Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in developing as well as in developed countries. It is the second most common cancer accounting for 12.4% of the cases in black women in Zimbabwe, the highest being cancer of the cervix (30.2%).
Objective: To establish knowledge of breast cancer and screening practices among women in Bindura District.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross–sectional research study was conducted. The study sample consisted of 232 consenting women who were selected from Chipadze and Chiwaridzo Council Clinics in Bindura District using simple random sampling method. Data were collected by face to face interviews using a questionnaire. Data were processed using Statistical Package Social Sciences (SSPS) software version 16, 2012 and analyzed descriptively.
Results: Data revealed that 78.4% of the respondent had heard of breast cancer, 24.6% had an in-depth understanding of breast cancer, 97% could not correctly identify risk factors for breast cancer, 60.3% had never heard of breast self examination (BSE) and only 3% knew how often BSE is done. Only 0.9% of the respondents had gone for mammography. Breast cancer knowledge level was very low as only 4.7% of the respondents had moderate knowledge scores of 18 to 26.
Conclusion: Breast cancer knowledge level was very low and screening practices were very poor. Therefore, health care providers need to intensify awareness on breast cancer through health education across all age groups including women in rural areas. The government should also make mammography screening available and accessible at most health care facilities for free if possible or subsidized price for the low income women.


The results of an experimental investigation of the development of ionization instability in completely inert gases are presented for the case of flow of gases across a transverse magnetic field when the ionization relaxation time is much greater than the temperature relaxation time. The experiments were conducted on two electrodeless devices; the first was a coaxial channel with constant transverse cross section and radial magnetic field, while the second was a disc channel with axial magnetic field and radial gas flow. The critical Hall parameter and the time of development of the ionization instability are determined. Recommendations are given for estimating properties of the homogeneous state of the plasma.


''Thus, with the advent of Information communication Technologies (ICT), researchers are working on ways of using ICT to deliver health care services at low costs''.


Purpose – To explore the current literature base of critical success factors (CSFs) of ERP implementations, prepare a compilation, and identify any gaps that might exist.Design/methodology/approach – Hundreds of journals were searched using key terms identified in a preliminary literature review. Successive rounds of article abstract reviews resulted in 45 articles being selected for the compilation. CSF constructs were then identified using content analysis methodology and an inductive coding technique. A subsequent critical analysis identified gaps in the literature base.Findings – The most significant finding is the lack of research that has focused on the identification of CSFs from the perspectives of key stakeholders. Additionally, there appears to be much variance with respect to what exactly is encompassed by change management, one of the most widely cited CSFs, and little detail of specific implementation tactics.Research limitations/implications – There is a need to focus future research efforts...


Breeding with Aloes Aloes have generally been overlooked as garden plants, yet are horticulturally ideal in so many ways. Their architectural structure, resistance to drought and diversity in flower shapes and colors, make them suitable for pots, small gardens and even mass landscape projects. They flower in winter when gardens are generally dull and their floral display last a long time. Aloes generally occur in warmer climatic conditions on the eastern half of the African continent and Madagascar, and cannot withstand extreme cold climates. The flowers that mostly occur in winter are also tender to heavy frost. They generally do not like temperatures below 23°F(-5°C). Aloe breeding is mostly done by plant enthusiasts who have an intense love for the genus and just enjoy seeing the result of two of their favorite aloes combined. This has lead to very interesting and amazing results. There have, however been several aloe breeders, like At Koeleman, Leo Thamm and Kelly Griffin, that have taken the hybridization of aloes to a more advanced level and they have produced plants that are now commonly seen in collections and nurseries. The genus Aloe is, in my opinion, probably one of the most interesting of all when it comes to breeding. There are over 550 species that are mostly amenable to interspecific breeding and the species themselves vary tremendously in size and form. The flowers also vary dramatically in type, shape, colour and flowering time. Hybrids are also often fertile, thus 1. This garden has a combination of early and late flowering aloe hybrids and is "in color" for nearly four months. Some plants are finishing blooming, while others are in full flight, and yet others are still in bud. This is a good example of a "small in front and large at the back" arrangement. Colors are well contrasted and some other succulents like Aptenia (which makes a good ground cover when planted with aloes) and Euphorbia add diversity. The green shrubbery provides a good background.


Wireless communication has been one of the highly emerged technologies in mankind, especially broadband wireless access is one of the popular and highly effective solutions for providing broadband service at a lower price. However, certain issues degrade the Quality of Services such as scheduling, uplink, and bandwidth allocation; researchers have worked hard in these areas, optimize these mechanisms, and achieved significant results. However, these mechanisms ignored the stability of the model and the control parameter impact. Model stability plays a significant role as the number of SS aka subscriber stations and users increases, the model becomes unstable, and this affects the QoS. Hence considering the drawback of the existing model. Here, novel and particular mechanism is developed for model stability and analyze the control parameter effect for achieving high QoS. model evaluation is carried out by considering the parameter such as packet transmission and throughput on different number of the subscriber station and total number of users in the model. Moreover, proposed mechanism achieves double the performance of the existing model.


The present paper discusses on development of fuzzy rule based models (FRBMs) for predicting cutting force and surface roughness in milling operation. The models use TakagiSugeno-Kang-type (TSK-type) fuzzy rule to study the effect of four (input) cutting parameters (cutting speed, feed rate, radial depth of cut and axial depth of cut) on outputs (cutting force and surface roughness). The appropriate FRBM is arrived after a thorough investigation of different structures of rule-consequent function. A combined approach of genetic algorithm and multiple linear regression method is used to determine the rule-consequent parameters. Performance analysis of models by comparing with experimental data implies its potential towards practical application. Analysis of the influence of various input parameters on different outputs is carried out based on FRBMs and experimental data. It suggests that the cutting force becomes higher with increasing feed rate, axial depth of cut and radial depth of cut and lower with increase in cutting speed, whereas surface finish is improved with increase in cutting speed and gets poorer with increase in radial depth of cut.


Pressure is increasing to reallocate water from agriculture to the environment. This article examines the performance of a federal program in Nevada's Lahontan Valley under which water rights are purchased from willing sellers for environmental restoration. Based on a data set combining information on growers' personal and financial characteristics with physical characteristics of their farms, a model is estimated that explains who sells their water rights to the government. Results indicate that personal characteristics, especially short-term financial constraints, have a powerful influence on the sales decision. This finding suggests that the environmental agencies may wish to more actively target growers operating on poor quality soils or on the periphery of irrigation projects to attain a more efficient outcome.


: This study aimed to identify the estimated evaluations of secondary school teachers for employing the BYOD technology, in secondary education in Gaza and the difficulties facing the use of this technique, and then it proposed a model for the use of technology in education. The researcher used a descriptive analytical method. The study sample consisted of (100) secondary teachers, selected randomly, from the secondary school teachers in Gaza Governorate. Two scales were constructed; one for the teachers' assessments of the use of BYOD technology in secondary education, and the other for the implementation of BYOD technology in secondary education, from the perspective of secondary school teachers. The study concluded that there is interest by the teachers in modern technologies, despite the lack of requirements to use this technology in education. Moreover, the study concluded the most important difficulties to the use of this technology in education. Based upon that, the researcher developed a proposed scenario for employing BYOD technology in secondary education.


Flue-cure tobacco acquisition mode has saved the tobacco grower a lot of labor cost,solved the tobacco leaf in bundle adulterate phenomenon effectively,increased tobacco growers' benefit,and improved the quality level. This article focus on analyzing flue-cure tobacco acquisition mode's advantage and disadvatage, putting forward corresponding suggestions,and thinking about how to administrate flue-cure tobacco acquisition better and how to achieve sustainable flue-cure tobacco acquisition mode development.


A complete and exact kinetic analysis of the phenomenon of dynamic kinetic resolution is presented. This analysis is applicable to reactions of stable stereoisomeric substrates whose ratios can be controlled and is valid for any set of kinetic conditions within the constraint of first-order and pseudo-first-order processes. Two new linear relationships are found for the dependence of the initial product ratio on the initial substrate ratio and for the dependence of the final product excess on the initial substrate excess. These relationships yield the minimum number of rate constant ratios needed to characterize the energetics of a chemical system exhibiting dynamic kinetic resolution completely. A distinct experimental advantage of this method is that it is based entirely on product studies. A simple graphical representation of the second linear relationship depicts visually the limiting Curtin−Hammett and anti-Curtin−Hammett conditions. From these conditions, a new parameter is defined that characterize...


Bashkir onomastics has experienced a number of stages in its development, and is still of essential academic interest. However, despite the wide range of available works dealing with personal names, the issue of etymology of Bashkir family names remains understudied and requires further consideration. Special attention should be paid to the fact quite a number of them have been derived from ethnonyms, which makes it necessary to analyze ethnonym-stemmed Bashkir family names in historical and etymological perspectives. So, this is what the article actually deals with. The work applies a number of linguistic research methods, such as descriptive, etymological, comparative, and statistical ones. Works by researchers providing insights into the nature of anthroponymic lexis, classification of anthroponyms, and historical-etymological analyses have served as a methodological basis for the study. The paper studies family, clan and clan branch names derived from ethnonyms — names of nations. It is noteworthy that the analyzed family names have been borrowed from the academic publication Documents and materials on Bashkir history (1836–1842): records of service of officials within the Bashkir-Mishar Host between 1836 and 1842. The historical-etymological analysis of family, clan and clan branch names derived from the onyms Kalmak / Kalmyk, Kazakh, Suvash / Chuvash, Tatar, Kungur, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Istyak and compared to respective ethnonyms makes it possible to conclude that historical and cultural ties between the Bashkirs and neighboring peoples largely contributed to the national onomastics (including anthroponymy). For example, our insight into the onym Nogai 'Nugai' viewed as a respective stem-word has resulted in a number of versions of its origin, namely: firstly, the wide presence of Nogai-stemmed clan and clan branch names might be due to the fact the Bashkirs lived long under the hegemony of the Nogai Horde; secondly, those might stem from the similar name Nagaibak. The invasion of Tatar-Mongols resulted in the emergence of the family names Kalmakaev, Kalmakov, Kalmakkulov and their phonetic variants (Kalmykov, Kolmakov, Kolmychkov). The paper also accepts the hypothesis set forth by F. G. Khisamiitdinova and suggests the anthroponym might have stemmed from a personal name which is based on historical evidence: the legendary Mamyt was given the name 'Kalmak', his ancestors thus being referred to as 'Kalmaks'; it might also be tied to the Turkic verb ҡалыу 'stay' or 'leave'. Close relations between the Bashkir and Kazakh peoples gave rise to anthroponyms stemmed from the ethnonyms истәк 'Ishtyak', ҡаҙаҡ 'Kazakh': Istakov (Istӓkov), Istyagulov / Istyakgulov, Ishtakaev, Kazakaev, Kazakbaev, Kazakkulov, Baikazakov. The ethnonym Istyak was widely used by the Kazakhs to denote southeastern, or 'internal', Bashkirs who had lived next to them and sustained close contacts. The emergence of family names derived from Suvash / Chuvash, Tatar, Kungur, Uzbek, Kyrgyz are also due to close historical and cultural contacts with respective populations. The investigation of Bashkir family names in this perspective establishes a new trend in terms of history and etymology research. The materials can also be used for further studies of Turkic — including Bashkir — anthroponyms.


