The present study examines the efficacy of multimedia integration in a writing classroom using the process approach. Contemporary practices of teaching writing include the process approach and technology integration. Therefore, multimedia integration is recommended at every stage of the process approach for better learning outcomes. The participants of the study included 60 male students comprising of control group n=30 and the experimental group n=30. Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) was used as the theoretical base and his principles were applied for the design of writing tasks. The control group was exposed to traditional input and the treatment group to multimodal input. The test performance was evaluated using IELTS writing rubrics. A paired sample t-test indicated discernible improvement in the writing skills of the experimental group. The final part of the paper deals with the pedagogical implications of multimedia integration, limitations, and scope for future research.


In this paper,the basic thought of In-circuit Programming of FLASH Memory for the MC68HC908JB8 Microcontroller is introduced,and its implementation method is reported detailed.This method is simple and practi- cal;few resources of the necessary hardware are needed.This method can increase flexibility and development effi- ciency of the user(?) products greatly;reduce the development risk of the products.


Since Polly Hill's pioneering work (1969) on the economics of households in a northern Nigerian town, devoted largely to the analysis of what she termed the "hidden trade" among Hausa women, there has been a proliferation of related studies (e.g., Barkow 1972; Simmons 1975; Hill 1977; Longhurst 1982; Schildkrout 1983; Callaway 1987).(1) These and many other works show that a vast majority of married Hausa women from such cities as Kano, Katsina, and Zaria, and their rural environs, often earn a sizeable income from petty or large-scale trade, while participating in the Islamic institution of purdah, in which they must remain secluded in the house. As a result of this work, the hidden trade has been viewed as a Hausa, a Nigerian, or perhaps a West African women's institution (Schildkrout 1983:125) that serves the dual function of enhancing both their prestige and modesty and of providing them with some remuneration for their household labor. Inasmuch as the studies demonstrate the prevalence of the hidden trade among Hausa women, several questions about it warrant further attention. First, although there is general agreement among observers that the practice provides Muslim women with a measure of autonomy within the household, there is less said about whether it mainly serves economic ends, augmenting the Islamic obligatory contribution of husbands, or has sociocultural purposes, being reinvested primarily in the Islamic system of marriage. Second, while the prevalence and nature of the trade in Hausaland has become quite clear, comparatively little attention has been accorded to the region's groups or individuals who do not trade, in terms of the variables that may affect the broad patterns and individual choices. Finally, very little compatible information is available for non-Hausa women in northern Nigeria, who constitute a sizeable percentage of the region's women,(2) even in the cities that were studied. Indeed, there appears to be a general assumption in the literature that all Muslim northern Nigerian women, given the right incentives (e.g., economic) and conditions, would choose to become active traders. In short, further research and analysis is necessary on the hidden trade, beyond the available case studies of Hausa women, that would broaden the perspectives on the practice, or more comprehensively cover ethnically heterogeneous communities dominated either by Hausa or other Muslim ethnic groups. Moreover, in view of Nigeria's current economic crisis and the government's designation of "women-in-development" activities as one way of alleviating its peoples' hardships, it is timely to determine exactly how widespread the institution actually is, and whether this is an "economic" venture which can be enhanced by future development activities. With these questions in mind, the following is a comparative study of Muslim women's trade in northern Nigeria, based on a review of the available relevant literature and on my own research(3) in an ethnically heterogeneous northern Nigerian city, Yola, in which Hausa are numerically and economically significant, yet are outnumbered by the Fulbe and members of other ethnic groups. The analysis will first comparatively summarize the data on Hausaland, discussing the factors that condition the women's roles and their decision to trade and the variations that obtain within Hausaland. The intensive, comparative study of Yola women will show that due to relatively uniform regional historical trends, political and economic factors, and cultural tendencies, the hidden trade is indeed prevalent outside Hausaland. The Muslim women of Yola, having shared in the common northern Nigerian experience, now participate in and rely on the practice, although the custom has been adapted to conform to local conditions and traditions and therefore varies in many respects from that of Hausaland. We shall also attempt to explain why the dominant ethnic group of Yola, the Fulbe, have thus far been resisting full incorporation into this tradition, largely on what they term as cultural grounds, and we will assess the impact of these attitudes on Yola's informal trade and food industries and on its non-Fulbe societies in general. …


In a society increasingly urbanized, the call for rural areas and its specific lifestyle becomes increasingly stronger. Urban dwellers return to their places of origin and the simple lifestyle of the "old times". These are some of the motivations that led to an increase in rural tourism both in Romania and many other parts of the world. During visits, the tourist is more inclined to personally seek information at different places of contact - especially at transport and accommodation operators, as well as at tourist information centres. A good Tourist Information Centre (TIC) will not work only as office to be visited by tourists, but also as a distribution point of information through local transport and accommodation providers. Even if the visitors are given good information when they ask for further guidance "on the road" to tourist attractions, a good network of brown signs in international format must be provided in order to facilitate the trip.


