Summary The quantity of fungal alpha-amylase used in wheat flour must be controlled since an excess negatively affects the baking process. Since the classical falling number method does not quantify fungal alpha-amylase, a method must be used that does determine the amount present. The aim of this work was to study the fungal falling number method in the determination of the amylolytic activity of wheat flour, and to evaluate its influence on the functional properties of the loaves. Four wheat flour samples were characterized with respect to their moisture, crude protein and damaged starch contents, and also alveography and falling number. Concentrations of 0, 0.028, 0.056 and 0.084 g.kg –1 of fungal alpha-amylase in the treatments were evaluated, determining the falling number and carrying out baking tests. The results were analyzed by the analysis of variance and the comparison of means by Tukey's test at the 5% level of significance. The flour characterization results showed that the values for dough deformation energy (W) correlated with the percentage of damaged starch, and there was no relationship between W and the percentage of crude protein. The amylolytic activity proportionally reduced the amount of fungal alpha-amylase added. This method is appropriate to predict the total amount of amylolitc enzymes present in wheat flour, producing better loaf volume yields and crust colours when fungal alpha-amylase concentrations of 0.056 and 0.084 g.kg – ¹ were used.


Balancing accuracy and computational efficiency while studying biomolecular structures and dynamics necessitates scalable modeling techniques. We have been developing a coarse-grained model for RNA that uses pseudoatoms in place of all-atom representation. By reducing the number of interactions and mean-field representation of environmental effects, significant improvement in computational efficiency is achieved in a comparison to all-atom based physical modeling approaches. A five bead coarse-grained model utilized for RNA 3D structure prediction is presented. Unique features of this framework include the direct mapping between all atom and coarse-grained models, incorporation of electrostatic interactions, continuous and analytical energy function that can be used in molecular dynamics simulations, and statistical derived parameters. Here we present the basic framework of our model and recent applications to RNA folding.


The period-luminosity (PL) relation for classical fundamental mode Cepheids (hereafter Cepheids) is an important astrophysical tool in distance scale applications. Because of this, we initiated a program to derive multi-band PL relations with Cepheids in the Large and Small Magellanic Cloud (hereafter LMC and SMC, respectively), as there are ∼⃒ 103 Cepheids found in these two nearby galaxies. When compared the slopes of the multi-band PL relations for Cepheids in the LMC and SMC, we found that these PL slopes agree with each others except in the V and J band. We also found an excellent agreement of the PL slopes in Wesenheit function, hence we calibrated the Period-Wesenheit (PW) relation by combining the data from both Clouds, together with an accurate LMC distance based on measurement from late-type eclipsing binaries. Our calibrated Wesenheit function is MW = — 3.314 log(P) — 2.601.


Starved desert locust 'hoppers' respond to wind‐borne grass odour by turning and moving upwind toward the odour source. The conclusion from previous work, that this orientation reaction depends on unequal olfactory stimulation of the two antennae (osmotropotaxis), has been re‐examined in further experiments. "Agitating" hoppers, by handling them singly or by tumbling a crowd of them together just before releasing them in a wind tunnel, induced rapid upwind movement by both starved and fed hoppers even in the absence of grass odour. Repeated agitation led to increasing locomotor excitability accompanied by increasing upwind bias. Bilateral antennectomy depressed activity, but agitated antennaless hoppers also moved upwind with and without grass odour, provided they were very starved. Vaselining or amputating one antenna, or fixing the two antennae in a crossed‐over position, impaired but did not prevent upwind‐orientated movement in response to grass odour. It is concluded that the normal upwind movement in response to grass odour is not osmotropotaxis but anemotaxis: the grass odour activates the insects and at the same time switches on their positive orientation reaction to the wind itself. A "repellent" odour also activates the insects and induces anemotaxis, which is now negative. Thus a variety of stimuli which excite locomotor activity simultaneously switch on anemotaxis, either positive or negative.


Majorana states hosted in vortex cores of topological insulator/superconductor heterostructures present a promising alternative to nanowire-based approaches. Vortices can be pinned to anti-dots pre-fabricated in the superconductor; large anti-dots are relatively simple to fabricate and ensure that weak magnetic fields are sufficient to induce a required quantum of flux. However, it has thus far been unclear whether current topological insulator materials are clean enough to sustain Majorana vortex modes with a sizable gap to excitations. Also, if the anti-dot is too large, the level spacing of subgap vortex states may become too small even in a clean case. In this talk, I will present our numerical studies of the vortex subgap spectrum as a function of disorder, chemical potential, and the anti-dot size. We employ a two-dimensional low-energy description of the topological insulator surface, which allows as to simulate large system sizes with vortices up to 1 µm in diameter. We connect our results to existing mobility measurement data to translate the level of disorder in existing materials to our simulated disorder model.


Remote-controlled vascular interventional surgery robots (RVIR) are being developed to reduce the occupational risk of the intervening physician, such as radiation, chronic neck and back pain, and increase accuracy and stability of surgery operation. Moreover, some successful RVIR are used to operate catheter or guidewire accurately. However, catheter and guidewire are operated respectively by intervening physician during surgery, because the support of catheter and the navigation of guidewire are necessary when guidewire passes through the vessel, especially the narrow vessel branch. Therefore, lacking of cooperation of catheter and guidewire is a great challenge for complete or complex surgery. In this paper, a cooperation of catheter and guidewire concept is firstly introduced in RVIR. The prototype operates catheter and guidewire respectively and accurately. The experimental results show that: the average error of the axial motion is 0.33mm, and the maximum error of the axial motion is 1.42mm. The RVIR, effectively realize the cooperation of catheter and guidewire, is feasible for minimally invasive surgery.


The world's major central banks have radically altered their strategies since 2008 as they grappled with the great financial crisis and its various consequences. One view (Issing 2016) is that they have gone too far, and that their actions will result in inflation and loss of independence. Another view is that the crisis has been at least as violent as the 1929 krach on Wall Street, but nevertheless we have not seen the decade of economic misery that followed when central banks clung to narrow dogmas (Friedman and Schwartz 1963). History did not repeat itself because we learnt from the past (Bernanke 2000). These two views are apparently inconsistent yet each carries some truth. Unconventional monetary policies have saved the world from acute distress, but they have come with potential side effects. This article argues that we should recognize both success and risks. Central banks have been forced by the turn of events to leave their comfort zone and to adopt a more sophisticated view of their task and of how monetary policy operates. This is not a new view, just a more elaborate one.


Abstract In studying the activities of 274 shop floor hourly operators during a period of 16 months, the evidence indicates that during a period of equitable payment system the number of grievances decreased 31 times, labour turnover 16 times, lateness 6 times and absenteeism nearly 3 times while at the same time productivity increased by 22% in comparison to an equivalent period of inequitable financial incentive payment system. These improvements are attributable to the relative and not absolute financial compensation of the operators.


This article examines how professionalism impacts on the interaction and knowledge transfer of professionals within open plan workspaces and between distributed workplaces when using ICT. Knowledge is key to the system of professions and the power of professionals. At the same time, professional work requires professionals to behave in an appropriate and professional‐like manner, and this includes sharing knowledge with colleagues. Yet, the ideology of professionalism is changing. Alongside, professionals are working differently, including across distributed workplaces and often interacting via ICT. These shifting contexts make understanding the interaction between professionalism, knowledge transfer and ICT crucial. Drawing on Goffman's work, particularly his exposition of interaction rituals, interviews with accountants reveal that when using ICT, the professional framework of interaction – what can be said, who has the right to speak and who is the audience – meets appropriateness in sometimes contradictory ways, potentially limiting the growth and propagation of knowledge.


Weak lensing surveys exploit measurements of galaxy ellipticities. These measurements are subject to errors, which degrade the cosmological information that can be extracted from the surveys. Here, we propose a way of using the galaxy data themselves to calibrate the measurement errors. In particular, the cosmic shear field, which causes the galaxies to appear elliptical, also changes their sizes and fluxes. Information about the sizes and fluxes of the galaxies can be added to the shape information to obtain more robust information about the cosmic shear field. The net result will be tighter constraints on cosmological parameters such as those which describe dark energy.


The pteridines xanthopterin (2‐amino‐4,6(3H,5H)‐pteridinedione) and isoxanthopterin (2‐amino‐4,7(3H,8H)‐pteridinedione) are products of the degradation of tetrahydrobiopterin, a coenzyme used by aryl amino acid hydroxylases, glyceryl ether monooxidase and nitric oxide synthases. These pteridines have cytotoxic effects on a number of cell lines including human mammary carcinoma MCF‐7 cell lines (Lord et al 2005, Cancer Lett. 222, 119). We wished to test the possibility that the pteridines could affect the activity of a nitric acid synthase. Accordingly, we performed experiments in which xanthopterin and isoxanthopterin were tested for their effect on nitric oxide (NO) production by a RAW264.7 mouse macrophage cell line with the resultant nitrite detected by the Griess assay. Both pteridines showed a dose‐dependent reduction of nitric oxide production with respect to controls. Whether this lowering of nitric oxide concentrations is due to inhibition of the inducible nitric oxide synthase will have to be examined. Furthermore, this finding may be significant since nitric oxide affects apoptosis (Brüne 2003, Cell Death and Differentiation 10, 864) and because of the well‐recognized association between chronic inflammation, cell proliferation, cancer and other diseases (Korhonen et al 2005 Current Drug Targets – Inflammation and Allergy 4, 471).


