Smell is a key human sense. In the real world, smell plays a leading role in helping us appreciate an environment, for example the smell of fresh coffee, or the dead body. High-fidelity virtual environments are being increasingly used as an accurate representation of the real world for a wide variety of applications, including training, phobia treatment and virtual archeology. This paper compares the diffusion and perception of smell in real and virtual environments. Although airflow can be computed within a virtual environment using, for example a computational fluid dynamic simulator, the results do not necessarily predict how smell may be perceived in the real-world. Virtual smell needs to take into account the type of smell being considered and how humans may perceive this smell.


In recent days Machine Learning has become
major study aspect in various applications that includes medical
care where convenient discovery of anomalies in ECG signals
plays an important role in monitoring patient's condition
regularly. This study concentrates on various MachineLearning
techniques applied for classification of ECG signals which
include CNN and RNN. In the past few years, it is being observed
that CNN is playing a dominant role in feature extraction from
which we can infer that machine learning techniques have been
showing accuracy and progress in classification of ECG signals.
Therefore, this paper includes Convolutional Neural Network
and Recurrent Neural Network which is being classified into two
types for better results from considerably increased depth.


A two-dimensional code of pictures is defined as a set X ⊆ (cid:2) ∗∗ such that any picture over (cid:2) is tilable in at most one way with pictures in X . It has been proved that it is undecidable whether a finite set of pictures is a code. Here we introduce two classes of picture codes: the comma-free codes and the cylindric codes, with the aim of generalizing the definitions of comma-free (or self-synchronizing) code and circular code of strings. The properties of these classes are studied and compared, in particular in relation to maximality and completeness. As a byproduct, we introduce self-covering pictures and study their periodicity issues.


AbstractBoth reader training and improved map design can be used to increase the communicative effectiveness of maps. Tests with dot densities and circles indicate that either rescaling of symbols (design) or the allowance of some feedback (reader training) will result in more accurate median estimates. The feedback approach, however, is associated with a greater dispersion in estimates, i.e. estimates are less clustered about the median. When both the rescaling and feedback approaches are used, both the medians and dispersion are improved. A different experiment, involving map comparisons, shows that a small amount of reader training can clarify the concept involved in that task and such clarification increases accuracy. While both design modification and reader training induce improvements in map communication, these improvements are different in nature; the two approaches are not substitutes for one another but are complementary.


Average annual driving rain indices for 35 stations spread all over the country have been computed to produce map of driving rain exposure levels. Only nine stations fall under the classification of 'moderate' exposure while the remaining stations were in the 'shielded' category. Thus, seventy-four per cent of the stations need not take actions to prevent the damages resulting from driving rain on the exposed building surfaces. Some areas were identified to be prone to be affected by wind driven rain. In these areas, driving rain is an important parameter for consideration in the design of buildings. These areas are Benin-City, Calabar, Enugu, Ikeja (Lagos), Port Harcourt, and Warri, located near the coastal part of the country, while, Jos, Koduna and Makurdi in northern part also fall into this category.


NASA is providing key leadership in an international effort linking NASA and non-NASA resources to speed adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) to meet NASA's mission goals. Participants include industry, NASA's space partners, other government agencies, standards organizations and academia. Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) is identified as a universal need for all aspects of additive manufacturing.


High concentrations of alcohol have been shown to adversely affect the metabolism of skeletal muscle but studies into antioxidant status are poorly characterised. We hypothesised that a single exposure to alcohol will impair the antioxidant status of skeletal muscle. We also hypothesised that alcohol-induced defects in muscle will be (i) prevented by 4-methylpyrazole (an inhibitor of alcohol oxidation and thus reduces acetaldehyde formation) and (ii) exacerbated by cyanamide (an inhibitor of acetaldehyde oxidation and thus increases acetaldehyde levels). To test this we used a well-validated rat model of acute alcohol exposure, and then measured total antioxidant capacity of muscle with the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assay and specific activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD). We used six groups of rats in the following design. Rats were dosed with a single "pre-treatment" of either saline (control), cyanamide (Cyn; 0.05mmol/kg BW) or 4-methylpyrazole (4MP; 0.05mmol/kg BW). After 30min animals were treated with a single bolus of either saline (0.15mol/l NaCl, controls) or ethanol (EtOH; 75mmol/kg BW) then killed 24 h later. The gastrocnemius muscle was dissected and used for analysis. Data were analysed with two-way ANOVA using SPSS v15.


Input device according to one of the various embodiments of the present disclosure, an electromagnetic induction circuit; body comprising the (electromagnetic induction circuit hereinafter referred to as, "EMI circuit '); It is provided to enable flow to the body of the first contact member interlocked to the EMI circuit; And is provided in the body may include a second contact member of at least a portion of which is disposed side by side with the first contact member electrically conductive material.


Objective:  Self‐injurious behavior (SIB) is one of the most distinctive features of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and related to impulsivity and emotional dysregulation.


This paper describes the results of using oxygen (O2) plasma to treat both greige and scoured cotton yarns to cause significant degradation of cellulose. This study is an effort to reduce hazardous caustic chemicals commonly used to make the cellulose molecule more accessible for uses in such applications as biofuels. Through high power density, 0.46 W/cm2, and the study of varying exposure times, we find longer durations of 30 min to 90 min result in significant cellulose structure degradation. Due to waxes and contaminants found on greige yarns, scoured yarn degradation occurs at shorter exposure times than greige yarns, however, both experience tearing and pitting with longer exposures. This study provides evidence that significant degradation of cellulosic yarns can be achieved through high power density O2 plasma exposure.


Kandelia candel leaves were heated in 6 mol/L hydrochloric acid to prepare hydrolysate,and then Maillard reaction of the hydrolysate and D-glucose was carried out.The Maillard reaction product is brown with obvious burnt perfume.It aether -soluble compositions were analyzed with GC-MS.Results showed that 46 compounds exist in the product,and carboxylic acid compounds are the main compositions.The content of 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde in the compositions of the Maillard reaction product is the highest.


The reclamation of new areas and distant lands with limited energy and material resources demands using resource- and energy-saving technologies. One of such technologies can be magnetic treatment of irrigating water and artificial manure solutions, and presowing treatment of seeds of agricultural crops in magnetic field. The authors found that magnetic field accelerates the velocity of chemical reactions, enhances salts and fertilizers solvability, and increases oxygen concentration in a solution. Magnetic field improves membrane cells permeability which accelerates molecules and ions diffusion through it. This process improves the ability of a seed to absorb water and increases the concentration of oxygen in a cell. Presowing treatment of seeds increases their ability of germination by 26–50%, sprouting by 20–30%. The best regime of water solutions and seeds of agricultural crops treatment in magnetic field is when magnetic induction is 0.065 Tl and the velocity of a solution is 0.4 m/s.


This paper seeks to explore the nature of, and relationships among, multi-levels of trust within international joint ventures (IJVs) as well as the mechanisms through which trust interacts through different control mechanisms in a longitudinal multi-case approach. Empirical evidence collected from five car-manufacturing IJVs in China shows that organizational trust between two partners of an IJV are reinforced with personal trust among managers and employees. It is also found that personal trust between senior managers can have a negative impact on the organizational trust of Boards of Directors (BOD) in senior managers assigned to IJVs. This paper complements the literature in IJV management by showing that at a mature stage, social controls are more effective and strengthen trust at different levels while formal controls can lead to increased levels of conflict and frictions between partners.


The Borough of Wellingborough Council will ensure that a community event will be held in August, if Wellingborough BID group, who have previously run it, withdraw.


The existing disarticulation and invisibility of relevant agroecological experiences in the state of Sergipe and its disconnection with active extension services motivated this action research. In this context, the study aimed to set agroecological knowledge construction methodology to identify new ways of doing agroecological extension in rural identity territories in the State. The results materialized in the creation of three networks of knowledge construction, with the completion of 51 exchanges in the period from April 2012 to April 2015. The systematization of agroecological transition experiences and the realization of knowledge exchanges and the creation of networks and the adjustment of construction methodologies of knowledge, showed a safe way that indicated strategies for the construction of a relevant form of extension agroecological in these spaces.


In this paper, we give some applications to integral equations as well as homotopy theory via Suzuki contractive type common coupled fixed point results in complete Ab-metric space. We also furnish an example which supports our main result.


The notion of (a, b)-fuzzy bi-ideals in semigroups is introduced, and related properties are investigated. Characterizations of (in, inVqd0)-generalized fuzzy bi-ideals are provided.


