321 Grain sorghum is ranked as the fi ft h most important cereal crop in the world aft er wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), corn (Zea mays L.), and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and is the third most common cereal planted in the United States, trailing corn and wheat (Defelice, 2006; USDA-NASS, 2015). Sorghum is a warm season C4 grass species that is highly effi cient in the conversion of solar energy and use of water. Sorghums are cultivated throughout the world for food, fodder, syrup, and biofuel production. In the United States, the crop is primarily used for livestock feed and is ranked second aft er corn for ethanol production (Paterson, 2008). In spite of the agronomic potential and food value of grain sorghum, the land area of sorghum production has declined in many parts of the United States (USDA-NASS, 2015), in part because the number of options for weed management in sorghum is limited. Most post-emergence (POST) herbicides labeled for grain sorghum are eff ective on broadleaf weed species but have only limited activity on annual grasses. Consequently, pre-emergence (PRE) herbicides are the primary option for annual grass control in grain sorghum (Hennigh et al., 2010). However, grain sorghum is oft en grown in dry environments and the absence of adequate soil moisture oft en reduces the activation and effi cacy of PRE herbicide treatments (Hennigh et al., 2010). Acetolactate synthase-inhibiting herbicides, also known as acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS)-inhibitors, are commonly used to control grass weeds in certain broadleaf and grass crops (Hennigh et al., 2010). However, conventional grain sorghum is susceptible to ALS-herbicides that have grass activity. Th e ALS-inhibiting herbicides are eff ective in small quantities (grams of active ingredient per hectare), allow for wide application windows, have high safety margins on labeled crops, are eff ective on a broad spectrum of weed species, typically possess soil residual activity, and have low mammalian toxicities (Tranel and Wright, 2002). However, there are at least eight known mutation sites in the ALS gene that confer resistance Pest Interactions in Agronomic Systems


I recently had an opportunity to visit and photograph Pecos Pueblo in eastern New Mexico, after having visited the site some twenty years ago. I was very interested when I received a copy of Ethnohistory with an article on the historical demography of Pecos Pueblo. However, on reading the article, I found serious methodological and conceptual flaws, which I will attempt to address in this brief comment. Let me first speak to what I perceive to be conceptual flaws. The authors cite a number of factors to explain the decline in the population of Pecos Pueblo, including epidemics of highly contagious crowd diseases, such as smallpox and measles; raids by Apaches and Comanches; the impact of drought; and mestizaje (cultural and biological mixing). The population figures indicate a decline during the course of the eighteenth century. The authors identify epidemics as the primary cause of decline (Levine and LaBauve I997). A dozen epidemics (the authors are not clear on the definition of an epidemic; a mortality crisis can be defined as three times normal mortality) may have occurred at Pecos over a period of some I30 years, or about one every decade. The authors also note more deaths during the winter, which points to a pattern of seasonal mortality related to the weather, and deaths from dolor de costado (actually pneumonia) (ibid.: 94). Epidemics were very traumatic episodes that killed off large numbers of people over a short period of time. However, the important question is also, did the population rebound or recover from the epidemic? The authors do not address this question but present enough evidence to suggest other explanations for population decline. The elevated mortality during


Abstract.  Amaranthus pedersenianus N. Bayón & C. Peláez (Amaranthaceae) is a new Argentinian species of Amaranthus L. subg. Albersia (Kunth) Gren. & Godr. and is described and illustrated from the province of Salta. It is found in Andean puna and prepuna in both Salta and Jujuy provinces at altitudes between 2800 and 3775 m. Amaranthus pedersenianus is similar to A. cardenasianus Hunz., A. hunzikeri N. Bayón, A. kloosianus Hunz., A. squamulatus (Andersson) B. L. Rob., and A. urceolatus Benth. by its urceolate pistillate flowers with five sepals. The new taxon differs by its ascendant or erect habit, height of 5–20 cm, presence of leafless, short terminal inflorescences, flowers with usually four or five stamens, and dehiscent fruits.


This work discusses a ZnPc composite in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The enhanced performance of solar cells is due to the role of gold nanoparticles (GNPs), ZnSe quantum dots (QDs), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to increase the energy conversion efficiency. Both charge separation effect by GNPs and driving force effect by ZnSe QDs can improve the efficiency of cells, and obtained similar energy conversion efficiency results. CNTs-doped TiO2 DSSCs exhibited poorer properties than others due to the nonradiative decay. GNPs- and ZnSe QDs-doped TiO2 DSSCs sensitized with ZnPc demonstrated the energy conversion efficiency results to be 0.70 and 0.67 %, respectively. Recently, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are the most ambitious targets in the utilization of solar energy field. (1-5) The DSSC with high efficiency is formed by a combination of organic and inorganic components that could be produced at a low cost. The DSSCs are photoelectrochemical solar cells based on the photosensitization of nanocrystalline TiO2 semiconductor electrodes by dyes. The key feature of this solar cell is the use of nanocrystalline TiO2 films that have an extremely large surface-to-volume ratio. (6) However, there are limiting factors are the quantity of dye absorption and charge recombination between TiO2 electrode and electrolyte. Gold (Au) nanoparticles (GNPs) have been attracting a lot of attention due to their particular optical and electronic properties. Enhanced charge separation effect in chlorophyll solar cell and application for anode buffer layer of the solar cell to increase the photocurrent and power conversion efficiency were reported. (7,8) On the other hand, because of the quantum size effect, the band gap of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) can be changed by controlling the size of QDs and, therefore, it can used the optical properties to adjust the range of solar photon absorption. QDs have also been several potentially properties that are attractive for applications as an alternative sensitizer for DSSC. Appropriate combinations of TiO2 films with semiconductor QDs have been investigated, such as CdS (9-12), CdSe (13-15), PbS (16), InP (6), and InAs QDs (17). QDs are also used to improve the performance of conventional silicon solar cells (18). In this work, we elucidate the influence of the Au nanoparticles, ZnSe QDs, and carbon nanotubes on the performance improvement of the solar cells based on zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) sensitized TiO2 nanocrystalline films. The photovoltaic properties of the devices were studied by spectral response and illuminated current density-voltage (J-V) measurements.


This is the second in a five-volume series by the author on US warships, listing the ships of the US Navy and the Confederate Navy during the war Civil War and the years immediately following the war, a significant period in the evolution of warships, the use of steam propulsion, and the development of ordnance. Entires on each ship list size and t


One of development strategyin an effort to encourage ruraleconomic growth is to make it as a tourist village, especially for villageswhich have valuable in tourism potential. In accelerate the development of a village into a tourism village it desperately needed the cooperation and support of many parties, because it pertains to the resources needed in that development. One of the concepts developed are sharing grants.That is a concept to encourage as many parties that have to be involved to develop the idea of understanding the village with herding resources owned by the parties.So that all the stakeholders involved will jointly engage independen tly. The purpose of development of rural tourism with the concept of sharing grants is to encourage the community to be involved in accordance with their desire and ability, so that the existence of these stakeholders will be an umbrella which can be placed the society. To make the changes beneficial in the implementation, it is necessary to make a guideline that would be the corridor of the village tourism development.


I "Is it a long way yet to a station, coachman?" '"Tis likely we won't reach it afore the storm. See, how the snow's a-whirlin'? The norther is upon us!" The snowstorm is indeed drawing near. Evening has brought a sharper nip into the air. The snow cracks weirdly under the runners, and from the shadowy wood comes the howling of the harsh winter wind—the norther. Their branches jutting out above our path, the fir-trees rock sullenly in the gathering dusk of a winter's early night. Cold and discomfort! The sledge is narrow, bumping against my sides; the swords and pistols of the guards get in the way, while the sledge bell tinkles a long and dreary chant in tune with the rising blizzard. But then, luckily, on the edge of the roaring forest there looms into view the light of the stationhouse. And presently my two guards, with much clanging of their arsenal of arms, shake off the snow in the doorway of a dark, overheated, smoke-begrimed hut— the stationhouse. Bleak and cheerless! The woman of the house sets a splinter of burning wood into a holder. "Is there anything to eat, woman?" "Nothing in the house." "Fish? You've a river nearby." "What fish we had, the otter ate." "Surely potatoes...."


Editor's Note: The "Resources" section of this month's EJ features "The Best of the Year," selections by the various EJ review editors of the most interesting and valuable new educational books, products, and other publications of the past year. Whenever one speaks of purchasing materials for use in the classroom, however, the question of selection procedures arises. In this Guest Editorial, Lois Weiner outlines some procedures for the sensible selection of materials. She is presently teaching at Fox Lane High School, Mt. Kisco, New York, after serving as department head of a Hayward, California, high school. (SNJ)


Fusion reactions of the biologically important synthetic cytokinin N6-benzyladenine and fully acetylated d-ribofuranose (2), d-ribopyranose (7) and d-glucopyranose (6) have been carried out in the presence of bis-(p-nitrophenyl) hydrogen phosphate. N6-Benzyl-9-β-d-ribofuranosyladenine (5), N6-benzyl-9-β-d-ribopyranosyladenine (11), N6-benzyl-9-β-d-glucopyranosyladenine (9) and their acetates (4, 10, 8) were obtained in fairly good yields respectively. This provides an alternative synthetic route of N6-benzyladenine-9-glycosides.


The invention discloses an overlay alignment mark. The mark divides alignment measuring into an X figure and a Y figure. The X figure is in a homocentric squares shape or a square current-layer figure plus a vertical previous-layer figure, the Y figure is in a homocentric squares shape or a square current-layer figure plus a horizontal previous-layer figure. The previous-layer figure is a single vacancy or line. The overlay alignment mark divides an X market body and a Y market body, the resolution ratio of the overlay alignment mark is increased, and the photoetching alignment accuracy is improved.


