Backgound A polysaccharide was purified in this paper, which was acquired from the fermentation broth of Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo. This article aims to investigate the structural features and bioactivity of this polysaccharide. RESULTS: The polysaccharide was purified and the main polysaccharide fraction (i.e. DOP-1) was obtained. High-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC) revealed that the molecular weight of DOP-1 is 447.48 KDa. There are galactose, glucose and mannose in DOP-1 via monosaccharide composition analysis, and their ratio was 1:1.79:6.71. Methylation and NMR spectroscopic analysis indicated that the backbone of DOP-1 is: →4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→4)-α-D-Manp-(1→4)-α-D-Manp-(1→4,6)-α-D-Manp-(1→, its repeating units were also preliminarily established. In vitro tests proved that DOP-1 not only protects RAW264.7 macrophages from the cytotoxic effect induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), but also inhibits cytokine (i.e. IL-6 and TNF-α) produced which are induced by LPS. DOP-1 demonstrated good scavenging activity in vitro toward 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radicals, as well as good metal chelating activity. Therefore, DOP-1 has potential applications in antioxidant. CONCLUSION: These findings strengthen that the structural characteristics of DOP-1 support its favourable biological activities and lay a strong foundation for further exploration of its structure-activity relationships and activity development and providing experimental data for the development and utilization of fermentation broth of D. officinale This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


The article analyzes the definitions of the concept of "competence", which have different accents. At the current stage, the traditional approach is changing to a competence approach, therefore research competence, which is one of the key factors in the training of specialists, is considered. Research competence is singled out as "a holistic, integrative quality of a person, which combines knowledge, abilities, skills, the experience of a researcher, valuable attitudes and personal qualities and is manifested in the readiness and ability to carry out research activities with the aim of obtaining new knowledge, and it is considered as an integrated personal – the professional quality of a specialist, which reflects the motivation for scientific research, the level of mastery of the methodology of pedagogical research, personally significant qualities of the researcher, in particular, such as innovative thinking, the ability to be creative and innovative. The structure of research competence of a teacher of a higher education institution was analyzed, which includes the following components: motivational and value – reflects the system of values, needs and motives of research activity; cognitive – reflects the system of methodological, professional, interdisciplinary scientific knowledge of research activity; procedural and operational - involves the possession of skills to select adequate goals and tasks methods of research and data processing, analyze scientific facts, discuss and interpret research results, implement them in practice; information and communication – involves mastering methods of data collection in accordance with hypotheses, creation of arrays of empirical data, processing of various information sources, etc.; communicative - involves the ability to work with respondents; cooperate with colleagues in research activities; personal-creative – reflects the level of development of the creative qualities of the individual; professional-reflective - reflects the ability to understand and evaluate the process and result of one's own research activity; the ability to self-regulate. The elements of research competence are singled out, which are manifested in the following abilities: identification of the purpose of activity; definition of the subject, means of activity, implementation of set actions; reflection, analysis of activity results (correlation of achieved results with the set goal). Emphasis is placed on the structure of research competence, which includes four components: motivation and stimulation of activity, organization of cognitive activity, coordinating and communicative.


Objective To study fluorine (F-) releasing rate of fluorided thermoplastic polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA) and find an ideal fluoride and suitable concentration in PMMA to prevent caries in abutment teeth of removable partial dentures. Methods Thermoplastic PMMA,containing NaF,Na2PO3F and CaF2, respectively, was made into three blocks with 5%,10%,15% and 20% (w/w) fluorine ,and immersed in 100 ml deionized water. Fluorine of them was measured by an ion selective electrode technique. Results Fluorine releasing from Na2PO3F-contained PMMA was more than that of PMMA containing CaF2 but less than that of PMMA containing NaF in the same concentration. The higher the concentration was, the more fluorine released. Conclusion All fluorided PMMA can release F-slowly.


This paper examines the effect of metal loading (Zr-, V-, Ti-, and K-compounds) on the hydrogen storage property of mechanically milled graphite. The hydrogen adsorption took place at room temperature and 11 MPa measured by thermal volumetric analysis. The results showed that the graphite loaded with ZrCl4 provided a maximum hydrogen storage capacity of 0.6 wt%. Moreover, a milling time of 2 h seems to be the best, offering the highest hydrogen adsorption capacity due to the high specific surface area and the appropriate pore diameter created after the milling. In addition, it was found that the transition metals (ZrCl4 and VCl3) could stabilize the graphite structure and enlarge the gap between the grapheme layers to be suitable trapping sites for hydrogen adsorption. On the other hand, the K2CO3 and TiO2 loaded graphite did not show any improvement for hydrogen adsorption.


I am honored to speak with you today! I love the library field ‒ maybe that is because my mom was a librarian. As a second generation librarian, I have grown up in the library field. I have seen first hand how exciting, transformative, and unpredictable the field of library and information science is. When I got my degree in library and information science in 1990, I could not have predicted all of the changes and opportunities that we continue to see today. One of the things that I appreciate about my library degree is that I have been able to use it to unlock a wide range of wonderful career opportunities. I have been able to apply the skills I learned in library school to working in a variety of environments ‒ even those outside of libraries. I spent nearly 7 years working in research and development at HP Labs, helping scientists and engineers improve the way that they applied information into their research processes. I spent nearly 6 years working in consumer product development in the Silicon Valley at Microsoft and LinkedIn, applying my knowledge about user needs and behavior, and how to organize and structure information based on that understanding to create great user experiences for products like hotmail, MSN.com, Windows Live mobile, and other products. My position over the last 7 years as the director of the exclusively online San José State University School of Information has also given me the opportunity to reflect on how the information profession is changing and how library and information science education is changing as well. I look forward to sharing some of my thoughts with you today.


In view of genetic algorithm application at the job schedule of dispatcher , combining to workshop dispatcher of JIT research of improving is made. And this paper studied the revised partheno-genetic algorithm, raised a new algorithm operator ,which was applied into the calculation of job shop scheduling problem aimed at the face in job shop .A set of software is developed using GA with the goal of the maximum benefit under JIT or the minimum of the deviation of process time. The detailed process is offered and used for producing fast and the real-time operational dispatcher's scheme.


The autonomic nerves participate in the release of gastrointestinal hormones and the effects of these hormones on their target organs, in turn, are affected by the tonus of the autonomic nerves in the parti- cular target organs.


<abstract abstract-type="toc"><p> By the end of 2004, Ivory Coast's civil war had cooled to a simmer, but the country remained split in two, with a rebel-held north and a government-held south. What do these divisions mean to people on the move, late for christenings, doctor's appointments, and dinners with friends? <b>Siddhartha Mitter</b> recalls a slow road trip to Korhogo.


Rape is an act where the victim is violently forced into sexual activity against his or her will. In this study, rape is viewed as an act of brutal sexual domination by men over women. Broadly speaking, it can be vaginal, anal, oral or penetration with an object, and rape can take place even when the victim is asleep or in a trance (see httpp//www.rapecrisisonline.com/articles.htm). Because of the violence that is associated with rape, it can have tragic consequences. Although we are aware that rape can be perpetrated by women on men, in Kenya the overwhelming number of rape cases are perpetrated by men on women. Indeed, it is this type of rape that falls within our study because it is rooted in societal power and ideological structures that are related to hegemonic masculinity. In Kenya, rape against women has increased remarkably in the last fifteen years or more. Analysis of the cases over these years reveals that all types of men are involved: fathers, brothers, cousins, schoolmates, teachers, policemen, top government officials and so on. Apart from rape on women, rape on children (defilement) is common. The 1 July 2005 edition of Daily Nation carried statistics showing that fathers take the lead when it comes to defiling their girl children. Police reports in the press in July 2005 also indicate that rape against women is the number one crime in Kenya. Table 1 shows how rape has steadily grown since 1990.


This study aims to analyze "The Influence of Leadership Style, Workload, and Incentives on Employee Performance at CV Gemilang Abadi Semarang." Methods of data collection using a questionnaire. The sampling technique used random sampling technique. A sample of 82 respondents were employees at CV Gemilang Abadi Semarang.
Based on the results of the study, leadership style has a positive effect on employee performance. This is shown by the value of t count is greater than t table, namely 3.632 > 1.664, with a sig value. of 0.001 <0.05. Leadership style (β1) has a positive sign of 0.266 which means that the better the leadership style, the higher the employee performance. Thus it can be concluded that H1 is accepted, so the hypothesis stating that leadership style has a positive effect on employee performance is proven. Workload has a positive effect on employee performance. This is shown by the t-value that is greater than the t-table, namely 3.941 > 1.664, with a sig. By 0.000 > 0.05. Workload (β2) has a positive sign of 0.295 which means that the more appropriate the workload is, the better the employee's performance. Thus it can be concluded that H2 is accepted, so the hypothesis stating that workload has a positive effect on employee performance is proven. Incentives have a positive effect on employee performance. This is shown by the greater t-count value of t-table, namely 8.699 > 1.664, with a sig. 0.000 < 0.05. Incentives (β3) have a positive sign of 0.590 which means that the higher the incentives given, the higher the employee's performance. Thus it can be concluded that H3 is accepted, so the hypothesis stating that incentives have a positive effect on employee performance is proven.


A valve unit (10) for controlling the supply and delivery of fuel to and from a compression chamber (7) of a high-pressure piston pump (1) has a valve body (18); a first check valve (19) having a first valve seat (21) which extends along a first axis (Al), is formed in the valve body (18), and can be connected to the compression chamber (7) and to a fuel delivery duct (9); and a second check valve (20) having a second valve seat (22) which extends along a second axis (A2), is formed in the valve body (18), and can be connected to the compression chamber (7) and to a fuel supply duct (8).


There are many in political and higher education circles who have come to believe that land-grant universities have lost their relevance. It is said too frequently that the land-grant tradition no longer fits 21st century realities. The purpose of this paper is to argue energetically that land-grant universities, the land grant model, and the land-grant tradition have never been more relevant nor more important.