Cyclone-related oceanic hazards, such as extreme waves and surges, are frequently reported on the western South Atlantic. These events are associated with coastal erosion, coastal infrastructure damage, maritime navigation, and offshore industry incidents, being important for safety and maintenance management in ocean engineering. Present climate trends and future projections of this event are frequently linked with the expected general poleward shift of the storm track over the globe, but regional approaches revealed a slight increase in the cyclonic activity in South America 35ºS and 40ºS, which would be restricted to the coast. However, the signals of these changes are weak and frequently of the same magnitude of model biases, producing results with a lack of confidence, especially in the coastal zone. Extreme events related to waves and surges used to present large uncertainty and heterogeneity around the globe. Most of the problems regarding future estimation rely on methodological limitations that will not overrun without collaborative efforts to the improvement of observational-based science. Taking advantage of the UN Ocean Decade goals, national and regional initiatives need to collaborate towards a robust and continuous Brazilian observational network in order to face the climate crises in the country.

Keywords: ocean wind-waves, coastal flooding, storm surge, extratropical cyclones, ocean waves, natural hazards.


From the experience of the researchers while teaching the English Mathematics course, it was found that the main obstacle faced by students in communicating in English lies in their minimal vocabulary of English mathematical concepts. Departing from this fact, this study has two objectives, namely to find out how students respond to the application of the mnemonic method in English mathematics courses and the second is to find out students' speaking abilities, especially in remembering new vocabulary obtained from the learned mathematical concepts. Based on research data both in the form of written tests and interviews, it can be concluded that overall it is of good value. Student responses to the application of the mnemonic method in Mathematics English courses on the topic of Statistics and Opportunity are positive. Meanwhile, the students' English speaking ability in the application of the mnemonic method on the topic of Statistics and Opportunity includes 5 aspects as follows: for grammar mastery, a score of 20% of students obtained 3 points or very good category was obtained, for the vocabulary aspect, a score of 64% was obtained, which received a very good score. good, 48% who scored very well also in the comprehension mastery aspect. As for the fluency and pronunciation aspects, 40% were in the good category and 48% were in the very good category, respectively.


A DPSK demodulator based on cascaded long period fibre grating is proposed. The performance of the demodulator is demonstrated for a 10-Gb/s DPSK system, showing clear eye diagram as well as bit error free


Published near-field analyses of full-scale jet noise are limited, and the application of observed laboratory-scale phenomena to full-scale jets is not well understood. To obtain a greater understanding of the connection between radiated noise and source characteristics in full-scale, heated, supersonic jets produced by military aircraft, extensive acoustical measurements were made in the geometric near field of the jet produced by the installed engine on an F-22A Raptor. In this paper, the experimental setup is described in detail. Level-based results are shown, including overall levels, spectral content and how the spectra vary over space. In addition, basic time waveform analyses are performed. From these results, important near-field jet-noise phenomena are identified, and several technical and logistical issues in implementing near-field measurements of full-scale jets are addressed. © 2012 Institute of Noise Control Engineering.


Radar data recorded during 1993 and 1994 by using the forwardscatter meteor radar of the National Research Council (CNR), enable us to obtain a measurement of the terrestrial mass accretion rate in the cosmic dust mass range 10212 to 1027 kg. This value results to be 5.4 Q 107 kg per year and is in good agreement with previous estimates obtained from other authors (LOVE S. G. and
BROWNLEE D. E., Science, 262 (1993) 550). Calculations are possible only by taking into account some statistical data series and extrapolation toward higher mass ranges appears to be misleading.