In the present paper, we investigate a group of markers in spoken interaction, commonly termed general extenders (GEs). We compare their usage in different discourse settings within the reference speech corpus of the Slovene language GOS. The results show that there is a high variability of GE form, but that most forms are rarely used. GEs are generally less frequent in public and formal settings, such as classes and radio and television informative broadcasts, and more frequent in private settings. Substantial differences are found not only between the two groups of GEs, adjunctive and disjunctive, but also between particular GE expressions. We argue that mere qualitative analysis of pragmatic expressions such as GEs is not sufficient for reliable conclusions, and that quantitative corpus analysis can provide additional insights into GE functions, especially considering the differences between the two groups of GEs, adjunctives and disjunctives, and between particular GE expressions.


Measurements made in the midday auroras are analyzed and compared to measurements from the nighttime auroras. Examples are given of coordinated programs in Alaska which involve satellites, radars, ground optical instrumentation, and other types of observing satellites for the study of auroras.


This article discusses how the Grand dictionnaire chinois–francais contemporain (GDCFC, 2014), one of the largest Chinese–French dictionaries, was designed and compiled. Due to the limited resources in the language pair of Chinese and French, GDCFC was designed as a bidirectional bilingual dictionary. To meet the needs of Chinese-speaking learners of French, the main user group, GDCFC extends the lemma list, and enriches the information of French equivalents in terms of their frequency, grammar and register. To be geared to the needs of French-speaking learners of Chinese, the secondary user group, GDCFC includes some headwords that fall into regional varieties of Chinese, and also provides useful information on the formulaicity and flexibility of Chinese characters (classifiers in particular). Some other features, such as the indication of POS and equivalents in context, and establishment of a semantic network of the nomenclature, were designed to benefit both groups of users. The making of this dictionary has implications for the compilation of other less-resourced bilingual dictionaries.


The development of e-services is not only a technological phenomenon, but involves organizational and social complexities. In this paper, we build upon an interpretive case study, and examine Lagos State's initiative, in order to showcase how the implementation of public sector e-services have been affected by organizational and cultural perceptions and the working practices of individuals in a developing country. This research provides insights for international organizations that determine the status of countries by providing online access, products and services to their citizens, and to Internet Service Providers who pursue new territories for the provision of new products and services. It also informs governments around the globe about cultural perceptions and working practices, thereby helping them determine their developmental progress and decide their future endeavors.


Abstract We present a new iodine cell based approach that allows one to obtain radial velocities of the components of double-lined spectroscopic binary stars (SB2s) with a precision reaching 5 m/s. Such an RV precision is up to 100 times better than what is currently available in the literature for the SB2s. We discuss the applications of our method to the radial velocity searches for circumbinary planets and spectroscopic follow-up of transiting planet candidates around eclipsing binary stars.


The Saitama-Omiya Route, one of the routes of the Metropolitan Expressway in Japan, opened its 8.0 km long motorway between Toda and Yono in Saitama Prefecture on May 18, 1998. It crosses Tokyo Gaikan Expressway, one of the three circular routes in Tokyo which is managed by Japan Highway Public Corporation, and makes a junction called Bijogi Junction. Usually, junctions between motorways are full cloverleaf interchanges. However, because the land readjustment around the junction was finished two years before the city planning decision on motorways in 1985, the additional land acquisition was almost impossible. Therefore, Bijogi Junction was not able to be constructed in the usual layout and forms an at-grade with traffic signals which is very unusual on motorways allover the world. There were two major concerns about this at-grade intersection. The first one was safety, and the second one was traffic management. The Ministry of Construction, Saitama Prefectural Government, Toda City Government, Saitama Prefectural Police Agency, Japan Highway Public Corporation and Metropolitan Expressway Public Corporation formed a committee and discussed these concerns for nearly two years before the opening and took several measures for safety and traffic control. Also, the committee evaluated the measures about a year after opening. This report is about the measures taken and their evaluation by the committee. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E204151.


Ellacuria's scholarly work needs to be understood against the backdrop of his commitment to Ignatian spirituality. The author demonstrates this by showing that Ellacuria considered the Spiritual Exercises as a crucial resource for doing theology in Latin America, particularly in response to various challenges articulated at the CELAM Conference in Medellin (1968). The author then argues, using Ellacuria's approach to the historical Jesus, that Ellacuria's work of elaborating a philosophy of historical reality should be understood as an attempt to craft a philosophy and theology adequate to the encounter with the historical Jesus as structured by the Exercises.


Today we have to learn to differentiate and distinguish, without the need of separation. In this sense, there are two pairs of concepts clearly differentiable and not necessarily separable: by one side, complexity and complex thought, and by the other side, disciplinary knowledge (multi-poli and inter-disciplinary) and transdisciplinary knowledge. For classic science, complex thought and transdisciplinary knowledge is absurd, but the ideal of classic science rationality is necessary and valid, but insufficient to comprehend reality in current times. It is necessary a new paradigm of rationality which allows thinking the unit of fragmented knowledge in disciplines related to human species survival in this era which has become planetary. This reflection presents from Edgar Morin's (complex thought) and Basarab Nicolescu's (transdisciplinary knowledge) conceptual proposals, the epistemological, ontological and methodological dimension of the emergence of this new rationality.


To determine whether the range of normal variation of human olfactory functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activations in healthy single subjects is compatible with the detection of atypical patterns.


International law was no more prepared for the dynamics of the present war than was the Maginot school of military strategy. International lawyers had given little serious thought to the legal problems which total war would bring. Consequently, while international arrangements were concluded on special questions (e.g. on aerial warfare), the main body of the 1907 Hague Convention, including the section dealing with military occupation,remained unchanged. Military occupation was still conceived of as a temporary phenomenon with limited objectives. But totalitarian warfare as waged by the Axis powers has had unlimited objectives, aimed at nothing less than the complete political and economic subjugation of the occupied territory. In practice the enemy has recognized no restraints of either law or custom save the threat of immediate retaliation. Far from "respecting, unless absolutely prevented, the laws in force in the country," as the Hague regulations require, the Axis has systematically destroyed the political and legal order in the occupied territories. It has substituted quislings in the place of duly constituted local authorities, and has employed them for economic as well as political ends.


Aetiopedes gracilis gen. et sp. nov. (Amphipoda : Isaeidae) is described from southern Australian (Tasmanian, Victorian) shallow coastal sand habitats. The taxon superficially resembles an ampeliscoid having antenna 2 markedly longer than antenna 1 and peraeopods 3–4 with long, slender dactyls. The possibility is raised that glandular peraeopods may be a synapomorphy associating Ampeliscoidea with Corophioidea as sister groups. The structure of peraeopods 3–4 (merochelate), labrum (toothed) and telson (shortened) are all autapomorphies peculiar to the new taxon. Within the Isaeidae, Aetiopedes appears to be closest to Amphideutopus. The relationships of these taxa are discussed in relation to the hypotheses of Barnard & Thomas (1987) on the systematics of the Neomegamphopidae.


Background: Although chemotherapeutic (CT) agents that used in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) increase survival, the results are still weak. Inotuzumab ozogamicin is an anti-CD 22 monoclonal antibody and it has the potential to reduce the overall toxicity of intensive regimens for ALL, as well as to possibly increase the number of patients who may achieve a state of minimal residual disease.


A differential high-gain antenna with dual-band and dual-polarization based on substrate integrated waveguide cavity is presented in this paper. The cavity with odd-symmetrical electric field distribution can radiate the differential mode (DM) signal and suppress the common mode (CM) signal. The degenerate mode TE102 and TE201 are separated by etching two groups of slots in different positions. The simulated −10 dB reflection coefficient bandwidths are 15 MHz in lower frequency band and 13 MHz in upper frequency band for vertical and horizontal polarization, respectively. The horizontal components of the DM electric field radiated from the two symmetrical slots are superimposed in the Z-axis to increase the antenna gain. The gains of the dual-band is 8.1 dBi and 7.2 dBi, respectively. Meanwhile, the CM signal is suppressed well.


In this study, poly(vinyl alcohol)/kenaf fibre (PVA/KF) based composites were prepared by casting from a mixture of kenaf fibre and aqueous solution of PVA. Certain amounts of urea could be loaded into the composite. The water solubility, release behaviour of urea and thermal stability of PVA/kenaf fibre/urea composites were evaluated. In a wet environment, urea was released from the composites through its dissolution in water. Around 57% of the urea was released from the PVA/KF composites in 24 hours. The composites also lost 25% of their weight after 7 days in water. Controlled amounts of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) were added to introduce some crosslinking reactions between the diisocynante and the –OH groups of the PVA and the fibre to improve the water barrier property of the composites for prolonged water submersion. Laboratory tests were performed on cross-linked and uncross-linked PVA/KF composites to examine the effect of MDI on the properties of the composites. Water-absorption test, morphological analysis, thermal-stability evaluation, and FTIR study were performed. This cross-linked structure was able to slow down the penetration of water and enhance water resistance, as confirmed by the water-absorption test and micrographs. Thermogravimetry analysis data revealed that cross-linking improved the thermal stability of the composites. The degradation of cross-linked and uncross-linked PVA/KF composites in soil was also investigated, where sample pieces of dimension of 20 x 20 x 1 mm were buried 5 cm deep under soil in flower pots. The evidence of degradation could be seen from FTIR spectroscopy. In addition, cracks and fungal growth on the surface of the materials could be clearly observed under the microscope. The rate of degradation could be monitored from the weight loss of the sample, which increased significantly when in wet environment. The observed weight loss of PVA/KF composite was 18% in 7 days and 50% after 28 days, while MDI cross-linked PVA/KF composite exhibited a slower weight loss of 7% in 7 days to 14% after 28 days. The composites were tested in real life conditions by using them as biodegradable mulches for long bean plants in a small garden plot. The degradation of mulches and the plant growth were carefully observed. Their performance was also compared with the plastic mulch using black polyethylene films available in the market. It was found that the biodegradable mulches were able to protect the seedlings of long beans from moisture loss. As the plants have grown stronger within 30 days, the mulches have biodegraded completely, releasing the fibres as fertilizer to the soil without leaving any undegradable waste for disposal. Hence, they would not pose any risks to the land or biological systems. The composites could have great potential agricultural applications.