This study focuses on Network optimization of Cluster Supply Chain and the reliability of evolution control technology. We adopt the method of dynamic simulation and a series of model construction and statistical validation of Dynamic Control Technology to carry on analytical investigation, to split apart the statistics and the separation degree polymerization of the supply chain network in the evolutionary process, to put forward a kind of practical application requirement which is based on SOA framework and meet the limit of radiation area of industrial cluster and to integrate optimization control technology of intersecting resources in the cluster.


The paper discusses that "Chiseling Machine Chiseling Method"is a high-efficiency new technique of cement concrete rough surface treatment,and introduces its advantage for reference.


Customers judge the electricity supply industry solely by the end product they receive. The author looks at the present performance of the distribution system and whether this is satisfactory to customers. In order for improvements to be made a great deal of money must be spent on transformers, cables and switchgear. The author describes system automation which is the only way to improve performance.


We give an equivalent definition of the conditional quantile reproducibility property for multivariate probability distributions using the concept of copula. Based on this definition, we establish ...


In [arXiv:1701.00018, arXiv:2107.07984] an explicit biorthogonalization method was developed that applies to a class of determinantal measures which describe the evolution of several variants of classical interacting particle systems in the KPZ universality class. The method leads to explicit Fredholm determinant formulas for the multipoint distributions of these systems which are suitable for asymptotic analysis. In this paper we extend the method to a broader class of determinantal measures which is applicable to systems where particles have different jump speeds and different memory lengths. As an application of our results we study three particular examples: some variants of TASEP with two blocks of particles having different speeds, a version of discrete time TASEP which mixes particles with sequential and parallel update, and a version of sequential TASEP where a single particle with long memory length (equivalently, a long"caterpillar") is added to the right of the system. In the last two cases we also include a formal asymptotic analysis which shows convergence to the KPZ fixed point.


An investigation was carried out at Post Graduate Laboratory, Department of Horticulture, B. A. College of Agriculture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand during summer season in the year 2016 to study the "effect of different coating treatments on storage behavior and shelf-life of mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Amrapali. The experiment was framed in Completely Randomized Design with nine treatments and a control. The result revealed that fruits coated with waxol 6% recorded significantly minimum total soluble solids, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar and total sugar content with maximum acidity content while fruits coated with aloevera gel 60% had maximum ascorbic acid content and maximum organoleptic score in terms of colour, flavour, aroma and taste of fruit whereas minimum score in terms of colour, flavour, aroma and taste was recorded in fruits coated with waxol 6%.


We studied the response of the pollen grain wall to the passage of materials from the external environment. Pollen grains of Lycopersicon esculentum, a species not previously investigated in similar studies, were used to determine whether the routes of passage through the pollen wall are a characteristic of a given species. We found lanthanum deposits on the cell wall surface, inside microchannels crossing tectum, and in the infratectum. Lanthanum was also seen as a fine precipitate homogenously scattered within the substance of the exine. In the apertural region of the intine, electron-dense deposits filled the tubulations of the intine oncus, whereas the intine matrix was free of precipitate. In the cytoplasm, precipitate was observed inside small vesicles frequently located near or in contact with the plasmalemma. Our findings were similar to those reported in other species, and were not influenced by the fixative or culture medium used to incorporate the tracer element. We noted a relation between the route of passage and the stage of pollen grain maturation. In less mature grains (midbicellular pollen), electron-dense deposits were more abundant than in more mature grains, probably because apertural regions were blocked as routes of passage. Lanthanum, an electron-opaque tracer element, can penetrate the pollen grain, indicating the passage of material through the pollen grain exine of Epilobium angustifolium and Nuphar variegatum (Rowley and Flynn,


AIM:To investigate the protective effect of ischemic postconditioning on the functions of canine transplanted lung.METHODS:Twelve cases of the orthotopic left lung transplantation were performed in 24 canines,which were randomly divided into ischemic postconditioning group and control group averagely.Before the reperfusion of lung donors in the canines of ischemic postconditioning group,the ischemia post-conditioning protocol was performed as follows:10 s reperfusion with 10 s blockade afterwards,and the protocol was performed for 3 cycles.The canines in control group,without intervention of postconditioning,were processed normally.Firstly,the hemodynamics and the graft's gas exchange and oxygenation were assessed at 0 h,1 h,2 h and 4 h after reperfusion.Then,the lung graft was harvested for measuring the wet/dry weight ratio after 4 h reperfusion.Finally,the freshly-obtained pulmonary specimens at 2 h and 4 h after reperfusion were collected and prepared for pathologic observation under microscope with HE staining.RESULTS:The transplantations were completed in 12 canines,the mean time for anastomoses was(35.9±1.7)min.Compared to control group,MPAP and PVRI were improved significantly in I-postC group(P0.05),and there was no significant difference in MSAP and SVRI between two groups(P0.05).Compared to control group on the hand of gas exchange and oxygenation,PaO2,PA-aO2 and QS/QT improved significantly in I-postC group(P0.05),however no significant difference in PaCO2 between two groups was observed(P0.05).Meanwhile,there were significant differences between two groups in wet/dry weight ratio(P0.05).Under the light microscopic examination,the changes of pathologic inflammation in the ischemic postconditioning group were less than those in control group.CONCLUSION:Ischemic postconditioning effectively improves the respiratory functions by attenuating lung ischemic reperfusion injury.


Objective: To determine the trends of permanent and long acting reversible forms of contraception use over a 5-year period (2011-2015)Methods: Hospital based retrospective study. Data extracted using records from the family planning unit, theatre registers and records from the statistics department of the Korle-Bu teaching Hospital, from 1 January 2011 to 311 December 2015.Results: There were 1982 female sterilizations and 9 vasectomies over the 5-year period. The mean age of sterilized women decreased from 35.7 years to 34.5 years, whereas the mean parity decreased from 4.0 to 3.4. The number of women sterilized each year however declined from 439 in 2011 to 377 in 2015. There was a general upward trend in the number of users of Implant and IUCD.Conclusion: There is a decline in female sterilizations with a very small number of vasectomies in the Korle- Bu Teaching Hospital over the last 5 years. However, there has been an increasing trend in Implant and IUCD use, which may be partly responsible for the declining trend in female sterilization. Against the background of a declining total fertility rate which stands at 4.2 and the mean parity of 3.4 for clients who had female sterilization, there could be a higher unmet need for permanent methods.


Objective To investigate the radiodiagnosis of fibrous cortical defect of bone(FCD)and nonossifying fibroma(NOF).Methods Images of 19 patients with FCD and NOF proved by pathology were retrospectively analyzed.X-ray plant films and CT images were obtained in all 19 cases and 9 case respectively,and MRI was performed in 1 case.Results The lesions occurred in long bone in 19 case,including tibia(13 cases),femur(6 cases);the lesions were located at metaphysic in 10 cases,at diaphysis in 9 cases.X-ray and CT showed unilocular or multiocular bone destruction areas eccentrically expansive and residual osseous tissue was seen within the lesions,the lesions had a clear sclsrotic margin,which was more obvious at the marrow side.In the case in which MRI was performed,the lesion was htpointense on T1WI,hyperinten on T2WI,intensively enhanced during the contrast enhanced scan.Conclusion Nonossify fibroma has similar pathological nature with fiborous cortical defect,the radiographic appearances are characteristics.A definite diagnosis provides guidance for clinical management.X-ray plain and CT to be a valuable tool for the diagnosis of FCD and NOF.


The need for extensive irradiation testing in reactor development is discussed. The various investigations in the development of a reactor system which call specifically for the use of irradiation facilities are examined with particular reference to the irradiation program of the O.E.C.D. High Temperature Reactor Project. Topics covered include: the effects of exposure of materials in a nuclear reactor, fast neutron irradiation of primary circuit steels and of graphites, in-pile mass transfer experiments, the irradiation of fuel specimens, and in-pile loop experiments. (M.C.G.)


The Four Wave-Mixing (FWM) effect in a bulk Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA) is widely used in all-optical communication networks for many applications such as wavelength conversion and fast optical switching. To best achieve such optical functions and bring them into practical stage, we present in this paper some performance criteria dealing with FWM phenomenon in both peaked and broad bandwidth gain SOA. The SOA with a large gain profile has given better performance by increasing the conversion efficiency and signal to background Ratio.


The present research, as part of an empirical sociological study, aims to evaluate the attitude and preferences of the students from the "Physician assistant" specialty at Medical Faculty Stara Zagora about continuing education and specialization, as a means of improving the professional qualification, with a subsequent possibility of providing qualitative medical care in accordance with the current legal framework in Bulgaria and international tendencies. Methods : During the period November - December 2016 an empirical sociological study was conducted, which consisted of a semi-structured face-to-face interview with all 42 students of the specialty. Results : The majority of the physician assistants (39) approve the compulsory nature of the continuing postgraduate education at qualification levels, not only as an opportunity to improve theoretical knowledge and practical skills, but also as a motivation for their career development. In accordance with Ordinance №1, introduced in 2015, the respondents have a different attitude towards specialization but most of the students (27) have preference for Emergency Health Care. The medical model of training and specific qualification are the provoking reasons for the physician assistants to express their concern about the extent to which their preparedness for diagnostics and treatment will be improved by specialization in health care, taking into account how the specialties are defined in the ordinance. The students define the education in "Physician assistant" specialty at Master's degree as fair and logical opportunity in accordance with the international experience. Conclusion : The results of the research demonstrate that the physician assistant students approve and are willing to undergo a postgraduate education while anticipating the continuing training and specialization opportunities for the physician assistants to be adjusted to the real necessities of the professionals in this specialty, in accordance with the medical model of training and established international experience.


We have developed a computationally efficient Fourier-Bessel expansion based open geometry formalism for modeling the optical properties of rotationally symmetric photonic nanostructures. The lateral computation domain is assumed infinite so that no artificial boundary conditions are needed. Instead, the leakage of the modes due to an imperfect field confinement is taken into account by using a basis functions that expand the whole infinite space. The computational efficiency is obtained by using a non-uniform discretization in the frequency space in which the lateral expansion modes are more densely sampled around a geometry specific dominant transverse wavenumber region. We will use the developed approach to investigate the Q factor and mode confinement in cavities where top DBR mirror has small rectangular defect confining the modes laterally on the defect region.


