Using ab-initio molecular dynamics simulation we investigate the thermal expansion of β-Si(NCN) 2 for temperatures up to 700 K. We find that the structure behaves isotropic, although its optimized ground state is tetragonal. Studying the zero-pressure volume as a function of temperature we find a negative expansion of the structure and a linear expansion coefficient α L of -2·10 −5 K -1 . We attribute this effect to a strong bending of the Si-N=C angle within the structure which increases on increasing the temperature. The stretching of Si-N and C=N bonds on the other side is regular. Experiments motivated by the computational study were carried out on nano-crystalline Si(NCN) 2 powders. The XRD Mo Kα data shows a negative thermal expansion for β-Si(NCN) 2 up to 600 K. Synchrotron data indicates zero expansion of β-Si(NCN) 2 between 460K and 800 K.


Abstract This paper derives from an ethnographically oriented study of the emergence of English in innovative disciplinary speech events at a French-German bilingual university in Switzerland. From the outside viewed as dissent from the university's brand bilingualism, the use of English as a lingua franca enabled the multilingual 'agents of change' to achieve their own goals. In one context, English was the only common language. It enabled the community of practice to function in its international composition and to manage the disciplinary socialisation of doctoral students. In another context, English was a new common denominator that permitted members of a formerly linguistically segregated department to sustain disciplinary communication beyond the language boundary and to build a visible community of practice through and for the use of English. While ten years of burgeoning research have made English as a Lingua Franca a descriptive reality it is still seen by some as dissent from multilingual ideals instead of as mediating multilingualism. This contribution explores what 'agents of change' themselves have to say about their use of English as embedded in institutional bi- and individual multilingualism. Do users of English have a (self-critical or confident) ELFA (English as a Lingua Franca in academic settings) awareness? How do they position themselves as multilingual users of English? Are there differences between those who have already established ELFA as part of their repertoire and those that are beginning to do so? Supported by theoretical arguments and some circumstantial evidence, a case is made for regarding ELFA as a multilingual practice.


The spring clamping element (1) has a current rail piece (2) and a pull bow (3) which is movably supported at the current rail piece relative to the current rail piece, where the pull bow has a clamping edge (5a,5b) for clamping an electrical conductor between the clamping edge and current rail piece. An actuating cylinder (10) is rotated with a screw thread and is supported at the pull bow or at current rail piece in extension direction of the actuating cylinder. An independent claim is also included for a series terminal with an insulating housing.


Copper ternary alloys containing small amounts of vanadium and silicon exhibit a two-step superconducting resistive transition. The first transition occurs around 17K, the transition temperature of beta -W V3Si, followed by a plateau and a second transition around 10K. The resistivity, however, does not drop to zero down to 2.5K. Reduction of the wire diameter causes the two transitions to shift to lower temperatures. Complete superconductivity in these specimens is absent for two reasons. Firstly, the superconducting volume fraction present in these alloy-wires is below the threshold given by either the effective-medium theory or the site percolation theory. Secondly, the superconducting phase V3Si does not precipitate in copper matrix in a fine structure and the proximity effect does not operate strongly. Annealing causes the superconducting particles to coalesce and grow in size and suppresses the proximity effect and superconductivity further in these alloy wires.


Silva, L. M. da. Facial Attractiveness and Orthognatic Surgery: Emotional and Physical Aspects. 2009. 126f. Thesis (Doctoral) Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto. 2009. People with salient dentofacial deformities can have social, personal and emotional injury. The orthognathic surgery is used to correct these deformities, and consequently, it affects the facial appearances of the patients. The general aims of this study were: 1) Evaluate samples of faces from a population of Ribeirão Preto, SP and their prototypical faces considered as without deformities; 2) Analyze the facial attractiveness of ten patients before and after being submitted to orthognathic surgery; searching the relationship between the attractiveness and physical parameters modified on the faces by the surgery; and also assessing the effects of this surgery on the quality of life, the anxiety and the self-esteem of these patients. The facial analyses were frontal and from the halves, the thirds and the fifths of the faces. The pictures of faces before and after the orthognathic surgery were from voluntary patients from CEDEFACE (Centro de Pesquisa e Tratamento das Deformidades Buco-Faciais) at Araraquara, SP. Before and after the surgery, these patients also had their quality of life (by WHOQOL bref scale), the anxiety (by IDATE and Escala Analógica de Humor) and the selfesteem (by Escala de Auto-Estima de Rosenberg) evaluated. There were two experiments. From an experiment, forty volunteers judged the attractiveness of the faces pictured before and after the surgery. From the other experiment, the volunteers compared the attractiveness of the patient faces with the attractiveness of the prototypical faces, respectively to their sex and race. The results showed that: 1) The facial analyses of the faces from population sample of Ribeirão Preto, SP, and their prototypical faces indicated physical parameters that differ from the literature, mainly for the facial analyses of the thirds and the fifths 2) The orthognathic surgery contributed to increase the facial attractiveness of the patients, although they were still considered less attractive than the prototypical faces. Improvement in psychological condition, assessed by the Whoqol bref, and anxiety decrement, assessed by the Escala Analógica de Humor, were noticed. These results pointed out the importance to study facial analyses related to the aesthetic improvement, and that the orthognathic surgery to treat dentofacial deformities can bring aesthetic and emotional benefits to the patients. Key-words: Face Perception, Facial Attractiveness, Orthognatic Surgery.


In this study, the security problem of discrete nonlinear systems with injection attacks is discussed by designing two kinds of iterative learning schemes with the partial information and delay. The definitions of security and insecurity are presented and the injection attack is considered in a discrete nonlinear system. The contribution of this study is twofold: 1) two kinds of iterative learning schemes are designed to be with the partial information and delay due to limited bandwidth of networks and 2) two criteria are proposed to analyze the security and insecurity of a discrete nonlinear system with the two kinds of iterative learning schemes. Finally, numerical results are presented to illustrate the validity of the obtained criteria.


[Objective] The research aimed to provide reference for study stereoscopic multiple intercropping pattern with Rhizoma polygonatum as main crop.[Method] The randomized block design with 3 repeats and plot area of 6.67 m2,double corn plants 30 000 holes/hm2 as intercropping with sweet potato as CK⑦,the cultivation pattern of intercropping R.polygonatum with different densities of corn in Suiyang base of Guizhou province was studied.[Result] The yield order of R.polygonatum in each treatments was single corn plant 30 000 holes/hm2②single corn plant 19 995 holes/hm2 ①single corn plant 36 000 holes/hm2 ③double corn plants 19 995 holes/hm2 ④double corn plants 30 000 holes/hm2⑤double corn plants 36 000 holes/hm2 ⑥,the yield order of corn was ⑤②④③⑥⑦①,the order of total yield value was ②③⑤④①⑥⑦,that of pure income was ②③④⑤①⑥⑦,that of ratio of yield to input was ②③④①⑤⑥⑦,that of labor productivity was ②③①④⑤⑥⑦,and that of total input was ⑦①②③④⑤⑥.All yield,yield value,pure income,ratio of yield to input and labor productivity and etc of intercropping 36 000 holes/hm2 R.polygonatum in strip shape with single corn Denghai3 plant 30 000 holes/hm2 were best.Compared with local conventional cultivation mode,the total yield value increased 187.7% and the net income increased 339%.[Conclusion] Intercropping 36 000 holes/hm2 R.polygonatum with single corn plant 30 000 holes/hm2 was the optimum stereoscopic cultivation pattern of intercropping local R.polygonatum with corn.


Abstract In August 2003, dense turfs formed by the filamentous red alga Womersleyella setacea (Hollenberg) R. E. Norris were found in the open part of the Bay of Boka Kotorska, on the shore of Montenegro (southern Adriatic Sea). The habitat and morphology of the alga are described and the impact of the massive development of this species on the structure of the algal communities is discussed.


This paper analyzes the importance of digital resource of library in modern distance education, probes into some strategies for guaranteeing the full application of digital resource used in distance education, and advances some protection schemes of digital resource of library.


PURPOSE: A carousel for transporting baggage is provided to attach a driving chain to an actuating belt and to smoothly rotate the driving chain without noise by installing tension pressing units in both sides of the driving chain. CONSTITUTION: A carousel for transporting baggage comprises a frame, a baggage transfer slate, a driving chain, an actuating unit(30a), and tension pressing units(40). The frame is formed into the shape of a track of which one side is inclined downward to standing passengers. The baggage transfer slate comprises multiple transfer slate members on which baggage is placed. Both ends of the transfer slate members are installed throughout the left and right sides of the frame in a state where the multiple transfer slate members are partially collapsed. A driving chain transfer slate is rotated by frictional surface contact with an actuating belt(34a) of a belt transmission tool, thereby rotating and transferring the baggage. The actuating unit rotates the driving chain in one direction by friction with the actuating belt. The tension pressing units press one side of the actuating belt and the driving chain against each other to increase the adhesion force between the actuating belt and the driving chain.


Abstract Abstract Indium tin oxide (ITO) ceramic sputtering targets used for the manufacturing of transparent conductive thin films for electrodes in flat panel displays, solar cells, touch panels, antistatic films and others developed and commercially produced are described. Thanks to optimised compositions and developed technology, commercially producing large size planar and new generation rotary ceramic target components have high density (up to 99·5% of theoretical density), uniform microcrystalline structure and superior properties, e.g. low electrical resistivity. As a result, nanosized thin films produced by direct current magnetron sputtering from the developed targets have uniform nanocrystalline or amorphous structures and superior transmittance (>90%) and low electrical resistivity. The morphology and properties of these films have been studied, depending on the film processing features. The benefits of the developed ITO rotary targets for industrial nanosized film processing (e.g. significant increase in process efficiency, about three times higher target utilisation, practically no nodule formation and particle redeposition during sputtering and reduced processing cost) are outlined.