Examination of the federal government's policy on dual prosecutions has important implications for the debate over the federalization of crime. In response to concerns about the increasing federalization of crime, commentators frequently propose principles to restrict federal criminal jurisdiction. The U.S. Department of Justice's Petite Policy attends to similar concerns in one narrow context by establishing a strong presumption against federal reprosecution of a defendant already prosecuted by a state for the same conduct. The workings of the policy demonstrate that the problems that critics of federalization seek to solve with legislative restrictions can be solved at the level of prosecution policy. This approach, in contrast to legislative restrictions, ensures the possibility of a federal prosecution in exceptional cases that uncontroversially warrant federal involvement to vindicate important national interests. That insight points the way to a model of the role of the federal government in criminal law areas generally regulated by the states.


We examine the multi-wave-length spectrum of SN1006 utilizing inverse Compton radiation (IC) and π° decay process. Our results match well one based on IC process, as discussed in the previous papers. Those fit enable us to determine physical parameters around the shock accurately. The obtained strength of magnetic field is 4 ± 1 μG and the maximum accelerated energy in power-law distribution of the particle is Emax = 51 (B/4μG)—0.5 TeV. Energy density of the required electrons exceeds that of the magnetic field so that the system may not be in equipartition.


This paper discusses the mental revolution which is interpreted as a fundamental change in people's mindset, where the study is focused on how to deal with news that are still doubtful or questionable (hoaxes), such as by re-generating tabayun (correcting) the informations. Then, this paper explores a mental revolution that focuses on tabayun culture with the perspective of Islamic religious values in the Quran and correlates between mental revolution and tabayun values. The final result, it was found that this tabayun values began to erode, marked by many misunderstandings that occurred in society and tabayun had to be raised again because it could have a positive impact and tackle the hoaxes for the society, which previously had to start with a mental revolution from not caring about the truth of news to critical attitudes.


In the southeastern USA, there is an abundance of broiler litter from commercial poultry production that is available for use as fertilizer, but cropland and pastureland amended with broiler litter often exhibit greatly increased soil-test P. We evaluated productivity and nutritive quality of Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) that was interseeded with or without white clover (Trifolium repens) and which commercial fertilizer (ammonium nitrate and diammonium phosphate) or broiler litter was applied on the basis of soil-test P; broiler litter was supplemented with ammonium nitrate to be isonitrogenous with commercial fertilizer. Forage dry matter yield and foliar concentrations of crude protein, cell wall constituents, P, K, and Cu were not different among fertilizer treatments, and concentration of Zn was only slightly greater for forage amended with broiler litter than commercial fertilizer. Results indicate that broiler litter can be a cost-effective alternative to commercial fertilizer for warm-season forage production when applied on the basis of soil-test P.


1. Test program Demo train installation at SPEA America using the FP 4080 available. 2. SPEA demo board test program handbook writing to explain how to use the test program and how to develop the function using SPEA Software. 3. In detail, the handbook will explain how to use the following system function: Shorts Test, In-circuit Off Test, In-Circuit On Test, Nodal Impedance Test, Open Pin Test, Light Test, Optical Test, Laser Test, On-Board Programming Test, Conveyor Instruments Test 4. Training to SPEA America application engineer, technical sales suppor and sales manager bout the Demo Training board. 5. Supporto to SPEA America to develop this function in the new test program development.


Corruption in Indonesia is increasingly structured and systemic. Worse yet, the corruption was fertile in sub-law enforcement agencies. This paper analyzes why corruption is so systemic in the legal system in Indonesia and how solution of Islam in eradicating corruption. This research was a normative-legal research. The results indicate that corruption occurred systemically in Indonesia due to secularization and capitalization in understanding the living system as embraced by the Republic of Indonesia, which resulted in bad law system both the substance, structure and legal culture, and bad people). The solution of Sharia Islam to eradicate corruption by creating a devotion of community (law awareness) based on religious values. In addition, with a decent salary system, appropriate penalties, the implementation of reverse evidence system and the exemplary leadership, corruption problems can be overcome and a clean government can be realized.


The invention discloses a wavebeam domain adaptive interference suppression method based on null trough widening, and aims to solve the problem that motion and time change interferences cannot be offset in the conventional adaptive interference suppression method. The wavebeam domain adaptive interference suppression method comprises the following steps of: (1) acquiring data of a sample unit anda unit to be detected; (2) estimating the number of interference sources and an arrival direction; (3) determining a null trough widening parameter according to interferences and a motion range of a radar platform, generating correction data, and correcting the data of the sample unit; (4) estimating the number of required auxiliary wavebeams, and constructing an auxiliary wavebeam matrix; (5) performing wavebeam synthesis on the data of the sample unit and the data of the unit to be detected respectively; (6) calculating an adaptive weight value; and (7) performing adaptive interference suppression on main wavebeam synthesized data of the unit to be detected by using the adaptive weight value. The wavebeam domain adaptive interference suppression method has the advantages that: the motion and time change interferences can be suppressed; and the interference suppression performance is stable. The method can be used in radar signal detection.


The international economist's traditional way of evaluating general equilibrium situations away from Pareto optimum is either to use a utility possibility approach and a neoclassical general equilibrium model (see, for example, Vanek 1965), or to use Professor Meade's second-best index. Meade developed the latter in his Theory of Customs Unions (1955) for a situation where many individuals are producers and consumers simultaneously of all products; the productive process in the form of a production function of one kind or another is never explicitly introduced. The purpose of this paper is to generalize Meade's method to include explicitly the technological conditions, and in particular to allow the model to include interindustry flows. The obvious first application of the generalized results is the evaluation of the impact of alternative patterns of effective protection in international trade. However, the results are perfectly general and can be applied to any suboptimal situations; that is, situations where there are divergences between marginal disutilities in production and marginal utilities in consumption. We begin with the postulate that the preferences of the community are represented by a single convex and nonintersection indifference map of the form:


This article proposes the design of a dual‐band global positioning system (GPS) antenna using a high‐permittivity dielectric‐loaded cavity. The cavity structure is filled with a dielectric material to miniaturize the size, and its width and depth are adjusted to maximize the front‐to‐back ratio for high directivity. Dual‐band circular polarization characteristics are achieved by placing two radiating polygon loops at the aperture of the cavity, and the loops are electromagnetically coupled to a microstrip line for a coupled feeding network. The proposed antenna is fabricated, and its antenna characteristics are measured in a full anechoic chamber. The results demonstrate that the antenna is suitable for dual‐band GPS applications with high bore‐sight gain values of 3.4 dBic at 1.2276 GHz and 3.7 dBic at 1.5754 GHz. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1591–1595, 2016


This article reports on a research project designed to investigate and develop formative classroom assessment in primary schools. The project was a collaborative one, involving two university based researchers and a team of teacher researchers. It used an action research approach to try to bring about changes in classroom assessment practices. The article reports on changes in practice particularly involving the clarification and communication of assessment criteria to pupils.


We prepared zein microcapsules containing glutamine using a solvent evaporation method in reverse multiple emulsion. In the experiment, fatty acids were added to the shell material to give the shell hydrophobicity ; as a result, zein microcapsules containing glutamine were successfully prepared by the microencapsulation method adopted here. It was found possible to change the release rate of the core material by addition of fatty acids. Moreover, it was found that the addition of oleic acid resulted in the strongest hydrophobicity and that the use of palmitic acid had the greatest e#ect on the content of the core material. (Received Sep. ,2, ,**/ ; Accepted Feb. +-, ,**0)


From 1997, France engaged itself to reform its national police in order to make it closer and in the image of the population, following the examples of other foreign countries. As the police culture, behaviour and working's customs are not based on common principles of a nearness security because, on the contrary, the police is most used to react against social disorder as to act for a nearby and secure way of life, the results of this police reform has not been on equal terms to the French government's ambition. The tag between talking and doing shows a lack of courage and therefore most likely the failure of a better new police strategy. If the rhetoric has been well sustained until 2002, the change for an other direction did wrong to the "police cultural revolution" which was so praised just five years ago. The expression of "community policing" does not any more belong to the police vocabulary. Under such circumstances, it seems to be delusive to confirm nowadays some significant issues which could decrease the delinquency's graph and set the public's mind at ease about it.


Recent geological mapping has shown that Khichan Conglomerate marks the hiatus between the Nagaur Formation of Marwar Supergroup (Eocambrian ?) and the Permo-Carboniferous Badhaura Formation in Rajasthan.


Pulsed eddy current (PEC) nondestructive testing is a new technology developed in recent years. Different from conventional eddy current testing, the exciting coil was fed by a current pulse in PEC, the time domain transient response signal was analyzed. Peak, peak time and zero-crossing time were chosen as the eigenvalue for quantitative evaluation of cracks, PEC was used to determine the length and depth of surface and subsurface cracks. In order to distinguish surface and subsurface cracks, a formula was deduced. Experiments proved that the quantification of different depth flaws could be realized just only by scanning with pulsed eddy current testing once, so it has good prospect in use.


In the circuit and method using a low frequency signal path RF regulated output voltage level and an identification of the cable IFL, the level adjustment in the indoor unit through the low-frequency signal to the outdoor unit, which is adjusted using the frequency up to the transmission block IF transmitter (TBU) in (IFTX) level signal, thereby adjusting the final level of the RF output voltage from the solid-state power amplifier (the SSPA) output, then the low frequency signal from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit and transmitting the detection signal, by this easily recognize whether there is abnormality an IFL cable communication, simplified EIRP adjustment circuit, while attenuating the automatic compensation iF TX signals.


This chapter aims at outlining the current state of science in the field of computational exposure biology and in particular at demonstrating how the bioinformatics techniques and algorithms can be used to support the association between environmental exposures and human health and the deciphering of the molecular and metabolic pathways of induced toxicity related to environmental chemical stressors. Examples of the integrated bioinformatics analyses outlined herein are given concerning exposure to airborne chemical mixtures, to organic compounds frequently found in consumer goods, and to mixtures of organic chemicals and metals through multiple exposure pathways. Advanced bioinformatics are coupled with big data analytics to perform studies of exposome-wide associations with putative adverse health outcomes. In conclusion, the chapter gives the reader an outline of the available computational tools and paves the way towards the development of future comprehensive applications that are expected to support efficiently exposome research in the 21st century.