The Nevada Test Site (NTS) is a major receiver of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) for disposal. Currently, all LLW received at NTS is shipped by truck. The trucks use highway routes to NTS that pass through the Las Vegas Valley and over Hoover Dam, which is a concern of local stakeholder groups in the State of Nevada. Rail service offers the opportunity to reduce transportation risks and costs, according to the Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (WM-PEIS). However, NTS and some DOE LLW generator sites are not served with direct rail service so intermodal transport is under consideration. Intermodal transport involves transport via two modes, in this case truck and rail, from the generator sites to NTS. LLW shipping containers would be transferred between trucks and railcars at intermodal transfer points near the LLW generator sites, NTS, or both. An Environmental Assessment (EA)for Intermodal Transportation of Low-Level Radioactive Waste to the Nevada Test Site (referred to as the NTSIntermodal -M) has been prepared to determine whether there are environmental impacts to alterations to the current truck routing or use of intermodal facilities within the State of Nevada. However, an analysis of the potential impacts outside the State of Nevadamore » are not addressed in the NTS Intermodal EA. This study examines the rest of the transportation network between LLW generator sites and the NTS and evaluates the costs, risks, and feasibility of integrating intermodal shipments into the LLW transportation system. This study evaluates alternative transportation system configurations for NTS approved and potential generators based on complex-wide LLW load information. Technical judgments relative to the availability of DOE LLW generators to ship from their sites by rail were developed. Public and worker risk and life-cycle cost components are quantified. The study identifies and evaluates alternative scenarios that increase the use of rail (intermodal where needed) to transport LLW from generator sites to NTS.« less


Submitted for the MAR09 Meeting of The American Physical Society Specific heat of gadolinium garnets JEFFREY QUILLIAM, SHUCHAO MENG, Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, LINTON CORRUCCINI, Physics Department, University of California-Davis, Davis, California, USA, OLEG PETRENKO, Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom, MICHEL GINGRAS, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, Canada, JAN KYCIA, Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada — Specific heat measurements on two different geometrically frustrated, Heisenberg, garnet lattices will be presented. The specific heat of an isotopically pure, single crystal sample of Gd3Ga5O12, or GGG, is found to be consistent with previous measurements of the specific heat of GGG 1 and shows no signs of a standard ordering anomaly despite sharp Bragg peaks that were seen in neutron diffraction experiments. A first measurement of the specific heat of polycrystalline Gd3Li2Te3O12, in contrast, shows a sharp first-order phase transition at 240 mK. We will discuss possible explanations for such diverse behavior in very similar systems. 1Schiffer et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 2379 (1995). Jeffrey Quilliam Dept of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada Date submitted: 09 Dec 2008 Electronic form version 1.4


Luteal regression is an ovarian remodeling event involving apoptosis of luteal cells, an influx of macrophages thought to phagocytose luteal cell debris, and resorption of the corpus luteum (CL). Macrophage adhesion and migration in many tissues is mediated by ICAM-1 (a cellular adhesion molecule which acts as a counter-receptor for leukocyte β2-integrins); and increased ICAM-1 expression has been associated with macrophage infiltration in regressing CL of the rat. To test whether ICAM-1 mediates macrophage infiltration during regression, CL of ICAM-1 null (ICAM-1-/-) mice were analysed by immunohistochemistry for markers of macrophages (F4/80) and luteal cell apoptosis (caspase-3). Ovaries of adult cycling ICAM-1-/females showed abundant macrophages in regressing CL indicating that ICAM-1 is not required for macrophage migration during luteolysis. In older mice (6 months of age), wildtype (WT) ovaries consisted primarily of follicles and CL, however, ICAM-1-/ovaries consisted almost entirely of stroma with only a few follicles and CL. These "stromal" cells were reminiscent of luteal cells (hypertrophied and eosinophilic) suggesting that CL regression failed to resolve normally resulting in accumulation with time. To test this, WT and ICAM-1-/mice were hormonally primed to stimulate luteinization and subsequent regression, with PMSG/ hCG for 4 or 6 days, and the regressing CL were compared. Preliminary results showed that the CL of ICAM-1-/mice are less regressed than WT at 4 d post-hCG, an effect which is most pronounced at 6 d post-hCG. Immunohistochemical staining patterns for F4/80 and caspase-3 were similar in WT and ICAM-1-/ovaries indicating that macrophages are present and luteal cell apoptosis is occurring in the "regressing" CL. Concurrently, to test whether the lack of ICAM-1 and a potential defect in luteal regression would impact fertility, female ICAM-1-/and WT littermates were housed with WT males. After 6 months ICAM-1-/females had produced normal numbers of litters and pups. Thus, ICAM-1 is not essential for female fertility. That CL regression was delayed despite the presence of luteal macrophages in ICAM-1-/ovaries indicates that during luteal regression ICAM-1 is likely to be more important for macrophage activation and/or phagocytosis than recruitment or migration.


To monitor and control the charging as well as discharging of the rechargeable batteries battery management is required, a Battery Management system is employed which electronically regulates these processes. It gives a hold onto the storage system and also gives protection to the battery when it is operated beyond its limits by authenticating and balancing hazardous situations. Due to the rapid rise in the interest in electric and hybrid vehicles, the system is set up in an automobile for long-lasting cycle life and lower self-discharge. The state of the battery can also be determined by its performance characteristics and it helps in calculating the energy delivered in the system. the purpose, function, and performance of a battery for an electric vehicle are discussed in detail. In the previous studies, the concept of the battery along with the hardware system for an electric vehicle. The tasks like voltage sampling and current sampling of the battery can be performed by Battery Management System. In this paper, the need for a Battery management system and features of battery characteristics with its applications have been discussed.


The dynamic characteristics of the piezoelectric materials are demonstrated by the ANSYS finite element techniques. Based on the analyses of the modeling results of the monolayer piezoelectric materials, the dynamic characteristics of the multi-layer piezoelectric pile are further investigated. For piezoelectric materials with a certain thickness, it is found that the resulting stroke and output increases with the decrease of the layer thickness which is attributed by the increased layers and substantially unchanged overall-stiffness.


Objective:To detect the expression of uPA(urokinase plasminogen activator)、PAI-1(plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1) and angiogenesis in breast cancer and their relationship with the invasiveness of breast cancer.Methods:Eighty surgically resected breast cancer samples and twenty breast benign tumor samples were selected.S-P immunostaining technique was used to detect the expression of uPA、PAI-1and MVD in all of the tissues.Results:The positive expression rates of uPA、PAI-1 in breast cancer was significantly higher than that in the breast benign tumors,and their high expression rates were related with the clinical pathology parameters of the breast cancer(P0.05).MVD were respectively 30.87±7.64,20.28±8.72 in breast cancer and breast benign tumor group.There was significantly difference between the two groups(P0.01).There were positive correlations between the level of uPA and PAI-1 in breast cancer(P0.05).Conclusion:The expression of uPA and PAI-1 correlated with the invasiveness and metastasis of breast cancer,and they could be used as biological indicators that evaluate the invasiveness and metastasis,estimate prognosis and determine treatment of primary invasive breast cancer.


Dividend announcement have an impact on price reaction. This
research used dividend yield as an indicator of measuring the impact of
dividend announcement on stock price changes for manufacturing companies
in Indonesia Stock Exchange, which have high dividend yield and low dividend
yield during 2006-2008. To measure the price changes used parametric test
that is paired sample t-test two tailed and to measure the differentiation of the
mean on stock prices used descriptive statistics.
The result of this study revealed that there is a relation between
dividend announcement and stock price changes showed with the
differentiation of the mean on stock prices between 10 days before dividend
announcement and 10 days after dividend announcement, but the results are
different between high dividend manufacturing companies and low dividend
manufacturing companies.
Keywords: dividend announcement, dividend yield, price reaction.


In this paper, robotic reposition error measurement method based on laser interference remote positioning is presented, the geometric error is analyzed in the polishing system based on robot and the mathematical model of the tilt error is presented. Studies show that less than 1 mm error is mainly caused by the tilt error with small incident angle. Marking spot position with interference fringe enhances greatly the error measurement precision, the measurement precision of tilt error can reach 5 um. Measurement results show that reposition error of the polishing system is mainly from the tilt error caused by the motor A, repositioning precision is greatly increased after polishing system improvement. The measurement method has important applications in the actual error measurement with low cost, simple operation.


The classical paradigm in demography states that only one demographic process can be studied at a time....Such a conceptual stand forbids the study of multiple processes [whether] interactive or competing and necessitates the decomposition of the initial population into an ever increasing number of homogeneous sub-groups. As the size of each sub-population gets smaller it [quickly] becomes impossible to conduct a valid analysis. A change of paradigm is therefore inevitable to conduct a study of interacting processes and an exploration of the heterogeneity of a population. This new approach deals with individual life courses in a greater complexity [with] each new development being dependent on the past experience and the information available to individuals. This new paradigm has opened the way to life event history analysis in place for already 15 years. (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA) (EXCERPT)


Abstract : This note provides a brief summary of the use of Fourier-Fresnel imaging to neutral atom interferometry. In applications of neutral-atom interferometry not requiring the interferometer to have an open (multiply connected) topology, the use of this imaging has significant advantages, notably ease of alignment, significantly increased through-put flux, ability to work with very short wavelength (and/or high velocity atoms). The results are primarily interesting in that they span the boundary between trapezoidal moire fringes and sinusoidal wave-interference fringes. Their limited applicability, perhaps accounts for the relative obscurity of many of the results to typical curricula of modern-day optics. The emphasis in this note is thus to put existing results (along with some additions that are needed for clarity) in a form suitable for use by techniques available for neutral-atom interferometry.


Introduction At the time of the founding of Fort Victoria in 1843 there was an established and widespread network of Hudson's Bay Company forts and posts in the Pacific Northwest. From Fort Vancouver in the south to Fort Stikine in present day Alaska, this chain of establishments comprised a highly efficient, though interdependent, arrangement of mutually beneficial commerce. Although the Hudson's Bay Company had a much broader presence throughout what is today known as western Canada and the northwestern United States, the purpose of this essay is to give a brief description of only those forts which were built after the founding of Fort Vancouver in 1824. The focus will also be limited to those forts that traded directly with Fort Victoria, as can be seen in many entries throughout the journals, effectively reducing the scope to coastal establishments and those with access to the coast by boat. As will be noted, however, even within this relatively small selection there existed a great variety of geographies, both cultural and physical, which lent themselves to different functions and areas of specialization for each fort.