Longdistance teaching is an absolute necessary teaching measure in modern teaching. Aerobics teaching on line can make full use of not only the internet technical resources, but can also develop a new area of aerobics teaching, enrich teaching methods and conform to the needs of the future technique development. The aerobics teaching methods on line and the contents for learning were completely expounded from 4 aspects, such as the characteristics and advantage of the aerobics teaching on line, the setup and the organization of the teaching contents as well as the brief summary etc. The purpose is to enable the readers to choose the suitable contents to learn and practice at any moment and everywhere so as to provide services for life long sport.


The two years since the Paris Conference have been extremely exciting for electroweak physics. New results include: (a) The discovery of the W and Z bosons at CERN; their properties and the results of recent neutral current experiments are in excellent agreement with the standard model (with the possible exception of three Z-*£+£~Y events). (b) The measurement of the surprisingly long b quark lifetime at PEP and PETRA. This and the refined limits on R = B (b+u + X)/B(b-*c + X) from CESR have allowed the first reasonably precise determination of the KMC angles 6 2 and 0g, which turn out to be very small. This leads to predictions for such phenomena as BB oscillations and should eventually allow stringent tests of the KMC model. (c) New precise measurements of eT/e> which imply severe difficulties for the penguin explanation of the AI = h rule, and possibly for the KMC model as well. (d) Indications of a nonzero neutrino mass in tritium $ decay and in reactor and beam dump oscillation experiments, but not in neutrinoless double 3 decay. (e) The possible discovery of the t quark at CERN. (f) A new measurement of the electron spectrum in polarized y decay at TRIUMF, from which one finds the limit It, > 400 GeV on the mass of a possible right-handed WR(assuming that the relevant right-handed neutrino is light), (g) The discovery of the £(8300) (announced at this conference) and £(2200)states at DORIS and SPEAR, respectively, both of which have been suggested as (nonstandard) Higgs candidates. (h) A new high precision semileptonic hyperon decay experiment at CERN has largely eliminated the need to invoke large S U 3 breaking or other modifications of the Cabibbo theory. (i) New emulsion and bubble chamber results have further limited the possible contributions of conventional (i.e. c and b quark) sources to the surprisingly high value observed for the neutrino induced same-sign dilepton cross section, (j) Finally, there are a number of classes of unusual events observed at CERN and DESY (e.g. jet events with large missing transverse momentum and anomalous Z decays) which are difficult to account for by conventional mechanisms. These could be due to statistical fluctuations, but if confirmed in further experiments, they could prove to be the first indication of such new physics as supersymmetry or compositeness. where c^CQ and are the kinetic energy and gauge interaction terms for the gauge fields and the single Higgs scalar r\, respectively, v = /2 <$°> s246 GeV is the vacuum expectation value (VEV) of the neutral Higgs field, and the unknown Higgs self-coupling À and Higg s mass Y^ are related by Y^ = JÏK V . iĵ is the i*" fermion fiel'd of mass m^, and the (flavordiagonal) Yukawa coupling to ty^ is m^/v. The last three terms in ( 1 ) represent the charged current, electromagnetic, and neutral current couplings to W~, A, and Z, respectively. The positron charge e is given by e = g sin 0 W, where the weak angle is sin 2 0 W = g' 2/(g 2 + g ' 2 ) . The W and Z masses and Fermi constant are related (in tree approximation) by


This article explores how the iPhone phenomenon was born, the reality of electronic waste, and the annihilation of news frames that link our use of electronics and electronic waste. Media sources and Google queries were searched for stories about the iPhone and electronic waste. Symbolic annihilation, push-and-pull media, and agenda-setting theory's obtrusive issues are used to explore the implications. The results indicate that stories about the iPhone are plentiful and stories about electronic-waste very few and far between. The results also clearly show that stories that make connections between iPhones and electronic waste are annihilated. This article highlights that the iPhone is an iconic and readily outdated example of the horrible "waste makers" we have become. The conclusion offers suggestions for ways forward. KEywoRdS iPhone; Electronic waste/E-waste; Advertising; Symbolic annihilation RÉSUMÉ ABSTRACT Cet article explore les origines du phénomène iPhone, la réalité des déchets électroniques, et l'annihilation de cadres journalistiques faisant le lien entre l'utilisation d'appareils électroniques et les déchets qui découlent de celle-ci. Pour ce faire, nous avons eu recours aux concepts suivants : l'annihilation symbolique, les médias push et pull et les questions imposantes dans le cadre de l'agenda setting (« mise à l'ordre du jour »). D'autre part, nous avons cherché dans les médias et sur Google des articles sur l'iPhone et les déchets électroniques. Nos résultats indiquent que les articles sur l'iPhone sont nombreux mais que ceux sur les déchets électroniques sont rares. Par surcroît, les résultats montrent clairement l'annihilation d'articles établissant un lien entre l'iPhone et les déchets électroniques. Cet article-ci souligne que l'iPhone est un exemple iconique, voué à une obsolescence perpétuelle, des gaspilleurs horribles que nous sommes devenus. La conclusion propose des pistes à suivre pour sortir de cette situation. MOTS CLÉS iPhone; Electronic waste/E-waste; Advertising; Symbolic annihilation 590 Canadian Journal of Communication, Vol 41 (4) Introduction According to the Pew Research Center (2010), 90  percent of Americans aged 19 to 28 sleep with their mobile phone on or next to their bed, and Statista (2015) reports that four years after its initial release, the iPhone had almost a quarter of the global smartphone market. Statista (2015) adds that Apple has been amongst the top 5 smartphone vendors in the world since 2009. By 2011 Apple had sold more than 72  million iPhones, generating revenue of U.S.$47  billion and accounting for 40  percent of Apple's total earnings (Statista, 2016). Early in 2014, with the arrival of its fifth generation, iPhone surpassed the 500  million units sold mark (Bestmobs, 2014), and in the first two quarters of 2016, over 125  million iPhones had been sold (Statista, 2016). Indeed, when people sleep with their phone on their bed, they may very well be dreaming about their next iPhone. As ABC  News reported about the release of the iPhone 5c and 5s in September 2013, "out of control lines, people waiting hours, even days—Apple fans across America don't appear to be losing any enthusiasm over the iPhone" (ABC  News, 2013). And the iPhone's iconic status means that people are telling stories about it. For example, a Lexis Nexis search for broadcast stories headlined "smart phones" in the past 10  years yields 56  stories, while a search for broadcast stories headlined "iPhone" in the past 10  years yields over 10  times that quantity—642  stories (and the iPhone was launched less than 10  years ago, in 2007). There is, however, another side of the iPhone phenomenon. In his prescient book The Waste Makers (1960), Vance Packard stated that the "replacement revolution [was encouraging] people to get rid of the products they already own ... [by] encouraging people to throw things away" (p.  127). Packard also explored how the replacement revolution was successfully promoted—and what the disastrous effects would be. Packard predicted what we now know to be true: the planetary costs of the replacement revolution are too high. The planet is reeling. Electronic waste, or e-waste, has become the fastest-growing component of the municipal waste stream in "developed" countries as well as several "developing" countries (Ravi, 2012). For example, according to the Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC), more than 142,000  computers and 416,000  mobile devices are discarded every day in the United States (ETBC, 2012). of all electronic items, the lifespan of the mobile phone is the shortest—and it is decreasing (Premalatha, Tabassum-Abbasi, Abbasi, & Abbasi, 2014). Indeed, Graham Pickren (2014) describes what we are facing as a "waste tsunami." It is also estimated that two  percent of the global carbon footprint comes from the IT  industry (Basel Action Network, 2011). And while electronic waste is an environmental and human health problem globally (see, for example, olafisoye, Adefioye, & osibote, 2013), it is especially acute for materially less affluent parts of the world (Iles, 2004). As Premalatha et  al. (2014) point out, "[I]f the situation vis-a-vis ewaste is posing a challenge in most developed countries, it is alarmingly bad in the developing world" (p.  1577). In this article these two realities of our digital age are juxtaposed: our adoration of all things electronic (in particular the iPhone) against the environmental implications. The article provides an overview of electronic waste, describes the context out of which our adoration of the iPhone was born, and establishes the theoretical and methodological context for analyzing the frequency of media stories about iPhone and electronic waste. The article then discusses the findings and offers ideas for ways forward. E-waste nightmares Lurking below the surface of our digital age is the life cycle of our electronic gadgets—mining, assembly, use, disposal—and the toll that rabid consumption and rapid obsolescence of electronics is taking on the environment and workers' lives. due to their incredible popularity and an increasingly short lifespan (Premalatha et  al., 2014), mobile phones are being discarded in huge quantities. As mentioned above, the Electronics TakeBack Coalition estimates that 416,000  mobile devices are discarded every day in the United States alone. It is no wonder, therefore, that electronic waste has become the fastest-growing component of the municipal waste stream. In rich countries, electronic waste constitutes some eight  percent by volume of municipal waste, growing at about four  percent per year (widmer, oswald-Krapf, Sinha-Khetriwal, Schnellmann, & Böni, 2005). Kees Baldé, Feng wang, Ruediger Kuehr, and Jaco Huisman highlight that, "The growing amount of e-waste has posed a significant challenge to waste management in both developing and developed countries" (2015, p. 4). It is not, however, only electronics' end of life that is problematic. Every stage of electronics' life cycle takes a huge toll on human and environmental resources. For example, according to the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, to make one computer and monitor requires 530  pounds of fossil fuels, 48  pounds of chemicals, and one and a half tons of water (ETBC, 2012). Electronics such as computers and mobile phones also require precious metals. The adverse environmental impacts of producing these metals are significant, especially for precious and special metals that are mined from ores containing very little of these metals. "To produce 1  tonne of gold, palladium or platinum, Co2 emissions of about 10,000  tonnes are generated. The gold-induced Co2 emissions for the electronics industry exceed 5.1  million tonnes" (Premalatha et  al., 2014, p.  1588). The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that it takes 60  kilograms of Co2e to manufacture a mobile phone (Co2e is the "the global warming potential of all greenhouse gasses  ... measured in terms of the equivalent impact of carbon dioxide"). The UNEP also highlights that the use of mobile technologies generates waste. For example, the UNEP estimates that the use of a phone for one year produces twice the quantity of Co2e as what is generated in the manufacturing process (UNEP as cited in GSMA, 2009). As stated earlier, the Basel Action Network (2011) states that two  percent of the global carbon footprint comes from the IT industry. It is, however, the end of electronics' life cycle that is the most obvious, tangible stage of waste production. Globally an estimated 40  million tonnes of e-waste are generated each year (UNEP, 2009). Predictions are that developing countries will begin generating more "wasted" electronics than the developed world by 2017 (yu, williams, Ju, & Shao, 2010), with countries such as China and South Africa seeing 500  percent annual increases in communication electronics discards (Schluep et al., 2009). And yet, one need only ask a lecture hall of undergraduate students, their workspaces cluttered with phones and computers, "who has heard of electronic waste?" Good Creating iPhone Dreams 591 592 Canadian Journal of Communication, Vol 41 (4) to achieve an anecdotal sense of our limited awareness of electronic waste. A few hands will tentatively go up. Follow that question with a question about how many mobile phones and computers they have owned in their lifetime and the answer is many— so many that they have lost count. why have the students not thought about what happens to their phones and other electronics when they are done with them? The answer may be symbolic annihilation. Symbolic annihilation proposes that what the media do not show us and do not tell us about the world, and those with whom we share it, is just as important as what the media do show and tell us (Gerbner & Gross, 1976; Shanahan & Morgan, 1999; Tuchman, 1978). "Representation  ... signifies social existence; absence means symbolic annihilation"