Human action recognition in diverse and realistic environments is a challenging task. Automatic classification of action and gestures has a significant impact on human-robot interaction and human-machine interaction technologies. Due to the prevalence of complex real-world problems, it is non-trivial to produce a rich representation of actions and to produce an effective categorical distribution of large action classes. Deep convolutional neural networks have obtained great success in this area. Many researchers have proposed deep neural architectures for action recognition while considering the spatial and temporal aspects of the action. This research proposes a dual stream spatiotemporal fusion architecture for human action classification. The spatial and temporal data is fused using an attention mechanism. We investigate two fusion techniques and show that the proposed architecture achieves accurate results with much fewer parameters as compared to the traditional deep neural networks. We achieved 99.1 % absolute accuracy on the UCF-101 test set.


The appearance and proliferation of physics laboratories in the academic institutions of Britain between 1865 and 1885 is an established feature of Victorian science. However, neither of the two existing modern accounts of this development have adequately documented the predominant function of these early physics laboratories as centres for the teaching of physics, characteristically stressing instead the exceptional cases of the research laboratories at Glasgow and Cambridge. Hence these accounts have attempted to explain, somewhat misleadingly, the genesis of these laboratories purely by reference to the stimuli of professionalized research programmes, instead of considering the contemporary growth in demand for the professional laboratory teaching of physics. In failing to consider such physics laboratories in terms of the political economy of British education, these accounts have also failed a fortiori to correlate this development with the contemporaneous extension of laboratory teaching methods to other scientific disciplines, a movement dubbed as a laboratory 'revolution' by later nineteenth-century commentators.


This paper presents the design and validation of a novel and universal 6D seam-tracking system that reduces the need for accurate robot trajectory programming and geometrical databases in robotic arc welding. Such sensor-driven motion control together with adaptive control of the welding process is the foundation for increased flexibility and autonomous behavior of robotic and manufacturing systems. The system is able to follow any 3D spline seam in space with a moderate radius of curvature by real-time correction of the position and orientation of the welding torch, using the through-arc sensing method. The 6D seam-tracking system was developed in the Flexible Unified Simulation Environment (FUSE), integrating software prototyping with mechanical virtual prototyping, based on physical experiments. The validation experiments showed that this system was both robust and reliable, and is able to manage a radius of curvature less than 200 mm.


Weeds are important reservoirs for thrips, which can migrate from these plants to infest the important economical crops. With the objective of determining the presence of thrips on weeds, 20 botanical species belonging to 13 families were sampled in nine municipalities of Havana province during the years 2003 and 2004. The specimens collected were captured by batting the plants on a white card. The adults were clarified and mounted in slides by Mound and Marullo ́s techniques; and identification, regional taxonomic keys were used. As a result, 17 species of thrips on 20 different types of weeds belonging to 13 families were found. The highest incidence of thrips occurred on Argemone mexicana L with seven species; while on Lepidium virginicum L and Amaranthus dubius Mart, six species were found respectively. According to the botanical families, the highest incidence occurred on Papaveraceae with seven species which represents the 41.17% of the total number of species of thrips found; and in the second place Amaranthaceae and Brassicaceae with six species each one, which represents the 35.29%. The presence of Frankliniella shultzei


This study investigates determinants that cause mobile phone customers to transit from being loyal to switching. By examining what keeps customers loyal, and then examining what provokes or entices the same customers to switch, the findings suggest that the transition from loyalty to switching may be due to changes in the underlying determinants as well as new determinants. The study concludes that mobile telecommunications is a commodity and offers several applied implications for mobile service providers and suggestions for future research.


Full-scale ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) members often require multiple UHPC batches to meet the required volume. UHPC's "elephant skin" forms quickly and could lead to a weakened interface between the placements. This study investigated placement best practices for multiple UHPC batches to develop procedural specifications that reduce the prevalence of weak interfaces. UHPC mixes staggered in intervals of 10–35 minutes were placed in layers. The flow of the concrete mixes and the resistance of the elephant skin to penetration were measured. A set of three samples from each time interval was rodded, one was externally vibrated


By means of fault tree analysis method,this paper gives a systemic analysis on the relevant factors which cause the fault of Shanghai city gas transmission and distribution pipeline,and its fault tree is also established.Through qualitative analyses,27 minimum cut sets can be gotten;through quantitative analyses,the happening probability of the top event can be calculated,and the importance of the base events can be analyzed. Expert inquiry method,combined with fuzzy sets theory,is adopted to assess the happening probability of the base events.The calculating of "impurity jam"—one of the base events of Shanghai city gas transmission and distribution pipeline,is given as an example of this method.


This report details the power quality test on the Gaia Wind 11-kW Wind Turbine as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Independent Testing Project. In total five turbines are being tested as part of the project. Power quality testing is one of up to five test that may be performed on the turbines including power performance, safety and function, noise, and duration tests. The results of the testing provide manufacturers with reports that may be used for small wind turbine certification.


This paper discusses other ways that can be used to obtain information on the translation of Indonesian Alqur'an and hadith that is by using Information Retrieval Technique which the process is tokenizing, stopword removal and steamming. The stemming method used in this study is ECS (Enhance Confix Stripping). The database consists of hadith documents Bukhori Muslim numbered 7008 number of traditions and Al Quran translation 30 Juz from the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. The resulting system can speed up the search process on the Indonesian translation of the Qur'an and Hadith and obtain relevant information.


In this paper, wideband corrugated waveguide slot antenna arrays using higher-order modes are investigated. The metal 3D printing technology was used to fabricate the model, and the tested results agreed well with simulated ones.


Yunzhongshan Nature Reserve lies in the northwest of Anxi county, Fujian province. The climate is middle subtropical monsoon with rich rainfall and solar radiation. Excellent conditions made it abundant in species and complex in floristic elements. There are about 871 species of seed plants belonging to 123 families and 461 genera. The floristic analysis of geographic element indicated that the flora of Yunzhongshan Nature Reserve was derived typically from tropics, with this element of 58.6 percentage, and dominated by pan-tropic element ( 22.8%). Meanwhile, a large number of temperate elements ( 19.7%) established in this region.


Health professionals providing obstetric care should be familiar with guidelines for shoulder dystocia. Regular drills are fundamental to the improvement of team work, enhancing communication skills and essential for good outcomes5. Obstetric birthing simulators should be considered since they significantly improve competence in the management of shoulder dystocia6,7. Learning and teaching are continuous processes in our practice. Optimal training is required to minimize morbidity and mortality of this obstetric complication.


To determine if bed and wake times can be determined from continuous ECG recordings in the elderly, PSG (polysomnogram), ECG channels were extracted and scanned on a Holter analyzer for N=56 participants (age 76plusmn3) in the Sleep Heart Health Study who had 2 PSGs 5 years apart. Bed and wake times were determined from a combination of 5-min averaged HR and HRV patterns and from HR tachograms of normal-to-normal intervals. Bed and wake times were also extracted from the PSGs. PSG- and HRV bed and wake times were compared via paired t-tests and correlation analysis. Correlations between PSG- and HRV-determined bed and wake times were les0.95. HRV-derived bed and wake times were slightly (4plusmn7 min) earlier for and 5plusmn11 min earlier the 2 PSGs, ples0.001. Mean PSG and ECG-based wake times were closer (12plusmn20s earlier, p=0.069 and 2plusmn8 min later, p=0.049 for the 2 PSGs). Therefore, determination of bedtime and wake time patterns in large Holter cohorts without activity diaries is feasible.


Based on the data of a survey of the talents in Guangzhou, this paper analyzes the present situation of talents development in Guangzhou ,the determinants of talents development, and how to absorb, cultivate and make best use of talents more efficiently


Considerable debate has recently arisen in France concerning public policy evaluation. Numerous scholars and managers are currently exploring ways to update tools of political oversight and administrative accountability.' During the past few years, some important administrative reforms have been enacted in France, resulting in increased public access to administrative data, the establishment of a national ombudsman ("Le Mediateur"), and the multiplication of independent commissions to assure impartial regulation of the national television network and administrative records. Each of these institutional reforms, in fact, was conceived as a counterbalance to offset the ever-growing bureaucratic power center. However, the real growth of the administrative apparatus, due to an intensification of welfare policies under the Fifth Republic, has not been successfully balanced by these attempts to strengthen the organs of political oversight. During the course of the Fifth Republic, Parliament's role in the policy-making process has been notably weakened. First, Parliament has not succeeded in articulating political party influence on policy design, and second, the tendency towards a "presidentialization" of the French political system has tended to concentrate the powers of initiative, control, and oversight within the executive branch of government.2 Many researchers have also pointed out an important shift in the "classical" administrative model: the traditional configuration of political forces in France has been partly challenged by the new, increasingly political role adopted by administrative institutions and their capacity to regulate lobby pressures.3 Today, the great diversity of organizational arrangements and the wide spectrum of public interventionism indicate a need for new political and administrative procedures both to identify and verify the demand, delivery, and impact of public programs. The growing needs of managers to legitimate their choices in an era of scarcity, as well as the increasing pressures of the mass media and public opinion, have provided further impetus for reexamining policy evaluation procedures. This pressure in favor of administrative accountability is all the more important given that, since 1981, the Socialist government has been following an interven-


NURSE AMANDA Jenkinson is to appeal against her conviction for causing grievous bodily harm with intent to a patient in intensive care, her lawyers confirmed last week.