SUMMARY In the present work are studied osseous recovered remains in the archaeological interventions made in the credited remains to Recent Upper Paleolithic (Mediterranean Magdalenian), from the El Pirulejo, located in the south of Cordoba province. The collection recovered fauna is made up by a reduced number of the species but these species are habitual in deposits which belong to High Mediterranean Paleolithic, we can detail the presence of the Oryctolagus cuniculus that takes up a dominant position in relation to the other determined species. The ungulate form the second association more numerous represented: Cervus elaphus, Capra pyrenaica, Rupicapra rupricapra and Sus scrofa. The carnivorous have a low presence and are represented by Lynx pardina, Felis silvestris, Vulpes vulpes and Mustela nivalis.


Since the discovery of the unconventional copper-oxide high-transition-temperature superconductors (HTS), researchers have explored many methods to fabricate superconducting tunnel junctions from these materials for both superconducting electronics operating at the practical temperature of liquid nitrogen (77 K) and for fundamental measurements essential for testing and guiding theories of these remarkable superconductors. The difficulty is that the traditional estimate of the superconducting coherence length is very short and anisotropic in these materials, typically ~2 nm in the a-b plane and ~0.2 nm along the c-axis. The coherence volume encloses very few superconducting pairs, so even the presence of small scale inhomogeneities can locally disrupt superconductivity unlike in conventional superconductors. Therefore the electrical properties of Josephson junctions are sensitive to chemical variations and structural defects on atomic length scales, thus to make multiple uniform HTS junctions, control at the atomic level is required. In this letter, we demonstrate very high-quality all-HTS Josephson superconducting tunnel junctions (both Josephson and quasiparticle tunneling) created by using a 500 pm diameter focused beam of helium ions to direct-write tunnel barriers into YBa2Cu3O7(YBCO) thin films. With this method we demonstrate the ability to control the barrier properties continuously from conducting to insulating by varying the irradiation dose. This technique provides a reliable and reproducible pathway for the scaling up of quantum mechanical circuits operating at practical temperatures (~77 K) as well as an avenue to conduct superconducting tunneling studies in HTS for basic science.


The present invention is water sensitive drug, preferably a solid pharmaceutical composition suitable for oral administration comprising indolylmaleimide derivatives, to the use of their production and pharmaceutical compositions.


Treatment of 3-unsubstituted indolizines with a dehydrogenating agent such as palladium on carbon in refluxing xylene gave the corresponding 3,3′-biindolizine derivatives in 19–74% yields.


—This work aims to develop a quantitative model, using eye-gaze information, to evaluate the attention-response of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), during thera- peutic sessions with Social-Assistive Robots (SARs). ASD children show severe attention-deficits that hamper their ability to learn new skills. The automatic assessment of their attention-response would provide the therapists with an important biomarker to bet- ter quantify their behavior and monitor their progress/evolution. Previous attempts to quantify the attention-response of autistic subjects have focused on human-computer interactions tasks, with screen-based devices, that would distract the subject in therapeutical protocols with SARs. The work approach combines gaze extraction with the definition of context-dependent Areas- of-Interest (AOIs), to characterize periods of attention during the session. The methodology was tested with ASD children. Since extracting eye-gaze from optical-images is quite challenging, different methods were benchmarked. The Gaze360, which relies on image face-datasets and machine-learning, proved to be the most robust. For each target (therapist, subject, robot), the AOI (angular) horizontal/azimuth size was defined with two alterna-tives: a geometrical-approach combining the target's dimensions and the estimated Gaze360 noise, and a learning-approach . Once each target is associated to a range of fixation-angles, the eye- gaze estimates are used to classify the subject's focus-of-attention. Our experiments show that the learning-approach outperforms the geometrical-approach , achieving an accuracy above 82.0%. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the therapists understood the proposed attention-indices and found them aligned with their own evaluation of those subjects, an encouragement towards the future clinical use of the proposed system.


In their presentation of my theory of addiction, McAuliffe and Gordon (AJS 79 [January 1974]: 795-840) deal with it as if it were a theory of conscious motivation. They assert that I "rely heavily, if not exclusively, upon the avoidance of withdrawal symptoms as the motivation for continued addiction" (p. 797). What I did argue was that the addict's craving for drugs is produced or caused by the repetition of a particular type of experience, not by a motive. The addict's verbalizations of motive, from this viewpoint, are among the subsequent variable manifestations or effects of this prior conditioning or learning process. At various points in my writing on drugs as well as in the text on social psychology that I wrote with Strauss (to which McAuliffe and Gordon refer), I have explicitly rejected the idea that problematic human behavior can be explained satisfactorily in terms of motives. The authors of this article have thus devoted themselves to an elaborate attack on a theory which I do not hold and which, as far as I know, is not held by anyone. The authors criticize but do not wholly reject the theory which they erroneously attribute to me: they merely amend it by adding another motive, the desire for pleasure. Addicts, they say, use drugs by reason of a mixture of two motives, the desire to avoid withdrawal and the desire for pleasure. I agree with their negative criticism of the desire to avoid withdrawal as an explanatory concept and would go much further than they do by rejecting it out of hand as patently false. It does not make sense, for example, to say that an addict relapses after months or years of abstinence to avoid withdrawal sickness. Perhaps one should postulate an unconscious masochistic drive to account for such relapses. The pleasure motive which McAuliffe and Gordon add to the explanatory scheme they attribute to me must also be rejected because, among other things, it involves a confusion of effects with causes. The characteristic motivation of an addict is radically different, both qualitatively and in terms of intensity, from the motivation of nonaddicts who experience pleasant effects from opiates-a point to which I shall return later. The difference might be compared to that between a man's reaction to an attractive woman with whom he is unacquainted and the same man's reactions to the same woman after he has fallen in love with her. The characteristic craving and its motivational manifestations make their appearance during and after the process of getting hooked and are symptoms or aspects of addiction, not causes. To attribute causal efficacy to the


Existing methods based on statistical models ignore the detail effect of the real environment on path loss, leading to some discrepancies with the actual results in real urban environments. In order to reduce the discrepancies and improve the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) coverage effect, a multi-UAV coverage method based on deterministic radio wave propagation is proposed. First, the ray-tracing method, as one of the deterministic models, is used to simulate the path loss. Next, the cooperative search and coverage problem of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles is modeled as a potential game model, and the utility function is designed by path loss. After that action set is designed to constrain the motion of unmanned aerial vehicles. Then, the coverage problem is solved using a binary log-linear learning algorithm, which combines ray-tracing method and deterministic model. Finally, experiments are conducted in local areas of two cities, Haikou and Guangzhou by proposed method and statistic models. The experimental results show that the proposed method is capable of multi-UAV cooperative search and coverage tasks in urban areas and can achieve better performance than the statistical model-based methods.


Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is an electrochemical-based surface modification technique that produces oxide layers on valve metals. The PEO process is performed in an electrolyte solution, which offers the possibility of particles' incorporation into the growing oxide layer. In this study, we employed a PEO technique on a commercial Al alloy in an aqueous suspension of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to fabricate CNT-incorporated oxide layer. The voltage–time response was recorded during the process. The surface of the resulting oxide layer was characterized by means of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found from the SEM observation that the CNTs were successfully incorporated into the oxide layer. The PEO with the addition of CNTs led to a delay in time to breakdown (50s→91s) and a decrease in breakdown voltage (442V→413V) in the voltage–time curve. The microstructural feature was clearly distinguishable between the oxide layers produced with and without CNTs: a pancake-like structure for PEO without CNTs, and a doughnut-like structure for PEO with CNTs. However, neither the results of the structure analysis nor the elemental analysis provides a clear indication of carbon, even though the presence of CNTs in the oxide layer is evident, suggesting that further optimization of CNT concentration is required.


1. A compound which is: tert-butyl-N- [2- {4- [6-amino-5- (2,4-difluorobenzoyl) -2-oksopiridin-1 (2H) -yl] -3,5- difluorophenyl} ethyl] -L-alaninate or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate or solvatom.2. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound according to Claim. 1 in conjunction with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and / or napolnitelyami.3. A compound according to Claim. 1 or a composition according to claim. 2, characterized in that they are intended for use in the method of influence on the human or animal body by lecheniya.4. A compound according to Claim. 1 or a composition according to claim. 2, characterized in that they are intended for use in the inhibition of the enzyme p38 MAP kinase in vitro or in vivo.5. Compound or composition for use according to claim. 4, wherein the compound or composition is intended for use in the prevention or treatment of autoimmune or inflammatory zabolevaniya.6. Compound or composition for use according to claim. 4 or 5, characterized in that the compound or composition is intended for use in the prevention or treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, type 1 diabetes, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammation accompanying infectious state, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, multiple sclerosis, atopic dermatitis, or disease "graft versus host" 7. Compound or composition for use according to claim. 4, wherein the compound or composition is intended for use in the treatment of cell proliferative zabolevaniya.8. Compound or composition for use according to claim. 4 or 7, characterized in that the compound


In this study, the aim was to assess the prosthetic status and prosthetic needs of the institutionalized elderly people in Jodhpur city. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey study of 66 inmates living in an old age home was included. A modified WHO proforma was administered to obtain information. One-way ANOVA was used to identify the association of prosthetic status and needs with sex, chronic diseases, oral hygiene practices, adverse habits, dental visit, duration of stay, education, and source of financial assistance. Results: Among institutionalized elderly people, 11 were wearing partial denture and 9 were having full removable denture. 54 people had edentulous space and were having healthy denture bearing tissues. Upper full prosthesis was required in 19 elderly people while 16 people required lower full prosthesis. Age, chronic diseases, oral hygiene practices, adverse habit, dental visit, duration of living, education status, source of financial assistance were found to be significantly associated with prosthetic status and needs. Conclusion: The oral health of institutionalized elderly people in Jodhpur is poor. Study findings contribute to the need for continued dental care.