【Objective】To investigate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous nephrolithotomy(PCNL)in treating kidney stones in patients with diabetes. 【Methods】1215 patients(158 cases with type II diabetes) received PCNL in our hospital, two groups were compared regarding to surgical outcomes and complications, and the clinical data in diabetic group was analyzed seriously.【Results】Mean operative time in diabetic group and non-diabetic group was 96 minutes and 93 minutes, the hospital stay was 10.1 days and 9.3 days, clearance rate was 89.8% and 90.9%, respectively. The postoperative fever rates was 25.9% and 21.1%, pneumothorax was noted in 1 case and 5 cases in each group, hemoglobin decreased was 2.1g/L and 2.3g/L,transfusion rate was 1.26% and 1.04%, respectively. 【Conclusion】PCNL can be performed with excellent stone-free rates and with an acceptable complication risk,especially bleeding and infection, in diabetic population. The incidence of uric acid stone was higher in diabetic population.


The projection method (PM) is a simple and low-cost pattern recovery technique that already proved its effectiveness in retrieving the radiation properties of different types of arrays that change shape in time. However, when dealing with deformable beam-tilting arrays, this method requires to compute new compensating phase shifts every time that the main lobe is steered, since these shifts depend on both the deformation geometry and the steering angle. This tight requirement causes additional signal processing and complicates the prediction of the array behavior, especially if the deformation geometry is not a priori known: this can be an issue since the PM is mainly used for simple and low-cost systems. In this letter, we propose a simplification of this technique for beam-tilting arrays that requires only basic signal processing. In fact the phase shifts that we use are the sum of two components: one can be directly extracted from strain sensor data that measure surface deformation and the other one can be precomputed according to basic antenna theory. The effectiveness of our approach has been tested on two antennas: a 4 × 4 array (trough full-wave simulations and measurements) and on an 8 × 8 array (trough full-wave simulations) placed on a doubly wedge-shaped surface with a beam tilt up to 40 degrees.


A chronological review of the existing literature on Endotrypanum schaudinni MESNIL and BRIMONT 1908 is made. An arrangement of the existing knowledge on these interesting trypanosomes is attempted and further facts are contributed. The taxonomic position and characteristics of their vertebrate hosts, Bradypus and Choloepus, is given as well as some observations on the biology and geographical distribution on the specimens captured in this country. The morphology of the parasite has been observed both in fresh as well as in stained preparations, and trypanosome forms have been reported in Choloepus hoffmanni for the first time. Intracellular forms are reported only in those slides which were prepared immediately after obtaining the blood. The technique and the different culture media employed in the primary isolation of the hemoparasite are given. The harmful effects of anti-clotting agents in the culture media is noticed. A study of the culture forms is carried out both on fresh as well as on stained preparations, reporting in our strains only the leshmania and leptomona forms. A comment is made in relation to the trypanosome forms that had been reported by CUNHA and MUNIZ (4). Different laboratory animals were inoculated with blood of infected Choloepus and with culture forms without being able to demonstrate infection in any of them, probably due to their great specificity toward edentates inferred easily from their strict intracellular parasitism. In addition, comments are made on the importance of the physiological state of the animals to be inoculated. An adult Choloepus and a human being were inoculated with fresh culture forms but negative results were obtained. This might be due to a 1055 of virulence of the "in vitro" strain or to a state of premunition of the adult specimen to a protozoosis. Recently isolated culture forms were inoculated into the vitellin sac of the chick embryo with negative results. With respect to its evolutive cycle, the parasite does not present division forms in the peripheral blood stream nor were its tissular forms found in the histological examination. The finding of parasite nests in a breast of Bradypus griseus griseus does not make its evolution in the vertebrate host any clearer to us due to the fact that the sloth was parasitized with another trypanosome and that the presence of a kinetoplast could not be demonstrated in these forms, all of which suggests the possibility of a toxoplasmosis. In exalated blood kept at room temperature the parasites leave the erythrocytes and show a better locomotive apparatus. This we relate to its evolutive cycle since this phenomenon probaly takes place in the intestinal tract of some intermediary arthropod host. Several ectoparasites were collected from Choloepus, among them a tick of the genus Amblyomma. In Bradypus, several arthropods that live in intimate relationship with this vertebrate are reported, such as Cryploses choloepi, among them a tick of the genus Amblyomma. In Bradypus, several arthropods that live in intimate relationship with this vertebrate are reported, such as Cryptoses choloepi, Trichillum bradyporum, and a coleopterus of the family Scarabeidae. In addition, Amblyomma gertschi was found and was carefully studied since it was the only hematophagous ectoparasite. An unsuccesful effort is made at finding a hemipterus, Belminus costarincensis, that had been reported in a sloth. Although the search for the vector of this parasitosis was fruitless, we are convinced of its existence and will continue searching for it. We carried out a xenodiagnosis on Choloepus, with Triatoma infestans and Triatoma dimidiata, without being able to obtain the evolution of the parasite. The main characteristics of the genus Endotrypanum are given but it cannot be definitely placed in the family Trypanosomidae since its evolutive cycle is not known.


Hot water treatments were applied to fresh-cut broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) florets to investigate their effects on the survival of food-borne pathogens (Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp.) and on the physical properties of the broccoli florets during storage. Broccoli florets were treated with hot water at 50, 55 and 60°C for 3 min and immediately cooled with water at 4°C. Non-hot water treated broccoli florets served as controls. The treated broccoli florets were then placed in PVC boxes for 13 days at 4°C. Hot water treatment at 55 and 60°C for 3 min completely controlled E. coli and Salmonella spp. but these treatments resulted in tissue softening and scald-like symptoms on the broccoli florets. The hot water treatment at 50°C for 3 min resulted in a reduction of both food-borne pathogens for 1.0-1.2 log10CFU.g and maintained freshness, firmness and delayed the yellowing of broccoli florets for 4 days. These results suggest that a hot water treatment at 50°C for 3 min has the potential to maintain the physical quality of broccoli florets but this treatment may not be sufficient to control the growth of food-borne pathogens.


The article concerns the ways of displaying the decade of the eighties in the Polish newest cinema (in the period 2007–2017). The author points to four basic categories of films about the last decade of the PRL: "great biog raphies" on key historical figures such as Lech Wałęsa, Jerzy Popiełuszko or Ryszard Kukliński; "Small biographies" referring to the history of well known people but operating outside the political sphere, such as Zbigniew Religa or the Beksiński family; "Settlement films", in which the decade of martial law is shown as a period of, above all, various types of political and ethical choices that in one way or another affect modern times. The last group can be called "films about everyday life", because they refer to the "Jaruzelski's decade", but they show it not from the side of entanglement in historicalpolitical processes (although in most films they play a role in the characters' lives), but from the everyday problems.


Structures can be submitted to severe conditions, e specially earthquakes. Strengthening of reinforced concrete structures is then a matter of concern. Externally bonded Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (FRP) are emerging as a valuable solution for structural strengthening but design rules have to be established concerning their appli cation for seismic strengthening. For this purpose, an experimental campaign carried out on fu ll-scale reinforced concrete (RC) columns has been undertaken. Different strengthenin g configurations have been applied on columns, which were then tested under combined axia l nd reversed cyclic lateral load. Those tests helped us to analyse the behaviour of RC colu mns depending on the FRP confinement (carbon FRP jacket) and on flexural reinforcement ( carbon plates).


A two‐band transfer matrix method has been developed to study tunneling currents in narrow gap and interband tunnel structures. This relatively simple model gives good agreement with recently reported experimental results for InAs/AlSb/InAs/AlSb/InAs double‐barrier heterostructures and InAs/AlSb/GaSb/AlSb/InAs resonant interband tunneling devices, and should be useful in the design of new interband tunneling devices.


We continue with our discussion on the theory of linear inequalities/polyhedral theory. Last week, we saw how to get a minimal description of a polyhedron: (1) the notion of implicit equalities helped us narrow down to the affine-hull containing the polyhedron and (2) the notion of facets helped us in obtaining an irredundant system to describe the polyhedron. Facets are maximal faces distinct from the polyhedron. We saw a characterization of facets in the previous lecture that helped us in obtaining a minimal inequality description of a polyhedron. Now that we understand maximal faces, it is natural to study minimal faces. How do they look like and do they have any significance? Indeed, they play a significant role in solution techniques for linear programming and also in understanding the lucky case of IPs—the case where an optimal solution to the LP-relaxation is also an IP-optimal solution. We will focus on minimal faces in this lecture. Recap Let P = {x : Ax ≤ b}. Definition 1. A subset F ⊆ P is a face of P if either F = P or F is the intersection of P with a supporting hyperplane of P . Theorem 2 (Characterization of faces). Let F ⊆ P . Then, F is a face of P iff F = {x ∈ P : A′x = b′} for some subsystem A′x ≤ b′ of Ax ≤ b.