The amount of IT devices and services incorporated in the industrial environment has led to the need to design mechanisms that will ensure its correct operation and minimise stoppage times. This paper proposes a system based on service-oriented architectures that allows the correct operation and monitoring of the applications and services running in this type of production elements. The main component of the system is a reduced size network device—that we have named eNSM device—in which the monitoring function proposed has been embedded as a web service. The whole system is based on a distributed application whose components are software agents. In addition, an application protocol named NSMP has been defined for communication between these agents.


Low‐energy ion processing produces damaged, microroughened semiconductor surfaces due to the production of point defects. We present a study of point defect production and annealing on the Ge(001)‐2×1 surface during low‐energy inert ion bombardment as a function of ion energy, ion mass, and substrate temperature. Ion‐induced surface point defect production was quantified experimentally in real time using in situ reflection high‐energy electron diffraction. The observed surface defect yield decreased abruptly around room temperature as the substrate temperature was increased from 175 to 475 K. We have developed Monte Carlo simulations of defect diffusion to model defect recombination both in the bulk and on the surface. Bulk defect production statistics generated by our binary collision simulator, TRIMRC, were coupled with our bulk diffusion simulator to predict the number of ion‐induced surface defects. A comparison between the experimental results and the simulation predictions indicated that defects pro...


Introduction End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is an important complication of diabetes, which is the leading cause of ESRD worldwide. The aim of the study was a comparative analysis of all-cause mortality in patients with ESRD with diagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) and no diagnosed DM. Material and methods Data for the analysis were obtained from the resources of the Polish National Health Fund, and they concerned patients with end-stage renal disease from the entire population of Polish patients in the period from 1.01.2011 to 31.12.2013. In addition, the period from 1.01.2012 to 31.12.2012 was analysed for two subpopulations: diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Results The all-cause mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease in Poland per 100,000 representatives of the general population was 17.7, 15.9, and 12.50 persons in 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. The all-cause mortality rates for patients with ESRD and diabetes in Poland in 2012 were more than 15 times higher, for both men and women, than the all-cause mortality rates for non-diabetic patients with ESRD. Mortality in the study group of diabetic men with ESRD amounted to 147.59 ±29.07/100,000 men, whereas in the study group of diabetic women with ESRD it was 105.13 ±26.77/100,000 women. Regarding non-diabetic men with ESRD and non-diabetic women with ESRD, mortality amounted to 9.58 ±6.29/100,000 and 6.87 ±2.27/100,000 men and women, respectively. Conclusions The occurrence of diabetes in patients with ESRD significantly increases the risk of death compared to patients with ESRD without diabetes.


In this paper, pilot-scale test of biological contact oxidation process for simulated ship sewage treatment was carried out. The results showed that under the condition of HRT=3.5 h¿T=25~30¿, pH=6.8±0.5, and the average concentrations of CODCr, BOD5, SS and NH4+-N in the influent were 597.8 mg/L¿371.8 mg/L¿369 mg/L and 33.52 mg/L, respectively, the concentrations of CODCr, BOD5, SS, NH4+-N in the effluent were 90.0mg/L, 38.5mg/L, 59 mg/L , 4.66mg/L, and the average removal rates of CODCr, BOD5, SS, NH4+-N were 85.0%, 89.6%, 83.9% and 86.0%, respectively. The results indicated that biological contact oxidation process had good effect on ship sewage treatment and can meet the needs of practical application.


This paper presents linear stochastic models known as multiplicative seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average model (SARIMA).The model is used to simulate monthly rainfall in Nyala station, Sudan. For the analysis, monthly rainfall data for the years 1971–2010 were used. The seasonality observed in Auto Correlation Function(ACF) and Partial Auto Correlation Function(PACF) plots of monthly rainfall data was removed using first order seasonal differencing prior to the development of the SARIMA model. Interestingly, the SARIMA (0,0,0)x(0,1,1)12 model developed was found to be most suitable for simulating monthly rainfall over Nyala station. This model is considered appropriate to forecast the monthly rainfall to assist decision makers to establish priorities for water demand, storage, distribution and disaster management.


Production planning and control (PPC) systems are deployed to enable the effective management of variation and uncertainty. In spite of the advancement in technology such as big data and artificial intelligence, the complimentary roles of human and system is becoming more apparent. This paper explores the human-PPC relationship from the perspective of trust. This is done by investigating a recent successful PPC implementation in an SME. In relation to this case the concept of trust is explored as a psychological state and it is suggested that trust appropriation is a continuous process achievable through the leveraging of the basis of trust: purpose, process and performance.


In this study, annoyance caused by diverse construction noises was evaluated through auditory subjective evaluation. The auditory subjective evaluation was conducted with residents who were not exposed construction noise all the time and a total of 66 cases were 110 construction workers was carried out to investigate annoyance from construction noises at different construction phases. The most effective item of adverse by construction noise was annoyance and the most annoyed construction stage was destruction construction. Between work performance and work safety had correlation as well as between work safety and speech interference. Participant's noise sensitivity were significant between low and high group at work performance, work safety, speech interference.


A method is described for stretching commercially available polypropylene film to thicknesses in the range 0.2–1.0 μm. Such films are used as windows for soft x‐ray proportional counters, gas absorption cells, energy‐loss nuclear detectors, and high vacuum isolation.


Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, China's urban development policies have experienced dramatic changes, from anti-urbanisation before 1978, to anti-large-city-development during 1978–1999 and coordinated urbanisation in 2000–2012. Using city-level data from 1949 to 2012, this paper examines China's development policies and city size distribution. Evidenced by the Zipf coefficient, we found that China's city sizes became more evenly distributed before 2000, and this pattern was reversed after 2000. These findings suggest that China's urban system is strongly affected by its shifting urban development strategies.


This exploratory study attempts to establish the link between Internet retailing and services marketing and proposes a conceptual framework for examining the Web site as an e-servicescape. Findings suggest that the dimensions of the servicescape as they pertain to Web sites play a significant role in influencing customers' attitudes, evaluation, and purchase intentions with respect to online retailers. Whether a Web site is an extension of an organization's bricks-and-mortar establishment or a stand-alone service portal, it is clear that the servicescape dimensions of ambient conditions (AC), spatial layout and functionality (SLF), and signs, symbols, and artifacts (SSA) are present and influential in organizations' cyber settings.


Objective To study the principle of thoracic esophageal perforation surgical treatment,timing of treatment and how to choose a reasonable treatment.Methods 29 cases with esophagus perforation were reviewed.All patients were implemented the emergency surgery.The thoracic esophageal perforation repair and mediastinal thoracic drainage were operated for 19 cases.The mediastinal incision and drainage were operated for 10 cases;the lower esophageal resection and esophagogastrostomy were operated on one case after nine months.The stents were placed in three cases that had chronic esophageal fistula after repair.Results Phase I of the healing were in 17 cases(58.6%),and chronic esophageal fistula were in 6 cases(20.7%) and healed by drainage.The lower esophageal resection and esophagogastrostomy recovered smoothly.Five cases were died and the mortality was 17.2%.The cause of death was septic shock in two cases and multiple organ failure in three cases.One case was healing with stent and two cases were healing after taking out the stents.Conclusion Early diagnosis and treatment is the most important factor in prognosis of esophageal perforation.Early and personalized treatment,select the appropriate treatment can improve the cure rate of the esophagus perforation.


oat 3 years of age to 9.4 o at age 8. Lateral hip rotation was 43.5 o at age 3 and decreased to 38.5 o at 8 years of age while, medial hip rotation increase from a mean of 35.7o to 44.3o at 3 years and 8 years of age respectively. Total hip excursion increased marginally form 78 o at 3 to 82.2 o at 8. While the general pattern of rotational parameters in Nigerian children in this study were similar to those from other studies in other regions, some basic differences especially in terms of range of normal value do exist. This should be borne in mind by doctors treating children in this environment. Routine reference to locally generated data as in this study is thus highly advised.


The first parvovirus to be detected in the human population was found in 1975 during routine screening of blood donors [1,2]. Working in Australia, Yvonne Cossart found a parvovirus-like antigen in the sera of nine healthy blood donors and two patients. The spherical particles were 21–23 nm in diameter and a corresponding antibody was found to be widely distributed in the population. Because the original sample in which the parvovirus-like particles were seen was coded 'B19' this became the name of the human parvovirus. Following this chance discovery, a few years elapsed before a survey of serum samples archived at King's College Hospital, London revealed an association between B19 virus infection and aplastic crisis in children with sickle cell anaemia [3]. Later in 1981 it was reported that 24 of 28 young children in Jamaica with sickle cell anaemia who had an aplastic crisis were infected with a parvovirus [4] and similar findings were reported concerning adult patients with sickle cell anaemia in Chicago where aplastic crisis was associated with acute infection with a human parvovirus [5]. In 1983, the virus was shown to be the cause of a childhood rash called erythema infectiosum (fifth disease) [6], and this was confirmed 2 years later by experimentally infecting human volunteers with the virus [7]. The final step in characterising the virus, which appears to infect and damage early erythroid progenitor cells, was to characterise, clone and sequence the genome of the virus, and this established definitively that it was a parvovirus [8,9]. However when the sequence was analysed in detail, it was phylogenetically distinct from the existing genera (Parvovirus and Dependovirus), and so was placed in a new genus named Erythrovirus. In 2001, Allander et al. working at the NIH reported a new method for virus 'discovery' in serum or plasma based on treatment of the sample with DNase followed by restriction enzyme digestion and sequence-independent single primer amplification of the fragments [10]. Whilst evaluating the method, they detected two previously unknown bovine parvoviruses in the bovine serum used as diluent. When sequenced, the two viruses were distinct, but different from all other known parvoviruses except a virus of dogs, Canine minute virus. So it was decided by the ICTV to include the bovine and canine viruses in a new genus to be named Bocavirus, of the subfamily Parvovirinae within the family Parvoviridae [11]. When Allander et al. now working in Sweden, applied the virus discovery method to screening of pooled human respiratory tract samples, they found a novel human coronavirus (which is related by sequence to the newly described human coronavirus HKU1 [12]), and a novel human parvovirus, which is related by sequence to the genus Bocavirus, and so has been provisionally named human bocavirus [13]. Several laboratories worldwide have now confirmed the existence of human bocavirus in 1.5– 5.7% of respiratory samples tested, and it appears to be associated with lower respiratory tract disease, though in many cases there is co-infection with another respiratory virus, so the exact role of human bocavirus in pathogenesis remains the subject of further studies. So far, reports have been published from Australia [14], Canada [15], France [16], Japan [17] and Korea [18]. More are in press. In the past, the majority of viruses infecting humans were found because of the disease symptoms they caused. It is, therefore, worth noting that both human parvoviruses, B19 virus and human bocavirus, were initially discovered without an obvious association with disease. This suggests that a systematic search of human samples for viruses of other families might be profitable, as suggested by Allander et al. [13]. For example, could there be a human arterivirus waiting to be discovered?