ICT Security is one of the most challenging areas regarding education and training, both in academic and professional level. The requirement for hands-on practice with realistic attacks in real systems makes the training of ICT Security a complex task, demanding in time, resources, expertise, with constant demands for renewal of educational material and upgrading of systems so that the training can cope with the real, constantly changing world.


It is shown that in impredicative extensions of intuitionistic arithmetic, "intuitionistic" analysis, and "intuitionistic" Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory with the help of suitable "bar" axioms it is possible to show the consistency of classical arithmetic, classical analysis, and classical set theory. It is argued that the proofs given enable one to verify the true consistency of the classical systems.


MORE than two years have passed since the original installation of a residual chlorine recorder at the Wyandotte filter plant. One year of operation sufficed to convince the plant operators that, at last, an instrument was available for adequate and accurate control of the chlorination process for water purification. The installation was the first in the state of Michigan and the first to be used with raw water


Gene mutation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of familial dilated cardiomyopathy (FDCM). The development of next generation sequencing technology (NGS) increases the clinical application of gene detection and gene diagnosis, and promotes the development of precision medicine. The continuously discovered pathogenic genes are helpful to reveal the pathogenesis of FDCM, promote the early diagnosis and treatment of FDCM, and improve the prognosis of patients. At present, about 60 gene mutations have been found to be associated with the pathogenesis of FDCM. Therefore, this paper introduces the main pathogenic genes related to FDCM, including Titin (TTN), Lamin A (LMNA), sarcomere contractile protein, BAG3, TAZ, SCN5A, RNA binding motif protein 20 (RBM20), phospholammban (PLN) and cytoskeletal protein gene.

Key words:
Cardiomyopathy, dilated, familial; Genetic mutation; Genetic testing; Next generation sequencing technology; Precision medicine


Probably a more appropriate title for this discussion would be "Bridges for Low Traffic Roads." The reason for this observation is that when low cost bridges are considered, the question immediately arises what is meant by low cost bridges, low initial cost or low ultimate cost? There can be little doubt in anyone's mind that the lowest initial cost bridge is the timber structure supported on timber piles. However, when maintenance costs are considered ovE!r a period of years and taking into consideration the load capacity, the more permanent sh·ucture of reinforced concrete and structural steel will , in our opinion, ultin1ately prove more economical. Although it is recognized that even on secondary ro8;ds, larger streams and special conditions may require long spans of a special nature, this discussion will be limited to spans up to about 60 feet. It is felt that even on the larger bridges approach structures constitute a considerable part of the cost and that savings made on the shorter span portion of larger bridges as well as on bridges over smaller streams where only short spans are required is very important. This discussion will also in general refer to bridges having a roadway width of 22 feet from curb to curb and having an H-15 design capacity. Various studies for low cost bridges have made it apparent that there is littl e common basis for the comparison of substructure costs. Substructure conditions vary widely in a relatively small area, and there is not much opportunity to effect economies by standardization or new labor saving methods. The bridge superstructure therefore is the portion of lhe bridge where, in our opinion, costs may be reduced by the methods which will be discussed in detail later. In approaching the problem we believe that it will be recognized that one of the greatest contributing factors to the relatively high cost of the bridges on secondary roads is that often the location is in a remote section and the available labor even if sufficient, is not skilled in the type of work required. It is necessary to either use the available men at relatively low productivity on a strange job, or to bring in some or all of the skilled workers required , often at a premium as to expenses or hours of work. Under either of these alternates the amount of work for any one trade is usually small and intermittent and the result is


Tendon fibroblasts, or tenocytes, are the main cell type in tendon and serve to synthesize and maintain collagen fibrils and other extracellular matrix proteins within the tissue. Despite the high prevalence of tendon injury, the underlying biological mechanisms of postnatal tendon growth and repair are not well understood. Insulin‐like growth factor (IGF‐1) signaling is stimulated by growth hormone (GH) and promotes the growth and development of many different tissue types. While IGF‐1 is a potent hypertrophic signaling molecule in skeletal muscle, less is known about the role of IGF‐1 in tendon biology. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the importance of IGF‐1 signaling in postnatal tendon growth. Our hypothesis was that IGF‐1 signaling is required for the response of tendon to a mechanical load stimulus. To test this hypothesis, we used both in vitro studies of cultured tenocytes, and in vivo studies using genetically modified mice that allowed us to delete the IGF‐1 receptor (IGF1R) specifically in tenocytes. Treatment of tenocytes in vitro with IGF‐1 increased the expression of Mki67 transcript levels after 24 hours, and resulted in activation of the Akt and ERK1/2 pathways. When tenocyte proliferative activity was measured, cells treated with IGF‐1 displayed increased proliferation compared to controls, but inhibition of ERK prevented the IGF‐1‐mediated increase in cell proliferation and Mki67 (Ki67) expression. Inhibition of Akt signaling did not impact tenocyte proliferation or Mki67 expression. In addition, treatment of tenocytes with IGF1 increased the rate of protein synthesis and ribosomal RNA expression. Analysis of mechanically overloaded plantaris tendons in vivo revealed significantly reduced size of the neotendon matrix which forms around the original tendon in response to mechanical loads, and total tendon cross‐sectional area (CSA) at 14 days in the IGF‐1 knockdown mice compared to the controls. This was accompanied by decreased number of proliferating cells and proteins involved in cell proliferation and initiation of translation, as measured by proteomic analysis. The results of this work support IGF‐1 signaling as a fundamental component of postnatal tendon growth in response to mechanical loading, specifically through the regulation of ERK1/2‐dependent tenocyte proliferation and initiation of protein synthesis. Further studies of the growth factors and proteins involved, and the potential to evaluate IGF‐1 to promote tendon regeneration, are warranted.


The unconscionability of clauses of tolerance contained in contracts of promise of purchase and sale of properties is a recurring theme in the judged in various courts of Brazil. This clause of tolerance enables that the builders stipulate a period of 90-180 days to deliver the property after the deadline agreed with the consumer. The major problem faced in this article concerns the possibility of the judge to declare the nullity of the aforesaid clause, by expressing the violation of the principles of proportionality, the objective good faith and contractual balance. In this perspective will be analyzed, beside to the annulment of the clause, the possibility of the company being objectively responsible for the breach of the term signed in the contract. In order to clarify this issue, the doctrinal and jurisprudential positions on the subject were observed. At the end, it is presented conclusive lines in the sense that ,the light of our legal system, part of jurisprudence understand that such clauses are null of law, therefore, shall the building company being civilly liable for delay in delivery of the property beyond the time 10.12818/P.0304-2340.2014v65p243


Sulfuric acid was used to add 1.60 eq∙m−2 of hydrogen ion ([H+]) to Lake 223 over a 3-yr period from 1976 to 1978, to simulate the effects of acid precipitation on chemical and biological characteristics of the lake. The pH of epilimnion water was lowered from 6.7 to 7.0 in 1976, to 6.0–6.2 in 1977, and to 5.7–5.9 in 1978. The effectiveness of acid addition at depleting alkalinity from the water column in the first 2 yr was 31–38%. As a result, the pH of the lake did not decrease as much as predicted from theoretical calculations. The low efficiency of acidification appeared to be due to generation of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) by sulfate reduction in anoxic regions of the hypolimnion. Sulfate reduction increased as addition of sulfuric acid caused the concentration of sulfate in the lake to increase. Mobilization of iron from hypolimnion sediments during anoxic periods caused DIC respired by decomposers to be accumulated as HCO3− to balance the Fe+2 charge, buffering against acidification of the la...


In this work, we demonstrate fusion of GaAs-based laser structures to GaN-based light-emitting diode (LED) heterostructures. Successful operation of red and infrared lasers fused to functioning GaN LEDs is achieved. A single heterostructure consisting of AlGaInAs/AlGaAs quantum well (QW) and GaInP/AlGaInP QW laser diode structures was grown by low-pressure organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE) on GaAs substrates. The GaN LED structure was grown by OMVPE on an A-face sapphire substrate. The heterostructures were fused at 650 degrees Celsius in an H2 ambient, while under uniaxial pressure. To fabricate the lasers, the GaAs substrate was selectively etched, leaving the red and infrared QW laser stack structure on GaN. Ridge waveguide QW lasers and GaN LEDs were fabricated with the fused epilayers. Infrared, AlGaInAs QW lasers (4 X 500 micrometer), operated with a threshold current (Ith) of 40 mA and external differential quantum efficiency ((eta) d) of 11.5%/facet at about 821 nm. Red, GaInP QW lasers (4 X 500 micrometer), operated with a Ith of 118 mA and (eta) d of 18.7%/facet at about 660 nm. The adjacent InGaN/GaN LED emitted at 446 nm.


The given article is the review devoted to the analysis of polymeric materials osteointegrative characteristics. The article highlights the problem of choice of the effective osteoplastic materials for augmentation.