This chapter reviews the evidence that implicates small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) in the regulation of virulence and the recent development of bioinformatic tools that facilitate the identification of putative sRNA encoding genes in a wide variety of bacterial pathogens. Most sRNAs characterized to date act as posttranscriptional regulators by forming duplexes with specific target mRNAs, modulating mRNA stability and/or altering the access of mRNAs to the translational machinery. The versatile and highly responsive nature of sRNA-dependent regulation suggests that these riboregulators may be very effective in modulating cellular responses to the rapidly changing environmental conditions often encountered by bacterial pathogens during the course of infection. The recent advances in the identification of Escherichia coli sRNAs can be attributed mainly to the development and utilization of new bioinformatic approaches to predict sRNA encoding genes on a genome-wide scale. To facilitate the identification of sRNA encoding genes in a wide variety of bacterial species, the authors have developed a program called sRNA-Predict that flexibly integrates different combinations of genetic features to rapidly identify putative sRNA-encoding genes in the intergenic regions (IGRs) of any annotated bacterial genome.


The metabolism of 3,4-benzpyrene (BP) and N-methylaniline (MA) in several tissues of the immature human foetus and in the human placenta was studied in vitro. The highest metabolizing activity of both substrates was detected in the liver. Compared to adult rat liver the range of hepatic metabolic activity varied from 5 to 10% for BP hydroxylase and from 5 to even 50% in some foetuses for MA demethylase. Adrenal gland homogenates had measurable BP and MA metabolizing activities. In the gastro-intestinal tract, brain, kidneys and lungs there was only negligible activity or no activity at all. In one out of five placentas studied, enzyme activity comparable to that in the liver was detected. In foetal liver 12,000 × g supernatants, the Michaelis constants were 2.6 × 10-5 M for BP hydroxylase and 1.2 × 10-4 M for MA demethylase. The cofactor requirements of these enzymes suggested that they are drug metabolizing mixed-function oxidases. Both enzymes were inhibited in vitro by other compounds known to be substrates of liver microsomal drug metabolizing enzymes in a concentration range from 0.1 to 20 mM. The level of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in the foetal liver was found to be the same or even higher than in the adult rat or human liver.


Nucleation and growth of the stable phase were investigated in the magnetic field induced transition between the U2D2 phase and the CNAF phase of nuclear ordered solid 3He. Time evolution of the stable phase, after sweeping the magnetic field B through the critical field BC1 to B = BC1 + ΔB, was investigated by pulsed NMR. The volume fraction of the metastable phase showed two stage evolution and decreased exponentially in time during the first stage. In this stage, the rate of the evolution increased almost linearly with ΔB and decreased slightly at higher temperatures and was almost independent of the direction of the phase transition.


Abstract Small organic dyes have been applied widely in fluorescence imaging techniques for biomedical research. We investigated the cytotoxicity of a novel fluorescent dye, trans-4-(N-2-hydroxyethyl-N-ethyl amino)-4′-(dimethyl amino) stilbene (DMAHAS), on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT), a neutral red assay, a Coomassie brilliant blue assay, and flow cytometric analysis. Our results showed that DMAHAS had live cell permeability, stable cytosolic localization and no significant cytotoxicity to HepG2 cells. We explored its application further for tumor cell tracking in a human liver tumor xenograft mouse model. Tumor xenografts were examined by fluorescence imaging and conventional histological methods. In addition, a method based on DMAHAS release was developed for tumor-specific cytotoxicity analysis. Our study indicated that DMAHAS is a reliable probe for tumor tracking and fluorescence imaging.


Background: Hypertrophic scars and keloids represent an entirely highly challenging frustrating clinical and cosmetic problem. Various modalities and protocols were suggested. Intralesional injection of Triamcinolone (TAC) has proved marked improvement in scars and keloids. On the other hand, combination of Triamcinolone and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) as well proved its efficacy over the past fifteen years in treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids. Material and Methods: Twenty lesions were presented in this study. All lesions were subjected to intralesional injection of triamcinolone alone in half of the surface area of the lesion and combination of triamcinolone and 5-Fluorouracil in the other half of the lesion. All patients were followed-up till six months after the last session. They were assessed by the researchers helped by digital photographs according to five evaluation criteria together with patient satisfaction. Results: In comparing intralesional injection of Triamcinolone alone and combined with 5-Flurouracil we found both modalities were effective with superiority of triamcinolone over combination especially in hardness and elevation of the lesions. The patients treated with combined Triamcinolone and 5-Fluorouracil experienced side effects such as hyperpigmentation, pain at the injection site, and superficial ulceration. These side effects were less in patients treated with Triamcinolone alone. Conclusion: It appears from this study that Triamcinolone is a better tolerated and less toxic alternative to combined Triamcinolone and 5-Fluorouracil in the management of keloids and hypertrophic scars, and treating such benign disease with an anticancer drug like 5-Fluorouracil does not give any special advantage over Triamcinolone.