Ecological houses have become very popular lately due to an increasing concern regarding the reduction of the CO2 emissions generated by the building sector. An ecological house is perceived as a building that enhances the environment rather than degrading it. Straw bale houses are considered to be an ecological and energy efficient solution to the traditional houses. The research aimed to evaluate the use of straw bale in constructions. The experimental work included the mechanical and the hygrothermal behaviour of straw bale, i.e. compression test, moisture content and thermal conductivity determination on a straw bale wall placed in climatic conditions specific for Romania. The research results show a better thermal performance than some of the traditional choices existing on the market. The study provides encouraging insight into considering straw bale solutions as a first alternative to the classical ones.


We present the photostability results of seven novel electro-optic chromophores made to be used in high-speed fiber optic signal modulators. We measured the photobleaching rate of the chromophores at room temperature by using a fiber optic pump−probe technique. Thin polymer film guest−host samples were deposited on the end of SMF-28 fiber pigtails and bleached by using 100 mW of 1550 nm radiation as the pump. The bleaching rate was measured by monitoring the main absorption band of the chromophores by using a 660 nm probe beam that was multiplexed into the fiber pigtail. The relative photostability was reported as a figure of merit which is proportional to the 1/e bleaching lifetime of the chromophore. We found the bleaching rate to increase linearly with incident 1550 nm power at the end of the single-mode fiber up to at least 100 mW. Our results show that the photobleaching rate is reduced dramatically when the test is conducted in an inert atmosphere. We also show that the presence of the singlet oxyge...


Crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) has been widely used as power cable electrical insulation for many years. However, with a maximum continuous operating temperature of ~90 °C, this impacts both continuous and emergency cable ratings and, consequently, has implications for power network operational flexibility. In this paper, we describe the principles underpinning new and patented thermoplastic insulation systems that have been actively designed to exhibit improved properties. Polyethylene and polypropylene blends are described that show significant improvements relative to the performance of XLPE in terms of enhancements to breakdown strength, with tests being unable to breakdown mini-cable specimens. Mechanically, the resultant materials exhibit an appropriate degree of flexibility. The results obtained suggest that thermoplastic blend materials can exhibit significantly enhanced thermal and electrical performance with respect to XLPE. These improvements translate to a very favorable position for enhanced cable performance, including maximum operating temperature. Consequently, MV and HV power cables with significantly enhanced flexible operation can be produced, with the potential to offer system operators the increased emergency ratings necessary to ease system constraints.


This paper presents the role of the tobacco warehouses in the urban transformation of the provincial Greek city of Agrinio. It covers the period from the establishment of the Greek state in 1830 to the end of the interwar period, with special focus on the 1920s and 1930s. The study of this particular city is done within the broader historical environment of the Greek state, in which urban planning and architecture are among the more general issues raised by the historical conditions. The new data brought to light by the study show the significance of the tobacco warehouses in shaping the city of Agrinio, as well as the influences from Central Europe on local industrial architecture during the interwar years.


My assigned topic in these discussion papers is a comparison of the FINE report and the proposed Financial Reform Act with earlier reform proposals. This is not difficult. From CMC, through the Heller report, through the Hunt Commission report, the Senate-passed Financial Institutions Act, the Financial Reform Act pressed by the House Banking and Currency Committee, and the FINE report, there has been virtual unanimity that the thrift institutions be granted broader asset powers, that the thrifts be permitted to engage in third-party payments services, that the prohibition of interest payments on transactions balances be eliminated, that Regulation Q be phased out, that branching laws be changed to enhance intraand inter-industry competition and that regulatory reform at the federal level was necessary. The several reform proposals concerning the regulatory agencies are not in such agreement. But the salient point is that the homeostatic characteristics of the existing agencies and divisions between and among members of the House and the Senate have not only made organizational reform impossible to achieve; the same characteristics and divisions have prevented action on substantive policy issues that are of much greater consequence than organizational reform itself. Unhappily, the characteristics and divisions have also caused what might be called "benign neglect" to a fundamental technological change that is certain to alter both the private sectors of financial institutions and their regulators in the coming decade. The neglect, of course, is the lack of attention to the impact of computers and the evolution of electronic funds transfers. It is possible to say that those who worked on the reports of the Commission on Money and Credit and the Heller report should be forgiven for this oversight. While some were fretting about the burden of paper funds transfers and planning for magnetically encoded checks at the time, EFT would have to be regarded as something


This article implements the technology of educating preschool children in the field of national culture in cooperation with the family, mahalla and preschool educational organization, teaching children national education and culture through the genres of Uzbek literature in preschool education.


PURPOSE: A method for switching a head using the track number mapping is provided to prevent the performance deterioration of an HDD(Hard Disk Drive) even if the HDD is made by assembling the disc written in an offline STW(Servo Track Write) method. CONSTITUTION: A deviation between a reference head and other head is calculated. A mapping table having the deviation between the reference head and the other head is written/stored in a memory(S604). If a head switching operation occurs, the corresponding head is switched to a track requesting access by applying the deviation of the corresponding head to an address of the track requesting the access(S610). The deviation is obtained by referring to the mapping table stored in the memory.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the positive and negative effects of gender and ethnicity in relation to discrimination and the problems encountered in accessing social support (including emotional and instrumental support).Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative data were collected through in‐depth interviews with 40 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) female small business owners based in north west England. The main aims and objectives of the study were to: investigate the discriminatory experiences of BAME female small business owners related to their gender and ethnicity; and to identify the forms (formal and informal) and types (emotional/instrumental) of social support available in relation to their entrepreneurial activities that enabled them to cope with and overcome, the discrimination they may encounter.Findings – Over half of the respondents in the study had experienced discriminations because of their gender, ethnic background or both. This was attributed to a number ...


Objective To evaluate the methods and clinical value of mammary sentinel lymphoscintigraphy in breast cancer. Methods 117 patients with breast tumor in stage T 1~2N 0 were examined before sentinel node biopsy were considered. Some of them were compared in different injection volume at both side and several cases with SPECT/CT tomographic fusions. 13 patients were subdermally injected with 55.5 MBq (0.5 ml) 99Tcm-DTPA-human serum albumin (HSA) on the surface of the lesion, 50 patients with 92.5 MBq (4 ml) unfiltered 99Tcm-sulfur colloid (SC) in four divided doses around the lesion and 54 patients in the upper part of the lesion with the same volume of the SC in one-point-injection. Results The sentinel lymph node (SLN) could quickly be shown by any of three methods but the best time of view and number of lymph nodes differed personly and mainly affected by injection depth and volume. It was showed that the 3rd method could find more juxtaclavicular, supraclavicular and internal mammary nodes. SLN were successfully identified in 69.2% with HSA in 30 min and over 84% with SC in 2 h. SPECT/CT tomographic fusions were more helpful to recognize SLN and abnormal lymphatic drainage. Conclusion The mammary sentinel lymphoscintigraphy in breast cancer is differ from past lymphatic imaging and is essential for localizing SLN correctly, identifying abnormal lymphatic drainage and designing new therapeutic regime.


The (ZnSe) /(ZnS ), strained layer super-lattices (SLSs) on (100) GaAs and (ZnTe)/(ZnSe) SLSs on (100) InP have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and atomic layer epitaxy (ALE). The structural characteristics of these SLSs were investigated in situ RHEED observation, low-angle X-ray diffraction spectra, TED image and AES analysis. The optical properties of the SLSs, such as refractive index of superlattice materials, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, transient PL spectra, Raman spectra, far-infrared reflectivity spectra and Optical nonlinear have been studied.


THE RED CROSS SOCIETY. ^ Sister of the A.N.S.R. at a Bloemfontein hospital ^riteg : ? You will, I am sure, be glad to hear what a ?0li we find the Red Cross Society. You can get any lll?rtal thing you want within reason from them, and sick Tommy, when he leaves the hospital, goes out, to their care, well clad in warm clothes, with a ^Pe of tobacco into the bargain. Only to-day I got six ^Pesand some cakes of tobacco for my men. The very Patients are able to have champagne, without which ey would undoubtedly die."


In this paper, we propose a novel method to detect baseball video scene for commercial advertisement insertion. The method uses the criteria based on better advertisement effect to generate a set of rules. From these rules, proper timing (starting time and ending time) and location are identified to insert the advertisement in the broadcast baseball video automatically. The proper timing is detected based on the consistent existence of simple background objects in the video for a period of time. The proper location is identified by less-informative-region detection in the video. The rules make sure that the critical information of the video is not blocked by the advertisement and the advertisement is always stable, clear and viewable on the stationary background of the video. The experimental results are encouraging.


This paper develops a completely distributed affine formation maneuver control (CDAFC) algorithm for networked marine surface vehicles (NMSVs). The desired trajectories are generated by the affine image. Accordingly, NMSVs are capable to achieve arbitrary preset configuration transformations, while only a small part of the formation members called leaders obtain the configuration information. Then, a synthetical constraint is designed, which can concern position and attitude configuration rigidities simultaneously. This feature enables NMSVs to achieve formation maneuvers with time-varying formation speeds and orientations. On these bases, a novel CDAFC scheme is developed. In contrast to the conventional fully distributed control schemes, the implementation requirements are completely limited to the local reference frame, i.e., not only is CDAFC designed in a node-based way, but the CDAFC implementation just depends on the local relative poses and self velocities. Thus, we call it completely distributed. The semi-physical simulations are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness.