Recent molecular analyses have challenged the traditional classification of scleractinian corals at all taxonomic levels suggesting that new morphological characters are needed. Here we tackle this problem for the family Mussidae, which is polyphyletic. Most of its members belong to two molecular clades composed of: (1) Atlantic Mussidae and Faviidae (except Montastraea) and (2) Pacific Mussidae (Cynarina, Lobophyllia, Scolymia, Symphyllia) and Pectiniidae. Other Pacific mussids (e.g. Acanthastrea) belong to additional clades. To discover new characters that would better serve as phylogenetic markers, we compare the skeletal morphology of mussid genera in different molecular-based clades. Three sets of characters are considered: (1) macromorphology (budding; colony form; size and shape of corallites; numbers of septal cycles), (2) micromorphology (shapes and distributions of septal teeth and granules), and (3) microstructure (arrangement of calcification centres and thickening deposits within costosepta). Although most traditional macromorphological characters exhibit homoplasy, several new micromorphological characters are effective at distinguishing clades, including the shapes and distribution of septal teeth and granules, the area between teeth, and the development of thickening deposits. Arrangements of calcification centres and fibres differ among clades, but the fine-scale structure of thickening deposits does not.


The sonic‐boom tests conducted in Oklahoma City in 1964 have given indications that various building enclosures can be excited as Helmholtz resonators. A question arises as to what effect these pressure oscillations can have upon the response of windows or other flexible panels mounted in the enclosure. The findings of an investigation of the transient response of a simply supported rectangular plate coupled with a Helmholtz resonator are presented. Experimental results, are discussed, as taken from a model mounted at the termination of an acoustic delay line and driven by an electronic‐pulse‐generator system. The experimental data are compared with theoretical predictions based on a lumped‐parameter analysis. Representative experimental recordings are presented showing the relationship of the input pressure, the cavity pressure, and the strain of the plate.


Objective: This study focus at the larvicidal activity of essential oil of Gliricidia sepium leaf Methods: Pharmacological evaluation of leaf was carried out for larvicidal activity. Household mosquitoes of fourth instar larvae were used for the study. The study was carried out for 5 different concentrations for aqueous extract. Results: The aqueous extract shown dose-dependent activity with the maximum larvicidal potential was seen with leaf of essential oil (250 mg/ml). Conclusion: The study is designed to evaluate the larvicidal activity of essential oil of leaf of G. sepium. The relationship between the chemical composition and biological activity of essential oil of G. sepium is confirmed by lethal effect.


The study was aimed to analyze clinical, biochemical, and coagulation parameters of 104 patients after ENT surgery. The study showed that D-dimer reflected postoperative thrombosis of vessels of mukoperichondrial/mukoperiostal flaps after closure of nasal septal defects.


Mission statements have been the subject of much discussion in the managerial literature and have recently been adopted by most British universities. This paper reports the results of an investigation into how mission statements have been introduced by British universities and reviews the appropriateness of their use in this sector. Based on a questionnaire survey, an analysis of the degree of commitment to mission statements as a valuable management tool is offered and recommendations suggested for their more effective application. The authors conclude that although there is generally a positive attitude towards mission statements, senior managers within universities tend not to consult widely when formulating them and have put little effort into communicating them to the university's staff. Their importance seems to be perceived in terms of meeting the requirements of an external stakeholder rather than offering the opportunity to develop a real sense of purpose within the organisation.


Abstract the adoption of ATC systems determines a higher level of safety. The utilization of ATC systems (as SCMT in Italy) can also reduce the operating costs. In fact, using SCMT, in Italy, it is possible to limit the number of the train drivers: it will not necessary any more the presence of two train drivers for all the trains. This aspect will be relevant in the reduction of a discount, called K2, that the infrastructure manager applies to the railways undertakings in relation to the oldness of the network.


Pb is a relevant atmospheric pollutant, mainly associated to particulate matter (PM). In this work, an ultrasound probe-assisted microextraction (UAME) pretreatment methodology has been optimized and validated for the extraction of Pb from atmospheric particulate matter samples before determination by ICP-MS. Factors that influence the ultrasonic extraction procedure were evaluated and optimized using a Box-Behnken design in conjunction with a response surface methodology, by assaying a PM certified reference material. The optimum conditions obtained for the Pb extraction are 62.5% of sonication amplitude, 200 s of sonication time, 47.5% v/v HNO3 as extracting medium, and sample/solvent ratio of 35 mg/mL. The US-probe assisted extraction methodology was applied to real PM from active and passive sampling for the extraction of Pb and other relevant elements such As, Cd and Cu. Analytical results demonstrated that ultrasonic microextraction is an efficient tool for the extraction of Pb and Cu from atmospheric samples, faster and greener than standard high temperature acid digestion.


Background and purpose:Radiotherapy is the main method to manage head and neck tumors.About half of the patients with malignant tumor in head and neck could obtain long term survival through radiotherapy or other therapy combined with radiotherapy.However,it is necessary to clinically detect whether carotid stenosis is a major sequela of head and neck irradiation,especially in long term survivors such as patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.We analyzed this injury and the degree of carotid stenosis,and its related factors to provide information to reduce and delay the incidence of this injury.Methods:We analyzed the degree of arterial stenosis of the nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who received radiotherapy and had survived more than three years in Cancer Hospital Fudan University,compared with newly diagnosed as nasopharyngeal carcinoma before radiotherapy.The degree of carotid artery injury was observed and the clinical factors which affect its occurrence and development.All patients were low differentiated squamous cell carcinoma confirmed by pathology.All patients were examined with color doppler ultrasound to detect the carotid artery.The main end points were the diameter of carotid artery,the peak systolic and end diastolic velocities.Results:Arterial stenosis was more common in the reserch group than the control group (80% vs 20%,P0.001).The common and internal carotid arteries were most commonly involved (70% vs 20%,P0.001;63.3% vs 10%,P0.001),followed by the external carotid artery (30% vs 3.3%,P=0.015).Significant stenosis was only found in the research group,common carotid arteries 36.7%,internal carotid arteries 23.3%,external carotid arteries10%.Conclusion:This study showed that radiation could cause significant carotid stenosis in nasopharyngealcarcinoma patients who had received radiotherapy more than 3 years previously.Carotid stenosis developed more frequently in the common carotid artery and internal carotid artery on the side that had received radiotherapy.


withdrawn ________________ R-7 Read by Title A146G Polymorphism in the steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) gene and its association of ambiguous genitalia with apparent partial androgen insensitivity Sunil Sinha1; Pascal Philiber t2; Svetlana Ten1; Charles Sultan2 1Maimonides Medical Center, Pediatric Endocrinology, Brooklyn, NY, United States; 2Hôpital Lapeyronie, CHU Montpellier, Service d'Hormonologie, Montpellier, France Background: Etiology of ambiguous genitalia in genotypic 46 XY subjects is heterogeneous. Mutation in Steroidogenic factor-1(SF-1) has been reported to be associated with disorders of sex development with or with out adrenal insufficiency in male. Patient: index case presented for evaluation of ambiguous genitalia on his 2nd day of life. He is a product of full term pregnancy form a non-consanguinity parents of African American origin. On physical examination, he found to have bifid mildly rugated scrotum with penoscrotal hypospadia and micropenis. Both of his testes were palpable in the scrotum. Family history is significant for presence of hirsutism (hair over the chin, upper lips) and severs acne in mother. No family history of ambiguous genitalia or infertility. On laboratory evaluation he found to have normal male 46 XY karyotype. His adrenal steroid hormone profiles were normal on ACTH stimulation test. Testosterone level increased from163 ng/dl to 529 ng/dl following a HCG stimulation test. Normal kidneys were identified on pelvic sonogram. A normal male urethra was outlined in voiding cystogram and genitogram. Mother found to have normal 7 OHP, testosterone levels. Method: Hormonal evaluation was done in first week of life. An ACTH and HCG stimulation test was done to evaluate adrenal and testicular function. Sequencing of the androgen receptor, 5 alpha reductase, WT-1 and SF-1 were done from the DNA obtained from peripheral blood. Results: No evidence of adrenal insufficiency noted on ACTH stimulation test. Mutations analyses of DNA were negative for Androgen receptor, 5 α reductase, WT-1 and SRY gene. He found to have A146G Polymorphism in the SF-1 gene. Conclusions: A146G polymorphism in SF-1 gene can be present with sever ambiguous genitalia. Apparent partial androgen insensitivity like picture with normal androgen receptor can be due to SF-1 gene mutation in contrary to the usual dysgenetic testes. ________________ R-8 Read by Title Childhood hypocalcemia after the neonatal


Here we describe a Drosophila genome engineering technique that can scarlessly modify genomic sequences near any mapped attP attachment site previously integrated by transposon mobilization or gene targeting. This technique combines two highly efficient and robust procedures: phiC31 integrase–mediated site‐specific integration and homing endonuclease–mediated resolution of local duplications. In this technique, a donor fragment containing the desired mutation(s) is first integrated into a selected attP site near the target locus by phiC31 integrase–mediated site‐specific integration, which creates local duplications consisting of the mutant‐containing donor fragment and the wild‐type target locus. Next, homing endonuclease–induced double‐stranded DNA breaks trigger recombination between the duplications and resolve the target locus to generate scarless mutant alleles. In every step, the desired flies can be easily identified by patterns of dominant markers, so no large‐scale screens are needed. This technique is highly efficient and can be used to generate scarless point mutations, insertions, and deletions. The availability of large libraries of mapped attP site–containing transposon/CRISPR insertions in Drosophila allows the modification of more than half of the euchromatic Drosophila genome at a high efficiency. As more and more attP‐containing insertions are generated and mapped, this technique will be able to modify larger portions of the Drosophila genome. The principles of this technique are applicable to other organisms where modifications to the genome are feasible. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.


