core‐mantle boundary of Earth, it can be predicted that the terrestrial core formation may not directly cause Ni stable isotope fractionation. On the other hand, we also report high‐precision Cr stable isotope composition of ureilites, including one ureilitic trachyandesite (ALM‐A) that is enriched in lighter Cr stable isotopes relative to the main‐group ureilites, which suggests that the partial melting occurred on UPB. The globally heavy Cr in the UPB compared to chondrites can be caused by sulfur‐rich core formation processes.


This study is the effects of inhalation toxic mixture of bleach and detergent was examined on the epithelial layer of trachea in the mice. In this study, 42 adult male mice NMRI race weighing 35-40 gr and from age 8 to 10 weeks were divided into 6 experimental groups and one control group. Experimental groups 1-2-3 with the using of chamber, as inhalation 20 minutes were exposure to spray the amount 1 cc of mixture of bleach and detergent by nebulizer. Experimental groups 4-5-6 were for 35 minutes to inhale the same amount of material. Mice killed at 24-48-72 hours after inhalation and the trachea was studied pathology. In microscopic sections of tissue taken from the trachea the experimental group compared with the control group was changed to include: stimulation and activation of the respiratory epithelium hungarian (Mocusa layer), reducing the length of ciliated columnar cells, reducing the number of goblet cells ,loss of cilia, chaos and clutter on the order of tissue. In addition, statistically, the changes in length of ciliated columnar epithelium cells in experimental groups 3 and 6 seen significantly decreased than control group and the number of experimental groups 2 and 4 goblet cells significantly increased compared to control group, experimental group 6 was significantly decreased than the control group. As a result discussion, increasing the inhalation time of mixing bleach and detergent, also as time passed, cause to increase the tissue damage and changes.


The recent flood of progress, both observational and theoretical, relating to compact objects in globular clusters is reviewed. These new results pose a number of problems relating to the stellar populations and dynamics of the clusters.


1. An earlier version of this paper was presented to the Joint Seminar on 'Education in Multi‐Ethnic Societies', International Sociological Association XIIth World Congress of Sociology, 11 July 1990.


to stop the HIV epidemic in southern Africa The contents of this publication have been adapted with kind permission of the publisher LWW. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNAIDS concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by UNAIDS in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions expected, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. All reasonable precautions have been taken by UNAIDS to verify the information contained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall UNAIDS be liable for damages arising from its use. Addressing the vulnerability of young women and girls to stop the HIV epidemic in southern Africa The magnitude of the global AIDS epidemic is clearly influenced by the epidemic in southern Africa and the epidemic in southern Africa is sustained particularly by the relentless cycle of vulnerability affecting girls and young women. Young women and girls in the region grow and navigate their sexual health and relationships in a context of extremely high levels of HIV infection and throughout their life cycle, face disempowering social and cultural norms and attitudes governing their sexual relations. In this context, HIV prevention interventions that address technical needs are insufficient in reversing the epidemic. The global epicentre Southern Africa is the global epicentre of the AIDS epidemic, with recent data highlighting the continuing urgency of ensuring sustained and effective prevention and protection efforts particularly addressing the vulnerability of young women and girls. Southern Africa comprises nine countries with the highest HIV prevalence in the world. Over 12% of all adults aged 15 to 49 years are infected with HIV in each of these countries.1 By the end of 2007, southern Africa alone was home to one of every three persons living with HIV worldwide. In 2007, 35% of all new HIV infections and 38% of all AIDS deaths occurred in southern Africa. New infections …


A major concern in reducing microbial contamination of healthcare and hygiene products motivated us to seek viable alternatives in order to create such barriers. The antimicrobial and anti-oxidant effects of natural extracts are well-known, their application onto polymeric supports is still challenging in terms of investigation. To our knowledge, the method of natural dyeing of different polymeric substrates using bioactive substances derived from black currant and green walnut shells, in conjunction with biomordants, and their long term effects have not been very consistently reported. The main objective of the study is based on the comparative study of different polymeric fibrous substrates dyed by means of laboratory scaled classic methodology with extracts from black currant fruits and green walnut shells, with the assistance of conventional and biomordants (copper sulphate, citric and tannic acids). The assistance of biomordant in the dyeing process seems to conduct to improved synergetic colouring and antibacterial performances. The main results demonstrated that the extract of green walnut shells reinforced by the biomordants solutions expressed the best antimicrobial behaviour. The present research is a milestone in the identification of potential technological alternatives applied in dyeing of synthetic and natural textile supports, quantified and controlled by antimicrobial response correlated with colorimetric features.


An important visual cue for the distance to a target is its binocular depth, the disparity between the left and right eyes. We examined mid-air pointing on a large screen, varying the physical distances (depths) to targets. Welford's two-part formulation provided a better model than the one-part Fitts's Law formulation to predict movement time from movement amplitude and target width. Angular measures suggested by Kopper et al. did not improve the model. Consistent variations of Shoemaker et al.'s k-factor suggest target depth plays a role similar to gain for mid-air pointing. We compared both physical and virtual targets to determine if artificial binocular depth cues induce the same performance as purely physical binocular depth cues. Variation of the k-factor was different when virtual depth and physical depth were not identical. This has implications for calibrating 3-D virtual environments and for the design of interactive 3-D pointing techniques for those environments.


An increasing amount of active research is being conducted to protect the locations of mobile device users. Users must tune to more data than they would like to in order to hide their location. In particular, if a user requests a query over kNN, the number of objects the user must receive may increase. Several studies have been proposed to solve these problems. However, problems have been identified during the course of query processing, such as errors and increased query processing times. When the tuning time is increased, the amount of data to download and the battery consumption of the client also increase. In this study, we propose the Privacy-preserving Spatial Index (PSI), an index that allows users to reduce their tuning time while being satisfied with the results of their queries. The querier (q) requests the object in the area protecting his/her location from the server. The server sends the requested data of points of interest (POIs) (DPOIs) in the Privacy-preserving Region (PR) to q. Finally, q reduces tuning time by selectively tuning to the desired data of POIs (Dw) through PSI. The superiority of PSI over previous techniques is experimentally proven.


This study investigated whether superior recall for expository text could be attributed to the use of text structure as a retrieval cue or to some other memory factor. Elementary students read and recalled normal and scrambled versions of text. Children who were aware of text structure recalled significantly more of the normal passages than the scrambled, whereas for students who were unaware, there was no difference in recall between the normal and scrambled. That the aware group recalled more of the structured passage but not the scrambled suggests that it was use of structure, as opposed to a memory factor, that enhanced their recall. Results also indicated that many elementary students had not yet learned how to use text structure as a retrieval aid.


Aiming at reducing the computational complexity greatly and achieving high detection performance in cooperative MIMO-based WSN,a new complexity reduction ML detection algorithm is proposed.Using conventional V-BLAST algorithm,the best performance layer is found,and the neighborhood is considered to be candidate set.Regard the every symbol in the candidate set as initial value,we adopt V-BLAST algorithm again to detect the symbol of other layers.At last,we use the maximum likelihood criterion to judge the candidate vector.Because the number of constellation point in the maximum likelihood detection algorithm is reduced effectively,the complexity of the algorithm decrease greatly.The simulation results show that the proposed scheme obtains good comprehensive performance.


OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of different doses of total flavones of Drynariae Rhizoma on the expression of estrogen and orthopantomography(OPG), receptor activator of NF-κB(RANKL), receptor activator of NF-κB ligand(RANK) in osteoporotic rats through administration by gavage, and explore the effect of total flavones of Drynariae Rhizoma on the bone metabolism in osteoporotic rats model. METHODS Osteoporotic rats model were established by cutting out their ovaries, were given estradiol(0.1 mg·kg-1) and low, middle, high dose(0.054, 0.108, 0.216 g·kg-1·d-1) of total flavones of Drynariae Rhizoma by gavage for 3 months. Then draw their arterial blood. The changes of estrogen level were observed by radioimmunoassay and OPG, RANKL, RANK level by ELISA. RESULTS Campared with model control 2 group, the estrogen and OPG content were obviously increased(P0.05), the RANKL and RANK content were significantly decreased(P0.05). At the same time, the estrogen and OPG rose along with the dose of total flavones of Drynariae Rhizoma while the RANKL and RANK dropped. CONCLUSION Different doses of total flavones of Drynariae Rhizoma can all affect OPG/RANKL/RANK axial system, and the effect rise along with the concentration of total flavones of Drynariae Rhizoma, which may be realized by increasing the OPG level and decreasing the RANKL and RANK level.


The volume is by one of the most distinguished civil servants of India, who is an expert on land reforms, rural development and decentralised governance and development. The author has the unique ability to look at things from the bottom up rather than from the top down. The book demonstrates the sharp analysis and conceptualisation on issues of land, labour and governance. It transcends the chasm of theory and practice when the author talks about conceptualisation and implementation of the 'Operation Barga' programme (1978-8 1) under the legendary Benoy Chaudhury of the Left Front government in West Bengal. Under this programme, around 1.2 million sharecroppers were registered in the record of rights thereby ensuring them security of tenure, fairness of produce rent and heritable right of cultivation. Currently, there are 1.6 million recorded sharecroppers in West Bengal.


Rice ranks second in cereal production worldwide, and it is one of the most widely consumed food items (FAO 2014). Brazil is the ninth largest rice producer, being the largest one outside Asia (FAO 2014). The Rio Grande do Sul state accounts for 71 % of the Brazilian national production, and flood irrigation is preferred to rainfed upland rice, because of higher yields (Conab 2017). ABSTRACT RESUMO


Deterministic methods studying the losses due to the motion of single Bloch walls or of well defined domain structures yield equations of limited accuracy, which only provide some hints as to the trend of power losses in different materials. These results are compared with the ones obtained through a recently developed statistical treatment of the loss processes, which predicts with good precision hysteresis and dynamic losses vs. frequency and induction, on the basis of a very limited input information.


Juveniles of Ophiomastix annulosa live on adults of Ophiocoma scolopendrina, a confamilial broadcast-spawner, in the intertidal zone of Sesoko Is., Okinawa, Japan. This is the first reported instance of a symbiosis between heterospecific ophiuroids. In the sense that the juveniles are brooded by another species, they may be regarded as "brood parasites." There is no evidence that the symbionts physically damage the host, although they may steal its food. 0. annulosa of less than 4.5 mm disk diameter primarily occupy the bursae, and also cling to the arms or disk of their hosts. The association is seen year round, usually with 4.2% or fewer of 0. scolopendrina being involved. There is generally one juvenile, rarely two, on a host. The body size of the host may limit the maximum size of its symbionts. The ontogenetic transition of 0. annulosa from a symbiotic to a free-living life style involves marked changes in integument, arm spine morphology, tube foot structure, disk armament, and pigmentation pattern. Adults of Ophiocoma scolopendrina harbor conspecific juveniles as well, a relatively rare behavior among ophiuroids, but only juveniles of 0. annulosa occur in its bursae, the respiratory structures that in brooding and viviparous ophiuroids also serve as brood chambers. An association between adult and juvenile individuals is documented for a Panamanian population of Ophiocoma aethiops, and evidence is presented of a heterospecific symbiosis between juveniles of Ophiomastix janualis and adults of Ophiomastix flaccida in the Philippines. Additional key words: brood parasitism, juvenile adaptations, Amphipholis squamata, Ophiomastix spp., Ophiocoma spp. Meager information exists on the postlarval period of the ophiuroid life cycle, when, as in other marine benthic invertebrates, mortality commonly exceeds 90% (Hendler 1991; Gosselin & Quian 1997). Several studies of juvenile ophiuroids suggest that characteristics of their microhabitat, and in some cases the presence of adult ophiuroids, can be crucial to their survival (Hendler 1991). Some juvenile ophiuroids are abundant in algal "refuge" substrates, where the adults and juveniles of brooding species co-occur (Hendler & Littman 1986). Adult epizoic ophiuroids and their young often occupy the same sponge and coral hosts (Clark 1976; Hendler 1984). In addition, the juveniles of some broadcast-spawning species cling to conspecific adults and thereby become established in a suitable milieu (Hendler 1991). We describe an unexpected association between jua Author for correspondence. E-mail: email@example.com b Present address: Lake Biwa Museum, 1091 Oroshimo-cho, Kusatsu-shi, Shiga-ken 525-0001, Japan. veniles of Ophiomastix annulosa (LAMARCK 1816) and adults of Ophiocoma scolopendrina (LAMARCK 1816). 0. scolopendrina is abundant and widespread throughout most of the Indo-Pacific region. Its symbiont, 0. annulosa, has a narrower range, from the Maldives (Indian Ocean) to the South Pacific region (Devaney 1970; Clark & Rowe 1971). 0. scolopendrina differs from other Ophiocoma and Ophiomastix species in its restriction to sheltered intertidal habitats (Sloan et al. 1979; Liao & Clark 1995). We report that the symbiotic stage of 0. annulosa is also intertidal, although the adults and those of its congeners typically occur subtidally (Devaney 1978; Liao & Clark 1995). This is the first account of heterospecific symbiosis between ophiuroids. The relationship between 0. annulosa and 0. scolopendrina is more intimate than the association between the adults and conspecific juveniles of 0. scolopendrina, and it may be regarded as a form of brood parasitism. We illustrate the ontogeny of the juveniles, which are unlike the adults in appearance, and discuss several morphological features This content downloaded from 18.104.22.168 on Fri, 02 Sep 2016 05:31:33 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Brittle star symbiosis that may be related to their symbiosis. In addition to the Ophiocoma-Ophiomastix association, we document the presence of juveniles of Ophiomastixjanualis LYMAN 1871 on adults of Ophiomastixflaccida LYMAN 1864 and report the association of juvenile conspecifics with the adults of Ophiocoma aethiops LUTKEN


We have developed large-scale efficient procedures for the conversion of commercially available [(13) C]- or [(2) H3 ,(13) C]methanol and (13) CO2 or (13) C-labeled bromoacetic acid to 2-(phenylthio)[1,2-(13) C2 ]-, [1-(13) C]-, and [2-(13) C]acetic acid. The resulting derivatives are versatile, chemically stable, and nonvolatile two-carbon labeling precursors. We have used the (13) C-isotopomers of 2-(phenylthio)acetic acid in the synthesis of (13) C-labeled acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and trans-crotonic acid.


The author makes analvsis on the ability of defense of Chinese basketball men team in Competitive of the Fifteenth Men FIBA World Championship,by using the method of mathematical statistics and watching games,the result shows that .there is a gap at attacking defense(like steals, defense rebound,correlation with fouls and free throw)and disturbing defense(like overturns,points )but the steals,and the ability of blocks is prominent,comparing Chinese team with the world powerful teams,by analysis these indexes:points,overturns,steals,assists,and rebounds.