The results of a study of the state and possibilities of increasing the capacity of grain transshipment in the ports of Ukraine and substantiation based on the developed trend models of forecast volumes of grain cargo transshipment in Berdyansk and Mariupol seaports of the South-Eastern region of Ukraine until 2025 are presented. The studies established the characteristics of grain cargo flows in the seaports of Ukraine, the SWOT analysis revealed the strengths and weaknesses, advantages and threats of the Mariupol Sea Trade Port, developed trend forecast models for grain transshipment volumes in the ports of the South-Eastern region of Ukraine and substantiated the forecast volumes of transshipment grain cargo until 2025. A rather uneven loading of the Mariupol port during the year is shown. August and all summer months are especially critical, when both industrial and agricultural goods need to be exported from the nearby region at the same time. The urgent need to increase the capacity of elevators for the ports of Chornomorsk, Reni and Olvia, as well as the ports of the Sea of Azov, in particular, the construction of a new elevator in the port of Mariupol, which is a timely strategic decision, has been substantiated. It was noted that at present most of the country's seaports are expected to increase the transshipment of food cargo of all kinds. To predict the volumes of transshipment of grain cargo at the Berdyansk and Mariupol seaports, based on the analysis of data from the state enterprise "Administration of the Sea Ports of Ukraine", forecast models (trends) are proposed that contribute to the growth of production capacity and competitiveness of agricultural products of the adjacent agro-industrial region. It is shown that the forecast for the next 2-4 years is optimistic – subject to a good grain harvest, the transshipment of grain cargo by 2025 in the Berdyansk and Mariupol ports can reach 2,000 and 1,300 thousand tons, respectively, that is, increase compared to 2021, respectively, 5 and 1.3 times. The conducted SWOT-analysis made it possible to identify and evaluate the factors influencing decision-making on the possibility of developing the Mariupol seaport. On the basis of analytical data, a long-term forecast was made for the further development of the transport and logistics component of the seaports of the South-East region of Ukraine, which will expand and improve port services aimed at increasing its throughput. Among the most important measures is the construction of an elevator in the Mariupol seaport, which will help increase the quality and safe transportation of agricultural products in the chain from the producer to the end consumer. The main measures aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the Mariupol port were identified, including: construction of complexes for transshipment of grain, containers, vegetable oil; dredging, construction of hydrotechnical bank protection structures; reconstruction of berths 2-4 and 14-15 of the port; reconstruction of the nearby railway station Mariupol-Port.


Pear is truly wondrous hardy fruit, widely grown in temperate regions of the world with varied size, shape, texture and flavours. Among temperate fruits, pear is next only to apple in importance, acreage and production with high degree of adaptability under varied climatic conditions. In India pear is predominantly grown in Kashmir valley and cooler areas in the hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand. The present experiment entitled "Bio-intensive nutrient management in high density pear (Pyrus communis L.) cv. Carmen" was carried out during 2014-2016 in experimental field of SKUAST-K on three year old pear plants cv. Carmen grafted on rootstock Quince C planted at a distance of 3 x 3 m. Significant differences were observed with application of different treatments. Parameters like fruit length, fruit breadth, fruit weight, fruit volume, yield, incremental extension growth, incremental plant spread, incremental plant volume incremental plant height, titratable acidity and available soil nitrogen, total fruit nitrogen and total leaf nitrogen showed highest values with T1:(N + P + K) as recommended.


The X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) of transition metal oxides is analyzed in terms of scattering resonances from neighboring atoms. Spectra from reference compounds of simple, known structure were used to facilitate identification of XANES peaks with scattering from specific coordination spheres. The resulting correlation between bond distance and energy of the absorption feature allows determination of bond distances in unknown materials. This is illustrated with the Cu K-edges of YBa2Cu3O7 and Lau1.8Sr0.2CuO4. — The intensity of the L-edge absorption resonances of the 5d elements is shown to be proportional to the number of 5d holes as determined by band structure calculations. In principle even the spin codiguration of the 5d orbitals can be determined. This is illustrated with data for a Re on A1203 catalyst.


We propose a CDMA network implementation that enhances security at the physical layer. By using an active star topology supporting both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint communication, 128 ONUs can transmit simultaneously at rates of at least 12 Mbps, with a reach of 20 km, thus addressing access network applications. Numerical simulations demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed scheme.


A digitally processed DC reactive sputtering (DPDRS) system employing field-programmable gate-array has been developed. In this report, atomically precise pulsed-DC sputtering of a metal oxide compound, cubic (Er0.1Y0.9)2Zr2O7 (c-EYZO), is demonstrated by using DPDRS. An alternating process of pulsed metal sputtering and reactive gas pulsing was applied in order to realize layer-by-layer reactive sputtering. The pulsed metal sputtering separated from the oxidation process results in a stable and high deposition rate of c-EYZO at 1.9 μm h−1, which corresponds to 1.56 nm/cycle. By adjusting the deposition rate to the d-spacing of 0.26 nm corresponding to the (200) diffraction, layer-by-layer synthesis of a highly oriented c-EYZO thin film showing the d-spacing was achieved. X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence measurements indicate drastic improvement of the crystalline properties and the emission properties due to the layer-by-layer synthesis. It is expected that DPDRS enables arbitrarily designed atomically precise deposition of the metal oxide compound synthesis.


In the experimental determination of the response time of a thermoresistive sensor to a radiation step, one needs to monitor the variation of the ohmic resistance of the sensor with time. This requires passing electrical current through the sensor, which introduces error in the measured response time due to the additional self-heating of the sensor by the electrical current. A theoretical method to eliminate this error is formulated and experimental results are presented. The proposed method also permits experimental determination of the heat capacity (mc) and heat transfer coefficient (UA). The sensitivity analysis of {tau} = mc/UA permits the optimal choice for the resistance measurement currents.


Objective To observe the effectiveness of inhalation of aerosol iloprost during partial liquid ventilation(PLV) on gas exchange and pulmonary mechanics in oleic acid(OA) induced acute lung injury(ALI) rabbits.Methods Twenty-four healthy white rabbits were established into acute lung injury model induced by OA and randomly allocated to three groups respectively receiving conventioal mechanical ventilation(CMV group),CMV and partial liquid ventilation(PLV+CMV group),combinated ventilation of CMV,PLV with inhalation of aerosol iloprost(combined group).The parameters such as PaO_(2),PaCO_(2),Cstat,pulmonary arterial pressure(PAP) were observed before ALI establishment and at 0,1,2,3,4 h after treatment.Results In combined group,PaO_(2) increased from(104±16) mmHg to(236±38) mmHg(P0.05),PAP decreased from(22±5) mmHg to(16±3) mmHg(P0.05),HR,MAP and CVP showed no significant changes after ventilation as compared with PLV+CMV group.Conclusion This study demonstrated that inhalation of aerosol iloprost at partial liquid ventilation improved pulmonary oxygenation more than PLV alone in the acute lung injury model.Inhaled aerosol iloprost can effectively decrease pulmonary artery hypertension.


We developed P-CUBE, which is an education tool for programming mobile robots, and confirmed the system operation. Elementary school and junior high school students have recently begun to learn programming using PCs. Students who are taught how to create programs are often required to use an interface of a personal computer. This method keeps visually impaired and younger children from learning programming. Furthermore, the cost associated with PCs is often prohibitive. In an attempt to address these problems, we have developed P-CUBE, which is a new programming education tool. P-CUBE consists of cubic blocks and a program mat. The user creates a program by laying out surface gap blocks on the program mat based on the structure of the algorithm. RFID readers are arranged in the programming mat, and the information of the RFID tags in the blocks is read in order to specify the location of each block. P-CUBE is considered to be nearly indestructible because of its simple structure and is expected to be used as an educational toy for students.


Public service motivation has rapidly become one of the important concepts in contemporary public administration research. However, until now, research has mainly focused on its measurement and its consequences, whereas relatively ignoring its origins. This study investigates where the antecedents of public service motivation may lay, and how institutions could play a role in the development of public service motivation. Based on a sample of 3,506 state civil servants, the results of this research demonstrate that identities related to the various institutions that one is affiliated with (e.g., the organizations for which one works, family, political affiliation, education, gender, and age cohorts) correlate with public service motivation. Although the findings of this study should be treated with some caution, as it concerns cross-sectional research, they might further reveal who is public service motivated and why.


We introduce the 'Orientation Zernike Polynomials', a base function representation of retardation and diattenuation which are most relevant for vector imaging. We show that the 'Orientation Zernike Polynomials' provide a complete and systematic description of vector imaging using high NA lithography lenses and, hence, a basis for an in depth understanding of both polarized and unpolarized imaging, and its modeling.


The COVID-19 pandemic, declared by the WHO on March 11, 2020, was and still is boosted by intense population movements, mainly of tourists and business workers. The chineses represent the third foreign community with the largest number of residents in Italy. The objective of this work is to infer the possible correlations between the disease incidence rate, of explosive epidemiological nature, and the migratory flow of chinese workers in Italy. Besides that, to discuss ethnic issues and social denialism as a cause of the spread of the virus in the aforementioned european country. The method for collecting the data presented was a text and graphics review available in the scientific literature. The high incidence of Chinese immigrants in northern Italy and the migratory flow following the Chinese lunar new year are evidenced as the main factors of the expansion of SARS-CoV-2 in the country. Moreover, it is evident the rejection of any importance of the ethnic issue in the spread of the pandemic. On the other hand, population denialism and the delay in adopting social isolation measures may have contributed to this event.


The topographical evolution of the (100) GaAs surface annealed under an arsine/hydrogen ambient is studied by in situ orientation‐resolved light scattering and ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). The light scattering system provides real‐time monitoring of the magnitude and crystal orientation of topographical features of 0.3 μm scale. The AFM images of the GaAs surface, quenched at various annealing temperatures, vividly depict the randomly oriented high density monolayer steps evolving into an atomically smooth terracelike structure.