To study the molecular mechanism of M.tuberculosis resistance to streptomycin,and to set up a method for direct,rapid detection of streptomycin-resistance mutations in M.tuberculosis.Method The rpsL and rrS genes of 62 M.tuberculosis clinical isolates were detected by PCR-SSCP,Strain H37Rv was used as a control.Results In 62 M.tuberculosis clinical isolates,the rpsL and rrS PCR fragments form 32 drug-susceptible isolates had no differences in rpsL and rrS PCR profiles with strain H37Rv.In 30 streptomycin-resistant isolates,23 mol/L.tuberculosis clinical isolates(76.7%)showed apparent differences in SSCP profiles,including 21 mol/L.tuberculosis clinical isolates of rpsL gene mutation,5 mol/L.tuberculosis clinical isolates of rrS gene mutation and 3 mol/L.tuberculosis clinical isolates of rpsL and rrS gene mutation simultaneously.Conclusions The rpsL and rrS gene mutation maybe an important mechanism of M.tuberculosis resistance to streptomycin.PCR-SSCP might be used as a simple,rapid and reliable diagnostic method for M.tuberculosis drug resistance.


The Russian experience with non-monetary payments (NMPs) offers an unusual opportunity to look into the transaction properties of money. Using a search model of money and unique datasets of financial data disclosed by Russian companies, this paper evaluates how important monetary payments were for corporate performance. The paper finds little evidence that Russian firms opted for alternative types of payment pursuing non-economic objectives. Cash constraint is found to be a factor affecting the choice of trade. The analysis of losses resulting from non-monetary payments shows that service sectors were less able to operate in demonetized environment. This inference does not apply to manufacturing firms whose performance was affected less if any. The paper proposes several explanations and discusses implications that follow from this paradoxical result.


Summary form only given as follows. The goal of this work is to investigate the effect of virtual reality technology on the manufacturing mode. Concurrent engineering tools increase concurrency of multidisciplinary design by integrating various enabling technologies such as computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, group decision support systems, expert systems and communication networks. But in the virtual reality technology boom, virtual prototyping is the substitute of computer models for physical products, process, and systems. Virtual prototypes can model products or processes, up to a complete factory, at several levels of abstraction.


Unlike many other text books on pathology, "Current Methods of Autopsy Practice," by Jurgen Ludwig, M.D. (in collaboration with other specialists), is specifically designed for the do's and don't 's in autopsy procedures, including new ideas which can be implemented in the future. The book is very well written by specialists in various fields. The text also considers the medical-legal aspect, including autopsy toxicology, which is laudable. The long list of pertinent articles accompanying each chapter is very worthwhile for reference purposes. I highly recommend that forensic pathologists and scientists read and retain this volume in their reference libraries. I consider it excellent.


Apatite is one of the minerals that is rarely utilized in U-Pb geochronology, compared to some other U-rich accessory phases. Relatively low U concentration, commonly high proportion of common Pb and low closure temperature of U-Pb system of apatite inhibit its application as geochronological tool when other minerals such as zircon are widely available. However, zircon appear to be restricted to certain type of lunar rocks, carrying so called KREEP signature, whereas apatite (and whitlockite) is a common accessory mineral in the lunar samples. Therefore, utilizing apatite for lunar chronology may increase the pool of rocks that are available for U-Pb dating. The low stability of U-Pb systematics of apatite may also result in the resetting of the system during meteoritic bombardment, in which case apatite may provide an additional tool for the study of the impact history of the Moon. In order to investigate these possibilities, we have analysed apatites and zircons from two breccia samples collected during the Apollo 14 mission. Both samples were collected within the Fra Mauro formation, which is interpreted as a material ejected during the impact that formed the Imbrium Basin.


It seems a pity that such a tiresome relic as the linkage of fine and commercial arts must occupy our minds at this date. But the concept persists as one of the most stubborn obstacles to clear thinking in criticism and education today. With reference to the latter field, the National Association of Schools of Design has posed the question this way: Can the seeming conflicts between modern fine arts and the commercial arts, as the student so often sees them, be reconciled for him? We can readily agree that a conflict between commercial design and modern painting and sculpture does exist in the minds of many students. Before we may "reconcile" the conflict for these students, however, we must be sure that reconciliation is possible.


The place of sports in academic institutions has been analyzed at length for several years. However most studies focus on the participation of high school and university students in school sports. Very little research exists to suggest a positive or negative correlation between academic achievement and participation in interscholastic sports at the elementary level. As a result the relationship between academic performance and participation in school sports among elementary students in grades 4 and 5 was investigated in this study. Through an independent-samples t test analysis of 1,605 fourth and fifth grade boys and girls, it was determined that students who participated in school sports were likely to have higher standardized test scores in both reading and math as measured by the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program. This was true of both male and female students. Additionally students of African-American, Asian, and Latino ethnicity who participated in interscholastic athletics also performed significantly higher on standardized tests than did their peers who did not participate in school sports. However it was determined that no significant relationship existed between participation in school sports and attendance at the elementary level. The results of this study suggest that there exists a positive relationship between interscholastic sports participation and academic achievement.


Preface Part 1: Introduction 1. Overview 2. The World Food Situation 3. Agreements and Policy in U.S.-Japanese Agricultural Trade Part 2: Agriculture and Agricultural Policy in Japan and the United States 4. The Present State of Agriculture in Japan 5. Japanese Agricultural Policy: Present Problems and Their Historical Background 6. The Economics of U.S. Agricultural Policy Part 3: The Making of Agricultural Policy in Two Democracies 7. Agriculture and Politics in Japan 8. The Politics of Domestic and Foreign Policy Linkages in U.S.-Japanese Agricultural Policy Making Part 4: Agricultural Interdependence 9. The personal View of Japanese Negotiator 10. Adjustment Policies for Japanese Agriculture in a Changing World 11. Managing Out Agricultural Interdependence Index


Renal disease severely affects whole body haemostasis as the kidney plays an important role in the elimination of waste products. The currently used drugs only slow down kidney disease and in most cases do not avoid progression to end-stage renal disease. The degree of tubulointerstitial fibrosis, characterized by extracellular matrix protein accumulation in the tubulointerstitium, is strongly correlated to the future loss of kidney function. Schematically, the development of tubulointerstitial fibrosis can be divided in three steps: inflammation, myofibroblasts accumulation and excessive extracellular matrix expression. Early phases of the inflammatory step involve the induction of chemokine expression. These small cytokines with chemoattractant properties induce recruitment of white blood cells from the blood to the tissue and are at the origin of inflammation. Currently, almost fifty different chemokines have been identified which mediate most of their effects by binding to G-protein coupled receptors. In this study, we identify chemokine CCL7 as a new player in the development of tubulointerstitial fibrosis with differential effects in the early- and late-stages of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced fibrosis. CCL7 (or MCP-3) can activate the chemokine receptors CCR1, CCR2 and CCR3 and antagonize CCR5. At an early stage, three days after UUO, the absence of CCL7 reduced renal inflammatory cell infiltration, expression of profibrotic cytokines TGF( and CTGF and myofibroblast markers. In parallel the expression of the ECM protein fibronectin was significantly lower in mice lacking CCL7, while type I and III collagen expression was not modified. In contrast, at a later stage, 8 days after UUO, the absence of CCL7 was without effect on inflammation or myofibroblast accumulation but decreased the expression of CTGF and type I collagen, suggesting uncoupling between inflammation and the fibrotic response. In vitro studies confirmed these results suggesting that CCL7 can directly induce a fibrotic response via induction of CTGF and TGF(. In addition, at this late stage the absence of CCL7 induced the increase of markers of anti-inflammatory regulatory T cells.


The article considers municipal programs as a tool of performance-based budgeting. The authors carried out a comparative analysis of existing methodologies for assessing the efficiency of implementation of municipal programs in different municipalities of the Russian Federation and arrived to the conclusion that the current methodologies do not allow for enough objective assessment of the work of performers in relation to each other. In view of the findings, the authors have developed and tested a complex methodology for evaluating the efficiency of implementation of municipal programs on the basis of standardized qualitative and quantitative indicators, characterizing the degree of achievement of program goals, efficient use of financial resources and quality of organization of municipal programs' control and management. Municipalities of the Russian Federation can use the proposed methodology in their practical activities.