Phosphate (Pi) is one of the key substrate in energy metabolism and biosynthesis of nucleic acids and membranes.It also plays an important role in photosynthesis,respiration,and regulation of a number of enzymes.Most of the areas of wheat growth in China face the problem of phosphate deficiency.Generating varieties that can grow well under the condition of phosphate starvation is an important way to solve this problem.What genes expression changed when wheat grew under the condition of phosphate starvation?How did they change?Solving these problems is very important for generating transgenic wheat varieties that can produce adequate yields in phosphate-deficiency soils.Phosphate transporters were one important family of these genes.Using the known ESTs BQ744323(5′),BJ287203(3′),BJ260111(5′) and BJ265811(3′),two phosphate transporter gene cDNAs TaPT8 and TaPHT2;1 were isolated from common wheat by RT-PCR.The two phosphate transporter genes can complement the phosphate-deficiency in the yeast mutants. TaPT8 belonged to Pht1 family. TaPHT2;1 is one member of Pht2 family.Using RQRT-PCR,the expression of TaPT8 could only be found in roots and was up-regulated by phosphate starvation. TaPHT2;1 mainly expressed in green tissues.The expression of TaPHT2;1 was down-regulated by phosphate starvation and darkness but up-regulated by light using RQRT-PCR. TaPHT2;1 may play a role during the process of transport phosphate from cytoplasm into chloroplast.


An all-solid-state switchable mirror with Mg-Ni thin film was prepared for basic research on a new type of smart window. The device has a multilayer of Mg-Ni/Pd/Ta 2 O5/WO 3 /indium tin oxide/glass and can switch reversibly from a reflective state to a transparent one. The durability of the device was investigated by a cyclic switching test. Though a transmittance change was slightly decreased, the device showed high durability up to 2000 switching cycles. We found that the degradation was related with the damaged surface of Mg-Ni thin film and the diffusion of Ni and Pd atoms into Ta 2 O 5 thin film during a cyclic switching test.


In the traditional model of financial intermediation, the sources and the process of liquidity creation through banks' balance sheets were particularly clear. The robustness of liquidity in such a regime is essentially based on the quality of the banks' assets and the credibility offered by the institutional framework within which they operate (deposit insurance, access to central bank money and more generally regulatory and prudential constraints). In the current financial system, with the perpetual supply of new capital and risk transfer instruments, endogenous liquidity sources have undeniably diversified and grown, but they appear to be less stable and reliable. Financial innovation, to an extent, may have let market participants believe that they could, on an enduring basis, escape from the monetary constraint (the need for genuine cash) and that they could make do with the liabilities issued by other institutions to meet their liquidity needs. However, market instruments can satisfy investors' liquidity preference only as long as the state of confidence in the marketplace supports them. Liquidity preference, which is intimately linked to asset price expectations, is indeed liable to shift swiftly at times, and to bring about runs on the most certain forms of liquidity (bank money, and worse, central bank money). Ultimately, the liquidity of fi nancial assets depends on the trust that they can be redeemed on demand. Such trust is probably more difficult to ascertain in the market-based, highly securitised world. Still, crises may sometimes have educational virtues, and the turmoil of this summer has revealed some urgent needs to "robustify" the sources of liquidity in the system. It is now obvious that some additional suppliers of liquidity are needed in nearly absent secondary markets for complex structured credit products. This probably cannot be achieved without greater disclosure on the structures of investments among market participants. It is also clear that the containment of liquidity risk depends on the ability of fi nancial institutions to properly price complex products, in their regular risk management process as well as in times of crisis. The "liquidity frontier" cannot be pushed back indefi nitely. Those who, in the end, accept illiquidity in their balance sheet must clearly understand and control the risks they are taking on. Such illiquidity is more acceptable for investors with long time horizons, and who are not subject to creditors suddenly calling in their money at short notice. For others, larger liquidity buffers acting as an automatic stabiliser to smooth the financial cycle might be necessary to hedge their risk. Without such precautions, financial innovation could unduly extend the liquidity insurance implicitly expected of central banks. Yet, it is certainly not the role of a central bank to prompt market participants to rush into "not-so-reliable liabilities".


ABSTRACT This article explores travel pieces on Jews in Islamic countries published in the Jewish press (in Yiddish and Polish) in interwar Poland. It argues that many of the strategies of representation that Polish–Jewish journalists employed to describe the Jews of Islamic countries during this time borrow from the way the Jews of Eastern Europe were perceived. Turning the Western gaze on the Orient served Eastern European Jewish intellectuals as an act of multiple redemption. Finding themselves in between modern and traditional identification, Polish–Jewish journalists decided to ensure their belonging to the world which they saw as civilised by transposing concepts they knew from home.


A 6-month-old, intact male Great Pyrenees (35 kg) was referred with 2 weeks continuous left forelimb lameness to the Chonbuk Animal Medical Center, College of Veterinary medicine, Chonbuk National University. The lameness became worse three days before being referred to the hospital. Upon the physical examination, the patient had pain when the left shoulder joint was palpated, and the lameness was visible in the left forelimb during ambulation on gait examination. There were no remarkable findings on radiological and neurological examination. Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) was suspected based on medical history and gait tests. As a definitive diagnosis could not be made, exploratory arthroscopic surgery was performed to examine the inside of the shoulder joint. During the operation, mild bicipital tenosynovitis, synovitis and OCD which was located on the caudal medial area of humeral head were revealed. Arthroscopic procedures were used for the treating OCD, including the removal of the OCD flap and debriding of the subchondral defect until hemorrhaging by use of an electrical burr. The patient was discharged a day after surgery. After 2 weeks, the patient again presented at the hospital due to complications, including inflammation of the surgical lesion because of licking and seroma within the subcutaneous tissue. Antibiotics were administered and an aseptic bandage was applied. And simple surgical operations were performed for the removal of the cyst and seroma. Eleven weeks following arthroscopy, the lameness was completely resolved. Arthroscopy has the advantage of allowing gross examination inside the joint capsule. Due to this advantage, arthroscopy is one of the best advanced options for diagnosis in dogs with undiagnosed joint pain.


A procedure was developed to predict suspension and cradle loads during a dynamic front wheel curb impact event. Previously, the only way to acquire these types of forces was to run a test. The procedure uses a multibody full vehicle ADAMS model. The impact between the tire and the curb was modeled using a simplified tire model. Specific structural suspension members were modeled with a proprietary method developed by GM to capture the elastic-plastic behavior. The analysis results showed good correlation with the test, and the procedure is now being used at GM.


Although much is known about the initiation of immune responses, much less is known about what controls the effector phase. CD8 + T cell responses are believed to be programmed in lymph nodes during priming without any further contribution by dendritic cells (DCs) and Ag. In this study, we report the requirement for DCs, Ag, and CD28 costimulation during the effector phase of the CD8 + T cell response. Depleting DCs or blocking CD28 after day 6 of primary influenza A virus infection decreases the virus-specific CD8 + T cell response by inducing apoptosis, and this results in decreased viral clearance. Furthermore, effector CD8 + T cells adoptively transferred during the effector phase fail to expand without DC, CD28 costimulation, and cognate Ag. The absence of costimulation also leads to reduced survival of virus-specific effector cells as they undergo apoptosis mediated by the proapoptotic molecule Bim. Finally, IL-2 treatment restored the effector response in the absence of CD28 costimulation. Thus, in contrast to naive CD8 + T cells, which undergo an initial Ag-independent proliferation, effector CD8 + T cells expanding in the lungs during the effector phase require Ag, CD28 costimulation, and DCs for survival and expansion. These requirements would greatly impair effector responses against viruses and tumors that are known to inhibit DC maturation and in chronic infections and aging where CD28 2 / 2 CD8 + T cells accumulate. The Journal of Immunology , 2011, 186: 4599–4608. of CD8 + T cell responses in depth, controls effective responses at the effector phase is still poorly CD8 + T cell responses are believed to be programmed during priming CD28 costimulation at the effector site and what purpose such costimulation may serve late in the response after initiation and programming has occurred. Our study investigates whether effector CD8 + T cells retain the programmed response acquired during the original encounter of naive cells with Ag and examines the requirement for Ag, DC, and CD28 costimulation by CD8 + T cells during the effector phase of the immune response to influenza virus. We show that depleting DCs as late as day 6 post influenza virus infection significantly decreases the Ag-specific CD8 + T cell response. Because DCs influxing into the lung express CD80 and CD86, we tested whether DCs were providing CD28 costimulation. Indeed, de-priving effector CD8 + T cells of CD28 costimulation during the effector phase by blocking CD28 or transferring effector CD8 + T cells into infected CD80 2 / 2 CD86 2 / 2 mice results in markedly decreased virus-specific CD8 + T cell responses. Lack of CD28