A nano-TiO2/Nafion modified gold electrode was developed to detect copper utilizing the properties of nano TiO2.Electrochemical behavior of Cu2+ at nano-TiO2/Nafion modified gold electrode was studied by differential pulse stripping voltammetry.Experimental parameters such as amount of nano-TiO2/Nafion suspension,pH value of the supporting electrolyte,accumulation potential and accumulation time were optimized.Results indicated that a remarkable anodic peak appeared at 0.25 V when accumulating for 240 s at-0.5 V in HNO3(pH 2.0)solution with stirring.Compared to bare gold electrode,peak current enhanced greatly indicating the strong preconcentration of Cu2+ at nano-TiO2/Nafion composite film.Under the optimized working conditions,the stripping peak currents were linear with concentrations of Cu2+ over the range from 10 to 900 nmol/L.The detection limit was 3.2 nmol/L.The electrode with some anti-interference abilities for the determination of Cu2 + can be used for the determination of Cu2 + in national standard substance and tap water samples with satisfactory results.


Research on Latinos in schools tends to focus on first-generation immigrant and second-generation students. This article raises the profile of the later-generation (third or later) Chicano (LGC) or Mexican American students who continue to experience academic neglect despite their citizenship and English monolingualism. Using 31 oral histories from a multi-generational Mexican American family, this paper describes LGC ethnic identity and school experience in relation to race and class. I propose that schools "start at the top" to improve Latino educational attainment by identifying LGC early for placement in advanced tracks and by providing consistent access to quality academic and career counseling.


We report simulation studies of 33 single intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) using three similar coarse-grained (CG) bead-spring models where interactions among different amino acids (AAs), represented as CG beads, are introduced through a hydropathy matrix and screened Coulomb interaction to account for charges of the amino acids along the chain backbone. A comparison of our simulation studies of two CG models [Dignon et al., PLOS Comp. Biology, 14, 2018, Tesei et al., PNAS, 118, 2021] with two different hydropathy scales (HPS, M3) for a larger set of AAs with the existing experimental data indicates an optimal interaction parameter $\epsilon \simeq 0.18 - 0.2$ kCal/mole, as reported previously, however, with a larger variation. We use these best-fit parameters to investigate both the universal aspects as well as the fine structures of the individual IDPs whose characteristics vary substantially in the charge-hydropathy space by introducing additional metrics. First, we investigate the polymer specific scaling relations of the IDPs in comparison to the universal scaling relations [Bair et al., J. Chem. Phys. {\bf 158}, 204902 (2023)] for the homopolymers and demonstrate that the scaled end-to-end distance $\langle R_N^2\rangle/(2 L\ell_p)$ and the scaled transverse fluctuation $\sqrt{\langle{l_{\perp}^2}\rangle}/{L}$ are Gaussian. Then we introduce Wilson charge index ($\mathcal{W}$) that captures the essential features of charge interactions and distribution in the sequence space, and a skewness parameter ($\mathcal{S}$) that captures the finer shape variation of the gyration radii distribution related to the charge asymmetry. Finally, our study of the variation of<$R_g$>$ as a function of salt concentration provides another important metric to bring out finer characteristics of the IDPs which may carry relevant information for the origin of life.


Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterised by a marked and persistent fear of social/performance situations, and a number of key environmental factors have been implicated in the aetiology of the disorder. Hence, the current article reviews theoretical and empirical evidence linking the development of SAD with parenting factors, traumatic life events, and aversive social experiences. Specifically, research suggests that the risk of developing SAD is increased by over-controlling, critical and cold parenting, an insecure attachment style, aversive social/peer experiences, emotional maltreatment, and to a lesser extent other forms of childhood maltreatment and adversity. Moreover, these factors may lead to posttraumatic reactions, distorted negative self-imagery, and internalised shame-based schemas that subsequently maintain SAD symptomatology. However, further research is necessary to clarify the nature, interactions, and relative contributions of these factors. It is likely that SAD develops via a complex interplay of biological and environmental factors, and that multiple aetiological pathways underlie the development of the disorder.


Since the original form of BAF (Biological Aerated Filter), which was called BIOCARBONE, was invented by OTV Company (France) in late l990's, BAF has been developed rapidly and used widely all over the world. This paper introduces BIOCARBONE, BIOSTYR and BIO FOR, the typical forms of BAF, in the structure and process. Based on that, some new forms of BAF, such as B2A, BIOPUR and BIOSMIDI, and the Integrative Reactor are introduced. The results show that BAF can meet the water treatment requirements in China and its future is promising.


Objective To understand the environmental lead pollution level caused by a lead smeltery.Methods From the surrounding of the investigated factory,the farmland soil,sediment,water,ambient air,courtyard dust,waste and 7 kinds of crops were collected to determine the lead level.Results Respectively,the lead concentration was 3.1 mg/L in the agriculture irrigation water,exceeded the allowed limit by 30 times,was 0.07 mg/L in the pond water,exceeded the allowed limit by 0.4 time,was 1 101.5 mg/kg in the sediment of the pond,exceeded the allowed limit by 0.10 time,was 7 400.0 mg/kg in the river sediment,exceeded the allowed limit by 6.40 times,was 47.0-287.9 mg/kg in the farmland soil and within the 400 m bound around the lead smeltery,the average level in the soil was 195.0 mg/kg.Conclusion The lead smeltery has caused the lead environment pollution in degrees,it is the main source of lead pollution that caused high blood lead in some people living in that area.


This article was prompted by the newest reedition of O. A. Dobiash-Rozhdestvenskaia's well-known book about the cult of Michael the Archangel in the Latin Middle Ages. Based on this exemplary book and medieval Russian literary texts, the author of this article raises the question of the dialectic between the typical and the peculiar in the veneration of Michael the Archangel in the Russian Orthodox tradition. The typical features, i. e. the ones that resemble the features that Dobiash-Rozhdestvenskaia found in the European material, prove to be by far more numerous than the peculiar features. As in other religious traditions, the image of Archangel Michael in Rus' seems to have been the most abstract one when compared with the images of all the saints. This phenomenon contributed to the fact that in different parts of the Christian world, an identical set of functions was ascribed to this archangel. In principle, from the Christian point of view, Michael is undoubtedly the chief of the angels. But the natural desire of a medieval person to create a more specific image of this object of his pious thoughts and feelings by separating the chief angel from the entire army of angels did not achieve any significant results. It is indicative that Archangel Michael is not referred to by his name in texts that describe situations when he interferes in the lives of people. Taking the text of the Bible as a model, the writers preferred to use just the generic designation — "an angel." In contrast, in the cases when Michael the Archangel is clearly individualized, he is invariably portrayed as severe and often even as cruel. In this respect, the tradition of medieval Rus' contains exact parallels to O. A. Dobiash-Rozhdestvenskaia's findings regarding the confessional history of Western Europe.


We report measurements of the bias dependence of the Fano factor in ensembles of atomic-scale Au junctions at 77 K. Previous measurements of shot noise at room temperature and low biases have found good agreement of the Fano factor with the expectations of the Landauer–Büttiker formalism, while enhanced Fano factors have been observed at biases of hundreds of mV (Chen et al 2014 Sci. Rep. 4 4221). We find even stronger enhancement of shot noise at 77 K with an 'excess' Fano factor up to ten times the low bias value. We discuss the observed ensemble Fano factor bias dependence in terms of candidate models. The results are most consistent with either a bias-dependent channel mixing picture or a model incorporating noise enhancement due to current-driven, nonequilibrium phonon populations, though a complete theoretical treatment of the latter in the ensemble average limit is needed.


To the Editor: In "Patient-Provider Communication: Does Electronic Messaging Reduce Incoming Telephone Calls?"[1][1] the authors concluded that in fact, electronic messaging between patients and providers is associated with increased phone calls, counterintuitive to the notion that electronic


1, The Afro-American Methodist tradition has a distinctive place in !: the black religious history of this country. The religious continuity -,within the tradition was drawn from the Wesleyan evangelical heritI,age, modified by the facts of black existence in slavery and segrega, tion. The institutional embodiment of the tradition has been typical : of American religious pluralism. Three major Negro Methodist de~. nominations came into being under the conditions of racial caste in i,: American society of the nineteenth century. From, the first there were ! black.Methodists in predominantly white churches as well-slaves who ~, were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South; free Negroes in the Methodist Episcopal Church north of slavery; the black minority, mostly in the South, which belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church after 1865 and which became, in 1939, the now dei' funct Central Jurisdiction of The Methodist Church. Another indication of the influence of Afro-American Methodism lies in its contribution to black leadership. Black Methodist clergynlen have been community spokesmen and commanding figures in the abolitionist, educational and civil rights movements. Richard Allen, for example, was a founder of black community institutions, a cri tic of the colonization movement to deport free Negroes and an exponent of Christian abolitionism which sought to rescue the religion of and about Jesus Christ from proslavery, racist perversion. What I, Allen did in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Christopher ;.' Rush and others accomplished in the African Methodist Episcopal ',: Zion Church. The story of black educational and intellectual life depends significantly upon the contributions of Methodist clergymen like Daniel Alexander Payne, Joseph Charles Price, John Wesley Edward Bowen, Benjamin Tucker Tanner, Richard R .. 'tVright. No account of the long civil rights struggle for black Americans is inclusive if it ignores the leadership of Negro Methodists like Henry McNeal Turner, James ,tV. Hood, James Lynch, Hiram Revels during reconstruction and Benjamin W. Arnett, Madison Charles Butler l' Mason, Reverdy C. Ransom, Charles H. Phillips, Lucius H. Hols~y, Alexander Walters during the Jim Crowera.' Black leaders who were Methodist have not come solely from the clerRY. Frederick Douglass, however nominal his church relations as a Zion Methodist, was not the only prominent black layman. Martin R. Delany, an early black sociologist, a medical doctor and the first i Negro commissioned in the United States Army, was an A. IVL E. ( churchman, as was Timothy Thomas Fortune, an eminent editor. l' John E. Bruce, likewise an editor and columnist, was a tnember of ,,,' J 'I ,r,


This article deals with the determination of deviations measurement in mechanical testing laboratories. The main problem is in calculation of these measurement deviations in acceptable time and creation of the record of this process. Most measurements contain multiple deviations, which are affecting the overall result. The process of application developing for automatic calculation measurement errors with calculating details is described in this article. The application is focused on usage of various types of measurements (tensile tests, compression and impact tests, hardness and cyclic testing, etc.). It should be performed independently on the measuring machine. This solution is compared with other potential methods of combined measurement deviations calculating.