In order to investigate the impact of the accident at the TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant on the environment, a new analytical method, which has not been implemented in the current monitoring project, was introduced in Fukushima Prefecture, and the Research Department started acquiring technology to establish analytical techniques and evaluating the accuracy of the new analysis. In this report, we present the status of analytical methods for the analysis of low-concentration tritium using an electrolytic enrichment unit, the analysis of organically bound tritium, and the measurement of strontium-90 (Sr-90) using ICP-MS.


e19511 Background: Adding rituximab to CHOP regimen led to significant improvement in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treatment outcomes, but its role in case of extranodal DLBCL remains controversial. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of immunochemotherapy among patients with extranodal DLBCL. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of medical documentation of 230 patients treated in Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch and Franciszek Łukaszczyk Memorial Cancer Center in Bydgoszcz between 2004 and 2011. Inclusion criteria were: newly diagnosed DLBCL CD20(+), patient age above 18 years and first-line treatment with R-CHOP (n=178) or CHOP (n=52) regimen. Patients suffering from primary central nervous system lymphoma, primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma or with incomplete documentation were excluded. Patient's characteristics and therapeutic outcomes were compared between group with and without extranodal involvement. Primary e...


The L5178Y (LY) murine lym phoma sublines LY-R and LY-S are dif fer en tially sen si tive to ion iz ing ra di a tion. The high ra di a tion sen si tiv ity of LY-S cells is re lated to im paired re join ing of DNA dou ble strand breaks. We found pre vi ously that the g-ray-induced base dam age is higher in the more radiosensitive LY-S subline. Here, we ex am ine the role of the re pair of ion iz ing ra di a tion in duced base dam age in re la tion to the radiosensitivity dif fer ence of these sublines. We used the GS/MS tech nique to es ti mate the re pair rates of six types of base dam age in g-ir ra di ated LY cells. All mod i fied DNA bases iden ti fied in the course of this study were typ i cal for ir ra di ated chromatin. The to tal amount of ini tial base dam age was higher in the ra di a tion sen si tive LY-S subline than in the ra di a tion re sis tant LY-R subline. The re pair rates of 5-OHMeUra, 5-OHCyt, 8-OHAde were sim i lar in both cell lines, the re pair rates of FapyAde and 8-OHGua were higher in the radiosensitive LY-S cell line, whereas the re pair of 5-OHUra was faster in its radio resistant coun ter part, the LY-R. Al to gether, the re pair rates of the g-ray-induced DNA base dam age in LY sublines are re lated nei ther to the ini tial amounts of the dam aged bases nor to the dif fer en tial le thal or mutagenic ef fects of ion iz ing ra di a tion in these sublines.


Serious outbreaks of food-borne illness, whether regional or national, dramatically raise community anxiety about personal health and increase the workloads of front-line physicians. The drama further increases when the offending microbe is not well known. This primer on listeriosis hones in on the


In the current retinal imaging systems, laser cavities or astronomical spectroscopes, there is the need to employ off-axis reflective systems. These systems often use different configuration where the object or image could be at finite distances or at infinity with respect to the spherical mirrors. In this work, expressions for the wavefront aberrations in an off-axis spherical mirror with image point or object point from different cases are presented, analyzed and evaluated. Assuming a relatively small pupil and a small angle of incidence, these formulas are derived from the optical path difference between a reference surface (paraboloid, ellipsoid or hyperboloid), and a sphere. They can be used to design and analyze some off-axis reflective systems.


Through amplitude versus offset(AVO)inversion,we can obtain parameters which can be used to describe the properties of subsurface fluid and lithology.However,prestack inversion problems are multidimensional and ill posed.So it is necessary to obtain reliable and stable inversion results.In this article,we develop a new method which combines PP wave and PS wave to invert for three parameters including the density contrast,P-and S-wave moduli contrast.Because the moduli contrast is more sensitive to the fluid,we use the relationship between velocity contrast and moduli contrast from rock physics,and substitute the velocity contrast with muduli contrast in Aki-Richards approximation equation.Then we can derive AVOapproximations in terms of these moduli.Combining PP wave and PS wave,we construct an objective function to invert density contrast,P-and S-wave moduli contrast.First,this method is based on Bayesian parameter estimation theory,Gaussian distribution is used for likelihood function and modified Cauchy distribution is used for prior distribution.Second,covariance matrix is adopted to describe the degree of correlation between the parameters.Tests on synthetic data and real data show that all parameters are well retrieved.Compared with the conventional inversion method only using PP wave,the joint inversion method is more stable,accurate,and antinoise,which demonstrates its reliability and effectiveness.


The influence of complexant, temperature, Fe(III), Fe(II), pH, NaH 2 PO 2 .H 2 O and KIO 3 on the absorbance of Ni(II) in an electroless nickel (EN) bath was investigated. The results showed that this method was easy-to-operate, and offered quick and accurate determination especially when the EN solution contained iron. The method produced no waste in the analytical process. It can be applied to rapid determination and in-site control of Ni(II) in EN deposition baths when plating on iron.


Should a conceding authority auction off or negotiate a contract for an exclusive private infrastructure deal? Advocates of negotiation often argue that a formal competition may take too much time, that the costs of preparing bids may be excessive, and that innovation may be discouraged. But proponents of competitive bidding argue that there are ways to address theses concerns without sacrificing the bidding process. Moreover, they argue, competition may yield a better deal for the conceding authority and enhance the transparency of the process, making the transaction more politically sustainable. This Note examines the arguments.


BACKGROUD
The present study was to determine the role of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling in inflammation and alveolar bone resorption using a murine model of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) associated ligature-induced peri-implantitis.

METHODS
Smooth surface titanium implants were placed in the left maxilla alveolar bone 6 weeks after extraction of first and second molars in Wild-type (WT) and TLR4-/- (TLR4 KO) mice. Silk ligatures immersed with P. gingivalis were tied around the implants 4 weeks after the implant placement and confirmation of osteointegration. Two weeks after the ligation, bone resorption, osteoclastogenesis, cellular inflammatory responses and gingival mRNA expression levels of cytokines were assessed by micro-computed tomography, Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, immunobiological examination and Real-time quantitative PCR respectively.

RESULTS
In both WT and TLR4 KO mice, the bone resorption around implants was significantly increased in the P. gingivalis/ligation group compared to control group. In P. gingivalis/ligation group, the levels of bone resorption, TRAP+ cell formation, and gingival CD3+ and CD45+ cell infiltration were significantly decreased in TLR4 KO mice compared to that in WT mice. RANKL/OPG ratio was significantly increased after P. gingivalis/ligation treatment in WT mice not in TLR4 KO mice. When comparing the P. gingivalis/ligation group with the respective control group, gingival mRNA expressions of IL-1β, IFN-γ and 1L-17 were significantly increased in TLR4 KO mice.

CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that TLR4 mediates alveolar bone resorption in P. gingivalis associated ligature-induced peri-implantitis through regulation of immune B cell infiltration, RANKL/OPG expression ratio, and differential inflammatory cytokine production. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


It WAS Josephine Miles's "Eras in English Poetry," published in this journal in September 1955 (LXX, 853-875), that stimulated me to study her method, to appraise her findings, and, finally, to endeavor to carry farther and perhaps to sharpen her approach. This paper reports such findings and such conclusions as have, thus far, eventuated from this endeavor.


This chapter reviews the relative merits of the two theories of victory — containment and the Bush Doctrine — based on evidence drawn from the five case studies and the Cold War too. The case studies covered in the earlier chapters suggest that deterrence has become very much a one-way street. When a superpower like the United States confronts a regional power like Libya, Iraq, or Iran, the superpower can make very credible threats to take military action against the regional power, but not vice versa. Containment, as practiced by the United States during the Cold War, often tried to slow the pace of events in order to reduce the risk of being swept up into an unwanted conflict spiral referred to as the Sarajevo Syndrome. The goal of the policy was to lessen the risk of repeating the errors that preceded the outbreak of the First World War.


In this talk I presented studies of the scalar boson mass resolution at the LHC. I described in detail the limiting factors on resolution, the methods used to determine the mass resolution, and the statistical sample size required for these results for the ZZ* and diphoton final states. I finished the talk by comparing projections for various linear collider scenarios.


Review of: Contesting Chineseness: Nationality, Class, Gender and New Chinese Migrants, Sylvia Ang (2022)
 Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 154 pp.,
 ISBN 978-9-46372-246-9, h/bk, €95.00
 ISBN 978-9-04855-441-6, p/bk, €94.99


only a part of hydrocarbon is movable because of the shale oil's flow ability character and the adsorption between hydrocarbon and minerals, kerogen, etc. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) cores analysis was commonly used to measure movable oil in conventional cores (Li Tai-wei, et al, 2012; Li Zhentao, 2011; Xiao Qiusheng, et al, 2009). The process is can be summarized as follow: Firstly, the initial conventional cores was analyzed with NMR to measured total oil content, secondly, the movable oil was separated from this core with centrifuge methods, and then the irreducible oil was measured with NMR, the difference of oil amount of two sample, before and after was the movable oil amount. However, both of porosity and permeability are so low in shale, thus, the movable oil rate was not credible measured by conventional NMR analysis. This paper intends to obtain movable oil rate in shale via simulation experiment associated with NMR cores analysis. The process is as follow: (1) Fresh shale was crush in to suitable size particles, and then these particles were dip into 20% manganese chloride solution. Owing to paramagnetic manganese ion, the relaxation of water inside rocks has been enhanced, the signal magnitude of water has accelerated, with the relaxation of oil inside rocks keeping constant, through a change of relaxation, single oil signal was obtained ultimately to measure the total oil content. (2) The shale samples were put into experimental apparatus that designed for movable oil simulation and sealed them up (Fig. 1). The water container has been filled with formation water for experiment. All of experimental devices were connected by line pipe and valves. In the first, the autoclave was vacuumed with vacuum pump and then was filled with formation water by boost pump. Meanwhile, outlet valve was switched off and the sample inside autoclave was exerted a pressure slightly lower than formation pressure. Then, the autoclave was heated to formation temperature, and holds it on. Simultaneously, the pressure inside autoclave was rose to formation pressure. 24hours later, Inlet valve was switched off and outlet valve was switched on. Thus, the fluid was gathered in a collecting container. The sample in autoclave was exert and released pressure repeatedly (7 times, 7 days usually) until no oil flow out of pipe can be detected. All of the oil fluid flows out of autoclave and collected was extracted with dichloromethane, and the oil was weighed after the dichloromethane being volatilized completely. (3) The shale samples after simulated were get out from experimental apparatus and dip into manganese chloride, which concentration was 20%. the signal of oil were measured by NMR. The oil mass difference of samples before and after simulation is the movable oil mass of this sample. In the diagram of oil signals vs T2 relations, which include signals of samples before and after simulation, the signal area envelop by curve of oil signal and T2 time axis was quantified to calculate oil content, and the signal area difference of samples before and after simulation represents the movable oil content. The movable oil signal having high T2 relation value than irreducible oil in T2 WANG Yurong, BAO Youshu, LI Juyuan, Li Zheng, ZHU Rifang, HAN Dongmei, WU Lianbo and ZHANG Lei, 2015. Experimental Methods for Measuring Movable Shale Oil. Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition), 89(supp.): 425-426.