Background The rhizome extract of Gloriosa superba Linn family Liliaceae is known to induce labor and facilitate normal delivery.Objective The present study was undertaken to assess the effect of ethanolic extract of Gloriosa superba Linn EyGS roots on the reproductive system of female Wistar rats.Material and Methods Immature ovariectomized OVX Wistar rats were administered EyGS orally at 20 and 40 mgkg body weight. Uterotrophic assay was performed to evaluate the effect of EyGS on estrogenic and progestogenic activity. The parameters evaluated were number of cornified cells in the vagina uterine weight and decidual weight. Biochemical parameters histopathology of the uterus and in vitro uterotonic activity were also assessed.Results Analysis of the effect of EyGS on vaginal cornification and deciduoma formation demonstrated vaginal opening without cornified cells decrease in uterine weight proliferation of uterus and reduction in deciduoma formation. EyGS produced decrease in the estrogen and progesterone levels and 80 contractions of the uterus compared to oxytocin.Conclusion The results indicate that the ethanolic extract of Gloriosa superba Linn had antiestrogenic and antiprogestogenic potential in OVX rats based on the physical histological and biochemical analyses. EyGS showed uterotonic activity in vitro and proves the folklore use of Gloriosa superba Linn.Keywords Gloriosa superba uterotrophic assay estrogenic vaginal cornification


The title complex has been synthesized by o-acetamidobenzoic acid and 2,2′-bipyridine(bipy) in the mixture solvent of water and methanol. It crystallizes(C28H26CuN4O7, Mr=594.07) in Triclinic space group P1 with a=0.805 3(4) nm, b=0.845 5(4) nm, c=2.001 8(9) nm; α=100.797(8)°, β=93.054(7)°, γ=97.297(7)°, V=1.323 9(10) nm3, Dc=1.490 g·cm-3, Z=2, F(000)=614. R1=0.035 9, wR2=0.080 5. The crystal structure shows that the copper atom is coordinated with four oxygen atoms from two o-acetamidobenzoic acid and two nitrogen atoms from the 2,2′-bipyridine, forming a distorted octahedral coordination geometry. The cyclic voltametric behavior of the complex is also reported. CCDC: 619084.


This paper explores through a case study on a broader and more specific basis, the historic and more recent development of sustainable management and natural resource practices of a prominent coastal tourism region in Australia, and a representative example of an accredited marine ecotourism operator within that region who has been applying policies and management practices in sustainable marine wildlife tourism. The paper includes the growth and development of marine wildlife tourism with an emphasis on the region as well as further development of marine wildlife-based sustainable management practices. This also involves a detailed discussion of the practices aboard the enterprise Imagine Cruises, and the visitor experience in attempting to provide best environmental practices and in turn offer positive wildlife and environmental management tactics in contributing in the short term to the sustainability of the dolphin and whale watch industry which operates within the bay and the coastal and marine areas of Port Stephens. The historical development of marine-based and land-based sustainable management policies and practices in Port Stephens are examined in the paper, in a region which has rapidly become a major tourism destination based on abundance of cetacean wildlife, natural attributes and proximity to Sydney, Australia. Through the case review of the historical development of the Port Stephens environment, wildlife conservation and the focus on preservation of the rich natural resources of the region coupled with the advancement and implementation of sustainable policies and practices in nature-based wildlife tourism and especially the cetacean tourism industry, these can be conveyed as factors of importance in the further development of sustainable marine wildlife practices regionally, nationally and potentially influencing decision making on an international level.


The IT labor market's increased appetite for IT workers who hold no formal IT education has raised concerns regarding the value of formal IT education. On that account, this study draws on human capital theory and examines whether formal IT education commands a premium over non-IT education in early IT careers. Using data from the U.S. NLSY97 cohort, we examine the wage value of formal IT education by employing a hierarchical linear modeling technique. We find that early career IT professionals (i.e. IT majors) who hold formal IT education receive higher wages than early career IT professionals who hold non-IT education. In addition, we find that IT experience complements formal IT education in determining wages of early career IT professionals. We discuss the implications of our findings for research and practice.


Nitrogen released into the soil from thawing permafrost in the Arctic could accelerate soil carbon decomposition and alter carbon dynamics, with global implications.


Purpose: The repair of complex chest wall defects presents a challenging problem for the reconstructive surgeon. In particular, a free flap is often required when the defect is large, in which case suitable recipient vessels must be found to insure revascularization. The authors report a case of persistent bronchopleural-cutaneous fistula developed after undergoing lobectomy for lung cancer. Methods: The defect area was repaired using a free vertical rectus abdominis muscle flap revascularized by microvascular anastomosis to the 6th intercostal pedicle. The flap obliterated the right chest cavity, closed the site of empyema drainage, and aided healing of a bronchopleural- cutaneous fistula. Results: The patient has remained healed for 14 months without any postoperative complications or recurrent infection or fistula. Conclusion: We suggest that a rectus abdominis musculocutaneus free flap and intercostal pedicle as a recipient could be a useful method for repair of chest defects.


Nitric oxide (NO), which is synthesized by the enzyme NO synthase (NOS), is a versatile endogenous molecule with multiple biological effects on many tissues and organs. In dental pulp tissue, NO has been found to play multifaceted roles in regulating physiological activities, inflammation processes and tissue repair events, such as cell proliferation, neuronal degeneration, angiogenesis, and odontoblastic differentiation. However, there is a deficiency of detailed discussion on the NO-mediated interactions between inflammation and reparative/regenerative responses in wounded dental pulp tissue, which is a central determinant of ultimate clinical outcomes. Thus, the purpose of this review is to outline the current molecular understanding on the roles of Janus-faced molecule NO in dental pulp physiology, inflammation, and reparative activities. Based on this knowledge, advanced physicochemical techniques designed to manipulate the therapeutic potential of NOS and NO production in endodontic regeneration procedures are further discussed.


The noise transfer properties of the water/bone base-material decomposition method has been analyzed. For typical CT projections of bone attenuators with lengths l1 = 0 ... 4.5 cm embedded into 30 cm of attenuating water length, the SNR loss compared to the native CT data is in the range of a factor 3 to 10. Especially the bone coefficient suffers from inferior SNR performance. This is due to the numerical structure of the inversion of the projection formula to integrated water and bone coefficients.


Quantum annealing machines based on superconducting qubits, which have the potential to solve optimization problems faster than digital computers, are of great interest not only to researchers but also to the general public. Here, we propose a quantum annealing machine based on a semiconductor floating gate (FG) array. We use the same device structure as that of the commercial FG NAND flash memory except for small differences such as thinner tunneling barrier. We theoretically derive an Ising Hamiltonian from the FG system in its single-electron region. Recent high-density NAND flash memories are subject to several problems that originate from their small FG cells. In order to store information reliably, the number of electrons in each FG cell should be sufficiently large. However, the number of electrons stored in each FG cell becomes smaller and can be countable. So we utilize the countable electron region to operate single-electron effects of FG cells. Second, in the conventional NAND flash memory, the high density of FG cells induces the problem of cell-to-cell interference through their mutual capacitive couplings. This interference problem is usually solved by various methods using a software of error-correcting codes. We derive the Ising interaction from this natural capacitive coupling. Considering the size of the cell, 10 nm, the operation temperature is expected to be approximately that of a liquid nitrogen. If a commercial 64 Gbit NAND flash memory is used, ideally we expect it to be possible to construct 2 megabytes (MB) entangled qubits by using the conventional fabrication processes in the same factory as is used for manufacture of NAND flash memory. A qubit system of highest density will be obtained as a natural extension of the miniaturization of commonly used memories in this society.


An on-line monitoring sensing device for a transformer-core earth current relates to the electrical engineering technology and comprises an upper protection housing body, a lower protection housing body, a wide-range current sensor, a small-measuring-range current sensor and a grounding flat iron. The upper protection housing body is fixedly arranged on the lower protection housing body. The wide-range current sensor and the small-measuring-range current sensor are respectively fixedly arranged in the upper protection housing body and the lower protection housing body and two current sensors are penetrating core hall current sensors. The specification of the grounding flat iron and a grounding flat iron the transformer uses factually is the same. Connection holes connected with the grounding flat iron of the transformer are opened in the end of the grounding flat iron. The top of the grounding flat iron is penetrated in center holes of the small-measuring-range current sensor and the wide-range current sensor. The on-line monitoring sensing device for the transformer-core earth current solves problems survived in conventional on-line monitoring sensing devices for the transformer-core earth current and the problems include magnetic field interference, relatively large error in measuring results and discommodious measurement.


Abstract This study investigates the association between serum cystatin C, serum creatinine concentrations, N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG enzymuria), urine α1-microglobulin (α1-MG) and β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) levels in subjects with type 2 diabetes (n=40, 20M/20F, age range 25–65 years; duration of diabetes 8–10 years) and age- and gender-matched healthy controls (n=20). Exclusion criteria were absence of gross proteinuria, hypertension, dyslipidaemia or cardiovascular disease. Fasting blood samples and mid-stream specimen of urine (MSSU) were collected and serum creatinine, cystatin C, urine creatinine, NAG enzymuria, α1-MG and β2-MG were measured. Diabetic subjects were separated into two groups based on albumin:creatinine concentration ratio. Group A: <3.5 (mg/mmol creatinine), group B: 3.5–35 (mg/mmol creatinine). While serum creatinine concentrations remained within the laboratory reference range for all groups, serum cystatin C concentration (mg/L) was significantly increased in group B (1.79 ± 0.42 [mean ± SD] compared to both control [0.81±0.10] and group A values [0.95 ± 0.10]; both P<0.001). NAG enzymuria (units/mmol creatinine) was increased in both diabetic groups compared to control values (group B: 122±7, group A: 70±5, controls 27±2, all P<0.001). α1-microglobulin (µg/mmol creatinine) concentrations, similar in both the control group and group A diabetics at 1.10±0.10 and 1.11±0.21, respectively, were significantly elevated in group B at 2.10±0.41 (both P<0.01). Similarly, elevated β2-MG (µg/mmol creatinine) levels were also observed in group B compared to both group A and control values (3.20±0.21 vs. 1.80±0.51 and 0.91±0.11, respectively; both P<0.001). In addition, group B levels were significantly higher than group A (P<0.001). These observations suggest that serum cystatin C is a more appropriate and effective biomarker for the overall estimation of GFR than serum creatinine values. In addition, increased serum cystatin C values were also associated with early renal tubular insult in subjects with type 2 diabetes, as characterised by increased NAG enzymuria, α1- and β2-microglobulin excretion.