Background. The purpose of our study was to determine the incidence of sonographically visible normal pleural fluid finding in healthy pregnants. Methods. Chest sonography was performed in 47 pregnant volunteers, searching for pleural fluid, first leaning on the elbow and than in a sitting position. 9-12 MHz linear probe was used. If the result of the first examination was positive (at least 2 mm thick anechoic layer), we repeated the procedure with 3-6 MHz large radius convex probe. Results. The fluid layer of typical wedge-shaped appearance was visible in the pleural space of 28/47 (59.5%) pregnant volunteers, on both sides in 18/47 (38.3%) and unilaterally in 10/47 (21.2%). The mean thickness of fluid layer (mean of positive results in both positions) was 2.86 mm (SD 1.09 mm, range from 1.8 mm to 6.4 mm). More than 3 mm thick fluid layer was easily detected with 3-6 MHz abdominal convex probe in 7/47 (15%). Conclusions. Small amounts of pleural fluid can sometimes be detected by chest sonography, and hence also by abdominal sonography, in otherwise healthy pregnants. Such a positive result, if isolated, should not be taken as a sign of occult thoracic disease.


In active SONAR, several different methods are used to detect range-Doppler information of the target. Compressive sensing based method is more accurate than conventional methods and shows superior performance. There are several compressive sensing algorithms for range-Doppler estimation of active sonar. The ability of each algorithm depends on algorithm type, mutual coherence of sensing matrix, and signal to noise ratio. In this paper, we compared and analyzed computational performance and accuracy of various compressive sensing algorithms for range-Doppler estimation of active sonar. The performance of OMP (Orthogonal Matching Pursuit), CoSaMP (Compressive Sampling Matching Pursuit), BPDN (CVX) (Basis Pursuit Denoising), LARS (Least Angle Regression) algorithms is respectively estimated for varying SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), and mutual coherence. The optimal compressive sensing algorithm is presented according to the situation.


There has been a long debate on the applicability of the chi-square approximation to statistics based on small sample sizes. Most of the work done in this area is concerned with the Pearson chi-square and the likelihood ratio stastics. This paper reports results of a simulation study on the small sample behaviour of these statistics adding a statistic suggested by Cressie and Read (1984). Simulated percentage points and approximate 95% confidence intervals for the true percentage points are given for 13 contingency tables fitting log-linear models. It is found that the behaviour of the Cressie-Read statistic is very similar to that of the Pearson chi-square statistic. Both seem to be applicable for smaller sample sizes than suggested by other authors.


Method of transporting goods, such as luggage at airports, for which the goods are placed in containers (4), which can displace by conveyor belts (1) by a drive (3) engaging directly with containers for transportation. Said method is characterized in that containers (4) that can be placed removably on structures (18) with wheels (17) and by the fact that the containers can be moved with the structures (18) are used a conveyor (14) provided with a drive for moving structures wheels or without such structures (18) on said conveyor belt (1, 8) provided with a drive (3, 13) engaging directly with containers (4) for transport.


Abstract: Resulted from a multiply scattered ultrasonic pulse in polycrystalline metals, the structure noise propagates as a diffuse field. The highest velocity of the diffuse process seems to be .Attempt to measure directly this velocity experimentally meets the obstacle resulted from the structure noise excited by the creeping wave under the surface. Analysis shows the earliest wave arrived shouldbe the creeping wave-structure noise. Good agreement has been achieved by theoretical-experimental analyses.


An old result of M\"uller and R\"odl states that a countable graph $G$ has a subgraph whose vertices all have infinite degree if and only if for any vertex labeling of $G$ by positive integers, an infinite increasing path can be found. They asked whether an analogous equivalence holds for edge labelings, which Reiterman answered in the affirmative. Recently, Arman, Elliott, and R\"odl extended this problem to linear $k$-uniform hypergraphs $H$ and generalized the original equivalence for vertex labelings. They asked whether Reiterman's result for edge labelings can similarly be extended. We confirm this for the case where $H$ admits only finitely many Berge cycles.


Purpose: To investigate the charge-transfer (CT) reaction between cediranib (CRB) and 2, 3 - dichloro-5, 6- dicyano -1, 4 - benzoquinone (DDQ) and employment of the reaction as a basis for the development of a novel 96 - microwell spectrophotometric assay for CRB. Method : The reaction of CRB and DDQ was investigated in different solvents of varying dielectric constant and polarity index The reaction resulted in the formation of a red-colored product. Spectrophotometric investigations confirmed that the reaction proceeded through to the formation of a (CT) complex. Results : The molar absorptivity of the CT complex was linearly correlated with the dielectric constant and polarity index of the solvent; the correlation coefficients were 0.801 and 0.858, respectively. The association constant of the complex was 0.5 × 103 L mol−1 in 2-propanol. The reaction conditions were optimized for the development of the microwell assay for CRB. The assay limits of detection and quantitation were 6.8 and 20.6 μg/well, respectively. The assay was validated as per the guidelines of the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) and successfully applied to the analysis of CRB in its bulk and dosage forms with good accuracy and precision. Conclusion : The developed assay has high throughput and consumed minimum volume of organic solvent; thus, it reduces the exposure of the analysts to the toxic effects of organic solvents, and should significantly lower the analysis cost. Keywords : Cediranib, 2,3-dichloro-3,5-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone, Charge-transfer reaction, Spectrophotometry, Microwell assay, High throughput analysis.


DARSIIAN BACHKANIx\AIA\ ANI) Professor Mike Wriglht aie xwitl the Centre for Managemenit Buivotut Researclh, Universitv of Nottinghamii, England, and Professor Monder- Ram is with the Leicester BLusinIess School, De Montfort Universitx, En-glaind. The link between the 'famrtilxv mld Asiani enitrepreneurship has beeii it rectirrin-g feature of debates oni ethniC mino-ority butsinesses. Studies haxe pinpoilltedl the pivotal role of the familv in smiiall eniterprises and it has been arguied that the family operates collectivelv tor the 'common good' of the businiess. It has also been demonstrated, however, that the family may serve as aii ar ena of exploitation. Notwithstandii-ig these opposing interpretations, the centialitv of the family to many Asiani businesses is beyond doubt. Despite this evidence, the key issue for this papei successioni in Asian family businesses has rarely been subject to academic scrutitxn. From the research it is evidenit that succession remains a problematic and neglected issue in ethnic family businesses like many family businesses in genereal. The issues raised have potentially important implications for the future of Asian independent family businesses as it is shown that from a higher than average business formation rate among the first generation, business formation among the second generation ethnic minorities may indicate at best a reversion to the mean.


This paper considers the problem of formation control and obstacle avoidance for a group of non-holonomic mobile robots in a leader referenced model based on reactive switching control strategy. Three important issues related to the multi robot formation namely distributed formation control framework, dynamic role switching algorithm and real time implementations are investigated. The switching control strategy combines together formation planning, navigation and active obstacle avoidance in a layered control framework composed of functional behaviors based on the relative motion states of the robots employed in the group. Dynamic role switching mechanism incorporated in this work to tackles the problem of obstacle avoidance in the follower path. The proposed approach is validated through laboratory experiments using commercially available robot research platforms and the results obtained are discussed.


Candida speciesis a part of commensalin healthy humans but they can cause opportunistic infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals, patient admitted in ICUs(Intensive care units) and HIV patients. biofilm act as protective shield of microorganism. Candida species form most common fungal biofilm, which is extremely difficult to treat. Purpose: The biofilm forming candida is difficult to eradicate with usual antifungal drug and often cause chronic infections. Understanding of biofilm process is very important for effective control strategies of biofilm associated infections and improvement in patient management. Method:The observational cross sectional prospective study was conducted on forty patients samples including urine, BAL/sputum, blood culture, body fluids, pus, swab, indwelling devicesand tissue showing candida species growth. Biofilm was detected using pre-sterilized 96 well polystyrene microtitre plate method. Results: Among 40 isolates, 22 isolates were detected positive, whereas 18 isolates were negative for biofilm formation. C. tropicalis had formed maximum strong biofilms among all species isolated. These biofilm acts resisting antifungal treatment and withstanding the competitive pressure from other organisms, these are difficult to treat.Changing trend with shift toward non albicans. Conclusion:Candida tropicalis as the predominant pathogen causing candidia infectionsand it had highest capacity to form biofilm.


It has been estimated that about half of the oil sands/heavy oils of the Western Canada Basin is hosted by the various Cretaceous deposits, and one-third to one-half by Paleozoic carbonate rocks of the ''Carbonate Triangle''. The authors' initial organic geochemical studies of Western Canada bitumens examined samples mostly from Cretaceous deposits. Biomarker results from saturated hydrocarbons indicate that these samples are variably biodegraded and probably source related. Recent work with bitumen samples from Carbonate Triangle Grosmont (Devonian) and Pekisdko (Missisippian) carbonates shows that these samples also are variably biodegraded, commonly very severely. Bitumens from these Paleozoic rocks are more heterogenerous than those of the Cretaceous deposits. Some bitumens are very similar in biomarker compositions to those of the Cretaceous deposits, indicating a similar source, whereas other show significant differences, indicating a different source(s). Mixing of hydrocarbons from different sources may also have occurred.


Asthma exacerbation (AE) leads to social and economic costs and long‐term adverse outcomes. We aimed to predict exacerbation‐prone asthma (EPA) in children.


The aim of this paper is to prove a convergence the- orem of a generalized Ishikawa iteration sequence for two multi- valued strongly pseudo-contractive mappings by using an approxi- mation method in real uniformly smooth Banach spaces. We gener- alize and extend the results of Chang and Chang, Cho, Lee, Jung, and Kang.