0.05). After four weeks of treatment, the left ventricular end diastolic diameters (LVEDD) of TEB patients were reduced (72±10 mm vs 69±10 mm, P0.05) and LVEF (32%±14% vs 33%±12%, P>0.05) did not change significantly in the control group.Conclusions The results suggest that plasma FIB levels in patients with DCM were decreased by performing a TEB, in addition to a reduction of the enlarged cardiac cavity and an improvement in cardiac systolic dysfunction. TEB might contribute to lowering the occurrence of thrombus and thromboembolism in patients with DCM. TEB might be a promising therapeutic method to improve the rognosis of DCM patients.


A preliminary experimental study on shock ignition was made by use of shock tubes with a flat end-plate, a conical end-tube and a shock concentration device at the end of the test chamber for the purpose of determining the minimum shock strength capable of igniting various fuel-oxygen and fuel-air mixtures. Ehylene, propane, hydrogen and commercial fuel-gas were used as fuels. The minimum shodk ignition temperature of stoichiometric ethylene-oxygen mixture was found to be between 100°C and 300°C which was considerably lower than those normally associated with the mixture. In order to amplify the strength of the incoming shock, and thus, to economize the initial pressure ratio in the shock-tube, conical end-tubes of various angles and a shock concentration device originated by Kantrowitz were used in place of the flat end-plate. Among them, the shock concentration device was found to be most effective for the purpose and the conical end-tube of 90 deg. to be the next. The effect of mixture ratio on the critical ignition pressure was also investigated and it was found that most of the mixtures except for hydrogen-oxygen mixture had the minimum of the critical ignition pressure near stoiehiometric mixture ratio. When air was used as oxide in place of oxygen, shock ignition of the mixture was a far difficult problem and its igniting region became narrow. Throughout the experiment, it was found that pressure effect on shock ignition was considerabke. Scale effect also seemed to be influencial to the problem.


Aging and estimate of useful life of polymer insulators installed in field is a major concern nowadays. In order, to find the extent of aging and useful life of polymer insulators, different laboratory methods are employed. This paper also analyzes the degradation caused by UV radiation, temperature, salt fog, electric stress and humidity; by exposing the HTV silicone rubber insulators to these parameters in laboratory. After these experiments, the samples were analyzed with material testing techniques and were visually observed to locate any noticeable change


Craniopharyngiomas are histologically benign epithelial neoplasms of the sellar region that often exhibit aggressive and invasive growth. The authors hypothesized that tumor proliferation, spread, and recurrence are angiogenesis dependent and investigated the significance of vascularization relative to biologic behavior. To the authors' knowledge, angiogenesis for patients with craniopharyngiomas has not been examined to date.


Freeform surfaces have wider engineering applicatio ns. Designers use B-splines, Non-Uniform Rational Bsplines, etc. to represent the freeform surfaces in CAD, while the manufacturers employ machines with controllers based on approximating functions or spl ines. Different errors also creep in during machini ng operations . Therefore the manufactured freeform surfaces have to be verified for conformance to design specification. Different points on the surface are probed using a coordinate measuring machine and substitute geometry of surface established from the measured p oi nts is compared with the design surface. The sampli ng points are distributed according to different strat egies. In the present work, two new strategies of d istributing the points on the basis of uniform surface area and dom inant points are proposed, consid ering the geometrical nature of the surfaces. Metrological aspects such as probe contact and margins to be provided along the sides have also been included. The results are discussed in terms o f deviation between measured points and substitute surface as well as between design and substitute surfaces, and compared with those obtained with the methods reported in the literature.


OBJECTIVE To observe the therapeutic effect of self-prepared Sijinshiwei Decoction in treating urolithiasis. METHOD The patients were randomly divided into a treatment group of 101 patients treated with Sijinshiwei Decoction, and a control group of 95 patients treated with western medicine. RESULT The total effective rate obtained in the treatment group and control group were 97.03% and 77.89% respectively, with marked significance ( P 0.01). CONCLUSION Sijinshiwei Decoction is effective in treating urolithiasis, and further study and development is indicated.


Recent advances in quality technology have resulted from considering the variation of a response variable as well as its mean value. Current research dealing with the analysis of data involving noise factors has mostly been confined to models with normally distributed responses. The research described herein focuses on development of methodology for time-to-event data. Once model parameters have been estimated, optimization of the pertinent aspects of the event time distribution can be used to reduce the effect of the noise factors.


A frequency sampling filter which has been implemented on a master digital hearing aid comprising a Texas TMS 320C30 DSP and associated circuitry is presented. The filter runs in real time and is used to provide a response, determined from the human audiogram, which compensates for loss of gain. The algorithm matches given requirements using a filter structure consisting of a comb filter having 400 zeros in cascade with 167 digital resonators.<<ETX>>


Objective:To explore the effect of head nurses' clinical nursing information electronic report system in high-quality nursing service management.Methods:We designed head nurses' clinical nursing information electronic report system and established daily report and regular assessment system.We compared head nurses' realization status about current clinical nursing information before and after the report system implementation.Results:The scores of head nurses' realization status about clinical nursing information increased significantly after we established electronic information system(P0.05).Conclusions:Head nurses' clinical nursing information electronic report system has standardized their work processes,enhenced them to realize daily nursing workload and human resource situation,and improved the effect and efficiency of head nurses' clinical nursing quality management.


Axillary and aerial rhizomic shoot development of Nandina domestica Thunb. 'Harbour Dwarf' was promoted by a single foliar application of 25-200 ppm ASC-66952. Chlorosis of immature leaflets occurred within 2 weeks of 100 or 200 ppm treatment, but was not present 4 weeks after treatment. Growth indices [(height + width in perpendicular directions) + 3] of treated plants were 2-10% less than those of non-treated control plants. flex x Meserveae S.Y. Hu. 'Blue Girl', flex x 'Nellie R. Stevens', Rhododendron 'George L. Tabor', Rhododendron 'Trouper', Trachelospermum asiaticum (Siebold & Zucc.) Nakai, and Viburnum x pragense Hort. were not affected by application of ASC-66952.


This paper calculated the ground-state of Er~(3+) iron in Er_3Ga_5O_(12) at low temperatures and in high magnetic field by using quantum theory.The crystal field influences the splitting of energy levels and the energy is double degenerate.The degree of splitting is increasing on the crystal field coefficient.If is influenced by the applied magnetic field the degeneration disappears and some inter-acting occurs.The magnetic intensity is zero when the applied is zero prove the Er_3Ga_5O_(12) is paramagnetic.


The microwave spectrum of the cis‐2‐butene molecule has been studied between 20 and 40 Gc/sec. Analysis of internal‐rotation splittings yields an effective threefold barrier of 0.73 kcal/mole, or 256 cm−1. The principal moments of inertia of the normal isotopic species are 31.479, 98.370, and 123.659 amu·A2. The electric dipole moment is 0.257 D and lies along the b axis of the molecule.