A floristic treatment  of Erythroxylum species from the Atlantic Forest of Bahia State is presented. We analyzed specimens from the following Brazilian herbaria: ALCB, CEPEC, HRB, HUEFS, HUESC, MBM, R, RB, SP, SPF, as well as images of specimens from a few virtual herbaria: BR, F, K, and NY. Field work was carried out in the studied area, to visit areas with few collections, record rare species, and find possibly undescribed taxa. Twenty eight species of Erythroxylum were recorded, among which E. ectinocalyx represents a new record for the state and E. compressum, E. distortum, E. leal-costae, E. mattos-silvae, E. membranaceum and E. petrae-caballi are threatened. We present descriptions, illustrations, identification keys and comments for all studied species.


In view of the difficulty in cracked lining withdrawl from the extrusion chamber of 3150T extruder,specially-designed accessory unit is used to cut off and withdraw the cracked lining.Upon checkup and repair of the inner wall of the extrusion chamber,the extruder can again be put into operation.Through analysis of the cause of the crack in the lining,corresponding improvement are made.The practice proved that this method and improvement are feasible and effective.


Aim: To test temporary percutaneous gastric electrical stimulation (TPGES) in patients with drug-refractory nausea/vomiting and nonestablished indications for GES. Methods: 27 patients (2–81 years) underwent TPGES with electrodes implanted at gastroscopy and received stimulation for 7–21 days with low current settings (5–7 mA) either as open stimulation (n = 14) or randomized to double-blind crossover stimulation (n = 13; ON for 12–14 days, OFF for 12–14 days). Symptoms were recorded daily. Nonresponders were offered another period (14–21 days) with increased stimulation (8–10 mA). Results: Mean lead implantation time was 14 min. Leads were kept implanted for ≤60 days. 22 of 27 evaluable patients had a favorable symptom reduction, preferentially of nausea/vomiting, irrespective of delayed or normal gastric emptying rate: postsurgical gastroparesis 7/8, chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction 2/2, idiopathic gastroparesis 1/1, functional dyspepsia 6/9, diabetes mellitus 2/2, postsurgical nausea/vomiting 2/2, malformation syndrome 1/1, intestinal neuropathy 1/1, intestinal interstitial cells of Cajal deficiency 0/1. 6 patients had a clear symptom reduction during the ON period compared with stimulation OFF. Four of 7 patients improved with increased stimulation (8–10 mA). Twenty of the 22 responders received a permanent GES implant, 90% of them still being responders at last follow-up. Conclusion: TPGES seems promising to study new indications for GES and to select responders/non-responders.


The yield strength and uniform elongation combinations exhibited by a model Al-4Cu-0.05Sn (wt. %) alloy containing a bimodal size distribution of precipitates has been investigated. The simultaneous improvement in properties previously reported from such precipitate distributions is confirmed through mechanical tests. In particular, the bimodal sized precipitate containing alloy shows enhanced strain-hardening at large strains and this is the origin of the enhanced elongation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) were used to characterize the microstructures of the undeformed and deformed alloys. It is shown that the magnitude of the enhanced strain-hardening is consistent with that expected from the strain-induced dissolution of GP zones and concurrent repartitioning of Cu into solid solution.


This paper presents a resonance-type vibration energy harvester with a Duffing-type nonlinear oscillator which is designed to perform effectively in a wide frequency band. For the conventional linear vibration energy harvester, the maximum performance of the power generation and its bandwidth are in a relation of trade-off. Introducing a Duffing-type nonlinearity can expand the resonance frequency band and enable the harvester to generate larger electric power in a wider frequency range. However, since such nonlinear oscillator may have coexisting multiple steady-state solutions in the resonance band, it is difficult for the nonlinear harvester to maintain the high performance of the power generation constantly. The principle of self-excitation and entrainment has been utilized to give global stability to the high-energy orbit by destabilizing other unexpected low-energy orbits by introducing a switching circuit of the load resistance between positive and the negative values depending on the response amplitude of the oscillator. In this paper, an improved control law that switches the load resistance according to a frequency-dependent threshold is proposed to ensure the oscillator to respond in the high-energy orbit without ineffective power consumption. Numerical study shows that the steady-state responses of the harvester with the proposed control low are successfully kept on the high-energy orbit without repeating activation of the excitationmode.