With the impact of the global financial crisis,it has the deep influence on the world economy of agricultural technological innovation strategy at the same time.North Jiangsu Province has a greater influence,but also gives the north of Jiangsu Province agricultural technological innovation and opportunities.With the development of technology,the world′s agricultural competitiveness was not a single product of the competition,but the entire agricultural industry competition.North of Jiangsu Province accounting for about half of the agricultural added value should be at the industrialization of agriculture model,farm structure,infrastructure and marketing systems of innovation in order to change challenges into opportunities.Along with the international competitiveness of domestic and international trend of domestic competition,it is necessary to enhance agricultural competitiveness,and improve agriculture on the contribution of farmers' income,the key is focusing on the entire agricultural industry chain and technological innovation strategy,and enhance technological innovation capacity.


In order to use the wind energy more efficiently in wind turbine system, Active Magnetically suspended Bearings (AMBs) are equipped to eliminate the friction of the mechanical bearings. In the traditional analogue PID controller of AMBs control system, it has the shortcomings of inconvenient in parameters adjustment, low control resolution, difficulty to change hardware structure and realize advanced control algorithms. This digital platform is to enable the implementation of new and more complex control algorithms for Active Magnetically suspended Bearings (AMBs) equipped for wind turbine generator. This paper presents the design, implementation of a novel real-time controller for AMBs equipped for wind turbine based on a floating-point Digital Signal Processor (DSP) and on a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), by operating in a cooperative way. The platform combines the flexibility and processing power from both devices and this digital controller solution will result in an improvement in the control performance and a remarkable reduction in software development time.


The chapter treats the family background of Dieter Grimm, his childhood during the Second World War and in post-War Germany, education and teachers, religious context, treatment of national socialism in post-War Germany, division of the county, emergence of the Federal Republic, early political interest.


Computer based training has been intensively studied in the last decades and its application in different domains became highly popular. Current systems, however, only provide a fully simulated environment in which the training takes place. Their application is therefore limited by the complexity of the simulated scene or by the capability of the underlying hardware. A concept which can be used to alleviate these problems is augmented reality (AR). Here, a computer generated environment is combined with the real one. While the definition of AR includes augmentation of several modalities, the term still mainly refers to a mere visual augmentation. A visuo-haptic augmented reality therefore extends the basic concept by providing additional haptic sensations from the virtual environment to the user. This allows a user to not only see the virtual world, but in addition to touch it, making more natural interactions possible. In this thesis we investigated visuo-haptic AR and its feasibility to be used in training frameworks. We focused on the fidelity of the AR illusion and the performed research can be divided into different branches: The visuo-haptic augmented reality system itself, the perception within the environment, and the application in different demonstrator systems. Main contributions are the accurate calibration of the haptic interface, the development of a flexible distributed visuo-haptic AR framework, the improvement of visual depth perception by incorporating dynamic shadows and correct handling of occlusions, and an investigation of visuo-haptic perception of compliant objects in AR systems.


The concentrations of dissolved and particulate forms of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Co, Fe and Hg have been determined in wastewater of some factories, fertilizer plants, Attaqa power station, Suez oil processing and El-Nasr petroleum companies and a slaughter house. The concentrations of dissolved metals ranged between 8.02 to 98.90, 31.32 to 1024.50, 14.45 to 289.05, 1.87 to 36.40, 7.78 to 29.98, 3.07 to 45.20, 9.51 to 21.88, 104.91 to 478.63 µg/L and 2.66 to 7.52 ng/L for Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Co, Fe and Hg, respectively the particulate phases concentrations were high and ranged between 12.16 to 150.41, 389.41 to 1165.90, 14.86 to 254.75, 2.19 to 6.73, 3.36 to 36.29, 3.75 to 169.82, 12.68 to 29.15, 314.22 to 1335.50 µg/L and 1.12 to 16.76 ng/L for Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Co, Fe and Hg, respectively. The concentrations of heavy metals in the bottom sediments ranged from 22.30 to 86.70, 894.60 to 986.20, 18.90 to 41.20, 3.20 to 9.60, 17.30 to 28.50, 10.30 to 17.40, 14.50 to 27.20, 1750.20 to 2102.40 and 0.092 to 0.166 µg/g (dry weight) for Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Co, Fe and Hg, respectively. The results indicate exchange and transport of heavy metals between the wastewater particulates and bottom sediments.

 Key words: Distribution, heavy metals, suspended particulates, dissolved phases.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) was established as the neurodegenerative dementia, which leads to progressive and irreversible cognitive decline, memory loss, attention and judgment. It is characterized by molecular injuries resulting from the accumulation of charged neuritic plaques of β-amyloid and neurofibrillary tangles causing oxidative damage and inflammatory. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the learning and memory of rats seven days after infusion of β-amiloide1-42. The β-amiloide1-42 was prepared in saline protein (1ug / uL) and incubated at 37 ° C for three days to form the aggregate. The animals were anesthetized with the combination of ketamine (100 mg / kg) and xylazine (10 mg / kg) intraperitoneally, and fixed in a stereotaxic route. The aggregate was infused directly in the hippocampus (5UL bilaterally) in the coordinates, AP: -3.5 mm; LL: ± 2.0 mm; DV: -3.5. The learning and memory was assessed using the Morris water maze. The apparatus consists of a circular water tank (120 cm diameter and 60 cm high) with an escape platform (12.5 cm in diameter and 38 cm high) positioned invisible to the mice 2 cm below the water level. The tank was divided by imaginary lines (N, S, L, and O) in four quadrants (1, 2, 3 and 4) and identified by the same geometrical symbols, which remained the same throughout the study. The animals were placed facing the geometric shapes and the exhaust time measured during four consecutive days (training). In the fifth and final day it was taken to the escape platform and computed the total residence time in the target quadrant (test). The maximum time for each step was 60s. This study was approved by Ethics Committee for Animal Use (CEUA) of the State University of Ceará (UECE) by the number 2542310/2015. To analyze the learning we used the ANOVA two way with Bonferroni post-test. To verify differences in memory between the groups we used the Student t test. P <0.05 significance level was adopted. The results show no difference in learning the animals infused with β-amiloide1-42 compared with Sham group (Sham day 1=11,2±4,9, 2=7,5±5,1 3=6,67±4,8 4=7,8±4,1; Alzheimer day 1=12,9±4,0; 2=8,1±3,4; 3=5,7±2,1; 4=8,9±4,5), possibly caused by compensatory mechanisms, as DA begins with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) did not present symptoms such as aphasia, apraxia and agnosia. However, the memory test showed marked decline in latency time (memory) in the animals (Escape latency Sham=25,2±3,8; Alzheimer= 15,8±3,7 p<0,0001), suggesting that the aggregate is able to quickly lock the new memories formation mechanism, altering synaptic plasticity, in addition to discontinue synaptic function already after seven day infusion. Notwithstanding the Aß accumulation interrupts the correct release of neurotransmitter due to stimulation of presynaptic receptor. Therefore, it is concluded that the infusion of Aβ1-42 was able to decrease the memory seven days after infusion without significant changes in learning.


Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers can help differentiate cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. The role of AD biomarkers in predicting cognitive impairment and AD needs examination. METHODS: In 628 CU individuals from a multi-ethnic cohort, A{beta}42, A{beta}40, phosphorylated tau-181 (P-tau181), glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), and neurofilament light chain (NfL) were measured in plasma. RESULTS: Higher baseline levels of P-tau181/A{beta}42 ratio were associated with increased risk of incident dementia. A biomarker pattern (with elevated A{beta}42/A{beta}40 but low P-tau181/A{beta}42) was associated with decreased dementia risk. Compared to CU, participants who developed MCI or dementia had a rapid decrease in the biomarker pattern reflecting AD-specific pathological change. DISCUSSION: Elevated levels of AD biomarker P-tau181/A{beta}42, by itself or combined with a low A{beta}42/A{beta}40 level, predicts clinically diagnosed AD. Individuals with a rapid change in these biomarkers may need close monitoring for the potential downward trajectory of cognition.


Nine species of the lichen genus Physconia from China's mainland are recognized. They are Ph. chinensis, Ph. detersa, Ph. distorta, Ph. grumosa, Ph. hokkaidensis, Ph. kurokawae, Ph. leucoleiptes, Ph. lobulifera and Ph. muscigena. Of these, Ph. chinensis is described as a new species, Ph. hokkaidensis, Ph kurokawae, Ph. leucoleiptes and Ph. lobulifera are new to China. Ph. venusta should be excluded from the Chinese lichen flora. The previous reports of Ph. enteroxantha and Ph. grisea from China are uncertain.


To stream multimedia content to mobile terminals located in a geographic area, a broadcast server's address through a short message broadcast. A geographic area is defined as a set of cells of a mobile network. The short message is received by all mobile terminals present in these cells. The receipt of this short message by a terminal causes the connection of the terminal to the broadcast server to retrieve media content associated with the short message. Recovery is made either by WAP / GPRS mode or voice mode.


The change of the electron densities of polydentate amine ligands in the reaction of protonation are discussed on the basis of the calculation by Two Center Huckel method. From results, such as , , and observed pKb, it is concluded that the stabilities of polydentate amine ligands are in the order of trien > en > gly > dien.


This paper mostly discusses legal and some economic aspects of games of chance as an economic activity. In that context, the negative effects of gambling and betting activities are pointed out, especially on the development and spread of social deviations due to the uncontrolled consumption of games of chance. The paper aims to indicate in what way, and to what extent, the legislation in the Republic of Serbia regulates gambling and betting activities, i.e., what impact the legislation has exclusively on the financial and marketing business aspects of the three most represented organizers of games of chance in this area. The first part of the paper points to the numerous specifics characterizing gambling and betting activities, i.e. special legal regulations that regulate each business segment in this activity. The second part of the paper presents a financial overview of the performance indicators of the three most represented organizers of games of chance. The final part of the paper is dedicated to the legal possibilities and restrictions to advertising games of chance, or the efforts of all three organizers to boost the promotion of their business by taking on socially responsible activities, keeping it with such an approach within the legal framework.