In this paper, we examine poverty in three regions in the United States and Germany and discuss its causes and demographic consequences. The three regions are those with the highest rates of poverty in the two countries: the Missis- sippi Delta and Texas Borderland in the United States and the Northeastern Border Region in Germany. We show that standard models to explain poverty need to be placed in the historical legacies of the three regions in order to understand their current levels of poverty. While our results show many common factors for poverty in the three regions, they also point to important differences. Similarly, we identify differences among the regions in their demographic responses to poverty, in part refl ecting their different historical legacies. Thus, one implication of the paper is the importance of place-based poverty-mitigation strategies for successful policy planning.


On rural roads run off the road accidents are a major problem. Since behavioural countermeasures appear to have been unsuccessful in reducing this most prevalent accident type, there is a need to consider engineering countermeasures which can effectively reduce the number and severity of run off the road accidents. This paper provides a review of proven engineering countermeasures aimed at reducing run off the road accidents, particularly concentrating on low cost countermeasures. As a result of the review, it is suggested that such low cost countermeasures on rural roads should be given increased priority in any future road safety program. Those particularly relevant to rural roads appear to be: removal/ relocation of fixed hazardous objects in particular trees and shrubs. Shielding of unavoidable rigid objects. Implementing breakaway sign supports, guideposts and, where appropriate, service poles. Provision of guardrails on embankments, curves and bridge approaches. Delineation of the road and roadside objects. Provision of overtaking/ climbing lanes. Increased width of both sealed and unsealed narrow shoulders. Improvements to deteriorating traffic lanes and shoulders. Monitoring skid resistance throughout the major road network and improve the conditions where warranted.


Abstract : Hands-on performance tests and job knowledge tests were developed for MOS 6113 (CH-53A/D helicopter mechanic) as part of the Marine Corps Job Performance Measurement Project. The purpose of this information memorandum is to disseminate these performance measures to Marine Corps personnel managers, training instructors, and interested researchers who may find them useful. This work comprises two parts: this volume contains the hands-on performance test, and a second volume presents the administrative duties and job knowledge tests.... JPM(Job Performance Measurement), Marine Corps personnel, Mechanics, Performance(Human), Performance tests, Test methods.


. We present the results of optical and near-IR spectroscopy of the massive young star associated with the extended reflection nebula Gy 2-18 (HHL31). The optical spectrum between 4000-5000 A suggests a B0-B2 classification for this object. In addition the Ha line profile indicate the presence of a consistent stellar wind with a velocity of the order of 1200 km/s. The near-IR spectrum is dominated by the presence of the hydrogen recombination emission lines (Pfund and Bracket series). The measured line intensities of these lines are in agreement with the presence of a strong stellar wind in Gy2-18. Gy 2-18 is a peculiar optical object found by Gyulbudaghyan (1983). It is located in a dense cloud detected in CO by Wouterloot & Brand (1989). JHK images show a young embedded cluster composed at least of 9 very young massive members centered around a point-like central condensation with a bright Ha in emission (Tapia et al. 1997) (see Figure 1). In order to understand the nature of this point-like condensation, we have obtained optical and near- IR spectroscopy. Two low resolution spectrograms of Gy 2-18 in the 4000-7800 A range with AA= 5.5A were taken in January 1996 at the Loiano 1.52 m Telescope with the Bologna Faint Objects Spectrometer and Camera (BFOSC, Merighi et 1994) and a Thompson 1100x1100 CCD. Four further spectra were taken in January 1998 with a new 2048x2048


In outbreeding species, such as perennial ryegrass, most plants are heterozygous for genes controlling agronomic characters and varieties must usually be based on more than one plant to avoid inbreeding depression. This leads to the possibility of change under the selective action of seed multiplication.

Several stocks of S23 perennial ryegrass were examined to see whether such a change occurred; Irish, Kent and Hunsballe were grown for comparison.

The characters recorded were date of ear emergence, winter requirement before heading, and leaf size, rate of leaf appearance, tillering and dry-weight production in the young seedling.

A slight shift towards earliness of heading occurred during seed multiplication, but no regular change in the other characters could be detected. The S23 stocks could readily be distinguished from Hunsballe and, less easily, from Irish, as early as the sixth leaf stage.

It is concluded that although considerable genetic variation for all these characters exists within the S23 stocks, changes during seed multiplication are not inevitable but depend on the management of the crop.


The key to the success of hydropower project lies in the resettlement of immigrants,while the key to the success of resettlement of immigrants lies in the rational choice of resettlement ways.There are a variety of ways for the resettlement of immigrants of hydropower projects,but there is no successful fixed model in today's world.In the new development stage of China,to meet the need for hydropower and other renewable energy and to adapt to the changes in economic and social situation,this paper summarizes the classification,concepts,basic characteristics,application objects and conditions of ways of immigrant resettlement of hydropower projects,and proposes corresponding measures and suggestions to improve the ways of immigrant resettlement of hydropower projects,so as to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of immigrants in resettlement areas and to promote hydropower project construction and coordinated and sustainable economic and social development of resettlement areas.


ABSTRACT The Angola-Zambia borderlands remain a territory of scarce research—a scientific vacuum largely justified by the uncertain history of this region. Thus, based on fieldwork conducted along both sides of the border between Zambia and Angola, this paper aims to introduce some of the key events on the genesis of the international demarcation and its gradual consolidation. The purpose is to analyze the substance of the border, the borders—old and new—within that same territory. If in the past the border was virtually non-existent, today a myriad of not always evident mechanisms and situations compose and give meaning to this borderscape. Over time, slavery, forced labor, violence and high taxes accentuated the colonial limits by establishing a very clear demarcation between dispossession and survival. After five centuries of Portuguese rule, Angola endured one of the deadliest conflicts in recent history (1961–2002). Wartime episodes, forced displacement, border smuggling and the spectrum of Jonas Savimbi—the deceased Angolan rebel leader—enlarged the border imaginary.


Pavement defects such as cracks, net cracks, and pit slots can cause potential traffic safety problems. The timely detection and identification play a key role in reducing the harm of various pavement defects. Particularly, the recent development in deep learning (DL)-based convolution neural networks (CNNs) has shown competitive performance in image detection and classification. To detect pavement defects automatically and improve effects, a multiscale mobile attention-based network, which we termed MANet, is proposed to perform the detection of pavement defects. The architecture of the encoder–decoder is used in MANet, where the encoder adopts the MobileNet as the backbone network to extract pavement defect features. Instead of the original <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3\,\, \times 3$ </tex-math></inline-formula> convolution, the multiscale convolution kernels are used in depthwise separable convolution (DSConv) layers of the network. Furthermore, the hybrid attention mechanism is separately incorporated into the encoder and decoder modules to infer the significance of spatial points and interchannel relationship features for the input intermediate feature maps. The proposed approach achieves state-of-the-art performance on two publicly available benchmark datasets, i.e., the Crack500 (500 crack images with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2000\,\, \times 1500$ </tex-math></inline-formula> pixels) and CFD (118 crack images with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$480\,\, \times 320$ </tex-math></inline-formula> pixels) datasets. The mean intersection over union (MIoU) of the proposed approach on these two datasets reaches 0.7219 and 0.7788, respectively. Ablation experiments show that the multiscale convolution and hybrid attention modules can effectively help the model extract high-level feature representations and generate more accurate pavement crack segmentation results. We further test the model on locally collected pavement crack images (131 images with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1024\,\, \times 768$ </tex-math></inline-formula> pixels) and it achieves a satisfactory result. The proposed approach realizes the MIoU of 0.6514 on the local dataset and outperforms other compared baseline methods. Experimental findings demonstrate the validity and feasibility of the proposed approach and it provides a viable solution for pavement crack detection in practical application scenarios. Our code is available at <uri>https://github.com/xtu502/pavement-defects</uri>.


Traditional education system on campus has been using as a legacy over decades to support educational learning. The major change over time has been made by the use of technology supporting students ...


Supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) are products of galaxy mergers, and are important in testing Λ cold dark matter cosmology and locating gravitational-wave-radiation sources. A unique electromagnetic signature of SMBHBs in galactic nuclei is essential in identifying the binaries in observations from the IR band through optical to X-ray. Recently, the flares in optical, UV, and X-ray caused by supermassive black holes (SMBHs) tidally disrupting nearby stars have been successfully used to observationally probe single SMBHs in normal galaxies. In this Letter, we investigate the accretion of the gaseous debris of a tidally disrupted star by a SMBHB. Using both stability analysis of three-body systems and numerical scattering experiments, we show that the accretion of stellar debris gas, which initially decays with time ∝t−5/3, would stop at a time Ttr ≃ ηTb. Here, η ∼ 0.25 and Tb is the orbital period of the SMBHB. After a period of interruption, the accretion recurs discretely at time Tr ≃ ξTb, where ξ ∼ 1. Both η and ξ sensitively depend on the orbital parameters of the tidally disrupted star at the tidal radius and the orbit eccentricity of SMBHB. The interrupted accretion of the stellar debris gas gives rise to an interrupted tidal flare, which could be used to identify SMBHBs in non-active galaxies in the upcoming transient surveys.


An n.in.r. method for the establishment of a scale of acidities of weak acids in liquid ammonia is described. A pK range of 6.6 units has been covered using substituted anilines. The relative values fit a • Hammett up plot with p = - 5 3 A new a value for n-fluorine of -o 05 is proposed for these systems


We investigate the effect of the electric field on the edge states in one-bilayer Bi(111) by first-principles calculations. We calculate the band structures of armchair and zigzag Bi nanoribbons. With increasing strength of the electric field E > 2.1 V/Å, the armchair nanoribbon shows a topological phase transition from non-trivial metallic edge states to insulating edge states. However, under the same conditions, the zigzag nanoribbon shows a topological phase transition from non-trivial metallic edge states to trivial metallic edge states. We expect that these findings will contribute to the development of, e.g., spin current switches for use in next-generation devices. [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2018.427]


Movie Recommendation is something millions of people make use of everyday. Predictions are made by various sophisticated data mining and artificial intelligence techniques. In this thesis we propose an original method for predicting movie ratings. This method is based on combining neural networks. Basic neural networks predictors are trained individually on training data, and their results are used as input for other neural networks. This combination could provide a better rating than the individual network. We look at the setup of the basic neural network, together with the design decisions faced during the building of this network. We compared the predictions made by this method to a baseline predictor. The baseline we use is k-Nearest Neighbors, a data mining algorithm. The original approach did not show improvement compared to the k-Nearest Neighbor algorithm. The basic neural network performed slightly worse than using the average rating of the movie as a prediction.


Analytical solutions to the equations of motion of inclined unsagged cables have been obtained by using the Lie group theory. The infinitesimal generators corresponding to the problem are calculated and then used to construct some invariant solutions. Invariant solutions can be found as solutions of a reduced system of differential equations that has fewer independent variables. Consequently, the system of second - order partial differential equations is reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations and some of these systems can be solved analytically.


Background: Preclinical work revealed significant interactions between ligands of the histamine H3 receptor and different drugs of abuse. In the case of psychostimulants, the results reported are somewhat controversial and human data are still scarce, despite the fact that an inverse agonist of the H3 receptor (pitolisant) has reached the market after approval for the treatment of narcolepsy. Aims: We have studied associations between histamine H3 receptor gene variants and cocaine use disorder to increase the knowledge of the possible involvement of histamine H3 receptor in drug abuse. Methods: Seven single nucleotide polymorphisms of the histamine H3 receptor gene were genotyped by using a multiplexing assay in 248 samples of subjects with cocaine use disorder and 500 randomized samples of subjects representative of the Spanish population. Results: The study of the epidemiological information associated to the samples revealed that subjects with cocaine use disorder broadly abused alcohol, tobacco and cannabinoids. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs3787430 and rs74627870) were found significantly associated with the occurrence of addiction and one more (rs13042865) was specifically related to the severity of cocaine dependence within drug abusers. Conclusions: The associations found in this study further extend the hypothesis that histamine H3 receptor function could be relevant in drug abuse in general and cocaine addiction in particular.


The credit system is an education management system by which the credit is used as a unit to measure and control the capacity of school's teaching and student's learning. The credit system conforms to the diversified requirements of market economy to the talent cultivation and it essential features can be summed up in 4 aspects. In China the credit system in effect is of two types, that is, the one in colleges and universities and the one in self-study examination. The credit system in colleges and universities is further divided into basic overall one and year-end one. For the colleges and universities that haven't instituted the credit system, the author offers 6 implementation strategies in the article.


Because of rapidly changing technologies, requirements for the software systems are constantly changing. This requires a change in software design as well, as design should be traceable to the requirements. There is a strong need to deal with these changes in a systematic manner. For this purpose, proper decision making and change planning is required to effectively implement the change. Change Impact Analysis provides its services in this regard, by allowing us to assess the potential side - effects of change and also helps us in identifying that what is needed to be modified to accomplish the change. A number of impact analysis techniques have been proposed that perform impact analysis of UML based software design using a certain strategy and methodology. In order to explore the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches toward impact analysis, this survey paper includes an evaluation criterion for the comparison of different impact analysis techniques and a thorough analysis of these techniques based on evaluation criteria.


A sample o f 49 primary s c h o o l s , s t r a t i f i e d and randomly s e l e c t e d were v i s i t e d f o r data c o l l e c t e d , in Nakuru D i s t r i c t . The in format ion required was r e l a t e d t o teaching r e s o u r c e s , t e a c h e r s ' q u a l i t y , teaching methods, type o f admin i s t ra t i on , and pup i l s academic background p r i o r t o s i t t i n g f o r the C.P.E. Examination. 19 33 Form One pup i l s from 32 o f the 49 primary schoo l s in fo'ur randomly s e l e c t e d secondary s c h o o l s , were a l s o interviewed f o r t h e i r s o c i o e conomic background. These two se ts o f in format ion were r e l a t e d t o the s c h o o l s ' 19 81 C.P.E. Examination performance. When the informat ion was analysed , i t ind i ca ted that q u a l i t y o f teachers s choo l administrat ion, use o f appropriate teaching methods and p u p i l s ' academic background, had a very s i g n i f i c a n t i n f l u e n c e to s c h o o l s ' performance in C.P.E.Examination. The use o f teaching resources ( a i d s ) , school-community r e l a t i o n s and soc i o e conomic background o f pup i l s did not seem t o ' h a v e a s i g n i f i c a n t and d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e o f s c h o o l s ' performance on the Examination. Genera l ly , municipal s choo l s performed b e t t e r than rura l s c h o o l s . ' _ j • * * H . ' .


The synthesis algorithm of a pair of signal-linked filters for navigational radars with one antenna using a complex amplitude-phase modulated waveform of long duration with coherent processing in the receiver is considered. A harmful influence of the ambiguity function (AF) sidelobes on target detection and parameter measurement is a significant obstacle to using the long pulse duration complex modulated waveform in marine radars. We discuss waveforms and linked processing for clutter suppression by means of AF sidelobe reduction. Some relationships for the quasi-continuous complex signal synthesis of amplitude-phase modulated waveform (APW) are given. The received signals are processed by a mismatch filter. The synthesis criterion of the mismatch filter structure was a root mean square minimization of the output signal sidelobe level. The computer synthesis software of the quasi-optimum mismatch processing structure has been developed. We give some examples of the waveform and mismatch algorithms of their professing which could be used in marine and coastal radars for surveillance of surface targets and navigation.