Tunnel FETs with vertical tunnel paths are fabricated and successfully modeled by the nonlocal band to band tunneling model. Although enhancement of ON currents are obtained by longer source gate overlap lengths, the increase of the ON current is less than proportional to the overlap lengths, because of non-uniformity of the band to band tunneling generation rates. The behavior of this type of tunnel FETs is precisely explained by the device simulation model. The key point is the peak generation rates at the source edge.


This study investigates how using debate as a pedagogical tool for addressing earth system science concepts can promote active student learning, present a realistic and dynamic view of science, and provide a mechanism for integrating the scientific, political and social dimensions of global environmental change. Using global warming as an example of earth system science, we consider how participation in debate provides an avenue for engaging students in science. Our investigation draws from studies of school science focusing on the use of argument as a pedagogical tool and examines how students make use of observationally-based climatic data sets when debating the cause of global warming. We found that, when crafting their arguments, students used observational data sets in four ways: 1) to support their central argument; 2) to negate the central argument of the opposing side; 3) to present challenges to the opposing side; and 4) to raise new scientific questions. We also found that students also used climatic data sets when discussing the social and political dimensions of global warming.


Prior research contends that weak legal regimes discourage lender enforcement of contracts by making it either costly or ineffective. However, Diamond observes that this lender passivity can be overcome by structuring debt as a short‐term loan. His argument is that an arrival of bad news in the presence of short‐term debt can result in externalities that will trigger a run on the firm and that this in turn creates ex ante incentives for lenders to enforce their contracts. We examine whether short‐term debt creates an incentive for borrowers to delay the recognition of bad news through earnings management. Using a sample of firm‐level data from 33 countries over a 10‐year period, we find that short‐term debt induces greater earnings management. This impact of short‐term debt is especially greater in countries with weak legal regimes. This evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that borrowers will manage earnings to circumvent lender enforcement.


We are investigating the properties of vacuum and boundary states in the CFT of free bosons under the conformal transformation. We show that transformed vacuum (boundary state) is given in terms of tau-functions of dispersionless KP (Toda) hierarchies. Applications of this approach to string field theory is considered. We recognize in Neumann coefficients the matrix of second derivatives of tau-function of dispersionless KP and identify surface states with the conformally transformed vacuum of free field theory. firstname.lastname@example.com On leave of absence from Bogolyubov ITP, Kiev, Ukraine email@example.com


The widely used structure design in vacuum switchgear interrupters is summarized. The performance requirements for the present contact materials and the new material CuCoTa are described. The method of adopting overvoltage limiting devices and low overvoltage contact materials is discussed in order to solve the problem of frequent occurrence of overvoltage. Finally the new achievements abroad and the future trend of vacuum switchgears are introduced. Application of vacuum circuit breakers in China is still limited at present. Therefore,we should develop vacuum technology greatly.


The acoustic, optic and acousto-optic properties of tellurium crystals have been examined in order to develop an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) operating in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) region. The AOTF design is based on the wide-angle regime of light diffraction in the YZ plane of the birefringent crystal operating from 8.4 to 13.6 µm. Device characteristics were obtained from both theoretical and experimental investigations. Experiments were carried out using both a 10.6 µm pulsed CO2 laser as well as a tunable CO2 laser operating in a continuous wave mode from 9.2 to 10.7 µm. The AOTF was tuned over the acoustic frequency range of 81.5–94.7 MHz. The filtering performance in the tellurium device was provided by a pure shear elastic wave propagating at a 95.8° angle with respect to the positive direction of the optic axis, while an ordinary polarized optical beam was incident at the Bragg angle of 6.0° relative to the acoustic wavefront. At 10.6 µm, the measured spectral bandwidth of the filter was 127 nm and the optical transmission coefficient was around 8.8% with 2.0 W drive power. This paper presents detailed results from both the theoretical as well as experimental device characterization including the spectral images obtained with a 256 × 256 mercury cadmium telluride camera cooled to 77 K.


Electrical resistivity prospecting method was used in evaluating the groundwater potential of Ita-Eku, southeastern part of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state, Nigeria using the vertical electrical sounding technique. A total of seven electrical soundings were conducted using the Schlumberger electrode array. The data acquired were interpreted qualitatively and quantitatively and were presented as tables, charts and section. The interpreted models revealed three to four geo-electric layers namely; topsoil, clay/lateritic soil, weathered/fractured layer and fresh basement. The topsoil which is relatively thin has thickness ranging between 0.8 and 2.5m while the resistivity values range from 26 to 171 �-m. The second layer has thickness ranging from 2.5 ‐ 5.9 m and resistivity values from 5 to 19 �-m. The third layer is the weathered/fractured layer with thickness ranging from 5.9‐35.3 m and the resistivity values range from 171 to 404 �-m. The basement resistivity values range between 711 and 3466 �-m. First and second order (Dar Zarrouk parameters) data were used to generate the geo-electric section, overburden thickness chart and longitudinal conductance chart. These section and charts were considered in generating the groundwater potential table. The groundwater potential table shows that about 28% of the entire study area falls within zone rated as having high groundwater


A 9-wk feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of L-malic acid (LMA) supplementation on growth, feed utilization, body composition, whole-body mineral concentrations, and hepatic lipid metabolism of juvenile genetically improved farmed tilapia. LMA was included in the diets at 0, 0.8, or 3.2%. LMA-supplemented treatments began to demonstrate weight gain improvement at 7 wk. After 9 wk, feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and protein efficiency ratio were improved with either 0.8% or 3.2% LMA. Although whole-body Fe, Mn, and Cu concentrations decreased, increased Ca and P concentrations contributed to improve whole-body ash deposition with LMA inclusion. The concentrations of Na, K, Mg, and Zn and the Ca/P ratio of the whole body were not impacted by dietary treatments. Dietary LMA inclusion promoted whole-body lipid deposition, which largely resulted from enhanced lipid accumulation in the liver and muscle tissues. In line with the increased liver lipid content, hepatic transcript levels of cytosolic malic enzyme 1 and acetyl-CoA carboxylase a were upregulated, while mRNA levels of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A) and CPT1B were downregulated with LMA supplementation. However, increasing dietary LMA supply from 0.8 to 3.2% did not produce additional effects on most of the tested parameters, at least for a 9-wk period. Taken together, it could be concluded that 0.8% LMA was superior to 3.2% LMA in tilapia feed and its inclusion could improve growth and feed utilization and enhance ash deposition and hepatic lipid accumulation.


Using the methods of document study,induction study and deduction study,this paper intends to study the essence of the movement of the body-building-aerobics.


Objective: To explore the relationships between detection, treatment, and outcome of depression in the primary care setting, based upon results from the Michigan Depression Project (MDP). Methods: A weighted sample of 425 adult family practice patients completed a comprehensive battery of questionnaires exploring stress, social support, overall health, health care utilization, treatment attitudes, self-rated levels of stress and depression, along with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III (SCID), which served as the criterion standard for diagnosis. A comparison sample of 123 depressed psychiatric outpatients received the same assessment battery. Family practice patients received repeated assessment of depressive symptoms, stress, social support, and health care utilization over a period of up to 60 months of longitudinal follow-up. Results: The central MDP findings confirm that significant differences in past history, severity, and impairment exist between depressed psychiatric and family practice patients, that detection rates are significantly higher for severely depressed primary care patients, and that clinicians use clinical cues such as past history, distress, and severity of symptoms to "detect" depression in patients at intermediate and mild levels of severity. As well, there is a lack of association between detection and improved outcome in primary care patients. Conclusion: These results call into question the assumption that "depression is depression" irrespective of the setting and physician, and they are consistent with a model of depressive disorder as a subacute or chronic condition characterized by clinical parameters of severity, staging, and comorbidity, similar to asthma. This new model can guide further investigation into the epidemiology and management of mood disorders in the primary care setting.


The popularity of online shopping has risen sharply in recent years, bringing about the emergence of new forms of payment. Against this background, the OeNB conducted a survey in fall 2011 on the general payment behavior of households in Austria (payment survey). This study presents the results of this survey, focusing on Austrians' Internet shopping habits. The survey shows that in Austria 7 of 10 persons use the Internet on a regular basis. More than 60% of these Internet users have purchased goods or services over the Internet at least once. It has become apparent that the ratio of online shoppers varies greatly across sociodemographic groups. The share of online shoppers is higher among men, younger people, more highly educated people and persons living in less densely populated areas. The majority of online payments (around 50%) are made via bank-based payment services, followed by credit card payments, which account for 27% of all payment transactions. The use of Internet-specific payment methods like PayPal is still not widely accepted in Austria. However, with a share of more than 10%, the number of Internet-specific payment schemes has grown considerably compared to the results of previous OeNB studies on payments. The strong boost in e-commerce in recent years has promoted the use of payment instruments on the Internet. Therefore, online shopping will have a growing influence on payment behavior.


Collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostic based on a pulsed CO2 laser (wavelength 10.6 μm) has been developed to establish a diagnostic method of confined α-particles in burning plasmas. A high-repetition and high-energy transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) laser has been developed as a source of the CTS diagnostic. In order to obtain single-mode output, which is needed for CTS diagnostic, seed laser is injected into the cavity with unstable resonator. Pulse energy of 17 J with a repetition rate of 15 Hz has been achieved in a single-mode operation. This result gives a prospect for the CTS diagnostic on International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), which requires energy of 20 J with repetition rate of 40 Hz. Proof-of-principle test will be carried out in the JT-60U tokamak by using the newly developed laser. Preliminary consideration of the CTS diagnostic in the tandem mirror GAMMA 10 shows that axial profiles of ion temperature will be obtained using a circumferential collection mirror of scattered power.


Abstract The present chapter attempts to review the most important concepts that should always be borne in mind when performing the fatigue assessment. In particular, the uniaxial fatigue problem is initially addressed by considering those parameters affecting the overall fatigue strength of engineering materials. Subsequently, some aspects related to the torsional as well as to the multiaxial fatigue problem are briefly investigated.


A 40-year-old woman presented with a 6-month history of papular lesions associated with a mild burning sensation on the face, arms and chest. Progressive tightening of the affected skin appeared in due course. She had dysphagia to solid food (Fig. 1). Thyroid function tests, serum electophoresis and complete lipid profile were normal. The patient underwent barium swallow radiography, which did not reveal any oesophageal abnormality; however, esophageal manometry revealed inadequate peristalsis.


Objective: Development of a methodology for determining the design life of solid-rolled wheels of railway rolling stock, based on the requirements of the current regulatory documentation. Methods: Methods of the theories of probability, reliability, elasticity and numerical solution of partial differential equations (finite element method) are applied. Results: A methodology for calculating the design life using the criteria of TR CU 001/2011, TR CU 002/2011 and GOST 33783–2016. Practical importance: The developed method will make it possible to exclude the presence of wheels with a significant service life on the railway infrastructure which do not provide the required level of reliability, which, in turn, can lead to sudden destruction of wheels under the cars.


The authors describe how Titan Beta has designed and manufactured a 12 MW, 100 kW modulator as part of Titan's 10 MeV, 15 kW linear accelerator (Linac) electron beam industrial processing system. These systems are designed to operate at a duty of 7000 hours or greater per year. Two of the three Linac systems produced by Titan Beta are operated by the Titan Corporation. Titan integrates the Linac systems into their turn key medical product sterilization facilities and provides the material handling, shielding and all necessary controls and documentation required to conform to FDA requirements for the sterilization of medical products.


Successful companies of tomorrow will be those that drive the use of supply chain collaboration more strategically, creating new revenue opportunities, efficiencies and customer loyalty. In this paper, using Interpretive Structural Modelling, inter relationships of the variables influencing supply chain collaboration have been derived. These variables have been categorised according to their driving power and dependence. This methodology provides a means by which order can be imposed on the complexity of such variables. The insight from the model would help supply chain managers in strategic planning for improving supply chain collaboration.


To introduce one kind of ball valve sealing structures which is formed through bringing pressure on the seat ring while the ball or disc is rolling towards the seat ring parallelly.This structure has been certificated of China Invetion Paten (Number:ZL99124153\^3).


The operation of a voltage source power converter (VSC) with regeneration capability, controllable power factor and low distortion of utility currents is analyzed at increased utility voltage. Increase in utility voltage causes a VSC to saturate and enter a nonlinear mode of operation. A PWM algorithm is implemented which extends the linear region of operation by 15% and reduces commutation losses by 33%. In addition, a current regulator is implemented to control the reactive current of the VSC under normal and elevated utility voltage. The results of analysis are experimentally verified on a 100 kW three phase voltage source converter.<<ETX>>


Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction plays an important role in intelligent manufacturing, industrial inspection and reverse modeling. The model accuracy of 3D reconstruction has important influence on the final product quality and reliability, and point cloud registration is the key to 3D reconstruction, whose registration accuracy directly affects the final 3D reconstruction accuracy. There are many researches on point cloud registration algorithms, but the existing point cloud methods often have the disadvantages of low accuracy and slow speed when registering large point clouds. To meet this challenge, it is proposed that a high-accuracy point cloud registration method by digital volume correlation (DVC). Firstly, source point cloud and target point cloud are down sampled by voxel grid filter. Subsequently, the intrinsic shape signatures (ISS) feature is used to extract the feature points and random sample consensus (RANSAC) algorithm is used for coarse registration with ISS feature points. Finally, the point clouds are converted into voxels with gray-value information, which will be used for DVC calculation to obtain higher accuracy point cloud registration results. Experimental results show that our method can achieve high precision registration of large point clouds and ensure sufficient registration speed.


An identification procedure and sensitivity studies on single and multiple delaminations in laminated composite beams are presented. A Spectral Finite Element Model (SEM) based on the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is employed. A single damaged spectral element is used to model a uniform composite beam segment with a single delamination, irrespective of its length, by only specifying the delamination location and size. A damage force indicator is used to stimulate the identification procedure. In a realistic identification task, the advantage of the proposed procedure is that only two measurement nodes are sufficient as opposed to several measurement nodes in a standard finite element model with a single delamination. For multiple delaminations, the computation time to perform the identification task shows cubic polynomial complexity and hence is tractable for health monitoring of large skeletal structures. Sensitivity of a damage force indicator with respect to variations in delamination location and size is also presented. The analysis efficiently identifies the severity of delaminated configurations through the damage force indicator. This basic information can be useful in choosing optimal measurement points and the discretized structural model to minimize redundancy in the presence of several other factors such as high noise to signal ratio, damping etc. Conclusions are made on many important issues, which can be addressed with further development based on this preliminary work.


This paper introduces a design of SD card memory based on LM3S615 and SD card. Both hardware design and software design of the system are discussed, and the driver program and application program is designed to run data memory system based on FAT16. The memory has a high transmission speed, to achieve reliable data storage, has be applied in the field of geological instrument, such as CSAMT and domestic magnetometer, etc.


The test areas and associated theoretical analysis is reported of twelve structures in which artificial insulation retards geothermal heat loss. Four of the structures were instrumented with thermocouples and settlement gages. One structure has been tested over a 2-year period and the other three over a 1-year period. A general method of design is described and examples are presented. Insulated foundations may be adopted for both heated and unheated structures. In the former type, the perimeter foundation is protected by a layer of insulation around the building. The width and thickness of the insulation strip may be determined from the freezing index of the area. In unheated structures a continuous insulation mat must be provided beneath the entire area of both floor and footings. The perimeter insulation strip must also be provided. Figures are preseated which illustrate conventional and insulated foundations for heated and unheated buildings, and details are given of the installation of insulated foundations. A computer program is described which was utilized to prepare design graphs for the proposed approach and to evaluate the effect of the most important parameters. The program provided a solution to the heat conduction problem that allowed for transient heat flow and included the effect of lates heat of fusion. The potential capability and limitations of the program are discussed. The thermal properties of various soils are considered and the thermal properties of selected materials are tabulated. The effects are reviewed of depth to bottom isothermal boundary, of soil type, latent heat of fusion, and dimensional effects. A 14-point design procedure and recommendation is presented together with illustrations and examples. The use of non-water absorbing insulation material (extruded polystyrene board, styrene bead-board, or concrete) also provides a water barrier and reduced thermal gradients below footings.


The impacts of satellite geodesy are being felt in all aspects of human development and environmental management. Its principal advantages stem from the global nature of its scope, the diversity of its sensors and the realtime capabilities to capture both visual, numerical and other data types for as long as desired and in all weather conditions. The capacity to pinpoint locations to high precision in fractions of a second and provide detailed geometric and graphical definitions of large swaths are proving useful for meeting the needs of a people desirous for automation in all aspects of human endeavours and for confronting the increasing challenges of sustainable development and environmental degradation. The most innovative facility provided by satellite geodesy is the technology of remote sensing which enables measurements of objects without physical contact for interpretative and mensurative analysis and mapping in static or kinematic modes. The aim of this paper is to showcase the contributions of satellite geodesy to sustainable environmental management its basic concepts and a brief exploration of some of its applications. The overall objective is to underscore its critical role in socio-economic development. The paper posits therefore that today's rapidly changing environmental problems requiring static and realtime locational and graphical solutions can be solved through the facilities of satellite geodesy.


The authors of this paper propose a solution to the issue of improving road safety by more in-depth and advanced training of children in the rules of the road and driving a vehicle in the Children's interactive car Park. Within this Park, by taking into account accident statistics, driving license control exercises, certain features of the road network, etc., an urban environment in miniature is created that promotes full and practical learning for children. This system will allow children to learn from an early age what responsibility is on the road, become more attentive, which in turn will increase their safety in road conditions, as well as increase road safety in the future. This article describes the basic principles of developing a children's interactive car Park, presents its planning and organizational structure.


This work describes the development of an agent-based simulation that is an Adoption Dynamics Analysis Model for Electric Vehicles (ADAM & EV). ADAM & EV supports stakeholders in understanding the electric mobility landscape and the possible effects on policies. The model takes a consumer perspective by focusing in-depth on the consumer decision making process following the Theory of Planned Behaviour. In this work, we discuss the structure and interface of the model, and shortly discuss a few initial outcomes such as the consequence that stimulating BEVs increases emissions in the short-term when taking into account manufacturing emissions.