Aiming at the problem that the intelligence is not high and the limit of the expandability of the soccer robot control system,the soccer robot control system have been redesigned based on ARM9 and motion-controller LM629 and power amplifier L298.And it simplifies the design of the hardware and software and makes the system with high performance and high accuracy.And also,it reduces the workload of design,makes system responding quickly and strengthens the servo rigidity.The experiments in reality environment and results in actual competitions proves that the robot control system has a high accuracy,stability and high real-time performance,the design of the system is feasible and rational.


Date palm seeds have been debated for their beneficial effects on body health. Present study discussed the influences of chronic exposure palm date seeds extract on hepato-renal integrity and feed efficiency. Twenty one Albino female rats were randomly splitted into 3 groups. Group I, is the control and were given oral propylene glycol 10%. Group II, were given palm date seeds extract (200mg/kg body weight) dissolved in 10% propylene glycol. Group III, were given (400mg/kg body weight) palm date seeds extract dissolved in 10% propylene glycol. Treatments were given by intra gastric route daily for 60 days. Body weight, weight gain, feed efficiency ratio (FER) were determined. Serum liver and kidney functions tests were detected. Serum Super oxide dismutase (SOD) and Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities were estimated. Caspase-3 protein expression in kidney and liver was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results revealed improved FER in group II and III than control. Reduction in serum liver and kidney enzymes were evident in group II and III with improvement in albumin and total protein levels. Caspase-3 IHC in liver and kidney exhibited significant (P<0.05) reduction in palm date seeds extract treated groups especially in group III. Palm date seeds extract, seemed to be safe after chronic administration and has beneficial influences on liver and kidney. The beneficial effects of palm date seeds extract seemed due to its antioxidant effect that reduced hepato-renal caspase-3 protein expression.


more impressive. Indeed, both works demonstrate the power of the local and the micro in the study of urban and maritime research alike, by weaving human economic, social, and cultural connections and relationships in a locality, while stitching through the national and global networks that emanated from these. Moreover, it is the street-by-street evidence and approach to the study of urban environs and sailortown districts that are important in reconstructing and recapturing who was living there and what their records, from insurance policies to deeds, can tell historians about life, trading, and relationships in diverse parishes and districts. Thus, such an approach, as taken these works, enables the familial, kinship, and friendship ties that flourished and sustained such areas to come to the fore, challenging the stereotypical images of London's eastern parishes and sailortown environs. These works will thus appeal to family, local, community, and academic historians alike with an interest in exploring the rich historical tapestry of east London's past and its parishes. Indeed, the authors hope that these works will stimulate and encourage similar studies of other London parishes, and their findings should be a springboard for further research into London's local, urban, and maritime past and sailortown districts more widely.


The ability of cells to respire requires that mitochondria undergo fusion and fission of their outer and inner membranes. The means by which levels of fusion 'machinery' components are regulated and the molecular details of how fusion occurs are largely unknown. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a central component of the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM) fusion machinery is the mitofusin Fzo1, a dynamin-like GTPase. We demonstrate that an early step in fusion, mitochondrial tethering, is dependent on the Fzo1 GTPase domain. Furthermore, the ubiquitin ligase SCFMdm30 (a SKP1–cullin-1–F-box complex that contains Mdm30 as the F-box protein), which targets Fzo1 for ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation, is recruited to Fzo1 as a consequence of a GTPase-domain-dependent alteration in the mitofusin. Moreover, evidence is provided that neither Mdm30 nor proteasome activity are necessary for tethering of mitochondria. However, both Mdm30 and proteasomes are critical for MOM fusion. To better understand the requirement for the ubiquitin–proteasome system in mitochondrial fusion, we used the N-end rule system of degrons and determined that ongoing degradation of Fzo1 is important for mitochondrial morphology and respiration. These findings suggest a sequence of events in early mitochondrial fusion where Fzo1 GTPase-domain-dependent tethering leads to recruitment of SCFMdm30 and ubiquitin-mediated degradation of Fzo1, which facilitates mitochondrial fusion.


Catalytic oxidation of phenol by H2O2 with goethite and lepidocrocite was investigated in an aqueous system at pH=3~6 under normal room temperature.The results of ultraviolet spectra and TOC analysis of products suggest that when solution pH4 the phenol was completely decomposed to carboxylic acids and about 50%~60% of TOC was mineralized.However as solution pH was in range of 4~5 the phenol was catalyzed to polyphenol such as catechol and hydroquinone,but was basically not mineralized for the reaction system with either goethite or lepidocrocite.When pH5 the phenol in solution was neither transferred to polyphenol nor be mineralized.Kinetic rate calculation shown that the rate constant of phenol decomposition in presence of lepidocrocite is usually larger than that of goethite under same condition,and largest rate was found at about pH=3.8 in presence of lepidocrocite.Actually the rate constants were depended on both of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic reaction in the system.Former depends on the contents of ΣFe=Fe(Ⅱ)+Fe(Ⅲ)in solution solved by H2O2 from iron oxides,which increase as solution pH descents.Later depends on the surface characteristics of iron oxide.


Social support is one of the important sources of stress management and has an influence on a person's health condition. This study aims to find out the relationship of family social support with the risk of recurrence of paranoid schizophrenic patients in the Polyclinic Mental Hospital of North Sumatra Province Medan. The type of research used in this research is descriptive correlation, quantitative research design. Sampling technique is purposive sampling as many as 81 respondents from a population of 323 patient families. By disseminating a questionnaire sheet about family social support and the risk of recurrence. And analyzed univariately and bivariately with spearman correlation. The results showed that the majority of family social support and relapse risk is enough as many as 55 people (67.8%). Spearman Test results value p = 0.000 , then Ho rejected and Ha received, meaning there is a relationship of family social support with the risk of recurrence of paranoid schizophrenic patients in the Polyclinic Mental Hospital North Sumatra Province Medan. It is recommended to the nurse to involve the family in the care of paranoid schizophrenia patients so that the family is able to properly care for paranoid schizophrenic patients at home and advise subsequent researchers to conduct research on factors related to the frequency of relapse so that the treatment program can run integrated and systemic.


In the current international context, it is important to maintain vocational and technical education by providing entrepreneurship qualities within the mission of raising median labor force, which is undertaken by vocational colleges. The aim of this study is to make a longitudinal assessment of the effect of entrepreneurship courses taught at vocational colleges on entrepreneurship tendency. According to the study findings, having entrepreneurship courses at vocational colleges does not allow students to gain sufficient entrepreneurship qualifications. However, students feel inspired to establish their own business and gain a consciousness of the fact that they should not leave their lives at the mercy of external factors. In order to ensure that students acquire entrepreneurship qualities through entrepreneurship courses and prefer entrepreneurship, it is necessary for this course to be taught as an applied course: students' application performance must be included in the course assessment criteria; students must be given supervision support and a sense of making money on their own; and structural problems must be resolved.


The far-infrared (FIR) spectra of radioweak quasars show a steep rise from the mm to the FIR wavelengths with an spectral index often α > 2.5, and a slow decrease beyond the FIR with α ~ — 1. A comparison of the FIR luminosity with both radio and X-ray emission demonstrates, that only the active nuclei can provide the energy to heat the dust. We propose that the heating is due to the central engine via relativistic particles. These particles originate from a putative source on the symmetry axis close to the central engine and diffuse through a tenuous galactic halo to heat dusty molecular clouds in a disk configuration. We demonstrate that this mechanism can produce the FIR spectra with reasonable assumptions, and compare them with observations (Chini et al. 1989). We examine the diffusion through the halo and the energy deposition in the disk for two types of source (pointsource, line source, intensity decrease with z~&) and a diffusion coefficient, dependent on the spherical radius r (D oc r 7 ). We obtain the total energy deposition in the disk as a function of the disk radius. For the calculation of the FIR spectra, one must determine the dust temperature. We construct a heat balance that takes into account the absorbed and emitted emission of energy. The calculated dust temperature distribution depends on two parameter: the radial dependence of the diffusion coefficient and the z-dependence of the line source. Then we calculate the FIR spectra of a disk in the wavelength range 10 to 1300 μπι. We determine the luminosity of a finite disk, where the limits are determined by the maximal and minimal temperature ( T D j m ax = 1500K given by the dust destruction, 7 b j mm = 20K given by a transition to dust heating from young stars in the extended disk). We find a of 3 to 10 times the observed infrared luminosity, we can reproduce and interpret the spectra of radioweak quasars in the mm to the near infrared range.


The paper introduces the designing of the architecture of the owner oriented Visual Time Controlling System applied in the project management of railroading and its function module,which is based on the multi-site collaboration environment.Meanwhile,some critical technology used in this system are briefly discussed.


COMPOSITION PIGMENT BASE. SAME CONTAINS AT LEAST ONE PIGMENT ORGANIC IRRADIATED BY PLASMA LOW TEMPERATURE AND AT LEAST ONE VEHICLE OR SOLID POLAR LIQUID.


ABSTRACT When young refugee English language learners (ELLs) start formal schooling in the United States, the social-emotional learning (SEL) appropriate for the U.S. school context may be especially unfamiliar to them. By interviewing six elementary school teachers, this exploratory study examined how teachers describe refugee ELLs' social-emotional competencies and what pedagogical methods they report using with refugee ELLs for their social-emotional skills development. This study also considered to what extent teachers' views of their refugee ELL students' SEL and their self-reported pedagogies reflect their recognition of refugee ELLs' funds of knowledge, teachers' development of culturally sustaining pedagogies, and teachers' use of power to promote equity and social justice in the classroom. The teachers identified a range of social-emotional skills, in particular social awareness and relationship skills, as important for refugee ELLs to develop. To help them, the teachers used various pedagogical methods, including explicit teaching, individualizing, creating a positive climate, and collaboration and support. However, the teachers' views of their refugee students' SEL and their self-reported pedagogical methods were largely deficit-oriented. Interpreting our findings within the existing literature from the critical perspective provides critical insights into teachers' perspectives and approaches to supporting refugee ELLs' SEL in early elementary grades.