With the rapid development of network technology,more computer networks professional have been in great demand.How to make proper goals of network engineering courses and the contents for teaching scientifically seems to be more significant.This paper is aimed at training and improving network practice ability of students.The practice teaching for network engineering major and the experience of the laboratory construction were discussed.


We use major toxic chemical spills as shocks to the pollution risk of their local neighborhoods and examine the consequent effects on local small businesses. A key finding is that pollution shocks contribute to increases in business concentration in their local economy because of their disproportionate adverse effects on smaller establishments compared to larger establishments. Specifically, in every sector, establishments in the smallest size quartile experience large reduction in sales, modest reduction in employment, and significant increase in likelihood of exit following exposure to major spills, whereas those in the largest size quartile experience increase in sales and employment. Business exposed to major spills obtain lower amounts through Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, and consistent with tightening of supply of credit, these loans have lower SBA guarantees and feature higher interest rates. Counties exposed to major spills experience decline in aggregate sales, increase in establishment exits, and increase in the number of bankruptcies among small businesses. There is a significant and persistent migration of population and income away from counties that experience major toxic spills, which may explain the persistent adverse effects on local small businesses.


A fibre composite consists of two materials bonded at an interface. There are fractures on the interfaces along which the phases are isolated. Maxwell's approach is applied to deduce a new analytical formula for the effective conductivity for such dilute composites with perfectly conducting inclusions. Following this approach we solve the single inclusion problem with a crack along the interface by the method of complex potentials and conformal mappings.


The article presents a thematic structure of the modules of computer practice on the discipline «Computer science», which provides development of competences necessary for studying activity and future career of students. Monitoring of the practical work of students is developed in the system of management of training «MOODLE».


Similarity query is a frequent subroutine in time series database to find the similar time series of the given one. In this process, similarity measure plays a very important part. The previous methods do not consider the relation between point correspondences and the importance (role) of the points on the content of time series during measuring similarity, resulting in their low accuracies in many real applications. In the paper, we propose a General Hierarchical Model (GHM), which determines the point correspondences by the hierarchies of points. It partitions the points of time series into different hierarchies, and then the points are restricted to be compared with the ones in the same hierarchy. The practical methods can be implemented based on the model with any real requirements, e.g. FFT Hierarchical Measures (FHM) given in this paper. And the hierarchical filtering methods of GHM are provided for range and k-NN queries respectively. Finally, two common data sets were used in k-NN query and clustering experiments to test the effectiveness of our approach and others. The time performance comparisons of all the tested methods were performed using the synthetic data set with various sizes. The experimental results show the superiority of our approach over the competitors. And we also give the experimental powers of the filtering methods proposed in the queries.


The objective of this paper is to analyze the determinants of dividend policy (DP)of IT sector in India. Out of 84 firms listed in National stock exchange (NSE) 20 firms were considered for analysis. DP of corporate sector is widely researched topic in finance however it remains a debatable issue to decide what factors determine the DP. The present paper is an attempt to empirically analyze the determinants of DP of Information Technology (IT) Sector in India. For this purpose, various factors affecting DP such as price earnings ratio (PER), dividend payout ratio (DPR), debt equity ratio (DER), cash from operation (CFO), earnings (ERN), corporate tax(CT),earnings per share(EPS) and Beta (SYSETAMATICRISK) are considered for analysis. The empirical evidence from the study reveals that PER, DER has significant impact on EPS and also good predictors of dividend payout in IT sector. Ordinary least square models are used to estimate the impact of PER, DPR, DER, CFO, ERN, CT, EPS and β (SR) on the DP. The DP of overall IT sector is strongly influenced by DPR, DER, EPS, CFO, β (SR) and CT, which reveals that the DP of IT sector is significantly influenced by the selected financial variables during the period of the study. The overall regression analysis shows that the determinants of DP is significantly and positively influenced by the PER, DER and EPS.


Abstract:Many of the most eminent judges of Brehon Law in late medieval and early modern Ireland were proficient poets also, and the poetic art was studied in their law schools. It is argued here that this practice arose on a number of grounds. The poets taught the correct grammar and spelling of classical Irish, used by the lawyers in their pleadings. Irish literature supplied a fund of past mythical judgements customarily cited in the Old Irish law tracts as precedents. Poetic utterance was seen as an invocation of divine judgement, and traditionally the early poets were said to have functioned as judges. The law tracts also refer to a 'judge of poetic speech' (brithem bélrai filedachtae), though the precise meaning of the phrase is open to discussion.


Self-concept is typically seen as individualistic or social<relational; sometimes it is viewed as biological, ecological, or temporal. These constitute differing vantages that lack conceptual integration. The construct of self-expansiveness provides a way for self-concept to be seen as expanding from a narrow individualistic identification to larger biological, ecological, social, and temporal identifications-and even to very expansive transpersonal identifications. It is presented as an integrating framework useful for holistically understanding the self-concept in a way devoid of reliance on religious concepts, yet capable of addressing many religious concerns. In addition, empirical research on this construct is reviewed.


F004 SEISMIC MULTI-ATTRIBUTE ANALYSIS FOR LITHOLOGY DISCRIMINATION IN THE GANSO FIELD OFICINA FORMATION EASTERN VENEZUELA Abstract 1 Even extensively drilled and supposedly well-understood fields have the capacity to surprise. Whilst drilling a fairly routine development well in the Ganso field Oficina Basin Eastern Venezuela ENI Dacion discovered a new accumulation reservoired in a high quality channel facies sandstone 30ft thick and full of relatively light oil. The reservoir flowed at the excellent rate of 950 bopd with 0% watercut on testing. The unexpected element of this discovery was that the accumulation was found with the landing section of a horizontal


By estimating discrete choice multinomial logit demand models, we unveil consumer preferences in the Turkish deposit and credit markets in the 2002-9 period. We find that consumers prefer banks with larger networks and more efficient technologies in both markets. Borrowers are very responsive to interest rates, but depositors are not. We conclude that monopolistic competition prevails in both markets. However, banks' market power in the credit market is much lower than in the deposit market. Moreover, the comparison of demand elasticities in these two markets shows that credits will respond more than deposits to the taxes imposed on them, suggesting that loan provisions can be more effective than reserve requirements as a macroprudential policy tool to restrict credit growth.


With the method of group test, fourty pairs of carburization-quenching gears made from 16NCD13 steel for aerocraft were tested to research the contacting fatigue strength on tooth flank. As a result, the samples of fatigue life at the moments when the pitting appears and reaches failure criterion were obtained at four stressing levels respectively. The distribution rule of fatigue life were distinguished, and the distribution parameters were estimated by statistical analysis. Based on that, the R-S-N curves with confidence 95% of contacting fatigue on gear tooth flank were evaluated. Therefore, the basic data were provided for the reliability design of the gears and prediction of their life.


Being the indispensable part of higher education,practice teaching is an important link in developing teaching talents with innovative and practical ability.The issue that how to improve practice teaching and foster innovative talents is still significant.The paper conducts exploration on the reform and construction of practice teaching system of practice teaching and the activities that help improve practice teaching,and finally makes some achievements.


In the films of Max Ophuls there are endless staircases which organize both the lives of householders and the movements of worldly soirées; there are women who fall from on high, through windows, into the void . . . and there are carriages that glide along in the countryside, cartloads of flowers, sleds in the snow. . . . If staircases come from the theater, more precisely from the recommendations of Alexandre Tairov regarding the necessary elements of staging—recommendations that Ophuls saw fit to follow in his spectacles beginning in the 1920s—sleds and carriages represent a new encounter, specific to the cinematic medium. This is an encounter between an ancient dramatic apparatus, which the director knows and masters, which organizes his writing—that of movement as a trope for life—and a much more ambiguous device, in which the camera takes living nature itself into account. The snow of Austrian countrysides (Liebelei), the beaches of the Adriatic, of the English Channel, or the Pacific (in Madame de . . ., Le Pfoisir, The Reckless Moment), German wheatfields or the rapeseed of Normandy are just such natural realities taken into account—one may well ask how and at what point—by Ophuls' cinema, by his taste for artifice and by his will to compose. What role are they playing, these "already-present" forms, these realities seized before becoming tropes? How do they impose themselves as an autonomous pattern in the tight weave of Ophuls' compositions? Briefly, what is nature doing in Ophuls' world? What is it doing in the world of a man whose formative medium is theatrical artifice (in which "the truth of life becomes the lie of art," to cite an expression


As an indispensable part of the electric bicycle, lithium battery protector has received extensive attention and research. To solve the disparity problem of the battery's SOC between each monomer, this paper proposed a positive equalization algorithm based on outliers. Through the establishment of voltage outlier model of battery monomer, this method can eliminate the instantaneous error generated from the basic voltage instability, and then improve the accuracy of voltage acquisition, and reduce the risks of equalization. At the same time, a lithium battery intelligent protector of electric bicycle based on active equalization is designed in this paper. This protector has the function of over-charge and over-discharge, over-current, short-circuit and equalization protection as well as the function of programmable control and CAN communication transceiver. It's convenient for the user to monitor the battery state timely so as to realize the intelligentization of protector. The experiment results show that the protection system designed make high precision and low power consumption, and the equalization error is less than 50mV, which can improve the conversion efficiency and prolong the life span of the battery.