This research examines the causes for a high incidence of catastrophically low compressive strengths, primarily on structural concrete, during the 1997 construction season. The source for the low strengths was poor aggregate-paste bond associated with air void clusters and poorly formed cement paste in the interfacial region adjacent to the aggregate. An interaction between the "synthetic" air entraining admixtures, used as substitutes for vinsol resin, and low alkali cements was directly tied to the problem with high summertime temperatures also contributing to the problem. The "synthetics" appear to be more hydrophobic, form thinner-walled air bubbles and develop rapid draining bubble flocculations more readily than vinsol resin, all of which can lead to significant reductions in strength. As an interim measure, the Department specified the sole use of vinsol resin air entraining agents along with water reducers, as needed, in April, 1998 and these measures have minimized the incidence of low strengths. Petrographic analysis of cores taken from low strength concretes failed to reveal the causes of the low strength problem but SEM microscopy clearly showed the failure mechanism. Laboratory testing of concrete mixes with various air entraining admixtures demonstrated an interaction was taking place with one cement and petrographic and chemical analysis of the cements used in the testing implicated alkali sulfates as a potential source of the interaction. Testing of the "synthetic" air entraining admixtures showed they have substantially different properties compared to vinsol resins. Mixtures of the "synthetics" and vinsol resin with 50% or more vinsol resin behaved similarly to vinsol alone.


The basis of the study is the work of N. M. Kravchenko and G. O. Pashkevych in 1985 with the addition of the author's observations. The author analyzed options for the penetration of palaeoethnobotanical materials into the moulding compound as well as their value for interpreting these findings.
The reasons for penetration of materials to molding compound, groups of clay products and their informative value, advantages and disadvantages of this method of information gathering and further perspectives of research and interpretation were reviewed.
Plant impurities were found in most categories of clay products. Conventionally they include utensils, probable architectural details and / or «stationary» utensils, tools as well as figurines, and other products that have no practical application. According to the scheme proposed by N. M. Kravchenko and G. O. Pashkevych four factors of the penetration of plant residues into the molding compound were identified. Factor 4 «The use of vegetable impurities as a backing between the stand and the crude billet of clay product (pot, vessel)» is of the less informative value. Its value could lie in the possibility to establish the season of manufacturing of pottery due to the backing. Factor 2 «Adding grain to a molding compound for ritual purpose» now can be significantly expanded due to ordinary household items, such as large pots for grain storage, firepans / pans and even furnaces. Factor 1 «Technological technique, in which crushed plant mass was added to reduce shrinkage of products during their drying and firing» also usually does not add information about palaeoethnobotanical materials. The only factor important for statistical surveys and the establishment of the grain economy is factor 3 «Accidental ingress of grains or seeds into the molding compound during the manufacture of pottery».


The situation of middle school students' learning classical Chinese should not be neglected at present. On the base of a survey, this paper offers some reference to the teaching reform of classical Chinese.


An efficient allocation of talents through occupational choice is central to modern economic growth. Removing developmental barriers unfavorable to entrepreneurship and artificially imposed for political reasons (i.e., the cage theory) might be a plausible channel for China's superb economic performance. Using a newly compiled dataset on China's Super Rich Persons, the regression kink design reports supportive evidence on the politically induced structural change in the social composition of entrepreneurs using Deng Xiaoping's Southern Talks as an event shock. Consistent with a pro-market talent allocation framework, this article finds that (1) the share of super-rich entrepreneurs with state sector experience and a college degree declined, suggesting that the period of the Southern Talks opened a window of opportunity for venturing, and (2) the effects on the attributes of the parental father of the entrepreneurs are somewhat limited.


Cellular-logic operations like erosion, dilation, contour extraction, skeletonization, local majority voting and pepper-and-salt noise removal are essential in processing binary images. We show that these operations, like some homomorphic filters, can be constructed from a 3*3 convolution and non-linear table look-up, features of many image processing systems on the market. The method proposed extends their field of application from grey-value to binary images.


ABSTRACT E-Government is being developed according to Government strategic plans. These plans constitute a framework for digital public services that will benefit both citizens and public administration. The Digital City can support e-Govemment evolution by offering a global environment for public transactions. The Digital City's definition is extended to "the global Information Environment, focusing on the needs of a city area." Moreover, the Digital City comprises a new virtual environment, which administers others-in either the private or public sector-where both marketing and social aspects must be administered and support public benefit. In this paper both the contribution of the Digital City to e-Government and the development methodology of the Digital City of Trikala, Greece (e-Trikala), are presented. The methodology shows the procedure by which the Digital City forms an e-Government environment, offering more than administrating services. Furthermore, the methodology can be considered as a general implementation model for developing similar municipal-area environments for e-Government. The model adopts participatory design issues, while on the other hand some relative considerations are analyzed.


Heavy metals and microplastics are two types of general contaminants that can cause significant damage to water systems and organisms. However, the interaction of heavy metal ions with microplastic in aquatic systems received less attention compared with that of organic contaminants. This study aims to explore the interaction of copper (II) ions with microplastic (polyethylene) in aquatic systems. The adsorption experiments were performed by varying several operational parameters including equilibrium pH, initial Cu (II) concentrations, and contact times. The microplastic was characterized using X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared. The results confirmed the porous nature of the microplastic surface and the existence of various binding sites. The maximum Cu (II) uptake by microplastic was recorded as 1.23 mg/g at pH 5, according to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The experimental isotherm data exhibited a good fit to the Toth model, followed by the Langmuir and Freundlich equations, according to the correlation coefficient and %error values. The pseudo‐first kinetics equation showed a better fit to copper (II) kinetics data compared with the pseudo‐second kinetics equation. Elution of copper (II) ions from copper (II)‐loaded microplastic was attempted using several elutants, and the results indicated that 0.01 M HNO3 performed well with elution efficiency over 99.5%. Thus, the elution experiments furnished proof that Cu‐loaded microplastic may leach Cu (II) ions under rich acidic conditions, thereby aiding the transport of Cu (II) ions into the digestive tracts of aquatic organisms.


Bacterial counting and cell size are key parameters in theresearch on the marine ecosystems. However, the methods to measure these parameters aredeveloping with the modern technology. The development course on the methodsis reviewed in this paper. At the same time, the methods to measure these parameters are introduced, compared and evaluated. Among them, flow cytometry is considered as the most available method, which can offer the possibility of assessing not only the number of bacteria with great speed and precision, but also the size of (individual) cells.


Ripplemark wavelength, L, is related to median sediment diameter, M, and orbital diameter, D, of waves at the sea floor by the empirical equation L = .00136 M 1.6575 D −.3837 . This indicates an inverse relationship between ripplemark wavelength and orbital diameter, a result contrary to expectation.


Optical frequency comb (OFC) sources have recently attracted a lot of interest for their application as multi-carrier transmitters in all sectors of high capacity optical communication systems [1] including data-centre interconnects [2], access networks [3] and long-haul networks [4]. A major benefit of an OFC as a transmitter stems from the fixed frequency separation between the individual comb lines. This alleviates the need for large spectral guard bands between channels, thereby enhancing the spectral efficiency. Also, this fixed frequency separation can mitigate Kerr-based non-linear transmission effects, thereby enhancing the transmission reach [5].However, one of the major challenges in the adoption of OFCs, as multi-carrier transmitters in high-speed systems, entails the de-multiplexing of the individual comb tones. Recently, the ITU-T has extended its recommendations [6] to include the concept of a flexible grid. Moreover, next generation flexible networks may see the channel spacing granularity reduce from 12.5 to 6.25 GHz or even smaller [7]. Commercially available demultiplexers, such as arrayed waveguide gratings (AWG) and wavelength selective switches (WSS), are only compatible with traditional WDM systems using the ITU-T standard grid (channel spacing of 200, 100, 50 and 25 GHz). Hence, they don't offer adequate resolution to filter closely spaced (<25 GHz) lines and will struggle to achieve the stipulated channel isolation. In addition, they incur large insertion losses that are usually compensated with the aid of an optical amplifier. The addition of optical amplifiers will worsen the optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR) and thereby degrade overall performance/reach.Figure 1:(a) Block diagram of injection-locked demultiplexer; (b) Optical spectra of the demux output in red and overlaid comb spectrum in grey [7].One possible solution to de-multiplex (de-mux) densely spaced tones entails the use of an optical injection-locking technique [8]. A schematic of such a scheme (injection-locked de-multiplexer) is illustrated in Fig. 1(a). The OFC lines are injected into cavity of the semiconductor laser, referred to as the de-mux laser. Then, the demux laser is temperature tuned to match the wavelength of the desired comb tone to be de-multiplexed. This results in the injection locking of the demux laser by the required comb line. Since the modal power of the demux is much higher than that of the comb line, the selected tone is amplified relative to the unwanted lines. The optical spectrum of the demux output is depicted in Fig. 1(b) (superimposed over the injected comb).The talk will give an overview of the operational principle of the injection locked tunable demultiplexer. The effect of the injected comb line power (CLP) and the detuning frequency (Δf) on the comb line suppression ratio (CLSR) will also be discussed [8]. The CLSR is defined as the power difference between the amplified demuxed line and the unwanted (suppressed) comb line, as illustrated in Fig. 1(a). An experimental demonstration of the FSR tunability feature of the demux will be presented, with a tone spacing of 6.25, 12.5, and 15 GHz. Finally, the application of the demux as a gain-flattening filter and a modulator will be discussed to highlight the versatility of this technique.


Example embodiments provide a method and apparatus An information acquired relates to communication technologies, solves the problem when the network comprises at least two tape servers while the open AO aggregation, leading to lower performance and experience of the user of the network according to the present invention . Comprising the steps of: a server with at least two modules converging in a first server receiving the first control device transmits the priority information; according to the first priority information of the first network server to the highest priority master, and turn the main server aggregation; master server acquires the content information in addition to other servers in the network master server, the master server to generate the content information to the control apparatus acquires the content information from the master server the master server. The control device may be applied to obtain information in the network.