SINCE HITSCHMANN AND ADLER (1) first described the cyclic changes in the endometrial glands and Schroeder (2) correlated these changes with corresponding rhythmic phenomena in the ovaries, many investigators have searched the eiv dometrium for an explanation of the mechanism of menstruation. The introduction of the suction biopsy (3) in 1932 has made it a simple matter to obtain human endometrium at frequent intervals. Despite this aid the exact mechanism of menstruation remains unknown. While the condition of the endometrium is a fairly reliable index of ovarian function, it does not indicate if or when menstruation will occur (4). The purpose of this paper is to report two unusual cases which we believe cast additional light on this problem. It is generally believed that menstruation occurs as a result of degenerative changes in the endometrium following regression of the corpus luteum (5). In the normal ovulatory cycle, the secretory endometrium as a rule is cast off more or less completely during the ...


Animals in Our Lives, edited by McCardle et al., is an exploration of evidencebased human-animal interaction practice in a variety of settings and involving individuals with varying diagnoses. The text is intended for clinicians, researchers, pet owners, and parents. Comprehensive information is provided which incorporates the perspective of 20 contributors. The topic is divided into three sections: (1) Animals inOur Lives (2) Animals and Therapeutic Intervention, and (3) Future Research. This book is an excellent resource regarding human-animal interactions providing the reader with an overview of clinical implications and current research. The first section offers the reader a foundational understanding of relationships between humans and animals. Historical and cultural perspectives on human and pet interactions are introduced. The brief introduction documents a long-standing role of animals throughout history as well as the early origins of animal-assisted interventions. This overview includes a discussion of pets and their popularity as well as the potential benefits of pet ownership as a social support. Chapter 2 takes a broader perspective by addressing the benefits to the community from human-animal interaction. The discussion includes roles of animals within society and the impact on social capital as well as overall health and well-being for individuals and the larger community. The relationship between animals and children is examined in chapter 3. Children are exposed to animals not only in their homes but also in schools; therefore, insight on the impact of animal interaction on child health and development is necessary for the larger discussion. Chapter 3 also touches on animals in therapeutic settings. A brief summary of current evidence on the effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy is incorporated into this chapter. The author goes further to examine the biomedical ethical issues surrounding exposure to animals. Risks and benefits associated with animal exposure are addressed within this framework. Information provided is not exclusive to traditional animals, such as cats and dogs, but also includes the use of nondomesticated animals such as dolphins. Larger public health implications of pet ownership are explored within chapter 4. A synopsis of animal related health issues is delivered which incorporates not only animal related falls and bites but also viruses and bacteria transmitted from animals to humans. There are helpful tables outlining bacteria/virus/fungus with symptoms, frequency, source of infection, and precautions. General guidelines on choosing a pet, as well as, strategies for ensuring safety for both pet and child, are presented in chapter 4. The last chapter of section 1 (chapter 5) has a narrower scope discussing interactions between children and dogs. Social signaling, as a form of communication from animals, is explored. Specific examples of social signals including misinterpretations are provided.


Aiming at the cultivating creative talents of colleges and universities in new period,the relation between experimental teaching and cultivating creative talents was discussed,and the shorts of experimental teaching were analyzed.On this basis,some modes and means of experimental teaching reform were presented.The reforming measures and achievement of the math modeling experimental teaching in our school were introduced.


Zero-index metamaterials exhibit inherent losses due to poor confinement. We present a 2D photonic crystal that achieves isotropic impedance-matched zero-index propagation, but suffers no material or radiation loss due to a bound-state in the continuum.


Objective To study the protective effects of fucoidan from Laminaria japonica on CCl_4-induced acute liver injury in mice.Methods Fifty mice were allocated into control group,model group,bifendate group,low and high dosage of fucoidan group randomly.The mice were treat with bifendate(100mg·kg~(-1)) or fucoidan(200,100mg·kg~(-1)) for 10 days. Then 10%CCl_4(10mL·kg~(-1)) was given to mice by intraperitoneal injection.The activities of serum ALT,AST,ALP and BIL were determined,the body weight and liver weight were measured,as well as the pathological changes of the liver were observed in all groups.Results fucoidan(200mg·kg~(-1)) could significantly lower the ALT,AST BIL in serum and the liver index of mice,improve the liver histology.Conclution fucoidan can protect the liver against damage induced by CCl_4 in mice.


In order to ensure the safety of torpedo tank car in the transportation of the molten iron, the derailment feature analysis technology based on Eddy Current Sensor is proposed. In this paper, it was reconstructed that the contact relationship between wheel pair and rail by the Non-contact measurement method based on Eddy Current Sensor (ECS). It is developed that Early warning system of the hidden danger of derailment to controlled the emergency braking of locomotive for the purpose of prevention. This method has high sensitivity, strong anti-interference ability, non-contact measurement and fast response. It will not be influenced by oil, water and other media.


The article presents the results of analysis of condition of environment and health of population residing in zone of impact petrochemical industrial complex. The in-depth analysis was implemented concerning level of total and primary morbidity of population of city of Salavat. The study results demonstrated that population of city of Salavat is characterized by the same patterns of demographic development as in the Russian Federation on the whole. The unfavorable trends are marked. They are characterized by increasing of total mortality ofpopulation and decreasing of its numbers, increasing of level of both total and primary morbidity by many classes of diseases. At that, the most sensitive to these processes turned out children younger that 14 years and adolescents aged from 15 to 17 years. The mean longstanding indicators of primary morbidity and prevalence of diseases ofpopulation residing in the zone of impact ofpetrochemical industrial complex were significantly higher by many classes of diseases as compared with similar indicators in the Republic of Bashkortostan on the whole. These occurrences are to be considered under perspective planning of curative preventive and health promoting activities.


A study of investigation was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of Tarak Plus a micro nutrient foliar spray on the water melon. This study was conducted during the season rabi, in the year 2018-19. The experiment was conducted in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with six treatments; T1: Control [No application of any fertilizer], T2: Two doses of recommended fertilizers [RDF] @ 30 and 60 DAS, T3: Three dose of recommended fertilisers @ 30 DAS, 60 DAS & 80 DAS, T4: 3.5 gm/l of Tarak plus at 30 and 60 DAS, T5: T3 + 3.5 gm/l of Tarak plus at 30 and 60 DAS & T6: 2 ml/l of Multiplex at 30 and 60 DAS. Experimental results revealed that treatment T6 was found effective in increased yields and yield attributing characters as well as quality of melon fruit in terms of weight, total soluble solids and total sugar content over other treatments tested for the efficacy. The yield attributing characters of crop viz., vine length, number of leaves, number of branches, number of flowers, Number of fruits per plant (NFP) with firmness and quality, Productivity per plant (kg.plant), Commercial productivity (CP ≥ 5 kg), Transverse diameter (TD), Longitudinal diameter (LD), Total soluble solids (TSS) and Total sugars (TS) were found significant in the treatment T5 compared to other treatments. The present study revealed micro nutrient foliar spray is important factor for contributing growth and higher yields in melons.


Industrial injury determination for sudden disease made in the first provision of article 15 of determination of the Industrial Injury Insurance Regulations brings the larger controversy in the judicial practice because of the existence of much more factors discretion,and the clause limits the saving time for 48 hours,which is easy to cause legal and moral conflict,which requires the court,during the trial,tightly grasp the premise of "during work time and work",accurately understanding the connotation of the "death with invalid rescue in 48 hours",determine the industrial injury in accordance with the law.


The present invention provides a connector means for connection between the head and the scraper conveyor loader, the connection means comprising at least one connecting rod; a first connecting rod hinged end loader, a second end of the blade connected to the conveyor head, and the connecting rod with respect to the head linearly moving scraper conveyor; the connecting rod can maintain the preset distance between the unloading conveyor in the head loader. The present invention also provides a scraper conveyor equipment. By the present invention, it is possible to ensure the holding of unloading a predetermined distance between the scraper conveyor and the transfer conveyor, the distance is changed to avoid the phenomenon unloading operating state, to ensure the smooth progress of mining work; the same time, connecting rod opposite blade conveyor head or head mounts linear movement to ensure the relative independence of movement between the loader and scraper conveyor, realized alternately advancing scraper conveyor and transfer conveyor, eliminating eating a certain extent, bottom, bleaching and so on.