Mobile ad hoc networks remove the dependence on a fixed network infrastructure by treating every available mobile node as an intermediate switch, thereby extending the range of mobile nodes well beyond their base transceivers. Since routing is the backbone of any mobile ad hoc communication, thus if there occur any flaws in the routing, the whole of the communication would come down to a stand still. The black hole is one of the most severe threats which has engulfed the routing, practically causing no useful communication to take place. The black hole can be easily deployed against the MANETs.


Examining the high-technology business environment revealed uncertainty and change. Technological change was presented within a historical framework using economic long wave theory and the "paradigms of automation" that fuelled economic expansion. This framework highlights the long-term presence of technological change within the modern era of management. Against this historical record of technological change, the principles of modern management from Fayol (1916) present a framework to examine the difference between general management and the management of the technical function. Implications for the management of the technology driven firm are considered.


This paper presents a U Shaped micro strip antennas with improved bandwidth operate at 3.8GHz. The proposed antenna will be in light weight, smart and compact unit compare with consists of metallic patch and ground between which is a dielectric medium called the substrate. The Proposed antenna also presents the detail steps of designing the U shaped micro strip antenna and the simulated result. U shaped antenna is used for military, wireless and civil applications. ADS software is used to compute the gain, power, radiation pattern, and S11 of the antenna. The gain of the designed antenna is 7.74 dB and antenna efficiency of 99.6%.


Methylammonium lead iodide, CH3NH3PbI3, is currently a front-runner as light absorber in hybrid solar cells. Despite the high conversion efficiency, the stability of CH3NH3PbI3 is still a major obstacle for commercialization application. In this work, the geometry, electronic structure, thermodynamic, and mechanical property of pure and Cs-doped CH3NH3PbI3 have been systematically studied by first-principles calculations within the framework of the density functional theory (DFT). Our studies suggest that the (CH3NH3)+ organic group takes a random orientation in perovskite lattice due to the minor difference of orientation energy. However, the local ordered arrangement of CH3NH3+ is energetic favorable, which causes the formation of electronic dipole domain. The band edge states of pure and Cs-doped CH3NH3PbI3 are determined by (PbI6)− group, while A-site (CH3NH3)+ or Cs+ influences the structural stability and electronic level through Jahn–Teller effect. It has been demonstrated that a suitable concentration of Cs can enhance both thermodynamic and mechanical stability of CH3NH3PbI3 without deteriorating the conversion efficiency. Accordingly, this work clarifies the nature of electronic and mechanical properties of Cs-doped CH3NH3PbI3, and is conducive to the future design of high efficiency and stable hybrid perovskite photovoltaic materials.


Drought affects the growth and production of Fraxinus tree species, such as the precious woody plant Fraxinus mandshurica. Based on interspecific hybrid F1 combinations, D110 plants of F. mandshurica × F. americana with strong drought resistance were selected for this study. To further reveal their heterosis mechanism under drought, in this study, an analysis was conducted pertaining to the physiological indexes and gene expression of related key gene changes in materials of 5 yr D110 seedlings and their female and male parental controls (D113 and 4–3) in response to drought, as well as to the addition of sodium nitrate (SNP, a donor of nitric oxide) and methyl jasmonate (MJ, a donor of jasmonate) signal molecules after drought. The results showed that under drought stress, hybrid D110 plants performed significantly better than their parents, especially compared to D113, in plant growth (the plant height growth was 29.48% higher), photosynthesis (the net photosynthetic rate was 38.4% higher), peroxidation (the increase in MDA content was 71.77% lower), defense enzyme activity (SOD and POD activities were 36.63% and 65.58% higher), hormone contents (ABA, IAA and GA were 33.9%~51.2% higher) and gene expression (the LHY and TOC1 rhythmic genes were 131.97%~165.81% higher). When an exogenous additive agent (SNP or MJ) was applied after drought, the negative effects of drought on growth were effectively alleviated (the tree height growth of D110 increased from 22.76% to 22.32% in comparison to drought conditions); meanwhile, the height growth of D110 plants was significantly higher than that of their parents. Further results of physiological indexes and the expression of related key gene changes in response to SNP or MJ also indicated that D110 plants can recover faster from drought than their parents after application of SNP or MJ. This article provides new ideas for revealing the heterosis mechanism of the drought resistance of interspecific F1 hybrids and supplies effective measures for improving drought resistance in F. mandshurica.