The construction of identity among the ethnic Chinese populations in Indonesia has been a complicated and incomplete process. The temporal and spatial formulation of identity has allowed for continual change in which marginalization and discrimination have resulted. This paper utilizes Stuart Hall's theory in which identity always multiplies and changes throughout history, determined by a "splitting between groups. From the colonization of Indonesia to modern times, the identity of ethnic Chinese has constantly been changing, while being kept apart from what Benedict Anderson calls the national imagined community. Indonesia's national dictum, "Unity in Diversity," has dismissed the small Chinese ethnicity that comprises about three percent of the population. This exclusion by the majority other and the inclusion formed within their group has allowed for the formation of various identities that have shifted and changed throughout time. This problem of defining "Chineseness," which was compounded during the New Order, currently is experiencing positive and negative changes due to looser government policies regarding the expression of Chinese culture. Current Indonesian state policies aim for multiculturalism, permitting the Chinese to publicly display and engage in Chinese culture, however, simultaneously it essentializes Chinese culture into stereotypes. This paper asserts an anthropological approach toward understanding Chinese identity in PostSuharto Indonesia. It evaluates the ethnic group's self-identification, as well as the perception of the "natives," to investigate the formation of identity between the two groups. It then analyzes the experience of Chinese Indonesians in Los Angeles to show the transformation of their identity and how the concept of eternal newcomer may also apply outside of Indonesia. The construction of identity among the ethnic Chinese populations in Indonesia has been a complex process. The temporal and spatial formulation of identity has allowed for continual change in which marginalization and discrimination have resulted. According to Stuart Hall, "Identities are never unified...never singular but multiply across different, often intersecting and antagonistic, discourses, practices and positions. They are subject to a radical historicization, and are constantly in the process of change and transformation" (du Gay and Hall 1996:17). Moreover, he states, "Identity is constructed through splitting. Splitting between that which one is, and that which is the other" (Back and Solomos 2009:201-202). From the colonization of Indonesia to modern times, the identity of ethnic Chinese has constantly been changing, while being kept apart from what Benedict Anderson calls the national imagined community (Anderson 2006). Indonesia's national dictum, "Unity in Diversity," has dismissed the small Chinese ethnicity that comprises about three percent of the population. This exclusion by the 1 Urban: The Eternal Newcomer: Chinese Indonesian Identity


The reaction of 4-amino-6-methyl-1,2,4-triazine-3(2 H)-thione-5-one (AMTTO) with silver(I) nitrate in methanol gives the complex [Ag(AMTTO)2]NO3 (1). 1 was characterized by IR and 13C NMR spectroscopy and by an X-ray structure analysis [space group C2/c, Z = 4, lattice dimensions at –80 °C: a = 1306.7(2), b = 1139.0(2), c = 1089.2(1) pm, β = 94.54(1)°, R1 = 0.0294]. The cation possesses a highly distorted linear coordination sphere in the solid state.


Case report of a 24-year-old woman with combined ocular malformation: bilateral pits in the optic disc and coloboma of choroidea. Complication: macula hole in the colobom-eye. -- Within 3 years preexistent myopia increased 2 dpt in all. Possibly combination of unphysiological retinal traction by coloboma on the one side and axial myopia on the other side is cause of macula hole.


A two-phase multiclass model is developed to describe the interaction between a compartment fire and a water mist. Turbulent combustion is modeled using the EBU-Ar coupled with the renormalization group k–ϵ turbulence model. A multiphase radiative transfer equation including the contributions of soot particles, combustion products and water droplets is used to model radiation. The model is applied first to a two-dimensional enclosure fire. A parametric study of the influence of water spray flow rate and water droplet diameter on fire mitigation is presented. Gas-phase cooling is found to be the main fire suppression mechanism. The influence of water spray on radiation is studied with special emphasis on the contribution of each radiative phenomenon. Results demonstrated that the attenuation of radiation by the water spray is two-fold: the radiant energy emitted by the flame is reduced and this energy is attenuated by water droplets. The role of droplet scattering in the attenuation of thermal radiation in fire–water mist interactions is clearly demonstrated. For the droplet diameters considered, it is found that there are two distinct regimes: a fire extinction regime and a fire enhanced regime. This finding is consistent with previous experiments. Applied to a three-dimensional fire-sprinkler scenario, the model predictions are in good agreement with experimental data.


This paper is aimed at designing and fabricating a low cost motorized 3-rolls plate bending machine to bend a metal plate up to 6 mm thick mild steel plates. The major components of the machine design for are: the rolls shaft diameters; thee chain drive; the spur gears drive and holding keys and the framework. Materials were selected to meet the machine requirements of strength, machine accuracy and reliability. The machine components were constructed by the various machining processes of cutting, turning and milling, and were thereafter arranged and joined together by appropriate joining methods such as welding and screw joints. The fabricated motorized 3-rolls plate bending machine with a 10hp electric motor is quite effective and efficient with maximum thickness of 6mm mild steel plate. The total cost of production is $1,363.64 which is relatively cheap compared to equivalent available in the market. Keywords : Bending parameters, chain drive, keys, roll-bending, roll- shaft, spur gears drive. DOI : 10.7176/ISDE/10-6-05 Publication date :July 31st 2019


The study of paper in Samaritan manuscripts has not yet been undertaken in any scientific way, and this paper is the first sustained attempt to gather and assess the data. 1 We must acknowledge here, at the outset, the work of Malachi Beit-Arie whose study of paper in Hebrew manuscripts in his monumental Hebrew Codicology2 must remain a model and a guide. However, the database from which we work is rather smaller than that used by Beit-Arie and, rather than establishing a chronological profile of paper morphology from an inductive study of numerous manuscripts, it has been necessary to give extensive descriptions of individual manuscripts, and to work deductively. The total corpus of Samaritan manuscripts is about 2,000 most of these are modern, and not all are dated. 3 Hence, our database for the earlier period of writing manuscripts on paper is rather inadequate. Like Beit-Arie we have attempted to indicate here the patina, feel and texture of the paper as well as its colour since these are important factors in attempting to create a system of classification. In addition, wherever possible, we have indicated the size of the mould in which the paper was manufactured as there were changes in mould sizes in papers of European manufacture, and this can be an important item of evidence in attempting to date undated papers. 4 We might begin with the general observation that the scholar


STUDY OBJECTIVES
The aim was to identify predictive factors of sleep bruxism (SB) severity among polysomnographic (PSG) parameters, salivary cortisol levels, temporomandibular disorders, age and sex.

METHODS
Young adults (19-30y) were screened for self/roommate reports of teeth grinding/clenching during sleep associated to clinical signs of tooth wear. Positive individuals for both conditions were submitted to PSG exam to provide a definite diagnosis of SB (n=28). Healthy participants without SB signs/symptoms were also included (n=15). The Research Diagnostic Criteria/TMD was applied to determine functional, muscular and articular domains of the Temporomandibular Index. Cortisol awakening levels were measured in saliva. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to extract the latent components emerging from PSG results and two regression models were adjusted to predict the number and duration of bruxism episodes.

RESULTS
PCA resulted in four components, C1: %N1, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, arousals/micro-arousals; C2: %N2, %N3; C3: periodic limb movements and apneas; C4: %REM and REM latency. The number of SB episodes/h was predicted by increasing muscular scores and Component 2 (decrease in %N2 and increase in %N3) (adjR2=45%; p=0.001). The total time of SB episodes was predicted by decreased articular and increased functional scores, age and female sex (adjR2=36%; p=0.010). Salivary cortisol levels were not associated to SB severity and did not differ between groups.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings showed that SB severity was predicted by muscular and functional scores, female sex and distinct PSG patterns, contributing to deepen the knowledge of the underlying pathophysiology of SB severity; additionally, they can help to formulate specific health approaches for the patient to better assist this condition.