In this article we report on the characterization and properties of several unsymmetrical phenyl-benzoate bimesogens that exhibit the soft-matter, twist-bend nematic (NTB) phase. We use this study as a basis to examine the phase behaviour of associated novel trimeric and tetrameric materials, in order to investigate the potential for oligomeric materials to form the NTB phase. Based on our results we hypothesise that higher oligomers and even polymers are highly likely to exhibit the NTB phase, provided they retain a gross bent structure between consecutive mesogenic units. Thus we show at the level of nanoscale organization, dimers can template with respect to one another to form mesophases that are also found in macromolecular systems.


ABSTRACT The study was aimed at analysing the effect of rainfall onset and cessation trends on crop yields in Lafia town of Nasarawa State from 1980 to 2010. The data was collected from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency Abuja for the said period. Data for crops yield were obtained from Nasarawa Agricultural Development project (NADP) Lafia from 1997 to 2010 for which data were available. The crop yields were used to examine the effect of onset and cessation on crops yield. Regression analysis revealed that that cessation of raining season has more effect on crops yield as compared to onset of raining season. Farmers and others interested in agro allied services should therefore ensure early planting of crops in order to avoid been caught up by the rainfall cessation.


The Power Elite. By C. Wright Mills. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1956). Pp. 423. Referred to in the text as PE. The Causes of World War Three. By C. Wright Mills. (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1958). Pp. 172. Referred to in the text as WWIII. The Sociological Imagination. By C. Wright Mills. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1959). Pp. 234. Referred to in the text as SI. The Marxists. By C. Wright Mills. (New York: Dell Publishing Co.). Pp. 480. Referred to in the text as M. Power, Politics and People: The Collected Essays of C. Wright Mills. Edited by Irving L. Horowitz. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1963). Pp. 657. Referred to in the text as PPP.


The transient current behaviour for Iron in 3.5%NaCl and 3.5%NaCl +1%NaNO2 solutions during corrosion fatigue (CF) process has been investigated at different given strain amplitudes and strain rates. The results show that elastic strain has little contribution to material dissolution. The elastic tension strain results in the decrease in the transient current, while the elastic compression strain increases the transient current. Compared to the elastic deformation, plastic deformation affects material dissolution evidently. For iron in 3.5%NaCl solution, the strain amplitude plays a dominant role in the dissolution process accelerated by the plastic strain, while in 3.5%NaCl+1%NaNO2 solution, both the strain amplitude and strain rate play an important role in this process. In this paper, the effect of the elastic deformation on the material dissolution and the relation between the tension and compression current peak values under the plastic cycle deformation are discussed.


Out of 492 patients attending Al-Emam Ali hospital, examined during the peroid from  beginning of June/2013 to the end of may/2014, 79 (16.05%) were infected with G. lambliaand 115 (23.37%) were infected with E. histolytica. Highest rate of infection with giardiasis was in July and March (20.93%, 20.51% respectively), while the lower infection was found in December (8.51%). Amoebiasis show high rate of infection in September (41.93%) and low rate of infection in May (14.06%). Prevalence of giardinsis and amoebiasis in rural areas (16.8%, 26.3% respectively) were found higher than urban areas (15.3%, 20.3%), but with out significant differences. Also no significant differences were found between infected males and females patients. The infection of both parasites was found increased with advancing ages of patients. Mixed stages (trophozoites and cysts) was the most apparent in posative cases of amoebiasis, while trophozoites stage was found apparent in posative cases of giardiasis.


A seal assembly on the outside of an aircraft having a plurality of sealing elements one behind the other in the direction of flight, resting with its bearing surfaces on a bearing surface, which are attached to the seal holder members, wherein the rear end of a sealing member directly adjacent to the front end of the following further located in the flight direction of the aircraft sealing member is located and adjacent seal members form a substantially continuous, interrupted only by the gap between them surface and a heelless contact surface. The front end of the sealing element located further back is mechanically coupled with the rear end of the lying before the seal member, the gap lying between them, bridged and the front end of the sealing element located further back is secured against lifting with respect to the rear end of the front seal member.


The paper reports the milk safety indicators resulting from monitoring activities to predict and estimate high-quality milk materials in the Oryol region. The results of the study allow for predicting milk safety indicators for different milking periods. The study shows that milk produced in July, August, and September is the most suitable for production of functional dairy products, since such milk contains no aflatoxins and a minimum amount of toxic elements in this period.


We estimate the bulk Lorentz factor Γ0 of 31 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) using the measured peak time of their afterglow light curves. We consider two possible scenarios for the estimate of Γ0: the case of a homogeneous circumburst medium or a wind density profile. The values of Γ0 are broadly distributed between few tens and several hundreds with average values ∼138 and ∼66 for the homogeneous and wind density profile, respectively. We find that the isotropic energy and luminosity correlate in a similar way with Γ0, i.e. and , while the peak energy Epeak∝Γ0. These correlations are less scattered in the wind density profile than in the homogeneous case. We then study the energetics, luminosities and spectral properties of our bursts in their comoving frame. The distribution of is very narrow with a dispersion of less than a decade in the wind case, clustering around  erg s−1. Peak photon energies cluster around ∼ 6 keV. The newly found correlations involving Γ0 offer a general interpretation scheme for the spectral energy correlation of GRBs. The Epeak–Eiso and Epeak–Liso correlations are due to the different Γ0 factors and the collimation-corrected correlation, Epeak–Eγ (obtained by correcting the isotropic quantities for the jet opening angle θj), can be explained if = constant. Assuming the Epeak–Eγ correlation as valid, we find a typical value of θjΓ0∼ 6–20, in agreement with the predictions of magnetically accelerated jet models.


Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer
among women all over the world after skin cancer. Meanwhile,
electromagnetic imaging has been a prominent detection
technique for biomedical diagnosis in recent years. However, the
electromagnetic imaging is struggling with the spatial resolution
that can be solved by an imaging technique based on the antenna
with a wide operating bandwidth at the higher frequency range.
In this paper, a printable Coplanar Waveguide (CPW)-fed
microstrip rectangular patch antenna with a wide – 10 dB
bandwidth of 18.7 GHz has been proposed for a breast cancer
imaging application. This printable antenna, after being
designed on a flexible substrate and simulated, operates from 21
GHz to 39.7 GHz which covers the millimeter-wave frequencies.
The antenna has achieved an average gain of 4 dBi with an
average radiation efficiency of over 80% for the entire -10 dB
bandwidth. The bidirectional radiation pattern of the antenna
offers the freedom of placing the antenna both at the front and
back position on the body surface. Moreover, a compact area of
5×5 mm2 makes the antenna suitable for the biomedical imaging
application at mm-wave frequencies by utilizing a low-cost
manufacturing process.


—In this paper, we propose a goal-oriented chat bot, which aims to sell a suitable credit card to customers according to their needs. Our proposed chat bot detects customer's needs, uses this information to recommend a credit card, answers specific queries from customers and gathers the required information to start a credit card application process. This goal-oriented dialog management system is designed for Turkish Language and it makes use of a Finite State Machine (FSM) structure to achieve its goals. This design allows the chat bot to facilitate the flow of conversation and prevents giving unrelated answers to customers. The chat bot has unique tasks to perform in each state of FSM. Transitions between states are processed with the events, which are determined by outputs of the sentiment analysis model. Due to Turkish being an agglutinative language we perform morphological analysis of words to perform this task. Besides driving the conversation flow to achieving its goal, the chat bot can detect when customers ask questions and proceeds to the related state where the chat bot retrieves a proper answer. Since sentiment classification model forms the basis for keeping the chat bot in proper states, we experimented with different classification algorithms with different features and compared their successes. K-Nearest Neighbor algorithm using bag-of-words and lexicon features yielded the best results with the 0.822 f-score. Moreover, human evaluations for chat bot showed that using FSM and managing the conversation with the sentiment classification model for Turkish language is a promising solution.


There are epochs in the history of a literature which do not produce masterpieces but which contribute, nevertheless, to the history of that culture by providing new concepts and values which, in the long run, may become the germ of literary works of a broader and more universal nature. These are generally epochs of transition, lacking repose and stability, and which usually precede others more fortunate in the literary harvest. In Spain one of these periods is from 1809–1823, a turbulent, revolutionary epoch, of conspirators, pamphleteers, and philosophers, of the Cádiz Constitution of 1812, and in large measure precursor of the generation of '98 and its great literary flowering.


Chinua Achebe is one of the greatest realist writers in world literature in perhaps the last one and half centuries. But the Achebe that appears in There Was a Country is to me entirely a new one. The challenge is how to characterize this other Achebe that is standing beside the old, urbane and subtle writer in this new book.


Global energy and environmental problems are increasing in severity. Countries worldwide are more concerned about and are paying greater attention to strengthening their energy‐saving and emissions‐reduction efforts, protecting the environment and promoting the development of new energy. Solar energy is becoming the mainstream of the global power industry because of its significant resources and low cost. This paper provides an overview of the current state‐of‐the‐art of photovoltaic electricity technology ('photovoltaic' or PV) in China and addresses its potential for future cost reductions. This paper analyses the relationship between current renewable energy costs and cumulative production, development and demonstration expenditures, and other institutional influences. The theoretical framework of a learning curve offers a complete methodology for examining the underlying capital cost trajectory when developing electricity cost estimates used in energy policy planning models. The cumulative production needed to achieve 'break‐even' (the point at which PV is competitive with conventional alternatives) is estimated for a range of learning curve parameter values. The social cost (pollution costs and value‐added tax considered) of PV is calculated, and the question of whether and how the 'cost cap' can be bridged is posed, the latter being the difference between what this cumulative production will cost and what it would cost if it could be produced at a currently competitive level. We also estimate how much PV could gain if the external costs (attributable to environmental and health damage) of energy were internalised, such as through an energy tax. We use the simulated results to provide suggestions for relevant PV industrial policymaking.