206 Background: We previously reported that the superiority of bursectomy was not demonstrated for subserosal(SS)/serosal(SE) gastric cancer by the second interim analysis performed with 54% of the expected events observed. We report the final 5-year follow-up data. Methods: Eligibility criteria included histologically proven adenocarcinoma of the stomach, cT3(SS) or cT4a(SE). Patients were intraoperatively randomized to non-bursectomy arm or bursectomy arm. Primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), and secondary endpoint was relapse-free survival (RFS). A total of 1,200 patients were required to detect a hazard ratio of 0.77 with a one-sided alpha of 5% and 80% power. Results: A total of 1204 eligible patients with cT3 / cT4a gastric cancer were randomized (602 in non-bursectomy arm, 602 in bursectomy arm, respectively). Patients' background and operative procedures were well balanced between the arms. The 5y-OS were 76.5% (95% CI, 72.8 to 79.7) in non-bursectomy arm and 74.9% (71.2 to 78.2) in bursectomy arm. Hazard ratio (HR) for bursectomy was 1.03 (0.83-1.27, one-sided p = 0.598). The 5y-RFS were 70.7% (66.9 to 74.2) in non-bursectomy arm and 66.8% (62.9 to 70.5) in bursectomy arm [HR: 1.131 (0.93-1.38)]. HR for death was almost similar in all sub-categories (0.73-1.29) except cN2 (13th edition of Japanese Classification of Gastric Carcinoma); HR classified by cN was 1.06 (95% CI: 0.75-1.49) for cN0 (n = 521), 1.25 (0.92-1.71) for cN1 (n = 525), and 0.59 (0.32-1.06) for cN2 (n = 158) (p = 0.048 for interaction). The most frequent site of recurrence was the peritoneum [74 (12.3%) in non-bursectomy arm, 73 (12.1%) in bursectomy arm], and bursectomy arm showed a trend of increasing liver metastasis (n = 45, 7.5%) as compared with non-bursectomy arm (n = 33, 5.5%). Six independent poor prognostic factors were identified by multivariable analysis for OS: age ≥ 66 (vs. ≤ 65) (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.04-1.62), macroscopic type 3/5 (vs. type 0/1/2) (1.43; 1.15-1.79), total gastrectomy (vs. distal gastrectomy) (1.44; 1.03-2.02), pT3 (vs. pT1-2) (1.77; 1.17-2.676), pT4 (vs. pT1-2) (3.00; 1.99-4.53), pN1 (vs. pN0) (2.34; 1.52-3.59), pN2-3b (vs. pN0)(4.02; 2.82-5.74) and adjuvant chemotherapy (vs. without chemotherapy) (0.53; 0.42-0.67), but bursectomy was not significant (1.10 0.89-1.36). Conclusions: In the final analysis as well as in the interim analysis, bursectomy was not recommended as a standard treatment for cT3 or cT4 gastric cancer. Clinical trial information: UMIN000003688.


The present invention relates to superhard epoxy resin concrete for cross-linking paving, super fast cement 200 ~ 280 kg / ㎥, sand 400 ~ 450 kg / ㎥, gravel 250 ~ 280 kg / ㎥, silica fume or fly ash 20 ~ 30 ㎏ / ㎥ Mixed powder 75 to 84 (% by weight); Mixing and stirring 5 to 10 parts by weight of an aqueous coating solvent, 0.5 to 1 part by weight of an antifoaming agent, 0.5 to 1 part by weight of a dispersant, and 100 parts by weight of a bisphenol-based epoxy resin were mixed and mixed. Next, the amine epoxy curing agent 12 to 18 (wt%) is characterized in that it is prepared by further mixing and stirring. The super fast epoxy epoxy concrete for paving pavement of the present invention is a forced reaction type that gives fast hardening based on the hydration reaction of cement. It has excellent physical properties such as heat resistance, and prevents the dropping of bridge concrete due to impact and abrasion of vehicles. It has excellent waterproofing effect. It is a composite of inorganic material (ultrahard cement) and organic material (epoxy resin). It is the first concrete for cross-linking waterproofing of composites with advantages of pavement strength and waterproofing and adhesion of organics. Carbide, Epoxy Resin, Interlaced Wrap


ABSTRACT An efficient method is reported to prepare photocurable polyether-polythioether/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composites. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Raman spectroscopies were used to verify that graphene oxide (GO) was concurrently reduced and functionalyzed with thiol groups during the photopolymerization of an epoxy/thiol-ene system. The thiol groups introduced to GO during the photo-thermal treatment allowed the covalent bonding of rGO to the polymeric matrix thereby increasing the toughness and mechanical properties of the composites despite the reduced crosslink density, in comparison with a control sample without rGO.


A new series of lunar occultations of the Galactic Center takes place during the period 1986–1989. The previous series of Galactic Center occultations occurred in 1968–1970. That series revealed that the continuum radio source, Sgr A, consists of at least two components (now known as Sgr A West and Sgr A East) and that the continuum source is surrounded by a rotating and contracting cloud of dust and molecules. It could be rewarding to observe the new series of occultations at X‐ray, infrared and radio wavelengths. Occultation predictions are available from the author upon request.


As overcrowding has accelerated the search for more, and more effective, ways of reducing jail populations without unduly jeopardizing public safety and court processes, one of the programmatic responses to the problem of drug-related crime has been the introduction, in several jurisdictions, of systematic drug testing at the pretrial release decision stage. The Bureau of Justice Assistance sponsored evaluations of drug-testing experiments in several demonstration sites. A fundamental objective of the demonstration projects was to test the assumption that intensive monitoring of drug use during pretrial release would reduce levels of pretrial flight and crime. To enforce defendant compliance with the monitoring program, which required frequent drug testing, a system of graduated sanctions was devised for the implementation of the drug-testing programs in each of the sites. The proposed sanctioning systems represented a formal set of agency responses of incremental severity to noncompliance by defendants (positive test results or nonattendance at testing appointments), which ranged from counseling to short-term pretrial detention. This article briefly describes experimental evaluations of pretrial drug-testing programs in two sites—Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Prince George's County, Maryland—examines the problems faced in implementing the sanctioning systems, and speculates on the jail resource implications of such sanctions if fully enforced.


Single-event transients (SETs) in linear integrated circuits have caused anomalies in a number of spacecraft. The consequences of these anomalies have spurred efforts to better understand SETs, including the mechanisms responsible for their generation, the best approaches for testing, how data should be analyzed and presented, and approaches for mitigation


The present contribution analyses the CJEU cases 'Faber' and 'Duarte Hueros', taking into account the debate on 'effectiveness' and 'procedural autonomy'. The aim of this contribution is therefore to express some observations concerning the Consumer Sales Directive and practicable ways to improve the effectiveness of consumer protection in this particular field of contract law. The complexity of consumer contract law, due to its piecemeal evolution at a European level, requires focus on a precise part of the acquis communautaire, to highlight, in this context, the main obstacles to more efficient protection of the weaker contractual party.


This memo proposes a scheme that supports a fast handover effectively
in Proxy Mobile IPv6 by optimizing the associated data and signaling
flows during the handover. New signaling messages, Fast PBU and
Reverse PBU, are defined and utilized to expedite the handover
procedure.


Even though users have become increasingly concerned about their privacy online, they continue to disclose deeply personal information in a number of online venues, including e-commerce portals and social networking sites. Scholars have tried to explain this inconsistency between attitudes and behavior by suggesting that online users consciously weigh the trade-off between the costs and benefits of online information disclosure. We argue that online user behaviors are not always rational, but may occur due to expedient decision-making in the heat of the moment. Such decisions are based on cognitive heuristics (i.e., rules of thumb) rather than on a careful analysis of each transaction. Based on this premise, we seek to identify the specific triggers for disclosure of private information online. In the experiment reported here, we explore the operation of two specific heuristics-benefit and fuzzy boundary-in influencing privacy-related attitudes and behaviors. Theoretical and design implications are discussed.


The mechanical and comfort properties of polyester/bamboo and polyester/cotton knitted fabrics were studied. Four different ratios, P/B 65/35, P/B 50/50, P/B 35/65, P/B 20/80, P/C 65/35, P/C 50/50, P/C 35/65, P/C 20/80 of both blends were produced by mixing at the blow room stage. Then yarns of equal count Ne 20 were made on a ring spinning machine, and a knitted fabric was produced on a single jersey weft knitting machine. It was observed that by increasing bamboo and cotton fiber content in the blends, yarn breaking force and tenacity were decreased. Bursting strength, bending rigidity, and thermal resistance of the blended fabrics decreased by increasing bamboo and cotton fiber content in the blends, while air permeability and moisture management capability was found to increase with the increase in bamboo and cotton fiber content. No antimicrobial activity was shown by any of the P/B blended fabric, but to some extent, 100% bamboo fiber showed antibacterial activity against gram negative bacteria while against gram positive bacteria, no activity was observed.


This article discusses capabilities of a new special-purpose software-measuring system for monitoring flatness of solar array (SA) wings. The performance data and specifics of work are presented.
The specifics of measurement of SA wings flatness are described. The allowable deviations from flatness of SA wings of the science power module (SPM) as part of the International Space station are given.
The composition of the measuring complex is developed. The visual approach of making plans for testing methods and measurement techniques based on visual components is considered in detail. The elements from which the measurement plans are built are considered. Sample plans for verification procedures, methods of measuring flatness of the front and back wing surfaces are provided.
Basic requirements for processing of measurement results which are stored for compatibility with the old manual approach of measurements are specified.
Basic measurement processing algorithms for calculation of general and local wing out-of-flatness are provided.
Key words: SA wing, solar array wing, meter, component model, overview, general out-of-flatness, local out-of-flatness.