Atonik is a synthetic bio stimulant consist of three phenolic compounds used as stimulant plant growth and development, farmers used atonik with high abuse for enhancements of fruit maturity so study done to detect the harmful effect of atonik in laboratory animal. Eight female rabbits of weighting (1.4-1.6) kg were obtained from animal house in college of Veterinary Medicine, animal housed two weeks before beginning study and all laboratory condition was taking into consideration. Animal randomly divided in to two main groups: Control group still without treatment at all period of study, Atonik group: each rabbits orally received 0.1 mg/kg /three time weekly (TIDW). Our result disturbance of hematological parameters specially WBCS, RBCS, HB and lymphocyte. Moreover histopathological section showing dilation of the central vein and filled with fluid and granuloma beside it, with vaculation of hypatocyte. Kidney reveals coagulative necrosis of renal tubules with distraction of glomerular tuft. Uterus of rabbits treated with 0.1 mg/kg bw atonik for 8 weeks showing necrosis of unrein glands. Ovary showed increase in the numbers of attratic follicles. Our result concluded that atonik has very harmful effect for reproduction, liver, and kidney.


As the field of Topological Data Analysis continues to show success in theory and in applications, there has been increasing interest in using tools from this field with methods for machine learning. Using persistent homology, specifically persistence diagrams, as inputs to machine learning techniques requires some mathematical creativity. The space of persistence diagrams does not have the desirable properties for machine learning, thus methods such as kernel methods and vectorization methods have been developed. One such featurization of persistence diagrams by Perea, Munch and Khasawneh uses continuous, compactly supported functions, referred to as "template functions," which results in a stable vector representation of the persistence diagram. In this paper, we provide a method of adaptively partitioning persistence diagrams to improve these featurizations based on localized information in the diagrams. Additionally, we provide a framework to adaptively select parameters required for the template functions in order to best utilize the partitioning method. We present results for application to example data sets comparing classification results between template function featurizations with and without partitioning, in addition to other methods from the literature.


In the development of new literature,especially women literature,Feng Yuanjun plays a very important role.Her novels are full of modernity and she casts castigation and criticism upon feudal ethics.Meanwhile,she displays the true condition of new women's bravery and "timidness" in seeking for love.Moreover,her passionate,bold,sincere description of love demonstrates the unique value and significance of her works.


Abstract Lakes and reservoirs progress through an aging process often accelerated by human activities, resulting in degradation or loss of ecosystem services. Resource managers thus attempt to slow or reverse the negative effects of aging using a myriad of rehabilitation strategies. Sustained monitoring programs to assess the efficacy of rehabilitation strategies are often limited; however, long-term standardized fishery surveys may be a valuable data source from which to begin evaluation. We present 3 case studies using standardized fishery survey data to assess rehabilitation efforts stemming from the Nebraska Aquatic Habitat Plan, a large-scale program with the mission to rehabilitate waterbodies within the state. The case studies highlight that biotic responses to rehabilitation efforts can be assessed, to an extent, using standardized fishery data; however, there were specific areas where minor increases in effort would clarify the effectiveness of rehabilitation techniques. Management of lakes and reservoirs can be streamlined by maximizing the utility of such datasets to work smarter, not harder. To facilitate such efforts, we stress collecting both biotic (e.g., fish lengths and weight) and abiotic (e.g., dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity) data during standardized fishery surveys and designing rehabilitation actions with an appropriate experimental design.


United Nations and large car companies agreed in 2011 that tail lamps should be switched off during daytime to reduce fuel consumption (Regulation No. 48). However, this regulation has not addressed the issue of traffic safety, but only focused on the environmental effect. This paper addresses the issue of traffic safety by looking at the time gap between vehicles. Earlier research has indicated that tail lamps help drivers to estimate the distance to the vehicle in front of them, thus turning them off may make this estimation process harder. In this study, time gaps between vehicles with and without running tail lamps is registered. Inductive loops are used combined with video footage/observations at selected urban and rural road sections with varying speed limits in Norway. Since running tail lamps facilitate distance estimation, the following hypothesis is examined in order to study their impact on driver behavior: "Drivers keep shorter time headways when tail lamps are switched off". T-tests and chi-square tests show no significant values, but the results indicate no change or longer distance when fallowing a car without running tail lamps during daytime. An additional survey (N = 152) reveled that 1/3 of the drivers had not noticed that new cars drove without running tail lamps during daylight. Among those who had noticed, 57 % stated that they had not changed their behavior, while 34 % kept longer distance and 11 % shorter distance.


Infrared Thermography (TIV) is a non-invasive, safe technique that is capable of analysis and applicability in several areas. The objective of this study was to identify the importance of infrared thermography in production animals. In the study developed by Ferreira et al. (2011), TIV was used to evaluate the metabolic heat variations produced by chicks, the authors concluded that infrared thermography was able to efficiently detect the metabolic activity of juvenile birds. In goats, D'Alterio et al. (2011) evidenced unstable changes in the hull surface temperature flow, with the use of TIV. Graciano (2013) developed a study with pigs using the TIV and identified that the thermographic technique presents good efficiency for a pre-diagnosis of inflammatory changes and lesions, being able to be used as an aid, avoiding that reproducers are discarded. In view of the above, it is concluded that TIV presents applicability in different species of production animals, in addition, it is confirmed that TIV is relevant in the animal production area, because it functions as a body scanner, helping to show variations in the temperature of which may indicate metabolic changes or the onset of inflammatory processes.


South Africa's return to the international community in 1994 has had a significant effect on the general direction of its foreign policy towards Africa in general, and Nigeria in particular. This certainly deserves closer scrutiny, taking into account the very special role Nigeria was judged to have played in the struggle against the apartheid regime in South Africa. This article is structured into two parts. The first part deals with the return of South Africa to the international system and the implications for its foreign policy towards Africa, particularly Nigeria. This section also details Nigeria's democratic hiccups, human rights crisis, and South Africa's multi-faceted interventions meant to resolve a threatening political row, which could easily have escalated into a full-scale diplomatic confrontation. The second part deals with the emergence of President Olusegun Obasanjo in Nigeria and President Thabo Mbeki in South Africa, and the impact that these new actors had on South African-Nigerian economic relations. This is analyzed within the context of the establishment of the South Africa-Nigeria Bi-National Commission, as well as trade and investment relations, and economic bilateralism that has burgeoned since 1999.


Liquid crystals of the type p-phenylene-di-p-n-alkoxy benzoate have been prepared. Kissinger isothermal decomposition method has been used for determination of activation energy values of liquid crystals. Kissinger's assessment for shape index of DT A peaks is used to find the order of reaction. There is no direct relationship between the carbon atoms in terminal methylene groups and E" values. Order of reaction value decreases with increase in heating rate upto carbon atoms 10 in the terminal methylene group but beyond this the order increases or decreases.


Summary form only given. Ionic pyrylium salt dyes in spin-coated waveguides have been shown recently to be good candidates for frequency conversion to the blue region of the spectrum, particularly by anomalous dispersion phase-matching. Because the dye was charged, the film was naturally self-aligning and poling was not required. Self-alignment provides robust structures, since they are not prone to relaxation. However, the nonlinearity was determined to be only at the film/substrate interface, thus limiting wave interaction. In this work, ionic self-assembled monolayer waveguides were fabricated as an attempt to distribute the nonlinearity of an ionic pyrylium salt derivative throughout the waveguide thickness.


The absence of comprehensive and display-independent light- field formats hinders the interchange of light-field content between the capture and display sides of systems, and limits the prevalence as well as the market potential of light-field displays. In this paper, in order to address this issue, we review the shortcomings of the few existing and published formats, and present our considerations regarding expected typical use cases and research directions towards the goal of displayindependent light-file formats. As a major contribution of this paper, we propose a novel display-independent light-field file format.


Modeling energy related concepts as high level constructs that can be checked by a type system is challenging due to the dependency on runtime factors related to energy consumption. Pushing energy concepts such as energy mode types into a language helps less skilled programmers write energy-aware software without relying on lower level techniques that depend upon hardware. We develop a language that allows energy specific type checking to be done gradually with both static and dynamic checks. As a result we allow energy-aware programming that is both natural and flexible at the language level.


Background: The impact of gender on tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) effectiveness has been poorly studied in Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) patients. Objectives: To study gender differences in persistence and response of 1st TNFi in PsA patients. Methods: PsA patients prospectively followed at the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Registry (Reuma.pt), treated with a 1st TNFi, between 2001 and 2016. Drug retention assessed by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox models, adjusted for the year of starting a TNFi. Response rates measured by EULAR response, DAPSA remission, MDA and ASDAS response, applying LUNDEX method, were compared between genders. Baseline predictors of discontinuation and response were identified (Cox and logistic regression models). Results: 750 PsA patients, mean age 47.6 (± 11.6) years and 50.3% (n=377) females. PsA females showed significantly different baseline PsA disease characteristics in comparison with males and had more severe peripheral disease activity (Table 1). The overall TNFi survival rate for females was also significantly lower when compared with males (Figure 1). Additionally, females experienced lower rates of response at 3 and 6 months (Figure 2). Female gender was further identified as an independent predictor factor of worse persistence and showed a lower chance of good EULAR response. Conclusion: PsA females from Reuma.pt have distinct PsA features and worse persistence and response to a 1st TNFi in comparison with males. This might be related to gender dependent inflammatory pathways and was independent of baseline disease activity.Table 1 Baseline characteristics of PsA patients from Reuma.pt, treated with a 1st TNFi, according to gender. Characteristics Population (n=750) Female (n=377) Male (n=373) p-value Age at 1st TNFi, years (mean ± sd) 47.6 ± 11.6 48.5 ± 11.7 46.7 ± 11.5 0.030† Obese (BMI>30Kg/m2), n (%) 104 (25.2%) 64 (30.9%) 40 (19.5%) 0.008† Clinical subtype, n (%), Symmetric polyarthritis 401 (60.6%) 228 (68.9%) 173 (52.3%) <0.001† Arthritis distal interphalangeal joins 29 (4.4%) 9 (2.7%) 20 (6.0%) Asymmetric oligoarthritis 95 (14.3%) 49 (14.8%) 46 (13.9%) Mutilating arthritis 9 (1.4%) 3 (0.9%) 6 (1.8%) Predominant axial 128 (19.3%) 42 (12.7%) 86 (26.0%) Years since diagnoses until 1st TNFi (mean ± sd) 6.6 ± 6.8 7.1 ± 7.0 6.0 ± 6.6 0.033† Swollen joints (mean ± sd) 5.3 ± 5.5 6.2 ± 6.3 4.4 ± 4.4 <0.001† Tender joints (mean ± sd) 9.7 ± 9.6 11.9 ± 10.4 7.3 ± 8.1 <0.001† ESR mm/1st h (mean ± sd) 31.8 ± 25.3 35.8 ± 26.0 27.1 ± 23.8 <0.001† MASES (mean + sd) 2.0 ±3.2 3.0 ± 3.9 1.1 ± 2.1 <0.001† DAS28 (mean + sd) 4.9 ± 1.4 5.2 ± 1.3 4.5 ± 1.4 <0.001† DAPSA (mean ± sd) 29.9 ± 15.4 32.5 ± 16.5 26.7 ± 13.3 0.001† HAQ-DI (mean ± sd) 1.13 ± 0.68 1.34 ± 0.66 0.90 ± 0.63 <0.001† Concomitant csDMARDs, n (%) 505 (67.6%) 276 (73.6%) 229 (61.6%) <0.001† Concomitant corticosteroids, n (%) 253 (33.9%) 157 (41.9%) 96 (25.8%) <0.001†Figure 1 First-line TNFi persistence of PsA patients from Reuma.pt, according to gender and adjusted for the year of staring a TNFi.Figure 2 First-line TNFi LUNDEX-corrected responses of PsA patients from Reuma.pt, according to gender. Disclosure of Interests: Elsa Vieira-Sousa Grant/research support from: MSD, Novartis, Mónica Eusébio: None declared, Pedro Ávila-Ribeiro: None declared, Nikita Khmelinskii: None declared, Ana Rita Cruz-Machado: None declared, Teresa Martins-Rocha: None declared, Miguel Bernardes: None declared, Daniela Faria: None declared, Joana Silva: None declared, Helena Santos: None declared, Claudia Miguel: None declared, Pedro Carvalho: None declared, Tiago Costa: None declared, Lídia Teixeira: None declared, Tiago Meirinhos: None declared, Patrícia Nero: None declared, Joao Eurico Fonseca: None declared, Maria Jose Santos: None declared