A slag tap cooling apparatus of a high temperature furnace is provided to prevent heat damage of a slag tap by cooling the slag tap intensively, and to remove hardened slag attached to the slag tap by increasing hardness of the slag. A slag tap cooling apparatus of a high temperature furnace comprises: a wall body(14) of a high temperature furnace, a melting reaction space part(12) formed in the wall body, a slag tap(18) and a cooling block(42). Molten slag(30) discharged from the melting reaction space part flows down along the upper surface of the slag tap. The cooling block is embedded in the part of the wall body where the slag tap is seated for cooling the slag tap. The cooling block is made of a material with high heat conductivity and includes a refrigerant circulation line(42a). A damping coating member(44) is provided between the cooling block and the wall body and damping heat-expansion behavior between different materials, thereby preventing breakdown of them.


Creative activities often involve specific processes and techniques that reflect the unique nature of the activity. For live coders, these processes and techniques can be expressed as algorithms and functions in live coding languages. In many fields, these idiomatic processes are referred to as design patterns. Design patterns are important to understand because they can structure thought and direct users towards particular outcomes. This article examines the design patterns in live coding practices and languages, specifically focusing on the Live Coding Toolkit for Pure Data. Pure Data is a visual programming language, but few live coders have traditionally used it. This article explains how the Live Coding Toolkit allows Pure Data to effectively express the patterns of practice required for successful music live coding performance.


Terrorist attacks are watched in disbelief. Terrorist attacks are watched as completely believable. Terrorist attacks are condemned without equivocation. Terrorist attacks engender equivocation concerning the relationship between means and ends. Describing an event as a terrorist attack may be accurate. Describing an event as a terrorist attack is a political stance used to deny the presence of a founding injustice.


Cyber-Physical Systems are very vulnerable to sparse sensor attacks. But current protection mechanisms employ linear and deterministic models which cannot detect attacks precisely. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a new non-linear generalized model to describe Cyber-Physical Systems. This model includes unknown multivariable discrete and continuous-time functions and different multiplicative noises to represent the evolution of physical processes and random effects in the physical and computational worlds. Besides, the digitalization stage in hardware devices is represented too. Attackers and most critical sparse sensor attacks are described through a stochastic process. The reconstruction and protection mechanisms are based on a weighted stochastic model. Error probability in data samples is estimated through different indicators commonly employed in non-linear dynamics (such as the Fourier transform, first-return maps, or the probability density function). A decision algorithm calculates the final reconstructed value considering the previous error probability. An experimental validation based on simulation tools and real deployments is also carried out. Both, the new technology performance and scalability are studied. Results prove that the proposed solution protects Cyber-Physical Systems against up to 92% of attacks and perturbations, with a computational delay below 2.5 s. The proposed model shows a linear complexity, as recursive or iterative structures are not employed, just algebraic and probabilistic functions. In conclusion, the new model and reconstruction mechanism can protect successfully Cyber-Physical Systems against sparse sensor attacks, even in dense or pervasive deployments and scenarios


The SUNY system, the largest HEI in the nation, has a unique advantage to explore
semi-standardized gatekeeper CS course with the possibility to be a more transferable
model for this type of courses than before across SUNY and HEIs in general.


Using ab initio calculations we have computed the lattice constants, bulk moduli, and local and total density of states of the MAX phases, Ti2TlC, Zr2TlC, and Hf2TlC in the hexagonal P63∕mmc space group. The results for lattice constants are within 2% of experimental results. The bulk moduli are predicted to be 125, 120, and 131GPa, respectively. These are the lowest values of bulk moduli among all MAX phases studied to date. The electronic density of states shows that all three materials are conducting. These low values of their bulk moduli are attributed to weak metal M (M=Ti,Zr,Hf) bonding with the A element thallium.


IT IS A GREAT PLEASURE FOR ME TO examine the challenges facing democracy in Latin America at the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of one of the most prestigious centers for Latin American Studies. Democracy has been the great cause of my generation. It is the only way forward to overcome the burdens of the past and build an open, powerful and participatory society, both as a set of rules and procedures and as the process through which people influence the decisions that affect their lives. Democracy requires, of course, the respect of basic political rights and civil liberties, such as a multiparty political system, free and fair elections, freedom of expression and organization. But this is what we might call a "thin" or minimalist concept. Democracy is more than the sum of its institutions and procedures. Substantive democracy is embedded on society. It is nurtured and enhanced by a vibrant civil society and a civic culture of participation, responsibility and debate. That is why democracy is, always, a work in progress, an unfinished journey. It is a process rooted in the history of any given society. It cannot be imposed from the outside and is never achieved once and for all.


Objective:Cancerous pain is one of the most frequently appeared symptoms.It is also the common,early and painful symptom in patients with osseous metastasis.In recent years,by combination of syndrome differentiation and disease differentiation,and by the combination of traditional internal therapy with external therapy,there are significant progresses in the clinical research on treatment of cancerous pain induced by malignant metastasis.Some of the therapeutic approaches have gained satisfactory efficacy,with advantages of treating both the principal and the secondary aspects of a disease,less side effects and lower cost.Clinical research emphasizes multi-centered,randomized,double blind,sufficient large sampling,reasonably established control group,standardized evaluation criteria for cancerous pain.Meanwhile,attentions should be paid to the evaluation parameters for clinical benefits,the quality control of medicinal preparations,and the research on the effective components responsible for the efficacy.These issues are goals and the problems should be reached and solved in the near future.


Dectin‐1 is recognized as a major receptor for fungal ß‐glucans and contributes to anti‐fungal immunity. Human monocyte populations express Dectin‐1 isoforms A and B, which differ by the presence of a stalk region and its N‐linked glycosylation site. Here, we analyzed the expression of both isoforms in human monocyte‐derived cells. The cellular localization on cell lines stably expressing either Dectin‐1 isoform A or B was studied by flow cytometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Intracellular protein signaling and cytokine production were analyzed by immunoblotting and cytometric bead array, respectively. Monocyte‐derived cells showed cell type‐specific expression of the two isoforms. Glycosylated Dectin‐1 isoform A was predominantly localized at the cell surface, non‐glycosylated isoform B was retained intracellularly. Inhibition of glycosylation resulted in efficient abrogation of cell surface expression of isoform A. Signaling quality following Dectin‐1 stimulation was reduced in isoform B cells. Differential isoform specific cytokine secretion was observed by cytometric bead array. We show here that n‐glycosylation of Dectin‐1 is crucial for its cell surface expression and consequently signal transduction. Taken together, unique cytokine secretion and varying expression levels of human Dectin‐1 isoforms on monocyte‐derived cells may indicate distinct isoform usage as a cell type‐specific mechanism of regulating anti‐fungal immunity.


Objective:The difference in cytotoxicity of bioprosthetic cardiac valve materials was compared by using agar overlay and direct contact assay methods.Method:The material was crosslinked by glutaral dehyde and stored in 4% formaldehyde.The cells used for testing were human embryonic fibroblasts and mouse L-929 cells.The agar overlay and direct contact assay methods were used and their results were analyzed and compared.The cell proliferative inhibition index(CPII)was calculated for the testing materials being at the periods before,10,20 and 30 days after immerising the testing materials in the cellular suspension fluid.Conclusion:It was concluded that the direct contact method was more sensitive in the detection of cytotoxicity of the material than that of the agar overlay method.It was considered that in testing the cytotoxicity of the prosthetic heart valve material the direct contact method was preferable because it was more sensitive and accurate.


Counts of the proportion of young in wintering flocks of Brent Geese were made in the British Isles, Denmark, Holland and France and showed that a bad breeding season for Dark-bellied Brent had coincided with an even worse one for Greenland-bred Pale-bellied birds wintering in Ireland. The result must have been a reduction in the total population of Brent and limited evidence suggests that this might have been of the order of about 9% for a large part of the Dark-bellied population. Observations made on the island of Terschelling suggest a differential movement of birds with families and those without.


In the past few years, as technology has radically changed how we find and use information resources, library staff have begun to notice significant generational differences in the information-seeking behavior of library patrons. These frequent observations at the reference desk and in library instruction classes planted the first small seeds of our interest in this topic. Internet sites and online articles about generational differences are plentiful and focus on a wide range of subjects, such as learning styles, social behaviors, moral values, technological skills, marketing, communication, and workplace performance. Generational categories are based on the time period in which a . . .


A technique is described for measuring the RCS of 2D (two-dimensional) diffracting sources. The measured and predicted diffraction RCS of a conducting halfplane edge and a gap in an otherwise infinite conducting plane are presented. The technique may be used to measure the diffraction coefficient of an impedance discontinuity.