Abstract Virtual screenings based on molecular docking play a major role in medicinal chemistry for the identification of new bioactive molecules. For this purpose, several docking methods can be used. Here, using Arguslab as software and a Gold Platinum subset library of commercially available compounds from Asinex, two docking methods associated to the scoring function Ascore were employed to investigate virtual screenings. One method is based on a genetic algorithm and the other based on a shape-based method. As case studies, both docking techniques were explored by targeting the PC190723 binding site of FtsZ protein from Staphylococcus aureus and the active site of N8 neuraminidase from Influenza virus. Following four docking sequences for each docking engine, the genetic algorithm led to multiple docking results, whereas the shape-based method gave reproducible results. The present study shows that the stochastic nature of the genetic algorithm will require the biological evaluation of more compounds than the shape-based method. This study showed that both methods are complementary and also led to the identification of neuraminidase and FtsZ potential inhibitors.


The influence of surface modification on intercalation of Li+ into carbon negative electrodes was discussed in terms of the factors of surface structure. The methods of surface modifications has been summary with the emphasis on coating,filming and chemical reaction treatments,and the paper evaluates the excellences and problems of these surface modification methods.


New prescription for the singularities of light-cone gauge theories is suggested. The new prescription provides Green's function which is identical with and different from that of Mandelstam-Leibbrandt prescription at d = 4 and d = 2 respectively.


Over the past two years, 108 crossbred ram lambs from three lambing seasons were slaughtered at weights of 100, 120, 140 and 160 lb to study changes in live performance and carcass characteristics as slaughter weight increased. Twelve lambs weighing about 70 lb were started on feed at the same time, and three were removed as the average pen weight reached each of the designated weights. Feed consumption for each pen and individual weight gains were recorded from 70 to 100 lb and for each successive 20-lb weight interval. Lambs to be slaughtered were trucked from the Southwest Livestock and Forage Research Station, El Reno, Oklahoma, to the Oklahoma State University Meat Laboratory. After slaughtering, the carcasses were evaluated for USDA carcass quality, yield grade and yield of trimmed retail cuts. The greatest changes in live and carcass traits occurred between the 100and l20-lb weight groups and again at 160 lb. The 120and l40-lb weight groups were much more similar for all traits than any other comparison. Overall, approximately 1.4 lb of additional feed per pound of gain were required in the 100to l20-lb gain interval compared to the 70to 100.lb interval. The 140to l60-lb interval required O.Slb more of feed per pound of gain than the 120to l40-lb interval. Daily gains differed little, although the final weight interval had the lowest gains. Dressing percentage, fat thickness and yield grade all increased as weight increased, but the greatest differences occurred between 100 and 120 lb and again at 160 lb. Rib eye area increased consistently with each 20-lb increment. Yield of very closely trimmed retail cuts on a carcass basis decreased as the lambs became heavier and fatter. However, due to higher dressing percentages, the heavier lambs yielded similar amounts of very closely trimmed retail cuts as a percentage of live weight. These data indicate that crossbred ram lambs maintain consistent, although less efficient, daily gains up to l60-lb slaughter weights. Increased fatness and continued muscle growth increase the proportion of carcass components in the live animal, and


Pretreatment with CP‐93,129 blocked plasma extravasation in rat dura mater induced by electrical trigeminal ganglion stimulation when administered at ≥140 nmol kg−1, i.v. but did not affect plasma leakage in guinea‐pig at 460 or 1400 nmol kg−1. Sumatriptan, a 5‐HT1D‐like receptor agonist, blocked plasma extravasation in the guinea‐pig model when administered at 7 nmol kg−1. In as much as CP‐93,129 binds with micromolar affinities to 5‐HT1A, 5‐HT1C, 5‐HT1D, and 5‐HT2 recognition sites, and with nanomolar affinity to the 5‐HT1B receptor subtype, blockade of plasma extravasation in the rat dura mater may be mediated by 5‐HT1B receptors whereas the 5‐HT1D receptor may be more relevant to the guinea‐pig.


Uncertainty about inflation has risen considerably across the globe since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lack of clarity about how far inflation might fall during the depths of the pandemic gave way to concerns about inflationary pressures as demand surged and supply was constrained throughout 2021.