The invention relates to an apparatus for generating an atmospheric pressure plasma by means of an arc discharge. Deviating from the previously known prior art, the arc discharge is generated by a piezoelectric element acting as a cathode with primary and secondary side.


The present study investigated the cognitive style and creative processes of 42 learning disabled and 44 nondisabled students. Subjects were randomly selected and administered the Matching Familiar Figures Test and the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. A chi-squared analysis suggested a significant difference between the cognitive styles of the two groups of children. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated no significant differences in creativity between learning disabled and nondisabled students, or between reflective and impulsive individuals. Correlational analyses suggested that errors and latencies on the Matching Familiar Figures Test were not significantly related to the creative abilities of either learning disabled or nondisabled children. Theoretical and educational implications of results were discussed.


In this work we report an investigation of the behavior of experimental twoneutron separation energies (S2n) along the isotopic and isotonic chains. The study refers to the even-even nuclei between Ni and Hg where a rich collective phenomenology is present. The emphasis is on finding non-monotonic behaviors which can be correlated with structure phenomena as shell and subshell closures, phase/shape transition, intruder configurations, etc. In order to enhance the sensitivity of our search, differential variation of the S2n has been investigated along with the absolute values.


The objective of the research is to determine the effect of suppression agents towards liquefied petroleum gas(LPG)and natural gas(NG)explosion limit.The main target of the research is to identify the best suppression agents that can be used in the suppression system to mitigate explosion from its early stage thus preventing catastrophic.In the experiment,several types of suppression agents are used which are ammonium phosphate,argon gas and carbon dioxide gas.Liquefied petroleum gas(LPG)and natural gas(NG)is used as a fuel source.The purpose of using LPG as the fuel source is because LPG is one of the most dangerous sources of fuels that can easily involve in an explosion due to its properties that can cause boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE).Since natural gas is also commonly used in the industries and as well as residential area,it is best to make sure that the prevention is fully secure.the lower the maximum pressure,the more effective the suppressants are. The experiments are carried out by using the gas fire explosion unit.Conventional suppression agent that is commonly used in the industries nowadays is carbon dioxide. However,carbon dioxide can give a side effect to the environment.Therefore by the end of the experiments,the results will show that ammonium phosphate does mitigate the gas explosion more effectively thus overcoming the problem cause by the conventional suppression agent.


Bangladesh Power System (BPS) is facing an acute Power crisis round the clock, especially in the summer season. The crisis turned in to a sever condition during peak hours and results in intolerable load shedding. This paper investigates this load shedding problem in the peak load hours under the consideration of available generation capacity of BPS and presents an analysis to minimize the load shedding through the optimal operation of existing hydro power station in BPS. Moreover it exposed different mode of utilization of hydro resource with promising results. The investigation of this paper shows that the installed capacity of the existing Hydro power station can be increased as the available hydro potential becomes higher than the installed capacity for nearly 35% time of a year. The proposed different mode of operation of hydro power plant would create a feeling among the system planner for planned maintenance & overhauling of the hydro generating units.


This chapter reviews the growing empirical literature on shareholder activism by hedge funds, summarizing the sources and nature of the activist data and examining the evidence on target firm outcomes. Target firms do not exist in a vacuum, however; they have industry competitors, suppliers, customers, debtholders, and employees. Hedge fund activists often demand a reformulation of the target firm's product market strategy to enhance its ability to earn inframarginal profits. This positive strategic effect may be especially significant for target firms that are economically distressed and facing predatory moves from deep-pocketed rival firms to induce exit. The putative significant effects of hedge fund activism on targets should generate spillover effects on their stakeholders. The chapter considers these spillover effects in a number of well-defined categories: industry rivals, customers, suppliers, debtholders, and employees.


The metabolic rate of an individual indicates the rate of the heat production or energy transformation resulting from the chemical changes going on in the body when at complete physical and chemical rest. Metabolic rate studies, especially, have increased our knowledge of thyroid diseases. They have been the means of distinguishing hyperthyroidism from psychoneuroses, the exophthalmos of Graves' disease from congenital eye prominence, toxic from non-toxic adenomas, and hyperthyroidism or myxedema from obesity and other conditions resembling such disturbances. The rate, when abnormal, means, in the absence of certain definite diseases and inanition, a disturbance of thyroid secretion. The metabolic rate studies, moreover, have afforded an opportunity to check up on the contention of Goetsch that his epinephrin test, when positive, indicates hyperthyroidism. It is now generally accepted that there can be no hyperthyroidism without an increased metabolic rate and since Peabody, Sturges, Tompkins, Wearn and o...


Dear sir During the last 5 years, when attempting to rejoin a Hartmann's colostomy, staple guns have mis®red three times. This letter reports a manoeuvre to deal with this dif®culty. The ®rst two cases each presented with a carcinoma of the rectum. Each ended up with a Hartmann's operation, one as a `bale-out' from a 5th day anastomotic leak, and the other as the original procedure. Both did well, both had post-operative adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and both came to a Hartmann's reversal operation at a later date. In each case the staple gun ®red its staples satisfactorily, but the circular knife failed to cut through the interposed indurated tissues of the rectal stump. In case 1, I tried pulling and `worrying' the instrument out, but the rectum tore, leading to a series of rescue operations, referral to St Mark's, and a permanent colostomy. In case 2, I attempted to ease the instrument out of the anus and inserting a scalpel beside it to sever the uncut tissue, a manoeuvre which has been described before [1]. The instrument did come out, but the base of the bladder was damaged, requiring a later formal recto-vesical ®stula repair. He too has a permanent colostomy.


The geological record of the angiosperms is conspicuously deficient in specific information regarding the nature and direction of morphological changes in time within the various taxa. Our present knowledge of such changes is based almost exclusively upon comparative data derived from the study of modern plants. There is no well documented sequence among the flowering plants comparable, for example, to the Cenozoic record of the Equidae among the vertebrates. That such evidence is lacking for the higher plants is due in large part to the fact that, while the relationships of the angiosperms have been established chiefly on the basis of their reproductive structures, their known fossil record consists for the most part of leaves (Chaney, 1949). The most notable exception to this situation is the large assemblage of fruits and seeds constituting the Eocene London Clay flora of England (Reid and Chandler, 1933). Some of the London Clay forms represent previous stages in the evolution of the reproductive structures borne by modern members of their respective groups. An unique assemblage of fossil dicotyledonous fruits showing distinct affinities with the London Clay flora has recently been described from a single locality in the Eocene Clarno formation of north central Oregon (Scott, 1954 and mss.). The Clarno fossils are preserved as chalcedony locule casts surrounded by the carbonized or silicified remains of the


A review and discussion of the confusing terminology for units designating variation in vegetation associations (habitat types) are presented. In portions of the northern Rocky Mountains, the short tree Taxus brevifolia expresses climax sociological dominance over tall conifers. The synecology of communities dominated by T. brevifolia is presented, concluding that associations and not phases are the appropriate interpretation. Binomials now used in forest classifications conceal information on community structure and composition. Trinomials are proposed.


Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes a worldwide pandemic named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The disease progression and mortality rates of patients with COVID-19 are higher in males than in females. Hence, we explored the potential mechanism of the COVID-19 gender disparity and searched for potential alternative therapeutic agents as unmet medical needs for male patients with COVID-19.

Methods: We collected clinical data from 1339 COVID-19 patients and analyzed androgen receptor (AR) chromatin binding and expression patterns by ChIP-seq and scRNA-seq data. Moreover, we studied the androgen-induced expression of ACE-2 and TMPRSS2, two key proteins for SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry and infection and the blockage of these two key proteins with our AR antagonist Proxalutamide (GT0918) in normal lung cells, cancer cells derived from prostate and lung cancers. Furthermore, we examined the effect of GT0918 on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), the macrophage-activation markers, in mouse macrophage cells.