X ray reflectivity measurement using synchrotron radiation is a accurate and easy method to determine the structure of a thin film, compared with other experimental methods. X ray reflectivity investigation using synchrotron radiation were performed on Cr/SiO 2 thin film system. Reflectivity curves with good S/N ratio were collected. The thickness of Cr film and the roughness of the interface between Cr and SiO 2 substrate were obtained by Fourier analysis and least square fit of the experimental data. It is shown that the present method is effective for the determination of interfacial roughness.


Under the LCMMP the FS and CDF conduct change detection as a basis for monitoring and for identifying land cover change across all ownerships. This program has successfully used satellite imagery and change detection techniques to map and monitor changes in vegetation due to drought-induced insect mortality, fire mortality and subtle changes due to selective harvest methods. The current project has been easily adapted under the larger program to identify oak mortality, potential SOD areas and develop a basis for establishing a monitoring program for SOD.


The features of criminal-legal estimation of use of representatives of fauna at hooliganism and other crimes which are made with hooliganism motives are considered. The author points out inconsistency of the settled judicial-investigative practice of recognizing dogs as an object used as a weapon during commitment of a crime. The subjective signs of the use of animals during the commitment of the researched acts are analyzed. Practical examples of bringing to responsibility of persons who use animals during the commission of a crime under Art. 213 of the Criminal Code and other acts of hooliganism are demonstrated.


Objective: The aim of this comparative and prospective study is to evaluate the results of pain management with the association of a mini-invasive pronator-sparing technique and in situ continuous diffusion of Ropivacaine following radius distal fracture treated with volar locking plate. Patients and Method: In group 1 (11 patients), there was no catheter placed but a suction drain for 3 of them. In group 2 (23 patients), an in situ catheter is placed in the surgical site for a continuous diffusion (flow 5 mL/h) of 270 mL of Ropivacaine 2% in an elastomeric pump. The catheter was removed by a nurse at home 48 hours after surgery. Pain was evaluated with pain Visual Analog Scale at days 1, 2, 3, 7, and 30. A radiological examination was performed at day 30. Results: In group 2, Visual Analog Scale (VAS; day 1/day 2) was significantly lower than in group 1: 4.8/3.5 versus 6.6/5.6 (P < .05). There were no differences of the results of VAS at days 3, 7, and 30. No radiological sign of chondrotoxicity was observed at day 30. Conclusion: The association of the mini-invasive technique with an in situ diffusion of Ropivacaine is an effective procedure to control postoperative pain after treatment of distal radius fracture and then could authorize 1-day surgery.


Bulk metallic glasses of Fe61Co7Zr10Mo5W2M15(1+x%) containing addition elements of M (M=B, Al, Si, C and P) and Fe74Al4Sn2P12B4Si4 by substituting Sri for Ga were prepared in rod of diameter up to 2.5 mm from low purity raw materials by a copper mould casting. The experimental results show that a small amount of metal and metalloid element addition is effective for improvement of the formation ability of Fe6Co7Zr10Mo5W2M15 alloy, even though the raw elements are of low purity. However, the width of supercooled liquid region decreases in the increase of M addition. The substitution Sn for Ga in Fe74Al4Ga2Nb2P10Si4B4 alloy and the partial replacement of Mo with Ni can be used for the synthesis of the Fe-based BMG alloys.


The present invention discloses a method for preparing a port Tobacco flavor type, comprising: extracting selected flavor of the tobacco type tobacco leaves extract having a content of nicotine and tobacco flavor certain components; was added to the tobacco extract include sugars and candy base is made and / or proteins, fats, hydrocolloids, food additives and the like, to obtain the finished confectionery product prepared by the process recipe. Tobacco can meet the physical needs of consumers will not harm the surrounding environment, and further reduce the potential hazards for consumers, to meet specific consumer group preference for tobacco flue-cured tobacco type flavor nuances, but also the use of mature, a variety of candy and processing means to overcome the drawbacks of traditional mouth Han Yan, can adapt to different consumer groups in need, taste richer, more acceptable.


The study presents the results of a survey among pupils of grades V-VIII of an urban primary school in Szeklerland, where the author investigated the phenomenon of bullying in the school environment. The results of the data collection are summarized in five aspects: (1) to what extent bullying is present in the studied group of pupils, (2) to what extent bullying is present in each grade, (3) to what extent bullying is experienced by pupils with high school performance and pupils with low school performance, (4) in which school locations bullying is experienced, and (5) what reasons are given by pupils.


The purpose of this essay is to identify the philosophical context of the claim made by Lon Fuller that law and morality-or, as Fuller preferred to say, the law that is and the law that ought to be-are logically inseparable. Fuller first defended this claim in print in 1940 and continued to support it for nearly three decades. Reviewing his published arguments today, a disinterested observer is bound to acknowledge that they were thoroughly demolished in a succession of commentaries by eminent philosophers. Yet Fuller persisted in his claim. His stubbornness could be attributed, I suppose, to a lack of philosophical sophistication or rigour. However, his personal library reveals that Fuller was well read in twentieth-century philosophy and quite aware that his position ran counter to certain dominant lines of argument. I searched his library and private papers, therefore, with a view to locating sources of ideas that he may have found compelling, despite their repudiation or neglect in the contemporary literature, and that would provide a basis for understanding and perhaps reconstructing his side of the debate. The sources I found are surprisingly familiar: William James and John Dewey-though I should add that I do not mean to deny that Fuller drew ideas from a wide variety of sources in many languages and in many disciplines. Nonetheless, it is evident, I believe, that on crucial philosophical matters the pragmatist influence was a dominant one, even to the point of guiding his reading in other traditions of thought. Before broaching this connection, however, I shall briefly recount Fuller's debate with the philosophers.


One of the objectives of mathematics learning is to improve mathematical communication skills. One learning model that can improve such skills is problem based learning (PBL). This study aimed to examine the improvement of students' mathematical communication skills and students' motivation in statistics using PBL. The method used in this study was classroom action research (CAR). Twenty-seven Year 12 students participated in the study. The instruments used included a test for examining students' mathematical communication skills, observation sheet for observing student activities, and observation sheet for evaluating the ability of teachers in managing the learning. The results showed that there was an increase in students' mathematical communication skills through PBL model in Cycle I and II, the average score was 68.89 and 75.56, respectively. The students' interest in learning mathematics through PBL, specifically statistics, was also improved in each Cycle, with an average of 51% and 67% for the Cycle I and II. The finding of this study can be used as a reference to improve students' mathematical communication skills using the PBL model. The PBL model also has a positive impact on students' interest to learn mathematics and it can contribute to help students achieving the mastery learning of statistics.


The velocity of supersonic pulses in cylindrical drill cores and rock samples is measured as a function of the frequency or wave length λ of the pulses. If λ is very much lower than the diameter D of the drill core –λ D.

Some drill cores from the carbon were found the velocities of which for sonic and supersonic pulses do not follow the above rule. It is shown that these cores have a constant velocity both for short and for long wave lengths in a frequency range between 5 kHz and 2 MHz.


In 2019, a community-based, cross-sectional carriage survey and a seroprevalence survey of 1,216 persons 1–55 years of age were conducted in rural Vietnam to investigate the mechanism of diphtheria outbreaks. Seroprevalence was further compared with that of an urban area that had no cases reported for the past decade. Carriage prevalence was 1.4%. The highest prevalence, 4.5%, was observed for children 1–5 years of age. Twenty-seven asymptomatic Coerynebacterium diphtheriae carriers were identified; 9 carriers had tox gene–bearing strains, and 3 had nontoxigenic tox gene–bearing strains. Child malnutrition was associated with low levels of diphtheria toxoid IgG, which might have subsequently increased child carriage prevalence. Different immunity patterns in the 2 populations suggested that the low immunity among children caused by low vaccination coverage increased transmission, resulting in symptomatic infections at school-going age, when vaccine-induced immunity waned most. A school-entry booster dose and improved infant vaccination coverage are recommended to control transmissions.