Purpose of the study: Prognosis is generally considered poor for patients with an iliac bone localization of Ewing sarcoma because the deep tumor is often large with initial metastases. This study demonstrates that the predictive value of these factors is related to treatment and that early en bloc resection can modify the prognosis. Material and method: We have treated 62 cases of Ewing tumor of the iliac bone since 1976, 36 males and 25 females, mean age 16.5 years (range 4 – 47). Thirteen patients presented primary metastases. Mean tumor size, measured by digital imaging, was 729 cm3. Adapted chemotherapy was given in all cases. Local treatment included exclusive radiotherapy in 20 patients, radiochemotherapy in 15 and exclusive en bloc extratumoral resection in 27. Results: At 15 years mean follow-up, overall relapse-free survival at ten years was 38%. This rate was 43% among patients without metastasis and 18% for those with initial metastasis (the three other patients underwent surgical resection of a primary focus and a bone metastasis). For patients with localized disease, prognosis was essentially determined by type and timing of local treatment. Surgical resection did not appear to have a significant effect on prognosis for patients operated on after three months; for these patients, only those with total histological response survived. Conversely, patient who underwent surgery before three months with en bloc resection and chemotherapy with at least five drugs had a relapse-free survival of 80% at ten years. Conclusion: The prognosis of Ewing sarcoma is seriously dependent on the therapeutic modality, even when the localization is known to have a poor prognosis such as the iliac bone. Early en bloc extratumoral resection (before three months) greatly improved the prognosis of patients without metastasis, even for those with a very large tumor. Conversely, prognosis remained very poor for patients given exclusive radiotherapy or operated on late.


Safety assessment is conducted on blasting at small open stone quarries by using SCL,FTA,LEC,and so on,in which the possible factors that cause blasting accidents are found out and the prevention measures are raised which provides references for the prevention of blasting accidents.


The concept of intuitionistic fuzzy dot d-ideals in d-algebra is introduced. Intuitionistic fuzzy dot subalgebra of d-algebra is defined. Some important results in respect of intuitionistic fuzzy d-ideal, intuitionistic fuzzy dot d-ideals are derived. Effect of Attanasov's operators � ; ♢ and Fa;b on intuitionistic fuzzy dot d-ideals are studied. Some properties of intuitionistic fuzzy dot d-ideals under homomorphism are investigated.


Mental damages is an universal phenomenon in the cases of refringing the rights of the person. This paper makes a juridical logic analysis of the compensation for mental damages, points out its limitations in the legislation and judicature of our country and the corresponding countermeasures to take. It has practical significance on promoting the legal system building of our country.


When retrieving data from IoT devices, errors in time series data often occur due to interference. Data with errors cannot be processed or saved in databases and warehouses because it causes data inconsistency, conflicting with Big Data principles. Built-in mechanisms in databases are not always able to fix incorrect data. Manually correcting data for extensive collections is too time-consuming and costly. Therefore, there is a need for automatic data cleansing, especially time series. This article proposes our data cleaning method for time series based on a moving average. Test results show a slight improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio.


A power semiconductor device and a method of forming the same is provided. The method begins by providing a substrate of a first conductivity type and then forming a voltage sustaining region on the substrate. The voltage sustaining region is formed by depositing an epitaxial layer of a first conductivity type on the substrate and forming at least one trench in the epitaxial layer. A barrier material is deposited along the walls of the trench. A dopant of a second conductivity type is implanted through the barrier material into a portion of the epitaxial layer adjacent to and beneath the bottom of the trench. The dopant is diffused to form a first doped layer in the epitaxial layer and the barrier material is removed from at least the bottom of the trench. The trench is etched through the first doped layer and a filler material is deposited in the trench to substantially fill the trench, thus completing the voltage sustaining region. At least one region of the second conductivity type is formed over the voltage sustaining region to define a junction therebetween.


The following investigation into the effect of pasteurisation on the tubercle bacillus was commenced in 1923, in order to ascertain whether the temperatures used in commercial pasteurisation are at all times sufficient to destroy the virulence of the tubercle bacillus in naturally infected tuberculous milk, i.e. milk as secreted by a cow suffering from tuberculosis of the udder.


Since the domestic dog became the most important animal companion centuries ago, there has existed in humans a desire to cross-breed dogs with unique characteristics and to preserve the most desirable traits in the form of breeds. The resulting phenotypic variation observed across breeds is far greater than that observed for any other animal species, hence the dog and its genome have attracted enormous scientific and public interest. As geneticist, molecular biologist, and veterinary clinician, we have led many of the successful collaborations in canine genomics, clinical diagnostics, and molecular technology that culminated in 2004 with the completion of the canine genome sequence. We, hence, embraced the opportunity offered by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press to present the recent developments and current molecular genetic understanding of the domestic dog and its genome at this exciting time. We are most indebted to our many colleagues whose expertise and enormous efforts made their chapter contributions invaluable to this book. As we embarked on this project, we recognized how much progress has recently been made in this rapidly evolving field; we apologize that we had to select topics and could not acknowledge various collaborative and other research groups worldwide who made outstanding contributions to the better understanding of the genetics of the dog. All these achievements would not have been possible without the tremendous efforts of countless students, research and sequence production specialists, and postdoctoral fellows in our own and other laboratories. A very special thanks goes to all who did the actual


This paper describes the geometrical properties of the solutions to the total variation denoising method. A folklore statement is that this method is able to restore sharp edges, but at the same time, might introduce some staircasing (i.e. "fake" edges) in flat areas. Quite surprisingly, put aside numerical evidences, almost no theoretical result are available to backup these claims. The first contribution of this paper is a precise mathematical definition of the "extended support" (associated to the noise-free image) of TV denoising. This is intuitively the region which is unstable and will suffer from the staircasing effect. Our main result shows that the TV denoising method indeed restores a piece-wise constant image outside a small tube surrounding the extended support. Furthermore, the radius of this tube shrinks toward zero as the noise level vanishes and in some cases, an upper bound on the convergence rate is given.


When a coherent (heterodyne or homodyne), single-mixer type optical receiver is combined with an optical preamplifier or in-line amplifier(s), the S/N is deteriorated severely due to the common-mode (signal-ASE and ASE-ASE) beat noise. When a balanced-type coherent receiver is used, the common-mode beat noise can be suppressed and the ideal, so-called LO-ASE bet-noise-limited, S/N is attainable. The Letter presents a clear experimental demonstration of the suppression of common-mode beat noise by a balanced receiver. The minimum required LO power is determined by the thermal noise or the common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of the balanced receiver.


Background Neutrophils play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of acid‐induced acute lung injury. Lidocaine inhibits the function of neutrophils. This study aimed to determine whether lidocaine attenuates acute lung injury induced by hydrochloric acid (HCl) instillation. Methods In study 1, rabbits were divided into four groups (n = 7 each). Lung injury was induced by intratracheal HCl (0.1 N, 3 ml/kg) in two groups. The other two groups received saline intratracheally. Lidocaine given intravenously (2 mg/kg bolus + 2 mg [center dot] kg‐1 [center dot] h‐1 infusion) was started 10 min before intratracheal instillation in one HCl and one saline group, and saline was given intravenously in the other two groups. In study 2, rabbits (four groups of seven animals each) received HCl (0.1 N, 3 ml/kg) intratracheally. Treatment with intravenous lidocaine was started 10 min before, 10 min after, or 30 min after acid instillation, or saline was given intravenously 10 min before instillation. Results In study 1, HCl caused deterioration of the partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), lung leukosequestration, decreased lung compliance, and increased the lung wet‐to‐dry weight ratio and albumin, interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and IL‐8 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Lidocaine pretreatment attenuated these changes. Hydrochloric acid increased superoxide anion production by neutrophils and caused morphologic lung damage, both of which were lessened by lidocaine. In study 2, lidocaine given 10 min after acid instillation was as effective as pretreatment in PaO2, lung mechanics, and histologic examination. However, PaO2 changes in lidocaine 30 min after injury were similar to those in saline given intravenously. Conclusions Intravenous lidocaine started before and immediately after acid instillation attenuated the acute lung injury, in part by inhibiting the sequestration and activation of neutrophils.


Female prisoners in recovery may anticipate defeat when projecting possibilities for their future hopes and dreams. These clients often identify with and attach to the role of prisoner and addict. This article describes a 12-week group treatment program, titled by the author as "Prayerformance." In this work, female prisoners in recovery have an opportunity to connect spiritually and psychologically by using techniques like role play, improvisation, spontaneity training, storytelling, character development, mask work, and movement. doi:10.1300/J456v02n01_02 [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: <email@example.com> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com> © 2006/2007 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]


ADGA was selected by Transport Canada and Industry Canada to study the communications necessary to support seamless IVHS services throughout Canada. The communication needs, the tools developed for their analysis and the principal findings of the analysis are the subjects of this paper. The tools have application to the analysis of alternative IVHS options in a wide range of scenarios. They may be used for system trade off analysis and the identification of IVHS services that may best be grouped together from a communications perspective. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD 868006.


Collaboration dismantles the compartmentalized structure of educational organizations and creates a safe and supportive environment for its teachers. This helps them to share valuable knowledge related to content or pedagogy, with the common interest of creating a better learning environment for the students. Collaboration supports teachers in instructional practices as well as contributes to their job satisfaction. The structure of this paper is guided by theoretical frameworks by DuFour, Eaker, and DuFour's (2005) on collaboration, Bandura's (1977, 1982) social cognitive theory, and Herzberg's (1987) theory of motivation and hygiene. The data from United States teachers' from The Teaching and Learning International Survey (2013) was used to explore the relationship between collaboration, instructional practices, and job satisfaction using structural equation modeling. The results showed that collaboration among teachers cannot directly predict the level of job satisfaction, but significantly predicts job satisfaction when mediated through the use of instructional practices.


The purpose of this paper is to use the Analytic Hierarchy Process to build up a model on identifying the strategic risk. The new model is based on Baird and Thomas' Contingency model which is in accord with the strategic management of the traditional mode of thinking. At the same time, on the basis of systematology we use the multi-objective fuzzy optimization theory as strategic risk measurement methods, to enable the enterprises from the perspective of the overall strategy to identify and measure strategic risk, to determine or measure the quantity of risk of strategic management.