Results: We demonstrated higher rates of disease progression and mortality of male COVID-19 patients. The mechanism of the gender disparity may result from the androgen-AR activation in male patients with COVID-19. We revealed that androgen-AR activation induced the expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 under the androgen-dependent condition in cells derived from prostate and lung cancer, which was inhibited by the blockage of AR signaling with AR antagonist GT0918. Importantly, GT0918 also inhibited the expression of macrophage activation markers iNOS and TNF-α, the biomarkers for macrophage polarization. These results support the role of androgen-AR signaling in the disease progression and mortality in male patients with COVID-19.


A long-range SPR(LRSPR) sensor based on a D-shaped honeycomb-lattice MOF coated with Au and graphene film was proposed and numerically investigated. The sensor's highest sensitivity reaches 16700 nm/RIU and the minimum resolution is $5.99 \times 10^{-7}$ RIU. OCIS codes: 240.0240, 240.6680, 060.2370, 060.4005


We describe here an activity that enables students to visualize the dissolution process, ion mobility, and precipitation on a microscale level, all in 30 s. A small puddle of water consisting of approximately 10 drops is placed on a plastic sheet cover. Two small crystals of water-soluble salts are transferred by toothpicks and simultaneously introduced to the puddle from opposite sides. Within 30 s, a precipitate forms where the two ionic solutions meet and the result usually looks somewhat like a cat's eye marble. A significant feature of this activity is that it uses a minimum amount of resources.


The high-capacity modular multilevel converter (MMC) is becoming the most popular type of voltage-source converters for high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission. However, the nonlinearity of the loss characteristics of the switching devices and the complexity of the switching patterns impose great challenge on the loss modeling of MMC. The present methods still have some flaws in modulation methods and switching loss calculation. This paper proposes a simplified MMC loss mathematical model based on the RMS and average value of the arm current. The analytical expressions of this simplified model are also presented. Simulation results of a ±350 kV/1000 MW MMC using PSCAD/EMTDC verify the correctness and the accuracy of the proposed model.


is one fl aw to this book, it is the way it leaps from Edo to the contemporary period in its study of covert Shin Buddhism. Much more needs to be learned about what happened to these groups in the Meiji and Taisho periods, for example, when religions outside the mainstream also had to dissemble and conceal to escape state persecution. Shin groups like Urahōmon used a strategy that other religions also took to survive. New religious movements like Oomoto-kyō, for example, affi liated with state-approved sects that could provide them with cover to disseminate their own controversial beliefs and practices. One also wonders how Kirishimakō as a Shintō-affi liated movement fared in the prewar period against the state-sponsored tennō cult and its heavy-handed shrine and temple policies. Did Kirishimakō experience pressure from the new state ideologies that had so little in common with it? Nonetheless, this excellent book needs to be read by everyone interested in Japanese religions.


Cytochrome P450 19A1 (503 aa, ~58 kDa) is encoded by the human CYP19A1 gene. This protein is involved in the conversion of androgens to estrogens.


The present qualified study of investigation "Knowledges and risky conducts to the nervous anorexia in teenagers of educational state institutions of the UGEL N ° 4 Commas", had as aim determine the relation between knowledges and risky conducts of anorexia nervous, to determine the level of knowledges on risky conducts of anorexia nervous and to determine the level of risky conducts of anorexia nervous. The intention is to provide updated and objective information about the conducts of risk to the nervous anorexia in order to stimulate to an intersectorial work between the workers of the Department of Education and the Equipment of Department of Health and preventive - promotional activities like that develop directed the teenagers, educational family parents; achieving the adoption of healthy ways of life improving this way the quality of life of each one of these persons; having as hypothesis that Exists significant inverse relation between knowledges and risky conducts.
The method is the descriptive correlacional, the sample was shaped by a whole of 661 teenagers from 14 to 16 years of age. The information I gather by means of the application of a questionnaire for every variable.
Having as conclusion: the hypothesis of investigation is approved because there exists significant inverse relation between knowledges and risky conducts of anorexia nervous in the teenagers. The level of knowledges of the teenagers is average. The majority of the teenagers present levels of conducts of medium and high risk.


Because the existing quasi-dimensional combustion model cannot describe the working process of plateau diesel engine objectively,a simulation model updating method is proposed based on computer intelligence.Based on range analysis results of orthogonal experiments,sensitivity analysis of an engine is made to show the influence of quasi-dimensional combustion model empirical parameters on engine performance.The main empirical parameters determining engine performance are identified and confirmed as correction object.Based on genetic algorithm and experimental data,the quasi-dimensional combustion model is corrected.The model error of corrected working process model for engine is less than 4%,laying a foundation for follow-up engine performance analysis in highland.


Background: Patient satisfaction is an integral component of service quality and obtaining feedback from patients about the quality of primary health care is the best way to extend more patient-centered goals to health care delivery. This study was conducted to measure the level of client satisfaction with Urban Family Physician and Referral System (UFPARS) program Methods: This repeated cross-sectional study was done in Fars province, South of Iran, at two sections. Totally, 5901 patients in two sections (6 and 24 months after the UFPARS startup) were selected using multi-stage random sampling. The participants answered a self-administrated questionnaire. We measured the client satisfaction using 5-point Likert-scaled score and combined the questions; for each component of UFPARS, 6 satisfaction dimensions were made. We compared the participants' level of satisfaction in two parts, using t-test. Results: Reliability was acceptable, and equal to 85% or more in all domains .In all components of UFPARS, the mean client satisfaction score was higher than 3 out of 5. The lowest client satisfaction scores were seen in the outpatient services. In three components of UFPARS including enrolment, family medicine and para-clinics, the mean satisfaction scores significantly decreased (P<0.001) between the two sections. But other components showed no significant change. Conclusions : The level of satisfaction with UFPARS in Fars province was shown to be relatively medium to high. Low client satisfaction between the two sections could be a bad sign and we recommend that the problems should be tackled gradually. Although family physician program in Iran has some limitations, implementing this plan step by step can lead to a medical reform in Iran. We can develop better programs based on the comments from service recipients, and prompt the project and some program processes.


Growing salinity-tolerance plants is one of the effective measures for the rational use and exploitation of coastal land resources.With sand culture in greenhouse,this paper studied the effects of different concentration seawater on the biomass,ion absorption and distribution,chlorophyll content,and photosynthesis of chicory seedlings.Comparing with the control,treating with 10% seawater had less effect on the biomass,chlorophyll content,and photosynthesis of chicory seedlings,suggesting that 10% seawater did not significantly restrain the growth of chicory seedlings,while treating with 20%,30%,and 40% seawater decreased the biomass,chlorophyll content,photosynthesis,stomatal conductance,and transpiration rate significantly,indicating that higher concentration seawater inhibited the growth of chicory seedlings and lowered their carbon assimilation capacity.The Na+ and Cl-contents in seedlings shoot and root increased with increasing seawater concentration,while the K+ content was the highest under the stress of 20% seawater.Like Na+ and Cl-,the K+ accumulation in root kept increasing with the increase of seawater concentration.All of the results suggested that chicories seedlings had definite salinity-tolerance,and could be planted with the irrigation of low concentration seawater or saline water.


Monoclonal immunoglobulins in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were found in newborns with congenital toxoplasmosis. The M-components were of IgG-class and of both κ and λ type. The monoclonal proteins were found in the serum of newborns but not in the serum of their mothers. The monoclonal immunoglobulins were therefore selectively transferred or synthesized by the newborn. There was a local production or selective local accumulation of immunoglobulins in the cerebrospinal fluid. The M-components disappeared and the IgM level in serum and cerebrospinal fluid decreased after therapy. IgA was found to be elevated between 2–4 months of age. CRP was elevated in the first weeks after birth but afterwards returned to normal. The Dye test localized antibody activity to the site of the M-components in the electrophoresis of both serum and cerebrospinal fluid. The Dye test antibodies of mothers' sera also showed restricted heterogeneity with about the same electrophoretic localization as in the children's sera. Rheumatoid factors were found in serum and CSF of newborns with congenital toxoplasmosis, but not in serum of their mothers.


This report presents the findings of a research project to evaluate the safety performance of snowplowable permanent raised pavement markers (PRPMs) on two-lane roadways and four-lane freeways. An analytical engineering procedure relying on safety performance functions or crash prediction models for roadways with and without PRPMs was developed to determine the potential cost-effectiveness of implementing PRPMs at a location. The report will be of particular interest to traffic engineers with responsibility for installing and maintaining pavement marking systems.


This paper through brainstorming, the Delphi method, and in-meeting & after-meeting method, screening out suitability evaluation indicators of indigenous arbors,shrubs plants for urban landscapes in Nanchang. It sets up the suitability evaluation indicator system of indigenous arbors, shrubs to urban landscapes in Nanchang. To improve bio-diversity in cities, we need to focus on indigenous plants in greening initiatives. In this study, the indigenous plants in Nanchang were investigated to analyze the current situations of indigenous plants in this region and their application in urban greening in Nanchang. The problems in using indigenous plants for greening in Nanchang City were analyzed and corresponding suggestions were made.


Title The functional analysis of domain-deleted isoform of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G [an abstract of entire text] Author(s) 髙橋, 愛実 Citation 北海道大学. 博士(薬科学) 甲第13176号 Issue Date 2018-03-22 Doc URL http://hdl.handle.net/2115/73098 Type theses (doctoral abstract of entire text) Note この博士論文全文の閲覧方法については、以下のサイトをご参照ください。【担当:薬学部図書室】 Note(URL) http://www.lib.hokudai.ac.jp/dissertations/copy-guides/ File Information Ami_Takahashi_Summary_.pdf


Protoplasts were isolated from dark-grown Avena coleoptiles (var. Victory) by using a modification of the method of Power & Cocking (1970). Subapical peeled pieces of coleoptile (1 cm long) were incubated initially in 20% (w/v) sucrose for 20min to induce plasmolysis. Subsequently to release protoplasts the peeled pieces were incubated at 24°C for 2h, in the dark, in 20% (w/v) sucrose containing 3 % (w/v) of cellulase (Onozuka P3000) and 1% (w/v) of Macerozyme. Each was into


Self-managing and self-optimizing is currently a hot research field in database.To guarantee the accuracy of the estimates made by optimizer,this paper proposed a new method named COCA(entropy-COrrelated-Coefficient-based Auto-detection of association).In comparison with CORDS,COCA has the following features:(1) Fewer limitations.It overcomes the limitation that Chi-square test needs at least 80% of the cells in the contingency table have frequencies greater than 5.(2) More results.CORDS can tell the correlation between columns,while COCA can further discern the specific association degree for both directions.Experiments show that COCA is more robust and produces more statistical information,which is supportive to the creation of more effective and efficient histograms.