Three inoculation methods: cotton root injured and dipped in a spore suspension (10~(6) conidia/mL), soil infested with Verticillium dahliae grown on wheat bran and corn meal (1∶1 w/w) in the ratio of 0.5%, 1% and 2% (w/w), and soil infested with microsclerotia (10~(3) microsclerotia/g soil), were compared in the greenhouse for their effectiveness in infection and development of Verticillium wilt of cotton. Results showed that, among the three inoculation methods, the root dipping was the most effective method as judged from symptom development. The entire test for the root-dipping method required 35--45 days whereas the other two soil treatment methods required 75 days. For the root-dipping method, more severe disease was observed at the inoculum density of 10~(5) or 10~(6) conidia/mL than at 10~(4) conidia/mL. The disease resistances of 12 cotton varieties or lines were assessed by the root-dipping method in the greenhouse. This study suggests that root inoculation of young cotton seedlings is a useful method for rapid screening of cotton cultivars/lines for resistance to Verticillium wilt. Meanwhile, this method is also useful in testing differences in pathogenicity of strains of V. dahliae from various hosts.


Atriplex canescens canopy cover, biomass production, and nutrient content were evaluated after four years of livestock grazing exclusion and mechanical shrub removal, except A. canescensin an arid rangeland with a slightly saline soil and with a long history of heavy livestock grazing in the southern Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico (24° N). Twenty 3 × 3 m paddocks were established in terrains with three levels of electric conductivity (EC): <1.4 dS/m (n=7), 1.4–1.6 dS/m (n=7) and >1.6 dS/m. Atriplex canescens canopy cover was higher (49.5%; p<0.01) on paddocks with soil EC >1.6 dS/m than paddocks with soil EC <1.4 and 1.4–1.6 dS/m (32.1 and 22.9%, respectively). Above-ground biomass did not differ between paddocks with soils with EC of <1.4 and 1.4–1.6 dS/m (1309 ± 535 and 1372 ± 180 kg DM/ha), but biomass increased 2.7 times (p<0.01) when soil EC was greater than 1.6 dS/m. The soil EC had no effect on the levels of crude protein (range 13.6 to 14.3%), neutral detergent fiber (range 56.5 to 57.7%) and ash (range 14.5 to 16.4%). In vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of the foliage of A. canescens was not affected by of soil EC level (range 60.4 to 62.2%). It was concluded that in an arid rangeland with slight saline soil, the increase in salinity favors canopy cover and biomass production of A. canescens without altering nutrient content and IVDMD of this fodder shrub.


This paper is taking actual control demand of rotary kiln as background and builds a calcining belt state space model using PO-Moesp subspace method. A novel order-delay double parameters error criterion (ODC) is presented to reduce the modeling order. The proposed subspace order identification method takes into account the influence of order and delay on model error criterion simultaneously. For the introduction of the delay factors, the order is reduced dramatically in the system modeling. Also, in the data processing part sliding-window method is adopted for stripping delay factor from historical data. For this, the parameters can be changed flexibly. Some practical problems in industrial kiln process modeling are also solved. Finally, it is applied to an industrial kiln case.


Marine log went through three phases,from the pitometer log,electromagnetic log to the sonar log. With the development of the satellite navigation positioning system,fourth generation all-weather marine log,which covers the whole sea area,will soon come out. The Beidou satellite navigation positioning system can provide reliable and precise positioning,velocity measurement and time service under all-weather condition. It can also provide precise positioning and safety guarantee for surface ships.


Abstract The intensity of electron-induced photon emission from Ag films of various thicknesses on W(110) has been measured as a function of the energy of the incident electrons, the emitted photons being detected in two narrow spectral intervals at ℏω 1 = 3.83 eV and ℏω 2 = 3.08 eV. The threshold for photon emission was found to the E p = 0 eV for both wavelengths. The measured isochromat spectra are compared to the total current spectra. Minima at E 1 = 16.5 eV and E 2 = 20 eV above the Fermi level are thought to correspond to an increase of the electron reflection from the sample surface at these energies. At the same time the maximum in the ℏω = 3.08 eV isochromat spectrum at E = 6.5 eV above the Fermi level is due to the dominating radiative capture to states at E = 3.4 eV above the Fermi level. The spectral distribution ofintensity of the electron-induced photon emission was obtained for Ag films of various thicknesses at the electron energy E p = 0 eV above the vacuum level.


Stability of laminar premixed planar flames inclined in the gravitational field is asymptotically examined. The flame structure is resolved by a large activation energy asymptotics and a long wave approximation. The coupling between hydrodynamics and diffusion processes is included and near-unity Lewis number is assumed. The results show that as the flame is more inclined from the horizontal plane it becomes more unstable due to not only the decrease of stabilizing effect of gravity but also the increase of destabilizing effect of rotational flow. The obtained dispersion relation involves the Prandtl number and shows the destabilizing effect of viscosity. The analysis predicts that the phase velocity of unstable flame wave depends on not only the flame angle but also the Lewis number. For relatively short wave disturbances, still much larger than flame thickness, the most unstable wavelength is nearly independent on the flame angle and the flame can be stabilized by gravity and diffusion mechanism.


The popular Lime Tree Day Nursery in Leicestershire has just launched a second setting where its hands-on owners are delivering a holistic approach to learning alongside the EYFS. Sue Learner reports.


Greenland surface mass balance (SMB) is undergoing dramatic change due to the amplified Arctic warming, with more frequent record‐breaking melt events. To comprehensively understand the behaviour of the Greenland ice sheet, we develop a suite of indices to examine the spatiotemporal variations of extreme events in SMB over Greenland during 1958–2019 based on the RACMO2.3p2 model outputs. We illustrate that the climatological distributions of extreme ablation‐dominated events (i.e., extremes with SMB < 0) share large similarity with the mean SMB in terms of intensity and frequency, showing a coastal‐to‐inland decreasing pattern. This pattern holds for the intensity of the extreme accumulation‐dominated events (i.e., extremes with SMB > 0), but not for the frequency which increases from the coastal to inland Greenland. Regarding the temporal evolution, the intensity and frequency of extreme ablation‐dominated events show a decreasing trend over Greenland during 1958–1978, whereas the trend increases afterwards, especially during the last two decades (2001–2019). However, these trends fluctuate regionally across the GrIS both in terms of magnitude and sign, with the most pronounced variations occurring in southwest Greenland. In contrast, extreme accumulation‐dominated events show, on average, a long‐term increasing trend from 1958 to 2019 in terms of intensity and frequency. However, obvious spatial fluctuations exist across the GrIS during 1958–2019, especially between the southwest and northeast Greenland where an opposite trend is observed. Additionally, the variations of SMB extremes in boreal summer are linked with the changes in regional temperature and precipitation and the associated atmospheric circulations, and the dominating factor varies with different extreme indices and time intervals. Our results may advance our understanding on SMB variability over Greenland and contribute to the design of future Greenland observational networks.


Geographical variation of body color is widely present in reptile populations that survive in different substrate habitats, multiple potential mechanisms can account for this color variation. Phrynocephalus versicolor and P. frontalis, close genetic relatives, constitute a phylogenetic species group together with P. przewalskii. In this study, a fiber spectrophotometer (AvaSpec-2048) was used to record the skin luminous reflectivity of 12 sites across the lizard's body, and we quantitatively compared the natural color variation of dark P. versicolor and light P. frontalis that lived in "melanistic" and "non-melanistic" habitats, respectively. We aimed to determine whether the color variations of both populations were time reversible, and further discuss potential mechanisms that substrate color may have on color variation of Phrynocephalus lizards. Our results showed that the body color of P. versicolor in "melanistic" habitat was significantly darker than P. frontalis in the "non-melanistic" withered yellow habitat. We also conducted a reciprocal transplantation experiments (i.e. "non-melanistic" withered yellow P. frontalis individuals were transplanted and fed in "melanistic" substrate environment, while "melanistic" P. versicolor individuals were transplanted and fed in withered yellow substrate environment). For "melanistic" P. versicolor, the skin reflectivity of six sites increased significantly after one week, while no significant changes were detected in other sites. For "non-melanistic" P. frontalis, except the skin reflectivity of two sites (left hind limb and top right on the •研究报告• 1040 生 物 多 样 性 Biodiversity Science 第 24 卷 back) significantly changed, compared to corresponding values one week previously, other sites showed no significant changes. Our results suggest that P. versicolor possesses stronger color variation ability than P. frontalis, and the color phenotypes are likely inherited in both species. Short-term changes of substrate color can cause slightly color variations that are difficult to distinguish by naked eyes, suggesting ontogeny related hereditary factors may also play a controlling role.


The management of chronic conditions is often accompanied with the long‐term management of health information. By examining how patients manage their health information over time, we can develop guidelines and design technologies to support this patient work, and also contribute the patients' perspective to the existing literature on personal information management. This study explored the long‐term personal information management (LTPIM) behaviors of people living with chronic conditions. We conducted semi‐structured interviews and photo‐documentation with 23 experienced, type 1 diabetes patients. This mixed methods approach helped us identify five LTPIM styles, including designer, achiever, leader, curator and monitor. Those LTPIM styles differ in the information tools people used, the intensity of long‐term information management behaviors, and their motivators. The nuances in those LTPIM styles are unique to the context of chronic conditions, but the categorization of those LTPIM styles can potentially be transferable to LTPIM in non‐health contexts. Our results support previous literature on the major differences between LTPIM and personal information management in general. Further, we point to issues in current technologies used by patients for LTPIM, indicating a space for improvement.


Subdivision surfaces have become popular recently in computer graphics, because subdivision algorithms can easily provide smoother versions of an initially coarse base mesh of arbitrary topology. In this paper we present a GPU-based implementation of the Catmull-Clark subdivision surface scheme. This solution computes subdivisions in the geometry shader of Direct3D 10 compatible GPUs. This is not only much faster than doing it on the CPU, but it makes also possible for the CPU to work on other important tasks.