In article prerequisites of institutional transformations and formation of the integrated structures in defense industry complex are analyzed. The directions of improvement and development of organizational and technological and institutional structures of defense industry complex are characterized. The main problems of integration processes in defense industry complex reveal and the directions of creation of a qualitative standard legal framework for the integrated structures of defense industry complex are offered.


In this paper, the energy collection performance of north/south- and east-west-facing collector pairs, installed at optimized fixed and seasonally adjusted tilt angles, considering both portrait and landscape alignments, and setups with and without reflectors, were numerically compared with each other. For the purpose, a method based on hybrid ray-tracing model was employed, as developed in this work. A case study, considering an installation site in Auckland (New Zealand), is presented. For this, the fixed and seasonally adjusted optimum tilt angles for the layouts were first obtained. Then, the yearly energy collection for the layouts was evaluated at fixed tilt angles. An hourly analysis was also performed to understand the behavior of these layouts in the morning, and at noon and evening. Then, the effects of seasonal adjustments were investigated for each layout. Finally, the layouts were ranked according their performance. The north-facing landscape layout with reflectors showed the best performance, followed by its portrait alignment version. The east-west facing portrait layout with reflectors ranked third. The east-west facing layouts without reflectors were found to give the poorest performance.


BACKGROUND
For the first time, N,N-dihexyloxamic acid (HA) has been developed to extract La, Ce and Pr from hydrochloric acid solution in present work.

RESULTS
La, Ce and Pr can be extracted by HA in the pH range 1.3 to 2.0 using heptane as diluent. The extraction order was La < Ce < Pr. The separation factors were calculated to be 1.8 for La/Ce and for Ce/Pr. Based on slope analysis, all the rare earths (REs) were loaded in the form of REsCl0.6A2.4(HA)0.6 that may be a statistical expression of a mixture of complexes. Stripping tests showed that the loaded organic phase can be stripped by hydrochloric acid at medium acidity.

CONCLUSION
The extraction results obtained in the study suggest that N,N-dihexyloxamic acid could serve as an effective extractant for La, Ce and Pr. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry


Towards the end of the 20 century, we have seen an improved interest among Statisticians and Computer engineers to explore and extract data from data sources, by considering time as standard of measurement. However, some of the techniques used remains the same as that used in conventional data mining. As in the case of traditional data base systems, in time series data systems too the methods employed in capturing, indexing, representing and storing the data remains as the key issue. In time series data mining the indexing problem become very critical under the noisy conditions. The indexing problem, however, both in noisy and non noise conditions have exploded the database size. In time series data analysis mathematical/statistical models, that provide descriptions for sample data, (like data collected on global warming, flood forecasting system etc) are used. The method is also used to provide a statistical arrangement for describing the nature of a continues stream of data that fluctuate in a random fashion with respect to the time. A time series can be further defined as a collection of random variables, indexed according to the order they have been extracted. Hence we can assume a time series as a sequence of random variables t1,t2,t3,t4 ...., where the random variables t1,t2 etc are the observed values with respect to the time. It is already been proved that statistical methods such as moving average can be effectively used in smoothening data flow. Financial market, equity markets are essentially non-linear in nature. My approach in predicting financial time series is tested in simulation studies using non-linear models. It is shown to have a good success rate of correct forecasting.


The article considers the production and social reality of a medium-sized enterprise - the «Krasny Mayak» white lead and paint plant at microlevel in the transitional period from the revolution and civil war to NEP. The labour collective is studied as a special social community with its own connections, processes, relationships, conflicts. The article analyzes the typical production difficulties of the 1920s: breakdowns in supply of raw materials, fuel, and transport; lack of workers in general and skilled personnel in particular. The author notes the frequent changes of the directors and chairmen of the party organization, as well as the constant participation of the party organization in the plant's everyday life. The article gives the eexamples of workers' social initiatives: the restoration of the plant after the Yaroslavl uprising of 1918, organization of a trade union, construction of the «Krasny Khimik» workers' settlement.


The invention discloses a high-strength steel resistance and laser combined spot welding method, belonging to the welding field. The method comprises the following welding steps of: welding a test piece by resistance spot welding; and b, performing laser welding on different racks around the core of the resistance spot welding. In terms of application of the resistance and laser combined spot welding method, the high-strength steel is applied to the automobile industry through an independent resistance spot welding method or laser spot welding method. In the invention, a welding method combining resistance spot welding and laser spot welding is adopted, which prevents easy splatter of the resistance spot welding in a relatively small current range; and moreover, the resistance spot welding eliminates a clearance between two plates, and also plays a role of a clamp for the laser welding at the same time.


This paper presents an original design for a volume refractive index (RI) sensor for cell concentration detection based on the unique resonant optical tunneling effect (ROTE). In this design, the solution sample is introduced into the ROTE resonant cavity, whose reflection spectrum presents a large shift of its resonant dip in response to the tiny change of the solution RI. Performance calibration using the polystyrene particle solution indicates that the sensitivity is 19,000 nm/RIU and the total Q factor is 620. Experiments with hepatoma cells have obtained sensitivity values as high as 2.53 nm/(amol/ml) and a detection limit of 1.2 × 105 cells/ml. Compared with previously reported optical cell sensors, this original work implements the ROTE mechanism for the first time and presents superior device performance. Thus, the proposed design has a high potential for use in biomedical applications, such as drug discovery, cell research, and medical diagnoses.


In the diagnosis of pancreaticobiliary tumors, computerized tomography is becoming the routine examination method. Occasionally, due to the complexity of anatomical factors, diagnosis of tumor origin and operability is difficult. Vascular invasion, as an indicator of the inoperability of a cystic duct carcinoma, is demonstrated angiographically and compared with the CT finding of a preaortic soft-tissue shadow.


We have made what we believe to be the first observation of two-photon absorption in Cr-phthalocyanine. The wavelenth dependence is consistent with the two-photon excitations to Bg energy levels calculated by Ho et al.(1)The strength of acoustic grating formed by intersecting 30 ps pulses in 2microns thick polycarbonate film doped with 3×10−4 mol per gram of polymer Cr-phthalocyanine was monitored by Bragg scattering of a delayed pulse from acoustic pattern. The scattered signal intensity varied as the square of intensities of intersecting 1.06 micron pulses in the range of 0.5 to 2.4 GW/cm2 . The scattered signal was unobservable and at least lowered by factor of 10−2 at the other wavelength studied: 0.532, and 0.59-0.62 micron. This is consistent with the existence of two-photon excitable levels estimated to be near 20,000 cm−1 by Ho, et al.(1) No two-photon transition would be expected at the other wavelengths we used based on energy levels estimated by them.


Traditional seismic data acquisition systems rely on telemetry cables to conduct oil, gas, and mineral exploration. Although cabled systems provide reliable seismic data transfer, their deployment and maintenance costs are increasing substantially as surveys become larger in scale and densely populated. A novel wireless geophone network architecture is proposed and described in this paper, which makes use of the IEEE 802.11af standard. It operates in the TV White Space, which offers a significantly higher transmission range. A data collection scheme is also proposed and its performance in comparison to the default 802.11 schemes is evaluated on NS-3. The proposed scheme is standards compliant; no changes to the IEEE 802.11af standard are required. The problem of hexagonal clustering for orthogonal deployment of geophones is also considered, and the impact of co-channel interference is analyzed. Furthermore, energy-aware algorithms are analyzed to extend the battery life of the geophones. The proposed scheme outperforms the default standard in terms of both throughput and power consumption, and provides a realistic solution for deploying large-scale wireless geophone networks.