This paper will explain the medium and set of rules through which data is exchanged during communication in the network. The set of rules which are followed during the implementation of the network for the data communication is called as network protocol. For any network to work efficiently there is need to define certain set of rules and standards which should be followed. There are many layers in a network and each layer will have specific protocol that if followed for the exchange of the data. This paper will explain the types of protocols available, structure of data message, and also the challenges occurring in implementation of the protocols.


AIM To determine the role of hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx), HBx in regulating hepatic progenitor cell (HPC)like features in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS We used a retrovirus vector to introduce wild type HBx or empty vector into HepG2 cells. We then used these cells to analyze cell proliferation, senescence, transformation, and stem-like features. Gene expression profiling was carried out on Affymetrix GeneChip Human U133A2.0 ver.2 arrays according to the manufacturer's protocol. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis and Class Comparison analysis were performed by BRB-Array Tools software Version 4.2.2. A total of 238 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC patients' array data were used for analyzing clinical features. RESULTS The histone demethylase KDM5B was significantly Submit a Manuscript: http://www.f6publishing.com DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i18.3252 3252 May 14, 2017|Volume 23|Issue 18| WJG|www.wjgnet.com World J Gastroenterol 2017 May 14; 23(18): 3252-3261 ISSN 1007-9327 (print) ISSN 2219-2840 (online)


The effects of nanoprecipitations on the mechanical properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys after GBF (gas bubbling filtration) and EMS (electromagnetic stirring) casting were investigated. Dendritic cell structures were formed after GBF processing, while globular dendritic structures were nucleated after EMS processing. Equiaxed cell sizes were smaller in the EMS-processed specimens compared to the GBF-processed specimens, confirmed by EBSD (electron backscatter diffraction) analysis. Nanoprecipitations of η′ phases inside of dendrites were observed by TEM (transmission electron microscope), and other Fe-bearing compounds were located in the dendritic boundaries. The yield strength of the T4 and T6 heat-treated specimens was close to 400 MPa and 500 MPa, respectively. Fractographic analysis was performed to investigate the effect of precipitations on tensile fracture.


What is nucleation core origin during alloy solidification, especially for equiaxed grains? Different dependence degrees of the magnitude or occurrence of element content variation could shed light on this long-standing issue in actual large ingots. Here, based on etched surface height and grayscale, element content distributions within the solid fraction in continuous casting billets and additive manufacturing samples are first obtained by only a two-dimensional surface. Then, combined with the phylogenetic trees, the rank correlation is applied to measure the dependence of content differences during initial solidification. Assessments of external dependence degrees are helpful to determine nucleation core origin and low internal dependence degree facilitates grain refinement. Moreover, in continuous casting, some nucleation cores in the central equiaxed grain zone are confirmed to originate from the edge-chilled zone and high equiaxed grain area ratio under a low superheat, which is attributed to the low ratio of temperature gradient to growth rate rather than remelting fewer cores originating from the chilled zone. In addition, the floating behavior of separated grains originating from the chilled zone can be affected by gravity force, but these grains should be more active when increasing the casting superheat that may weaken the influence of gravity to a certain extent.


This paper presents design of a typical Space Launch Vehicle (SLV) using multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) Methodology. A one level MDO structure, Multi-Discipline Feasible (MDF) has been used. A Hybrid Search Algorithm (HSA), which associates Simulated Annealing (SA) as a global optimizer with Simplex as a local optimizer is employed. The main objective of this multi-disciplinary design is minimizing the gross lift off mass (GLOM) of the vehicle that is an impetus driver on vehicle performance and cost. The main disciplines that are considered for this design include propulsion and weight, aerodynamic and trajectory simulation. The SLV design variables and the orbital insertion trajectory profile variables despite mission and flight trajectory constraints are optimized simultaneously, whereas the mass characteristics of the vehicle were assigned. The optimized SLV is capable of delivering a small satellite of 250 kg to a circular orbit of 900 km altitude. Simulation results demonstrate the superior performance of the HSA over challenging MDO problems. Optimal design shows the GLOM reduction about 7.0%, which is quite significant at conceptual design level.


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has funded a pilot project to assist smalland medium-size manufacturers who want to minimize their generation of waste but who lack the expertise to do so. Waste Minimization Assessment Centers (WMACs) were established at selected universities and procedures were adapted from the EPA Waste Minimzation Opportunity Assessment Manual (EPA/ 626/7-88/003, July 1988). The WMAC team at the University of Tennessee performed an assessment at a plant manufacturing custom-molded structural foam plastic products approximately 840,000 parts per year. Resin pellets are blended with colorant pellets and regrind, then processed through a mold and press machine. Unfinished products are degated to remove seams, have attachments inserted, and are drilled, if necessary. Next, parts are patched and sanded. Finally, the part undergoes finishing operations indcluding nickel coating, spray fill application, and top coat application. The team's report, detailing findings and recommendations, indicated that the majority of waste was generated in the mold and press machines but that the greatest savings could be obtained by utilizing electrostatic spray equipment in the finishing department to reduce (by 28%) the amount of paint solids waste generated. This Research Brief was developed by the principal investigators and EPA's Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH, to announce key findings of an ongoing research project that is fully documented in a separate report of the same title available from University City Science Center. Introduction The amount of waste generated by industrial plants has become an increasingly costly problem for manufacturers and an ' University of Tennessee, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics ** University City Science Center, Philadelphia. PA additional stress on the environment. One solution to the problem of waste is to reduce or eliminate the waste at its source. University City Science Center (Philadelphia, PA) has begun a pilot project to assist smalland medium-size manufacturers who want to minimize their formation of waste but who lack the inhouse expertise to do so. Under agreement with EPA's Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory, the Science Center has established three WMACs. This assessment was done by engineering faculty and students at the University of Tennessee's (Knoxville) WMAC. The assessment teams have considerable direct experience with process operations in manufacturing plants and also have the knowledge and skills needed to minimize waste generation. The waste minimization assessments are done for smalland medium-size manufacturers at no out-of-pocket cost to the client. To qualify for the assessment, each client must fall within Standard Industrial Classification Code 20-39, have gross annual sales not exceeding $75 million, employ no more than 500 persons, and lack inhouse expertise in waste minimization. The potential benefits of the pilot project include minimization of the amount of waste generated by manufacturers, and reduced waste treatment and disposal costs for participating plants. In addition, the project provides valuable experience for graduate and undergraduate students who participate in the program, and a cleaner environment without more regulations and higher costs for manufacturers. Methodology of Assessments The waste minimization assessments require several site visits to each client served. In general, the WMACs follow the procedures outlined in the EPA Waste Minimization Opportunity AsPrinted on Recycled Paper sessment Manual (EPA/625/7-88/003, July 1988). The WMAC staff locate the sources of waste in the plant and identifies the current disposal or treatment methods and their associated costs. They then identify and analyze a variety of ways to reduce or eliminate the waste. Specific measures to achieve that goal are recommended and the essential supporting technological and economic information is developed. Finally, a confidential report that details the WMAC's findings and recommendations (including cost savings, implementation costs, and payback times) is prepared for each client. l A very small product fraction may proceed to binding where toluene is applied for the mating of two surfaces. l Products from bonding and patching are manually power-finishsanded and either transferred to the finishing department or shipped directly to the customer. Finishing Department . Plant Background . The plant manufactures custom-molded plastic products including dashboards, door seals, and fan shrouds for automobiles, television cabinets, postage meter housings, and computer disk storage organizers. The plant operates 6.240 hr/yr to produce approximately 840,000 parts. . Manufacturing Process This plant manufactures its various finished products from structural foam. Primary raw materials consist of seven types of resin pellets and colorants. Other raw materials necessary for the production processes are various solvents, paints, and finishing materials. . The following unit operations are involved in manufacturing the products: . Structural Foam Production l Resin pellets are blended with colorant pellets and "regrind" from material recycling in a batch mixing process, and are then vacuum fed into hoppers on each of the ten mold and press machines. An abbreviated process flow diagram is shown in Figure 1. l Pellets proceed through an electrically heated zone and to a zone where a blowing agent, hydrocerol or nitrogen gas, is added. Next, molten plastic is injected into a mold. Nitrogen gas is sometimes used during this process to pressurize the mold. Chilled water is continuously circulated through the press molds for cooling. l From the mold and press machines, the product may be sold to the customer unfinished or may be directed to one of four work areas: inserting, degating, and drilling (considered as one operation), finishing department, secondary department, or defective product recycling. Existing Waste Management Practices This plant already has implemented the following techniques to manage and minimize its wastes: inserting, Degating, or Drilling l The majority of molded parts are manually "degated" to remove seams formed in the presses. Following degating most parts have brass or aluminum fastener attachment inserts applied which are ultrasonically bonded to the piece. Inserting may also include an ultrasonically-induced bonding process (between molded pieces) in the production of shelving. l A smaller portion of formed molds is drilled as needed along with the remaining product from degating not transferred to inserting. All molds from drilling proceed to inserting and then are transferred to either the secondary department or the finishing department. l The plant has purchased approximately 13 new paint guns to improve paint application efficiency to result in some reduction of overspray occurring during the painting process. l Approximately four years ago, water baths were installed in each booth to collect overspray and reduce airborne emissions. l Plant personnel installed a distillation unit to recover waste solvent used for cleaning paint guns and paint booth walls. l lnhouse waste surveys have been conducted sporadically for approximately 7-8 years in order to reduce the amount of waste produced. Waste Minimization Opportunities The type of waste currently generated by the plant, the source of the waste, the quantity of the waste, and the annual management costs are given in Table 1. Secondary Department l Products from inserting, degating, and drilling along with products directly from the mold and presses enter a patching process where a filler is applied to improve surface smoothness. Table 2 shows the opportunities for waste minimization that the WMAC team recommended for the plant. The type of waste. the minimization opportunity, the possible waste reduction and associated savings, and the implementation cost along with the payback times are given in the table. The quantities of waste currently generated by the plant and possible waste reduction depend on the production level of the plant. All values should be considered in that context. Products brought to the finishing department begin at nickel coating, "spray-fill", or topcoat. items that are nickel-coated proceed to "spray-fill" and to topcoat. Those beginning at spray-fill continue to topcoat. At nickel coating, a conductive paint and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) thinner are mixed and then air-sprayed onto the product in spray booths. Next, the items are positioned on an overhead conveyor for an 11-12 minute passage through an infrared oven followed by transfer to a "spray-fill" booth. At a "spray-fill" booth, "spray-fill", reducers, and catalyst are mixed and applied. Products are passed through the same infrared oven for drying followed by finish-sanding. Products proceed to a topcoat paint booth where paint, solvent reducers, and a catalyst are mixed and applied by hand-held spray guns. Painted parts proceed through the infrared oven described above. Next, some product pieces are textured with a catalyzed polyurethane paint. These items are dried in a propane gas-fired oven and then boxed for shipment to the customer. A mixture of several solvents including acetone, MEK, and recovered solvent is used to spray clean equipment and wipe down walls. Overspray in each paint booth collects in a water bath from which paint solids are skimmed once per shift. Additional overspray coats the paint booth walls from which residue must be scraped periodically.