The New Star, which Don Anthelme, a carthusian of Dyon, hath lately discover'd*, is one of the rarest Appearances observed this good while.


To determine whether a transport problem has a solution , you can use the Lagrange multiplier method . To do this, it is advisable to replace variables so that the objective function is a sum of exponentials. The peculiarity of the sum of exponents is that the principal diagonal minors of the Hessian of the sum of exponents are positive quantities , and therefore the sum of exponents has an extremum and this extremum is the minimum. Solutions of large - dimensional transport tasks are of great practical importance for optimizing transportation schedules by transport enterprises . There are several algorithms for solving this problem, but the development of other methods for solving the transport problem that would use computing power more efficiently deserves attention. The method proposed in this paper for solving the transport problem based on the use of complex numbers in the algorithm makes it simpler and more visual for practical application.


Increasingly, genetic tools are being used to detect and solve pressing environmental, social, and health-related challenges. It is clear that investments in technology innovation can be game changing, as advances in biotechnology may provide new methods to protect the nation's resources from the negative impacts of invasive species. The current toolbox of management options is recognizably insufficient to deal with many of the high-impact species that have been introduced. However, "surrendering" to these species is generally not a viable option from ecological, health, economic, socio-cultural, or political perspectives. Cost-efficient solutions to these "grand invasive species challenges" need to be found. Through processes that strategically alter an organism's genetic blueprint (aka genome), advanced biotechnologies may substantially improve our capacities to eradicate and/or control populations of invasive species. Interest in the application of advanced genetic technologies is growing rapidly on national and international scales, across disciplines, and for parties affected by the impact of invasive species. As this interest grows, genetic technologies are quickly evolving with some raising questions over whether the potential risks are too high to warrant their use. Policy makers worldwide have expressed concern about the capacity of regulatory systems to keep pace with these technological advances and effectively address the societal concerns (known as "social license") that are inherent in the application of advanced genetic technologies, particularly when modified organisms are to be released. It is also important to note that the exploration of advanced genetic technologies is occurring in the midst of growing skepticism over both scientific and regulatory institutions. A single misstep in the development and application of advanced biotechnologies could fundamentally compromise social and political support for highly beneficial applications across a wide range of environmental, human health, and biodefense goals. Clearly, there is a need to carefully explore the potential ecological, socio-economic, and political ramifications of using advanced genetic technologies to address invasive species. The National Invasive Species Council (nisc) has expressed this need through Action 6.3.1 of the 2016–2018 nisc Management Plan, which specifically calls for "an assessment of the potential ecological, socio-economic, and political benefits and costs of gene editing technology in the context of invasive species prevention, eradication, and control" (nisc 2016). The objective of this paper is to support this assessment by providing recommendations to nisc on the further development and application of advanced biotechnologies for invasive species eradication and control.


The exceptional geometry of the steel-glass-building, the spacious use of glass components in the overhead glass construction and the general security requests being in force caused special requirements on the supporting structure, the glass components, the kind of glass and the fixing construction as well as new demanding tasks concerning quality, logistics and assembling of the glass elements.


This paper focuses on the direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation of wideband signals using a spherical array which has many advantages in 3D space. We propose two DOA estimation methods in spherical harmonic domain. First of all, spherical Fourier transform (SFT) is used to construct the array signal model. The first method exploits the joint sparsity of all the frequency bins and the second method transforms multiple frequency information into only one measure by high order singular value decomposition (HOSVD). Sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) is then utilized to estimate the DOAs. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods.


Currently in Malaysia, the common mode of pavement failures at high stressed area are due to bituminous layer undergoing aging and subjected to extreme long loading times by the slow moving heavy commercial vehicles. This scenario causes major structural deteriorations and permanent deformation of the bituminous road surfacing. In order to fix this problem, the use of Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) in asphalt mixture to form Polymer Modified Asphalt (PMA) mixtures was chosen as an alternative method to increase the durability and lifespan of the pavement. The PMA mix design was developed using the latest Malaysia Public Work Department Specification namely the Standard Specification for Road Works: Flexible Pavement (JKR/SPJ/2008-S4). The objective of this paper is to highlight the ability of PMA to increase the performance and subsequently increase the life span of bituminous pavement layers. This paper highlights the performance of Polymer Modified Asphalt (PMA) as one of the methods to reduce the development of permanent deformation on bituminous pavement layers. The real site condition was monitored using PMA and conventional bitumen of Grade 80-100 with same aggregate grading from the beginning of the construction. The monitoring and testing were carried out almost for two years. The performance indexes that were monitored were cracking, rutting and surface roughness.


Vehicle vibration can be controlled by Active Suspension System (ASS). The performances of ASS are better than the conventional Passive Suspension System (PSS). The effectiveness of ASS is based on the type of controllers used. In this paper, a quarter car model with ASS is considered for analysis. To reduce the vibration and improve the ride quality, Fractional order Fuzzy Sliding Mode Controller (FrFSMC) is proposed and its performances are compared with Fuzzy Sliding Mode Controller (FSMC) and passive system. While testing the performance of the controllers three types of road disturbances are given to the quarter car model to stimulate the vibration. The results of the proposed controllers are also compared against the existing Gray Fuzzy Sliding Mode Controller (GFSMC). From the time responses and root mean square indices, FrFSMC performs better than the FSMC, GFSMC and PSS.


Due to industrial development the sulfide ions are present in excess in the effluents from tanneries, whereas ceramic and glass industries are the major contributors of fluoride ions. The concentration of these ions is beyond permissible limit in water bodies, thereby causing serious health issues. An attempt is made to highlight the effectiveness of chemical modification of rice bran with zinc chloride for the removal of sulfide and fluoride ions from aqueous solutions. Batch mode adsorption study was conducted. Mechanism of adsorption was explored by applying the isothermal models like Langmuir and Freundlich. Maximum adsorption capacity (mg/g) revealed that zinc chloride modification of rice bran increased the sulfide and fluoride removal from 3.79 mg/g to 7.08 mg/g and 1.37 mg/g to 2.06 mg/g, respectively. Sulfide ions were more efficiently eliminated using the selected adsorbent in its modified form.


An approach is proposed to obtain global and near-global optimal process plans based on genetic algorithm. During the procedure of initializing and mutating populations, operations precedence constraints are employed by constraint adjustment algorithm to ensure each chromosome stays in feasible domain. Operations precedence constraints can be generated automatically from the selected alternative machining processes for each feature. Through comparing those optimal process plan candidates created from genetic algorithm, the global and near-global optimal process plans could be obtained. A case study has been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


A substrate, an undercoat layer covering the surface of the substrate, a plasma processing apparatus parts having a yttrium oxide coating covering the surface of the underlying layer, the underlying layer has a thermal conductivity of 35W / consists m · K or less of the metal oxide coating, wherein the yttrium oxide coating has a particulate portions consisting of yttrium oxide grain boundaries is observed, the non-particulate portions consisting of yttrium oxide where the grain boundary is not observed at least is intended to include one, the yttrium oxide coating has a thickness of 10μm or more, the film density is not less than 96%, the area ratio of the particulate portion in the observation range of 20 [mu] m × 20 [mu] m of the surface of the yttrium oxide coating but 0-20%, the plasma processing apparatus component is the area ratio of 80 to 100% of the non-particulate portion in the observation range.


The field of planetary sciences has greatly expanded in recent years with space missions orbiting around most of the planets of our Solar System. The growing amount and wealth of data available make it difficult for scientists to exploit data coming from many sources that can initially be heterogeneous in their organization, description and format. It is an important objective of the Europlanet-RI and IMPEx projects (supported by EU within FP7) to add value to space missions by significantly contributing to the effective scientific exploitation of collected data; to enable space researchers to take full advantage of the potential value of data sets. To this end and to enhance the science return from space missions, innovative tools have to be developed and offered to the community. AMDA (Automated Multi-Dataset Analysis, http://cdpp-amda.cesr.fr/) is a web-based facility developed at CDPP Toulouse in France (http://cdpp.cesr.fr) for on line analysis of space physics data (heliosphere, magnetospheres, planetary environments) coming from either its local database or distant ones. AMDA has been recently integrated as a service to the scientific community for the Plasma Physics thematic node of the Europlanet-RI IDIS (Integrated and Distributed Information Service, http://www.europlanet-idis.fi/) activities, in close cooperation with IWF Graz (http://europlanetplasmanode.oeaw.ac.at/index.php?id=9). We will report the status of our current technical and scientific efforts to integrate in the local database of AMDA various planetary plasma datasets (at Mercury, Venus, Mars, Earth and moon, Jupiter, Saturn) from heterogeneous sources, including NASA/Planetary Data System (http://ppi.pds.nasa.gov/). We will also present our prototype Virtual Observatory activities to connect the AMDA tool to the IVOA Aladin astrophysical tool to enable pluridisciplinary studies of giant planet auroral emissions.


Successive treatment of 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-(methoxyphenyl)-1- and -2-naphthalenecarboxylates with organolithium in THF, lithium triethylborohydride in refluxing THF, methyl iodide-HMPA, and finally sodium borohydride in MeOH provided regio- and stereoselectively 1,1,2- and 1,2,2-trisubstituted dihydronaphthalenes. This one-flask process is constituted from a sequence of five reactions involving reductive generation of aldehyde metal enolate from ketene as a key step


Annotation: The article is devoted to the study of the decision-making system in conditions of lack of information and time. The author has determined the theoretical essence of the problem of making a managerial decision in the event of uncertainty, highlighted methods of formation, signs and a general algorithm for implementing decision-making with a lack of information and time. In the proposed approach, the necessary information within a limited time serves as the basis for the use of appropriate management methods in the process of preparing and implementing solutions.