Aeolian sand into the Ningxia-Inner Mongolia reach of the Yellow River is redefined on the basis of the summary of previous study findings of the reach, as the Aeolian sand directly blown into the river by wind force from the areas along both banks of the river reach from Xiaheyan to Toudaoguai in the main stream of the Ningxia-Inner Mongolia reach. Moreover, methods to indirectly estimate the amount of Aeolian sand into the Yellow River are put forward after analysis of the contribution of the Aeolian sand into the Yellow River to the evolution of channel scouring and deposition as well as the form of sediment deposition in the river. After collection and analysis of the data such as water and sediment data and cross-section data measured at the Ningxia-Inner Mongolia reach, among the amount of Aeolian sand calculation methods, one is based on the principle of sediment balance, the other is based on deducting the sediment deposition brought by overbank flood from the sediment deposition on floodplain. Based on comprehensive results of the two methods, the quantities of and variation in the Aeolian sand into the Ningxia-Inner Mongolia reach of the Yellow River since the 1990s are put forward, which indicates a downtrend of the Aeolian sand into the Ningxia-Inner Mongolia reach of the Yellow River since the 1990s, i.e., from approximately 21 million tons in the 1990s to approximately 11 million tons at present, with an annual average approximating 16 million tons.


Purpose
There are increasing demands on professional accountants in practice to generate water accounts for clients using knowledge from other disciplines within and outside their firms. Whilst many professional service firms have a broad range of in-house and consulting expertise, professional groups within and between these organisations may not be generating and sharing the knowledge required for successful water accounting. The purpose of this paper is to explore how additional disciplinary skills for water volumetric measurement, understanding of licensing and allocations can effectively and efficiently be shared between the disciplines required to be involved.

Design/methodology/approach
Two cross-sectional semi-structured surveys developed using a social network lens were disseminated to Australian accountants operating in professional services firms, and the results were descriptively analysed.

Findings
The authors find that, whilst accounting and engineering are acknowledged as core disciplines for water accounting, there is a need for more standardised measures and frameworks across diverse scales to fit in with current reporting practices and meet stakeholder needs. These need to be nested in a water accounting regulatory model that includes the accountancy professional bodies as a platform for knowledge generation and sharing.

Originality/value
The paper provides evidence of perceived barriers to and pathways for interdisciplinary knowledge networks for a new type of accounting. It demonstrates how regulatory frameworks can potentially assist rather than impede accountants in their contribution to solving of complex corporate sustainability problems.


Introduction: The degree of lipoprotein complexity was unforeseen just a few years ago. Through advances in mass spectrometry it is now recognized that HDL is comprised of >100 proteins and ~200 li...


The fractional-slot IPMSMs for electric vehicles are considered with two different winding method: conventional 3 phase windings and multiplex 3 phase windings. This paper studies the merits of multiplex 3 phase motors in the aspect of torque improvement. 10 poles 12 slots IPMSMs are widely studied for large winding factor. Thus, this paper analyzes a 20 poles 24 slots motor which has the same winding factor as a 10 poles 12 slots motor, treated as a 3 phase motor. Then, the reason why torque characteristic can be improved for the 20 poles 24 slots motors. Later, the 20 poles 24 slots IPMSM 3 phase motor and multiplex 3 phase motor are analyzed through finite element method. The structure of the two motors are identical except the winding method. Average torque and torque ripple of the two motors are compared to show the advantage of multiplex 3 phase motors.


Propyl gallat is a good anti-oxidant of pet food made from chicken. Soybean protein and dinitrosyl ferrohemochrome, to some extent, perform an anti-oxidant function in pet food made from chicken.


Extracted from text ... E R G O N O M I C A L R I S K
Anti-stress mats should provide optimal cushioning
for encouraging micro-movements to
stimulate muscles, but should not be so soft
as to cause instability.
Workers who require long periods of
standing include bank tellers, assembly line
operators, pharmacists, machine operators,
food processors, bartenders and service
operators like car rental operatives.
Standing for long periods on hard surfaces
causes physical fatigue. Leg muscles become
static and constricted because they are
working overtime to keep the person upright.
Blood fl ow is greatly reduced, causing pain
and discomfort. ..


VIREO / Day11 / Flight18. TEST: Closed-loop control law validation. RESULT: Good flight for control law validation. EVENTS: 1. Tested TECS controller for the first time. 2. TECS controller performed well, with little on-the-fly tuning. 3. Turned off all longitudinal control loops except total energy to throttle. Elevator was held fixed at -5 deg TE up. 4. Under the degraded conditions, the command tracking performance was worse when compared to the complete TECS system. However, the tracking was better than holding the elevator fixed with only the altitude tracker. 5. We also tried an elevated autoland, which we aborted before flare. We ended up taking over manual control and going around for another FAL.