The cutting stock or trim problem arises when jumbo rolls of paper are slit into reels of various width ("deckled"). The problem was examined as early as 1954; it is now seen as a classical Linear Programming formulation. The problem may be easy to formulate, but it is difficult to solve for genuine data. This is so not only because of the computations required to find good cutting plans. The major problem is this: such plans are based on certain data, but the data change as the plan is being executed and the plan no longer applies. So here it may not be optimal to optimise globally, but to work on a local heuristic basis. We can propose a heuristic procedure that compares well with an absolute solution and that can be used on a local basis. This heuristic is in use at Mondi Paper in Richards Bay.


It is well known that the widely used powerful geostrophic equations that single out the vertical component of the Earth's rotation cease to be valid near the equator. Through a vorticity and an angular momentum analysis on the sphere, we show that if the flow varies on a horizontal scale L smaller than (Ha)1/2 (where H is a vertical scale of motion and a the Earth's radius), then equatorial dynamics must include the effect of the horizontal component of the Earth's rotation. In equatorial regions, where the horizontal plane aligns with the Earth's rotation axis, latitudinal variations of planetary angular momentum over such scales become small and approach the magnitude of its radial variations proscribing, therefore, vertical displacements to be freed from rotational constraints. When the zonal flow is strong compared to the meridional one, we show that the zonal component of the vorticity equation becomes (2Ω.Δ)u1 = g/ρ0)(∂ρ/a∂θ). This equation, where θ is latitude, expresses a balance between the buoyancy torque and the twisting of the full Earth's vorticity by the zonal flow u1. This generalization of the mid-latitude thermal wind relation to the equatorial case shows that u1 may be obtained up to a constant by integrating the 'observed' density field along the Earth's rotation axis and not along gravity as in common mid-latitude practice. The simplicity of this result valid in the finite-amplitude regime is not shared however by the other velocity components. Vorticity and momentum equations appropriate to low frequency and predominantly zonal flows are given on the equatorial β-plane. These equatorial results and the mid-latitude geostrophic approximation are shown to stem from an exact generalized relation that relates the variation of dynamic pressure along absolute vortex lines to the buoyancy field. The usual hydrostatic equation follows when the aspect ratio δ = H/L is such that tan θ/δ is much larger than one. Within a boundary-layer region of width (Ha)1/2 and centred at the equator, the analysis shows that the usually neglected Coriolis terms associated with the horizontal component of the Earth's rotation must be kept. Finally, some solutions of zonally homogeneous steady equatorial inertial jets are presented in which the Earth's vorticity is easily turned upside down by the shear flow and the correct angular momentum 'Ωr2cos2(θ)+u1 rCos(θ)' contour lines close in the vertical–meridional plane.


Medical image fusion is to fuse two medical images of different modes into one image containing rich information, in this process, the required information is retained and unnecessary information is suppressed. In the classical bilateral filtering method, each pixel of a single image is considered, while in the field of image fusion, the pixel value of multiple images can be combined. Therefore, we propose a medical image fusion method based on average cross bilateral filtering (ACBF). First, use ACBF to decompose the source image into smooth layers (SL) and detail layers (DL). Then, the traditional ABS-MAX method is used to fuse the smooth layer, and the neighborhood energy sum (NES) method is used to fuse the detail layer. Finally, the final fused image is obtained by adding the fused smooth layer and detail layer. The image quality is evaluated by subjective visual perception and objective index scores. The results show that this method is superior to the other eight methods in providing detail information, edge contour, etc.


The article is reviewing phenomenon of «Korean Wave» as Soft Power policy that is used to increase the intensity of development and spreading over the world of South Korea's national brand.


We have developed a "policy server for an access network (PSAN)" that can provide a policy-based IP virtual private network (IP-VPN) service. PSAN uses a "network management layer adaptation policy action table (NAPAT)" to provide a policy adaptation function, which converts from a user policy rule to certain policy rules at the network device level. Each network device level policy rule is suited to each unit of transport equipment of public networks, which employ a variety of network technologies (e.g., WDM, ATM, and SDH). To promptly provide the acceptance or rejection of the service level agreement (SLA), we use the "QoS capability network view (QCNV)" to instantaneously check if the user's QoS policy can be enforced. We developed a prototype system based on the asynchronous transfer mode passive optical network (ATM-PON) that we have already developed, and we showed that it can realize an IP-VPN service by an evaluation of scalability.


We consider finite state channels where the state of the channel is its previous output. We refer to these as POST (Previous Output is the STate) channels. We focus on POST( a, b) channels. These channels have binary inputs and outputs, wh ere the state determines if the channel behaves as a binary with parameters (a, b) or (b, a). We show that the non feedback capacity of the POST(a, b) channel equals its feedback capacity, despite the memory of the channel. The proof of this surprisi ng result is based on showing that the induced output distribut ion, when maximizing the directed information in the presence of feedback, can also be achieved by an input distribution that does not utilize of the feedback. We show that this is a sufficient condition for the feedback capacity to equal the non feedbac k capacity for any finite state channel. Keywords—Causal conditioning, Convex optimization, Channels with memory, Directed information, Feedback capacity, Finite state channel, KKT conditions, POST channel.


Abstract For quantification of the insecticide chlorantraniliprole in chilli and soil, an optimized gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method is presented, with recoveries of 92–96%, and relative standard deviations of 1.4–2.7%. The limit of quantification is 0.01 mg/kg. Degradation of chlorantraniliprole follows first-order kinetics with half-lives between 1.6 and 1.8 days for chilli and soil. For earthworms and arthropods in the chilli field, the calculated risk quotient is found to be <1, as well as for consumers of chilli just after application of chlorantraniliprole. Residue concentrations in chilli fruit can be further reduced by 6–63% using different decontamination methods.


The proposed approach uses blockchain-based technology to strengthen the data security of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). This paper integrates blockchain-based technology with data transfer to establish an extremely secure WSNs structure. The present wireless network is built on the architecture of the Internet of Things (IoT) and employs a blockchain-based method to make the reliability of data transmission strong. In this proposed research, many small-area wireless sensor networks establish the entire WSNs structure, and every small-area wireless sensor network has a primary data collection node called a "mobile database." The "mobile database" node of this study uses embedded microcontrollers with an operating system, such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino Yun. This block contains the sensor data collected by itself and the hash value of the previous block. Then the hash value of its own block, which is also part of the hash calculation of the next block, was calculated through the mining calculation program. Any block in the proposed method includes the encrypted hash-value of the previous block, the current timestamp, and the transaction data. In our research content, the transaction data is represented as wireless network sensing data. Basically, the system employs the hash function for calculation using the Merkel-tree algorithm. Such programming makes the block with blockchain-based technology difficult to tamper with content. This study approach revises the blockchain-based transaction ledger to become a sensor data record. Therefore, the proposed system gathers and analyzes sensor data for more reliability in the wireless sensing network structure. Furthermore, the innovative system with blockchain-based technology can treat a private cloud-end. This paper also carries on to visualize the uploaded sensing data by the sensors and draws corresponding charts based on big data analysis. The wireless network architecture proposed in this paper is built on embedded devices, making it easy for the system to build a web server. Using Python or JavaScript programming language in the web environment is relatively more convenient for data visualization and data analysis. Finally, this study uses traditional methods and innovative methods to compare data transmission. When the system uses innovative methods with blockchain-based technology, it is almost impossible for any operator to tamper with the data transmitted by the sensor.


This paper examines the effects of mergers and acquisitions on returns on capital employed and dividend per share of companies in Nigeria. Data were collected from published consolidated financial statements of five of the companies that combined between 1983 and 2003 which had one or two of the companies listed on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Data were collected for a period of twenty year, ten years before and ten years after business combination. Regression analysis and t ¨C test statistic were used to analyze the data. The study reveals that while mergers and acquisitions had significant effect on return on capital employed in 20 percent of the companies, they produced significant effect on dividend per share in 80 percent of the companies studied. The paper concludes that mergers and acquisitions produced varying degrees of effects on some corporate performance indicators. It recommends that mergers and acquisitions could be employed by stakeholders to enhance profitability and dividend per share of their companies in Nigeria.


The objective of this work was to examine the effect of controlled doses of O3 (0, 5 µL L−1 of O3 for 60 min, and 5 µL L−1 of O3 for 720 min) on the quality and phytochemical content of broccoli florets during postharvest storage. The optimal dose was found at 5 µL L−1 of O3 for 60 min, from the color retention of broccoli florets exposed to the gas treatment. Overall, the antioxidant capacity of the florets was significantly affected by both doses of O3 compared to the non-exposed florets. The profile of glucosinolates was determined for up to 14 days in broccoli florets stored at 4 °C by LC-MS. The amount of total glucobrassicins and total hydroxy-cinnamates in florets significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved by the application of 5 µL L−1 of O3 for 60 min compared to non-treated florets. The up-regulation of genes of the tryptophan-derived glucosinolate pathway was observed immediately after both treatments. The gene expression of CYP79A2 and CYP79B3 in broccoli was significantly higher in broccoli florets exposed to 5 µL L−1 of O3 for 720 min compared to non-exposed florets. Although enhancement of secondary metabolites can be achieved by the fumigation of broccoli florets with low doses of ozone, quality parameters, particularly weight loss, can be compromised.


Introduction: Xanthan (XAN) is a well known negatively charged biopolymer that adopts different conformations in media, which are still poorly understood. [...]


We present a function ? (F1, F2, t) which contains Matusita's affinity and expresses the affinity between moment generating functions. An interesting results is expressed through decomposition of this affinity ? (F1, F2, t) when the functions considered are k-dimensional normal distributions. The same decomposition remains true for other families of distribution functions. Generalizations of these results are also presented.