Incretins such as glucagon-like peptide-1 and gastric inhibitory polypeptide/glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide are known to potentiate insulin secretion mainly through a cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway in pancreatic β-cells, but the mechanism is not clear. We recently found that the cAMP-binding protein cAMP-GEFII (or Epac 2), interacting with Rim2, a target of the small G protein Rab3, mediates cAMP-dependent, PKA-independent exocytosis in a reconstituted system. In the present study, we investigated the role of the cAMP-GEFII·Rim2 pathway in incretin-potentiated insulin secretion in native pancreatic β-cells. Treatment of pancreatic islets with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) against cAMP-GEFII alone or with the PKA inhibitor H-89 alone inhibited incretin-potentiated insulin secretion ∼50%, while a combination of antisense ODNs and H-89 inhibited the secretion ∼80–90%. The effect of cAMP-GEFII on insulin secretion is mediated by Rim2 and depends on intracellular calcium as well as on cAMP. Treatment of the islets with antisense ODNs attenuated both the first and second phases of insulin secretion potentiated by the cAMP analog 8-bromo-cAMP. These results indicate that the PKA-independent mechanism involving the cAMP-GEFII·Rim2 pathway is critical in the potentiation of insulin secretion by incretins.


Recent studies hypothesize a relation between firm value and risk management. Empirical tests of this relation have only focused on large listed firms and relation between firm market value and the use of financial derivatives. In this article, we explore empirically the cross-sectional relation between firm value and the use of property insurance in a sample of 663 unlisted firms in Norway. Using industry adjusted return on assets as a proxy for firm value, this paper documents that the positive relation between firm value and property insurance holds for firms with above average financial performance and relatively high leverage( measured as long term debt scaled by total assets) in our sample. Introduction Risk management plays an increasingly important role in corporate strategy and business management. Firms create value by investments, but this value could be easily jeopardized by different risk factors without a good and integrated risk management. Even worse, some risks could lead the firms go bankruptcy. The recently happened hurricane Katrina (summer 2005 in USA) has already taught a lesson to the firms without an active risk management program in place, thus, raised the importance of risk management for all the firms. Special thanks are due to CCGR and AON Grieg for their supply of financial data and insurance data of our sample firms. I wound particular like to thank Paul Ehling, my thesis supervisor, for his enthusiasm, advice, and encouragement during the whole thesis process.


Parenting patterns to develop children's character education require extra coaching and supervision efforts by parents. So it is necessary from the character education needed by children. In this study using descriptive research with qualitative methods. In the research conducted in Ubung Kaja Village, it was found that parents instill the character of tolerance from children from an early age, parents also instill a communicative character in socializing with others and instill the value of religious teachings, namely Tri hita Karana by increasing the character of caring for the environment by watering plant.


This study understands the actual conditions and problems for making traditional Korean food into the fast food. 1. Convenience to eat and nice atmosphere with friends (25%) are the best motive of visiting fast food restaurant. 2. The frequency of eating fast food is one to three times a month and the result of analysis on interrelation of human being in social anthropology represents that the fast food represents negative (-) interrelation by increasing of the age. The opinion about the fast food's nutrition is that the fast food lacks the nutrition (23.3%) and has excessive fat (40%). 3. The consumers were satisfied with the atmosphere of the fast food restaurant and unsatisfied with it's high prices. 4. The consumers' opinion on making the traditional food into a fast food was 66.4%. The consumers' opinions on traditional food to be improved are the sanitation (37.9%), the cookery (25%), the taste (11.7%), the nutrition (10.7%) and the opinions about inheritance of the traditional food is that 87.5% of people gave positive responses.


The latest report from the National Bureau of Statistics, "China's economic and social development in 2016", shows that the number of people aged 60 and above is approximately 230 million (i.e., 16.7% of the population). By 2050, this age-group will increase to 400 million, accounting for more than 30% of the population. In China, this dramatic aging trend has endangered people's health. Major disorders such as tissue and organ damage, cardiovascular and other functional organ failures, degenerative diseases, and cancer are closely related to aging. Traditional treatments such as drug therapy and surgery often have little effect on such diseases, and fail to meet the growing medical needs of this age-group. Stem cell-based regenerative medicine is expected to become the third treatment option after drug therapy and surgery. With the increasing financial supports and investments in China recent years, a series of important progress have been made to stem cells and regenerative medicine. In this issue, we investigated the stem cell and regenerative medicine industry in the world and china, such as research literature and research institutions distribution.


These days Shewhart control chart for evaluating stability of the process is widely used in various field. But it must follow strict assumption of distribution. In real-life problems, this assumption is often violated when many quality characteristics follow non-normal distribution. Moreover, it is more serious in multivariate quality characteristics. To overcome this problem, many researchers have studied the non-parametric control charts. Recently, SVDD (Support Vector Data Description) control chart based on RBF (Radial Basis Function) Kernel, which is called K-chart, determines description of data region on in-control process and is used in various field. But it is important to select kernel parameter or etc. in order to apply the K-chart and they must be predetermined. For this, many researchers use grid search for optimizing parameters. But it has some problems such as selecting search range, calculating cost and time, etc. In this paper, we research the efficiency of selecting parameter regions as data structure vary via simulation study and propose a new method for determining parameters so that it can be easily used and discuss a robust choice of parameters for various data structures. In addition, we apply it on the real example and evaluate its performance.


This ambitious book explores the employment effectiveness of minimum income schemes, and provides the first comprehensive examination of its dependency on how the rights and obligations of the recipients are defined.


Some modes and units for operational management of operating irrigation regimes are anylized; modern equipment and watering mode by sprinkling are presented which are recognized as invention proved with copyright.


BGP is the cornerstone of the Internet. However, the implicit trust assumption in BGP's design destines its inherited vulnerability. Prefix hijacking is one of the large-scale BGPspecific routing anomalies that are able to paralyze the Internet. This calls for a hijack-proof security solution. By putting the protection against prefix hijacking the top priority, we design a lightweight hijack-proof BGP system – Hi-BGP. Hi-BGP utilizes the existing BGP system to distribute the relevant route validation information and use the information to prevent various prefix hijacking. In addition, we propose a transition scheme of HiBGP so that it can be incrementally deployed. At the same time, we show that Hi-BGP is lightweight and can be deployed in the Internet.


Background Allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma often coexist and may represent two manifestations of the same disease recently named combined AR and asthma syndrome (CARAS).


We present results from an investigation of the plasma sheet encounter signatures observed in the Jovian magnetosphere by the Energetic Particles Detector (EPD) and Magnetometer (MAG) onboard the Galileo spacecraft. Maxima in ion flux were used to identify over 500 spacecraft encounters with the plasma sheet between radial distances from Jupiter from 20 to 140RJ during the first 25 orbits (4 years of data). Typical signatures of plasma sheet encounters show a characteristic periodicity of either 5 or 10 hours that is attributed to an oscillation in the relative distance between the spacecraft and the plasma sheet that arises from the combination of planetary rotation and offset magnetic and rotational axes. However, the energetic particle and field data also display much variability, including instances of intense fluxes having little to no periodicity that persist for several Jovian rotation periods. Abrupt changes in the mean distance between the plasma sheet and the spacecraft are suggested to account for some of the transitions between typical flux periodicities associated with plasma sheet encounters. Additional changes in the plasma sheet thickness and/or amplitude of the plasma sheet displacement from the location of the spacecraft are required to explain the cases where the periodicity breaks down but fluxes remain high. These changes in plasma sheet characteristics do not display an obvious periodicity; however, the observations suggest that dawn/dusk asymmetries in both the structure of the plasma sheet and the frequency of anomalous plasma sheet encounters are present. Evidence of a thin, well-ordered plasma sheet is found out to 110RJ in the dawn and midnight local time sectors, while the dusk magnetosphere is characterized by a thicker, more disordered plasma sheet and has a potentially more pronounced response to an impulsive trigger. Temporal variations associated with changing solar wind conditions are suggested to account for the anomalous plasma sheet encounters there. r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


The Labour Act 2003, Act 651 serves as guide to help foster a harmonious relationship between management and employees. It is paramount to acknowledge the significant role that Union activities have played. Amongst them are; bargaining on behalf of employees, bringing industrial harmony among employees and employers, serving as a guide and direction for employees to direct their grievances and many more. The study was to find out the impact of union activities on the performance of employees. The specific objectives of the study were: To identify the main strategies used by trade unions to protect the interest of members, To find out the benefits associated with joining trade unions and, To find out the effects of trade unions on workers performance. The significance of the study was to find out the socioeconomic good of workers at the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital and help unveil the problems associated with trade unions and its impact on their performance. The researchers through questionnaires used 70 respondents from the Bawku Presbyterian hospital who are members of Health Service Workers Union. Out of the findings 64% of the health workers said trade unions help workers to get their demands. The methodology used for the study was descriptive in nature. The findings of this study corroborate that of other researches that union activities have effect on workers performance at the workplace. Union activities have impact on the performance on work. This implies that it sounds appropriate for employers to put in place enough structure. Through that, industrial action will be reduced. Base on concrete satisfactory measures, it will be very difficult for workers to embark on strike action.


This paper addresses organizational limits to learning within a project intensive organization. The idea of 'learning inaction' (the organizational dynamics that underpin a failure to act) is used ...


The Wright brothers made careful observation of the flight of birds, and fourd their observations A'aluable. It is interesting to consider the resemblance and differences of the manufactured aeroplane and the living bird. The resemblance may be simply the result of copying the bird, or it may be that similar designs have been arrived at independently by birds and men. The wings of both are roughly the same shape : of wide span, and narrow in the direction in which the bird flies ; both have concave wings with thick leading edges. In many aeroplanes hollow spars arc used like bones and like the quills of the feathers of birds. We copy plants also in this respect, for they too have learnt the economy of material in the use of hollow spars. The bodies of airships {iresimilar in shape to the bodies of swimming animals, with the greatest width towards the head. The bodies of birds are of similar form.