Traditional emotion recognition methods are mainly based on voice, expression and body movement. These physiological signals or facial expressions may hardly reveal inner emotions. In this paper, the wavelet entropy (WE) was utilized to represent the characteristics associated with emotional states. The average classification accuracies of positive, neutral and negative emotions are 70.65%, 70.53% and 70.28%, respectively. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, the comparison experiments were carried out by the power spectrum density (PSD) feature and approximate entropy (ApEn) feature. The average classification accuracies are 70.49% (WE), 66.93% (PSD) and 64.44% (ApEn), respectively. The results indicate that the wavelet entropy feature performs better than the other two features for Electroencephalogram (EEG) based emotion recognition.


The invention provides electrode slurry which comprises an organic carrier and inorganic powder. The organic carrier comprises a solvent and an adhesive, wherein the solvent comprises one or more of terpilenol, normal butanol, isopropanol and turpentine; the adhesive comprises one or more of polyvinyl butyral, acrylic resin, melamine resin and ethyecellulose; the organic powder comprises one or more of platinum, alkaline earth metal oxides, graphite and carbon. As the electrode slurry provided by the invention contains the organic carrier and inorganic powder, the electrode slurry has a relatively high catalytic efficiency, so that the starting and responding time of an oxygen sensor can be shortened. The invention provides the oxygen sensor which comprises a sensing layer, a reference air layer and a heating layer. An electrode in the oxygen sensor is made from the electrode slurry according to the technical scheme. The oxygen sensor provided by the invention uses the electrode slurry which has the relatively high catalytic efficiency, so that the starting and responding time of the oxygen sensor are relatively short.


This study aims to determine the effect of the marketing mix, namely product, price, location, and promotion, on customer decisions to choose Simasker savings products PT. Kerinci People's Development Bank. In this study using quantitative methods by processing primary data through questionnaires given to customers of Bank Kerinci as many as 50 respondents with Non Probability Sampling technique. The analysis used in this research includes instrument test, statistical test, classical assumption test, and multiple linear test. Based on the results of research tests conducted, namely: 1) Product variable (X1) has a positive and significant effect on Customer Decisions (Y); 2) Price variable (X2) has no effect on customer decisions (Y); 3) Location variable (X3) has no effect on customer decisions; 4) Promotion variable (X4) has a positive and significant effect on customer decisions.


We consider the 3D Pauli operator with nonconstant magnetic field B of constant direction, perturbed by a symmetric matrix-valued electric potential V whose coefficients decay fast enough at infinity. We investigate the low-energy asymptotics of the corresponding spectral shift function. As a corollary, for generic negative V, we obtain a generalized Levinson formula, relating the low-energy asymptotics of the eigenvalue counting function and of the scattering phase of the perturbed operator.


In this talk, I will review our study of graphene electronics and photonics. I will begin by discussing the merits of graphene for particular applications in electronics, optoelectronics and plasmonics. Then, I will elaborate on our understanding of their basic device physics and technological challenges, through theory, modeling and experiments.


In the first paper of this series we showed that the total electronic energy, computed ab initio in the Hartree‐Fock approximation for both independent and coupled rotations of the five torsional angles in the sugar–phosphate–sugar complex C10H18O8P, can be reproduced with reasonable accuracy by a Lennard‐Jones 6‐12 potential, with different attractive and repulsive parameters assigned to the four oxygens of the phosphate group, on one hand, and the four oxygens of the sugar rings and the hydroxyl groups, on the other. The conclusion was reached on the basis of some attempts at the derivation of analytical expressions capable of correctly describing the energies obtained with the quantum mechanical computations. An analysis of the barriers to internal rotation for the angles φ and ψ indicated the possibility of improving the description through addition of further terms, in particular of an intrinsic torsional potential. In order to obtain a fit based on all internal rotations of the sugar–phosphate–sugar molecules, and coupling numerical accuracy with physical significance, we made a study of the possible contributions to the conformational energy: intrinsic torsional energy, electrostatic interactions, London attractions, van der Waals repulsions. The results of this study show that the best description of ab initio energies is offered by a potential containing a Lennard‐Jones 6‐12 term and an intrinsic torsional term.


ABSTRACT Maritime transportation systems are responsible for the transportation of the vast majority of global overseas trade. Ports are fundamental agents of the maritime transportation system, being the point of entry and exit of most imported and exported goods. Ports are also important nodes in intermodal transportation systems, making the connection between maritime, rail, and road transportation. Nonetheless, the study of the impacts of maritime transportation and port disruptions in the literature is still in its early stages. Similarly, port resilience and intermodal transportation resilience considering maritime transportation have not yet received significant attention from academic researchers. This article provides a review of the existing literature in maritime supply chain and port disruptions. The goal is to contribute to the literature by presenting the topics that have been addressed and identifying gaps of knowledge that can be explored.


Central pontinemyelinolysis is a noninflammatory demyelinating disorder characterized by the loss of myelin in the center of the basis pontis usually seen in those with chronic alcoholism and in malnourished persons and by rapid correction of chronic hyponatremia. The clinical features vary depending on the extent of involvement. Demyelination can occur outside the pons as well and diagnosis can be challenging if both pontine and extrapontine areas are involved. We herein report a case of myelinolysis involving pons.


A portrait of William Thomson, Baron Kelvin (1824-1907), possibly after John Fergus (fl. 1870-1900's) and possibly after a photograph of 1876. Original has a facsim. signature in bottom right. Pencil note on reverse by Robert S. Ball.


A field experiment was conducted to determine the efficacy of emamectin benzoate 1%EC to control diamondback moth(Plutella xylostella) on cruciferae vegetables.The results showed that emamectin benzoate 1% EC could control diamondback moth in a low incidence and safe to treated vegetables.


Luther's View of Church History. By JOHN M. HEADLEY. New HavenLondon : Yale University Press, 1963. xvi, 301 pp. $6.75. Heinrich Bornkamm in his address to the first International Congress on Luther Research in Aarhus, August 14, 1956, called for a work which would continue Walther Kohler's study of Luther and church history to 1521 [Walther Kohler, Luther und die Kirchengeschichte nach seinen Schriftten, zunachst bis 1521 (Erlangen, 1900)]. The present volume is in many ways an answer to that expressed need, for it is an attempt to see church history whole as Luther saw it, it emphasizes the views of the mature Luther, it is based upon a wide variety of Luther's writings rather than upon an intensive study of a single genre of his work, and it relates Luther's implicit understanding of church history to his total theology rather than offering a merely external account of his knowledge of church history as such. This is a worthy successor to Kohler's book.


This paper is concerned with the existence of solutions for a new boundary value problem of nonlinear coupled (k,ψ)–Hilfer fractional differential equations subject to coupled (k,ψ)–Riemann–Liouville fractional integral boundary conditions. We prove two existence results by applying the Leray–Schauder alternative, and Krasnosel'skiĭ's fixed-point theorem under different criteria, while the third result, concerning the uniqueness of solutions for the given problem, relies on the Banach's contraction mapping principle. Examples are included for illustrating the abstract results.


The results of a series of telephone interviews with groups of users of information on photovoltaics (PV) are described. These results, part of a larger study on many different solar technologies, identify types of information each group needed and the best ways to get information to each group. The report is 1 of 10 discussing study results. The overall study provides baseline data about information needs in the solar community. It covers these technological areas: photovoltaics, passive solar heating and cooling, active solar heating and cooling, biomass energy, solar thermal electric power, solar industrial and agricultural process heat, wind energy, ocean energy, and advanced energy storage. An earlier study identified the information user groups in the solar community and the priority (to accelerate solar energy commercialization) of getting information to each group. In the current study only high-priority groups were examined. Results from seven PV groups respondents are analyzed in this report: DOE-Funded Researchers, Non-DOE-Funded Researchers, Researchers Working for Manufacturers, Representatives of Other Manufacturers, Representatives of Utilities, Electric Power Engineers, and Educators.


Generally it is very difficult to construct robust slope-rotatable designs along axial directions. Present paper focuses on modified second-order slope-rotatable designs (SOSRDs) with correlated errors. Modified robust second-order slope-rotatability conditions are derived for a general variance–covariance structure of errors. These conditions get simplified for intraclass correlation structure. A few robust second-order slope-rotatable designs (over all directions, or with equal maximum directional variance slope, or D-optimal slope) are examined with respect to modified robust slope-rotatability. It is observed that robust second-order slope-rotatable designs over all directions, or with equal maximum directional variance slope, or D-optimal slope are not generally modified robust second-order slope-rotatable designs.


The goal of this thesis is to analyse SONAR files produced by ARIS and DIDSON manufactured by Sound Metrics Co. which are ultrasonic, monostatic and multibeam echo-sounders. They are used to capture the behaviour of Atlantic salmon, which recently has been on the lists of endangered species. These SONARs can work in dark lighting conditions and provide high resolution images due to their high frequencies that ranges from 1.1 MHz to 1.8 MHz. The thesis goes through extracting data from file, redrawing it, and visualising it in human friendly format. Next, images are analysed to search for fish. Results of analysis are saved in formats such as JSON, to allow harmony with other legacy systems. Also the output helps in future development due to the support for JSON in multitude of programming languages. Eventually, a user-friendly user interface is introduced, which helps making the process easier. The software is tested against data-sets from rivers in Finland, that are rich in Atlantic salmon.