Let F = t / i , . . . Jk) : (JT,0) -> (**,0), with 1 < k < n and K = C or K = R, be an analytic map-germ with an isolated singularity at the origin. Let g : (K,0) —> (1ST, 0) be an analytic function-germ. We are interested in computing topological invariants associated to the mappings F and (F,g). Let Bε c K n be a small ball centered at the origin and let δ e K be a small regular value of F. The Milnor fiber of F is F " 1 (δ) ΠBε. If ifc = 1, Milnor [Mi2] proved that F~(δ) ΠBε has the homotopy type of a bouquet of// (« — 1)-spheres where


Breast cancer or carcinoma is mostly characterized by a series of genetic mutations or gene mutations and is therefore ideally place for gene therapy intervention. The aim of gene therapy is to deliver a nucleic acid based drug to either correct or destroy the cells harbouring the genetic aberration. More recently cancer gene therapy has evolved to also encompass delivery of RNA interference technologies, as well as cancer DNA vaccines. However the bottleneck in creating such nucleic acid pharmaceuticals lies in the delivery. Deliverability of DNA is limited as it is circulating nucleases, therefore numerous strategies have been employed to aid with biological transport. This review will discuss some of viral and non viral approaches to breast to breast cancer therapy an present the findings of clinical trials of these therapies in breast cancer patients. Also detailed are some of the most recent developments in non viral approaches to targeting in breast cancer gene therapy. This include transcriptional control, and the development of recombinant, multifunctional bio- inspired system.


The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, defined the presidency of George W. Bush, who responded by projecting U.S. military power on a global scale. In the months following the attacks, the administration forcefully evicted the Taliban regime and its Al Qaeda sponsors from Afghanistan, while expanding basing rights and military cooperation, for the first time, in Central and South Asia. Indeed, Osama bin Laden is reportedly responsible for a number of these attacks on U.S. government personnel and others during Clinton administration, including the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and the attack on the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden in 2000. The study analyzes the various U.S. regimes efforts on the war on terror and its geo- strategic implications especially Africa. In doing this, the study conceptualizes strategy, grand strategy, American national strategy for combating terrorism. It explores the account of the war on terror by U.S. regimes and concludes that Africa's effort in this regard must remain visible to attract American policy makers


medicinal chemistry. Conclusions: We have identified several small, structurally diverse and pharmacokinetically favorable inhibitors of FKBP51-Hsp90 interaction which has a potential to be developed as inhibitors of taupathy in AD and other related disorders. Background: Although various pathogenic molecules and mecha-nisms have been suggested to be involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD), the two indispensable pathogenic molecules of AD are b -am-yloid (A b ) and tau. In the meantime, majority of the mechanism studies of AD pathogenesis were focused on the A b , which leads big pharmaceutical companies to develop therapeutic drugs targeting A b . However, all the clinical trials targeting A b have been failed up to now, hence, tau, another inevitable pathogenic molecule, has received attention as a real treatment target for AD. Methods: To develop therapeutic antibody targeting tau, we first screened protec-tive effects in tau transgenic mice by active immunization with several tau peptides of different residues and modifications. Results: Among these tau peptides, we found one epitope with specific residues and modifications to show the best memory improving effects. We then screened and developed the antibody to target this epitope with high affinity and high specificity. We further confirmed the therapeutic effects of this antibody in tau transgenic mice by passive immunization. Conclusions: This antibody improved memory im-pairments and AD-related pathology in tau mice. We anticipate this antibody to be a novel pipeline for the AD therapeutics. Background: Targeting pathological tau in Alzheimer's disease and other related tauopathies through the use of tau-specific antibodies has emerged as a valuable technique to reduce tau pathogenesis for the treatment of these diseases. We generated a novel pan-tau antibody, AB1, and using in vitro cell-based assays, we characterised the efficacy of AB1. Methods: AB1 was characterised using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and western blot-ting. In order to assess the ability of AB1 to prevent tau seeding in vitro , a tau seeding assay was performed using HEK Duo biosensor cells and rTg4510 tau transgenic brain lysates. Secondly, a microglial phagocytosis assay was performed using the BV2 microglial cell line in order to assess the ability of AB1 to stimulate microglial phagocytosis of fluorescently labelled human 2N4R tau. For both cell-based assays, cells were analysed using fluores-cence activated cell sorting. Results: We show that AB1 is a monoclonal pan-tau antibody with an EC50 in the low nM range. Furthermore, we demonstrated that AB1 significantly reduces tau seeding activity of rTg4510 tau transgenic brain lysates in a dose-dependent manner. In BV2 microglial cells, we observed a significant increase in the uptake of human tau in the presence of AB1. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that AB1 is capable of reducing the seeding activity of pathological tau and also enhances the phagocytosis of tau by microglial cells in vitro , which is indic-ative of the ability of AB1 to increase tau clearance and prevent the pathological spread of tau. Immunisation treatments of the pR5 and K3 tau transgenic mice are underway to determine if AB1 is capable of reducing tau pathology in vivo . be the tau tracer F]-APN-1607, a for target engagement in F]-APN-1607 for the development of small molecule therapeutics targeting Background: BIIB092 is a humanized IgG4P monoclonal antibody directed against N-terminal tau found extracellularly in interstitial (ISF) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and hypothesized to spread tau pathology from neuron to neuron. The primary objective of this experiment was to expand previous experiments and determine the pharmacokinetic and target engagement potential of BIIB092 in cynomolgus monkey CSF, both lumbar and lateral ventricle, as well as interstitial fluid. A second objective was to determine the concentrations of tau protein in the different CNS fluid compartments. Methods: Cynomolgus monkeys 2-4 years of age underwent cranial surgery for placement of guide cannula in the hippocampus region followed by a 2-week recovery period. All monkeys received a single high dose intravenous administration of BIIB092. Blood, hippocampal ISF, lateral ventricle CSF, and CSF


Modeling Income Distributions Using Elevated Distributions on a Bounded Domain Making Copulas Under Uncertainty Valuation Method of the Two Survival Functions Weighting Tools and Alternative Techniques to Generate Weighted Probability Models in Valuation Theory On Generating and Characterizing Some Discrete and Continuous Distributions Some Stochastic Properties in Sampling from the Normal Distribution Generating Function and Polarization A New Measure of Dissimilarity Between Distributions: Application to the Analysis of Income Distributions Convergence in the European Union Using the Gamma Distribution to Fit Fecundity Curves for Application in Andalusia (Spain) Classes of Bivariate Distributions with Normal and Lognormal Conditionals: A Brief Revision Inequality Measures, Lorenz Curves and Generating Functions Extended Waring Bivariate Distribution Applying a Bayesian Hierarchical Model in Actuarial Science: Inference and Ratemaking Analysis of the Empirical Distribution of the Residuals Derived from Fitting the Heligman and Pollard Curve to Mortality Data Measuring the Efficiency of the Spanish Banking Sector: Super-Efficiency and Profitability.


Foldable components such as electrodes, transistors, and sensors are necessary to realize wearable electronics to be reliable use. In this paper, we propose a printable and foldable electrode using a composite ink of carbon nanotubes and polymer. Relative resistance change corresponding to the foldability by folding the electrode up to 1000 times is relatively small ∼9.9 and ∼1.7% for the folding directions of tensile and compressive stress in the electrodes, respectively. As a proof‐of‐concepts, a foldable calculator is demonstrated without malfunction. This electrode may lead to develop foldable electronics furthermore and can be applied to a wide range of applications.


Preface A People Called Atuot Modes of Subsistence The Social Reproduction of Society A Moral Order of Society Individual and Social Experience Nilotic Peoples in a Changing World Appendices: Published Sources on the Atuot Bridewealth Cattle Atuot Relationship Terminology Bibliography Index


Weakly nonlinear ion-acoustic (IA) solitary waves, which accompany electronegative plasmas composed of positive ions, negative ions, and nonextensive electrons are investigated. Allowing for electrons departure from Boltzmann's distribution is shown to bear considerable new features of the IA soliton characteristics. Three different types of electronegative plasmas inspired from the experimental studies of Ichiki et al. [Phys. Plasmas 8, 4275 (2001)] are discussed, and the dependence of IA solitons basic characteristics on physical parameters is also investigated. It is found that for certain values of the negative-to-positive ion density ratio, ν, the positive-to-negative ion mass ratio, Q, and the nonextensive parameter, q, the plasma system supports rarefactive solitons.