"There are three precious treasures in Northeastern China, namely ginseng, mink, and Ula grass." Most Chinese, whether in China or overseas, have heard this common proverb. In addition, if we were to frequent a Chinese herbal-medicine pharmacy or supermarket, we could easily purchase ginseng, which has long been prized as a valuable commodity in China. However, we actually know little about the complicated history of this root vegetable, including the production and consumption of ginseng in Chinese history. In The Empire of Ginseng, Chu-Shan Chiang offers a groundbreaking perspective on ginseng research by exploring how Qing China established practices for picking, collecting, and trading ginseng and how people consumed ginseng, specifically in the Lower Yangtze River region. The body of this book is divided into eight chapters and each chapter focuses on a specific topic regarding ginseng. In chapter 1, "Plants, Medical Knowledge, and Consumption Culture: The NewDirection of Ginseng Research," Chiang investigates previous ginseng research throughout Chinese history and discusses new methods for conducting diverse types of research on ginseng. As for the previous research, Chiang summarizes six subtopics about ginseng: ginseng management, ginseng in northeastern China during the late Ming and early Qing eras, ginseng harvesting in Qing China, ginseng monopolies and their tax revenue, ginseng agriculture in contrast to wild ginseng, and the circulation of harvested ginseng. Chiang criticizes previous research for focusing only on curative effects and on harvesting. In The Empire of Ginseng, by contrast, Chiang combines perspectives on ginseng management, production, consumption, and medical treatment to examine its significance in the Qing era. In chapter 2, "Classification: Texts on Ginseng," Chiang discusses the evolution of ginseng in Chinese history prior to the Qing era and then explores the ginseng


This chapter shows how the tide turned against technocratic internationalism in the 1970s and 1980s. The first section describes a general backlash against bureaucracy as an organizational form that also affected international organizations. Thomas G. Weiss's criticism of the United Nations and their bureaucracy serves as a key work to illustrate the shifting perception. The chapter then discusses the return of the state and intergovernmentalism in international theory. A new generation of liberal-internationalist literature, influenced by economics and rational choice theory, put the emphasis on actors' behaviour, on political will, and on the conditions under which international cooperation was negotiated. Few authors now seemed to believe that objective problem pressure alone would induce international cooperation. Yet other elements of the functionalist account remained almost unquestioned. This is illustrated with the emergent literature on global environmental problems, to be tackled by new international 'regimes', which became a new field for expert-driven, de-politicized governance. Technocratic ideas about public planning were still present on the left of the political spectrum. The partisans of a New International Economic Order suggested global administrative bodies should manage and re-distribute the world's resources, such as the minerals of the deep seabed.


The present work reports the investigation of the thermal and mechanical behaviour of aluminium alloys under the combined action of tensile loading and laser irradiations. The two types of aluminium alloys (Al-1060 and Al-6061) are used for the experiments. The continuous wave Ytterbium fibre laser (wavelength 1080 nm) was employed as irradiation source, while tensile loading was provided by tensile testing machine. The effects of various pre-loading and laser power densities on the failure time, temperature distribution and on deformation behaviour of aluminium alloys are analysed. The experimental results represents the significant reduction in failure time and temperature for higher laser powers and for high load values, which implies that preloading may contribute a significant role in the failure of the material at elevated temperature. The reason and characterization of material failure by tensile and laser loading are explored in detail. A comparative behaviour of under tested materials is also investigated. This work suggests that, studies considering only combined loading are not enough to fully understand the mechanical behaviour of under tested materials. For complete characterization, one must consider the effect of heating as well as loading rate.


There is increasing awareness of the international community in our times as to the importance of the preservation of the cultural identity of human beings, of human communities and of peoples. In its jurisprudential construction on the matter, the Court has taken due account of the right to cultural identity, as a component of other rights protected under the American Convention. It is thus not surprising that cultural identity has come to the fore, and has found expression, in the recent and evolving case-law of the Inter-American Court. This chapter reviews this reassuring jurisprudential construction, and seeks to extract some reflections and conclusions therefrom. Reference can be made, in this connection, to the Court's decisions in the cases of Aloeboetoe and Others versus Suriname (1993), of the "Street Children" , of Bamaca Velasquez versus Guatemala (2000- 2002), the Community Mayagna Awas Tingni versus Nicaragua (2001). Keywords: cultural identity; Guatemala; human rights; Inter-American Court; jurisprudential construction; Street Children


This study is carried out for the removal of cobalt from aqueous solution using granular activated carbon in combination with p-nitro benzoic acid at temperature 25±1 °C. The adsorption isotherm of cobalt on granular activated carbon has been determined and the data fitted reasonably well to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm for activated carbon.


The aim of this work was to determine the diagnosti c variations between magnetic resonance spectroscope MRS and the conventional magnetic reso nance imaging (MRI) analog image i.e. the accuracy and sensitivity of MRS, MRI and C T relative to histological section. The adapted method was a retrospective study for collec ting data of brain tumor patients (350) which were being analyzed using Excel software. The results showed that: brain tumors represent an incident of 54% in Sudan during 2014 – 2017 with an increasing factor of 7.2/year. MRS showed excellent diagnostic achieveme nt relative to standard (histology) with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity as 93%, 90% and 85% respectively, the Diagnosis of analogue MRI by different radiologist showed 91%, 8 3% and 76% for accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity respectively; while CT showed 80%, 75% and 15% for accuracy, sensitivity and specificity respectively. MRS usually surpass M RI compared with the standard (histology) and the T-test showed a significant poi nt f 0.5, depending on the level of Choline (Cho), N-Acetyl-Aspartate (NAA), Creatine/ Phosphoc reatine (Cr) and Lactate (Lac).


The correlations between the local and global mismatch parameters oj NMOS transistors with channel lengths down to 50 nm are analyzed by a large number oj measurements. While the global mismatch parameters show very slight correlations �rl � 0.25) due to global process gradients, the local mismatch parameters reveal no significant correlations at all.


The Upper Cretaceous Twowells Tongue forms the uppermost part of the Dakota Sandstone in the southern San Juan basin and represents the last minor regressive pulse in the regional Cenomanian transgression of the Late Cretaceous seaway. This widespread marine sandstone ranges in thickness from less than 15 to 98 ft in the study area between Gallup and Laguna, New Mexico. In outcrop, four major lithofacies are distinguished on the basis of sedimentologic structures and ichnofossils: (1) very silty, (2) horizontally bedded, (3) bioturbated structureless, and (4) cross-bedded sandstone. The distribution of these lithofacies suggests that depositional environments varied significantly from west to east. The very silty sandstone facies is the lowest unit in the coarsening-upward sequence of the Twowells. To the east, this facies also occurs in the middle of the tongue, indicating fluctuating depositional conditions. The horizontally bedded sandstone and bioturbated structureless sandstone facies usually occur above the very silty sandstone but randomly alternate with each other. These two facies are thinner to the east and are replaced by the cross-bedded sandstone and very silty sandstone facies. The cross-bedded sandstone facies occurs at the top of the sequence. It is scarce in the west because of erosion or non-deposition.more » To the east, it occurs within, and at the top of, the tongue; at one locality it composes the entire tongue. These four lithofacies formed under a wide range of energy conditions, show similarities to deposits in both shoreface and offshore marine environments, and indicate a complex depositional history for the Twowells Tongue.« less


Over the past five to 10 years, cities and regions have steadily worked to create what many call "entrepreneurial ecosystems" that spur innovation economies. As managing director of the Washington University in St. Louis Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies from July of 2001 to September of 2014, I've been fortunate to be part of such a transformation. We created a vibrant entrepreneurial community and movement at Wash U, and we also connected the university to what has been recognized as one of the nation's top emerging entrepreneurial communities. I have watched as St. Louis and other regions and universities have evolved to create vibrant innovation economies rooted in entrepreneurial activity.


Abstract The interferon-γ enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT) has been demonstrated to be useful in the diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB). In this study we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the ELISPOT assay in cancer patients with suspected pulmonary TB. Eighty-one cancer patients with suspected pulmonary TB were prospectively enrolled from April 2007 to December 2008, to investigate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the ELISPOT assay. Of the 38 patients with TB, 33 (86.8%) had positive ELISPOT results. Of the 43 patients without TB, the results of the ELISPOT assay were negative in 35 (81.3%) patients. The overall sensitivity was 86.8%, specificity 81.3%, positive predictive value 80.5% and negative predictive value 87.5%. No significant difference was noted for the diagnostic performance of the ELISPOT assay for diagnosing TB between solid cancer and haematological cancer patients. In addition, a quantitative study did not show that TB patients with solid cancers have a better response than haematological cancer patients as measured by spot-forming cells per 106 peripheral blood mononuclear cells after exposure to early secretory antigenic target 6 (ESAT-6) and culture filtrate protein 10 (CFP-10). In conclusion, the ELISPOT assay could be a useful supplementary tool for the diagnosis of pulmonary TB among cancer patients, irrespective of cancer type.


Based on a constant exploration,the psychology program in Fujian Normal University,a psychology program established the first in Fujian Province,has developed a social needs-based model for cultivating professionals in psychology,with the guideline of "one principle,two points for optimization,three for combination,four for prominence,and five for reinforcement",which is a scientific and prospective system for training undergraduates of psychology program.In terms of teaching resources,curricular system,cultivating approach,and program development,great progresses have taken place in the construction of undergraduate psychology program,which has been honored "Special Major Program of Fujian Province" and "An Experimental Area for Innovating Models for Cultivating Professionals ".