Model Predictive Control (MPC) with a finite control set has been successfully applied to several power converter topologies and research on predictive control techniques has increased over the last few years. This paper presents a novel model predictive control scheme for the three-phase Direct Matrix Converter based on switching state elimination. The conventional MPC solves a multi-objective optimization problem by minimizing a multi-objective cost function over a one-step horizon. The control performance is strongly affected by the weighting factors used in the cost function, and this is problematic, since no formal method to determine their values has been provided in the literature. A time consuming simulation-based tuning technique is typically used. The proposed method solves this difficulty by eliminating the weighting factors and using a switching state elimination method based on error constraints that have a clear physical interpretation.


Objective To discuss the dynamic expression of UCP2 in rat's non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and specify its pathogenesis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.Methods 60 rats were chosen for the experiment,which were randomly divided into the observation group and control group.In the observation group,rats received the highfat diet for the induction of fatty liver and the immune histological technique and Western blot technique were adopted to measure UCP2 in rat's liver and contents of triglyceride(TG),alanine transaminase(ALT) and free fatty acid(FFA).Results During the formation of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,the content of UCP2 positive cells and expression and contents of TG,ALT and FFA in rats were significantly increased,which were most obvious during 8th-12th week of induction of high-fat diet.Conclusion The formation and development of rat's non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is proportional to the expression of UCP2.The increased enzymatic activity of UCP2 will accelerate the lipid peroxidation and promote the formation of fatty liver.


The meteorological education of general aviation pilots is discussed in terms of the definitions and concepts of learning and good educational procedures. The effectiveness of the metoeorological program in the training of general aviations pilots is questioned. It is suggested that flight instructors provide real experience during low ceilings and visibilities, and that every pilot receiving an instrument rating should experience real instrument flight.


The invention discloses a method for preparing a gluconic acid, relates to a gluconic acid, and provides a method for preparing the gluconic acid by using cellobiose as a raw material. The method comprises the following steps: adding a multi-wall carbon nano-tube into nitric acid solution to form viscous mixed solution; putting the viscous mixed solution into an oil bath; standing and cooling the mixture after stirring and reacting; filtering the mixture after pouring out supernatant liquid; washing the mixture with water until the pH value of the solution is between 6 and 7; drying the mixture and milling the mixture into powder; preparing a catalyst by a wet impregnation method, and loading metal gold on a multi-wall carbon nano-tube carrier processed by nitric acid, wherein the chemical composition of the catalyst is mAu/CNT, and m is the mass percentage of the metal in the catalyst and is between 0.2 and 5 percent, and the CNT is a fishbone type multi-wall carbon nano-tube; and putting the catalyst, the cellobiose and the water into a liner, then putting the liner into a high pressure reaction kettle, exhausting air in the reaction kettle with oxygen, repeating the step of exhausting the air for at least one time, and then charging the oxygen into the reaction kettle again, and stirring the mixture to obtain a product after reaction.


This paper proposed a new solution to the situation that the moving objects detection in natural environment might be disturbed by some natural conditions, such as wind, light, etc. Firstly, the background image was modeled with Gaussian mixture models, to eliminate the interference of some slight and cyclical movements caused by wind, like branches swinging. Secondly, the foreground was segmented through background subtraction, and the background model was updated to adapt to the gradual change of illumination. Finally, the shadows of moving objects were detected and removed in HSV color model, meaning that the detection was completed. The experiment verified that the solution above can effectively realize the preliminary detection of moving objects in natural environment.


Through his work on cities and the urban, as well as on the importance of everyday life, Henri Lefebvre (1901-1991) has enjoyed a posthumously renaissance, and is now one of the most influential of French Marxists. But was he one? He always claimed to be. Yet he took from Nietzsche crucial and lifelong components of his personal theoretical framework: personality, alienation, ethics, and even language. Commentators oscillate between accepting his claim to having successfully placed Marx and Nietzsche in separate silos on the one hand and asserting that he had done what he equally always insisted he had not – build his own system. Marxists themselves may not be satisfied with either formulation, even if the risk they run in separating Lefebvre from his Nietzschean heritage may be to extract a theory of the urban that is dead on arrival, or at least requiring resuscitation by Marxist means.


We study variants of the local models constructed by the second author and Zhu and consider corresponding integral models of Shimura varieties of abelian type. We determine all cases of good, resp. of semi-stable, reduction under tame ramification hypotheses.


The dielectric activity of poly{5-[(methacryloxy)methyl]-5-ethyl-1,3-dioxacyclohexane} (PMAMED) and poly[(5-methacryloxy)-1,3-dioxacyclohexane] (PMAD) in the glassy region and in the glass-rubber transition is investigated by using global and partial thermostimulated discharge current (TSDC) techniques. The global TSDC curve for each polymer displays an ostensible β absorption in the glassy region followed in increasing order of temperature for a prominent a glass rubber relaxation. Partial depolarisation curves show in detail the regions of the glassy state in which more dielectric activity occurs. The TSDC curves for PMAMED are compared with those of its acrylate homologous, poly{5-[(acryloxy)methyl]-5-ethyl-1,3-dioxacyclohexane} (PAMED), finding that the methyl group in the former polymer only hinders long range micro-Brownian motions in the chains, thus shifting the glass-rubber relaxation to higher temperatures, without affecting in a significant way molecular motions in the glassy region. Small changes in the neighbourhood of the 1,3-dioxacyclohexane ring, such as suppression of a methylene group or replacement of the equatorial hydrogen in position 2 of the ring for a phenyl group, depresses the dielectric activity and shifts the β absorptions to lower temperatures. The interconversion between TSDC and a.c. dielectric results in the glassy region is discussed.


Laila Guessous, Ph.D. is a professor in the department of mechanical engineering at Oakland University (OU) in Rochester, MI. Her research and teaching interests lie in the areas of fluid mechanics and heat transfer, with an emphasis on computational methods. She is the program director for the NSFfunded AERIM Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at OU, as well as a co-PI on the Oakland University WISE@OU NSF ADVANCE Partnerships for Adaptation, Implementation, and Dissemination (PAID) grant. She is also in charge of faculty mentoring in the School of Engineering and Computer Science at OU.


The invention belongs to the field of image processing and particular relates to a large-format small-overlap-area high-precision multispectral image registration method and device. The method includes: performing SIFT feature point extraction on a reference image and a to-be-registered image; matching the extracted feature points, and acquiring the overlapped areas of the reference image and the to-be-registered image to obtain a preliminarily registered image; combining inner points screened by a random sampling consistency algorithm with a least square fit curve to estimate a preliminary transformation matrix; using root mean square error (RMSE) to perform mapping matrix objective evaluation on the feature points of the overlapped areas, removing mismatching points causing errors, and iterating until the registered image reaches a sub-pixel level so as to obtain a precise transformation matrix. By the method, registration precision of large-format small-overlap-area multispectral images is increased.


As the distributed resources required for the processing of High Performance Computing (HPC) applications are becoming larger in scale and computational capacity, their energy consumption has become a major concern. Therefore, there is a growing focus from both the academia and the industry on the minimization of the carbon footprint of the computational resources, especially through the efficient scheduling of the workload. In this paper, a technique is proposed for the energy-aware scheduling of bag-of-tasks applications with time constraints in a large-scale heterogeneous distributed system. Its performance is evaluated by simulation and compared with a baseline algorithm. The simulation results show that the proposed heuristic not only reduces the energy consumption of the system, but also improves its performance.


Introduction: Herbicide application is a vital strategy of weed control. The effects of these chemicals on the non-target soil microorganisms are very intense; have adverse impact on physicochemical parameters of the soil, which in turn affect soil fertility and plant growth.
Research Gap: There are insufficient literatures on extensive monitoring of the effects of prolonged herbicides use. Existing literatures concerning analysis of effect of prolonged herbicides application on soil are not comprehensive with respect to number of soil characteristics analyzed.
Aim: This study assessed the effects of Atrazine and Glyphosate on physicochemical properties and microbial population of carrot and maize farm soils, exposed to prolonged use at Songhai Delta.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Songhai Delta farms and the Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, from April to July, 2019.
Methodology: These pesticides were applied according to the manufacturers' instructions at sublethal concentrations. Their effects on soil pH, cation exchange capacity, total organic carbon, nitrates, phosphates, sulphates and microbial populations at two depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm) were assessed using standard methods. Microbial counts were carried out for total heterotrophic bacteria and fungi using the pour plate method.
Results: There were variations in the different properties of the carrot and maize farm soils. Soil pH was higher in maize farm (5.91±0.10) than in carrot farm (5.88±0.06) at the depth of 15-30 cm. The pH, total organic carbon, nitrate content had no significant difference while phosphate and microbial counts were significantly different at P=.05.
Conclusion: This assessment has shown that the herbicides had no influence on pH, total organic carbon, nitrate but a negative one on bacterial and fungal populations with prolonged use. A modification in physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of soil could be used to predict the fertility and health status of soils.


Two periods are divided in the history of China institutional research,which are the period of research on institutional research and the period of launching China institutional research.Important progress is achieved in the aspect of realizing localized transformation of institutional research,constructing the case bank of institutional research,and promoting institutional research of specific topics.Nowadays,there're some particular problems and difficulties in our institutional research.With the progress in acceleration of modern university system construction,there's much development space in institutional research.And it will play bigger part in advancing the institution reform and development.


In this paper fatigue tests on side notched steel test specimens strengthened with adhesive bonded fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets are presented. The specimens are subject to crack growth both in the steel and bond line. Influence of the load ratio and initial crack length on the overall endurance and debonding of the laminate was experimentally investigated. Strengthening increased the endurance of specimens up to 6.1 times and a higher load ratio was found to shorten the endurance increase. The growth rate of the debonded zone was unchanged in specimens with long initial crack lengths, thus the laminate was utilized better at any given crack length than in specimens with shorter initial cracks. Using the optical measuring equipment ARAMIS the size and shape of the debonded zone was measured at long crack lengths, proving an increasing debond growth rate close to failure.