Stickleback males, which are held solitary under experimental conditions described above, give a more or less constant aggressive response toward a test-male (aggression test) when tested once or twice daily during a 4-day period following nest-construction. A distinct waning of this response is found in such males that have a continuous view of another male in a neighbouring territory behind a glass partition ('rival situation') : the frequency of biting decreases and becomes nil or fluctuates about a low level. Rival males and controls do not differ in the response toward a test-female (sex test). Therefore, rival males are said to have attained to a 'hypo-aggressive' condition. The stimulus situation that produces the waning of aggressiveness appears to have some specific properties, e.g. a goldfish neighbour does not lead to the same results. Waning of aggressiveness is also found toward the neighbour if it is used as a test-male. Waning is qualitatively independent of the presence of the glass partition, it occurs also in situations where neighbours can interact freely. Neighbours need not have a continuous view of one another to become hypo-aggressive, a (frequent) intermittent view leads to the same results. We conclude from our experiments that a recovery of aggressiveness, if present, takes place slowly (as a matter of days). A further analysis of the rival responses leads to the separation of three types: I, an unmodified response (similar to controls) ; II, a hypo-aggressive response without an increase of sexual activities toward the test-male; III, a hypo-aggressive response with an increase of sexual activities in addition. A large part of the type III males do not seem to discriminate a test-male and a test-female, the numbers of bites and zigzags in both test situations being nearly equal. Nest-building, or perhaps the presence of a complete nest, is a relevant factor for the occurrence of hypo-aggressiveness and the increase of sexual activities toward a test-male. The interaction of the aggressive and sexual tendencies is found to be entirely consistent with SEVENSTER'S (1961) results. In controls, biting and zigzagging result from the same aggressive and sexual tendencies irrespective of whether they are shown in aggression or in sex tests, and both tendencies are mutually inhibitive. The same conclusion is drawn for the interaction of aggressive and sexual tendencies in rivals. Though the interactions take place on quantitatively different levels, the relations of the tendencies remain qualitatively similar.


Abstract Air–sea coupled variability is investigated in this study by focusing on the observed sea surface temperature signals in the Kuroshio Extension (KE) region of 32°–38°N and 142°E–180°. In this region, both the oceanic circulation variability and the heat exchange variability across the air–sea interface are the largest in the midlatitude North Pacific. SST variability in the KE region has a dominant time scale of ∼10 yr and this decadal variation is caused largely by the regional, wind-induced sea surface height changes that represent the lateral migration and strengthening/weakening of the KE jet. The importance of the air–sea coupling in influencing KE jet is explored by dividing the large-scale wind forcing into those associated with the intrinsic atmospheric variability and those induced by the SST changes in the KE region. The latter signals are extracted from the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis data using the lagged correlation analysis. In the absence of the SST feedback, the intrinsic atmospheric for...


BACKGROUND
Ageing is associated with a progressive difficulty to maintain ion regulation, which might impair the capacity for muscle contraction. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the association between 5-year changes in dietary intake of sodium and potassium and changes in physical performance among older adults.

METHODS
We performed a prospective study with 868 participants from the Seniors-ENRICA cohort. Diet was measured with a validated diet history and physical performance was measured with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), both in 2012 and 2017. Analyses were performed with linear regression models adjusted for socio-demographic variables, lifestyle and morbidity, using changes in the intake of sodium and potassium and changes in the sodium/potassium ratio during follow-up as independent variables, and the continuous change in the SPPB score as the dependent variable.

RESULTS
Over 5-years of follow-up, a 1-standard deviation (SD) increase in sodium intake (i.e. 0.73 g/d) was associated with a 0.13 (95% CI: 0.26 to 0.01) points reduction in the SPPB score, while a 1-SD increase in potassium intake (i.e. 0.70 g/d) was associated with a 0.19 (0.05 to 0.34) points increment in the score. In addition, a 1-SD increase in the sodium-to-potassium ratio (i.e. 0.30) was associated with worse SPPB (-0.58 [-0.95 to -0.21]). Participants who adhered to dietary recommendations for minerals at baseline but became non-compliant during follow-up decreased their result in the SPPB.

CONCLUSION
An increase of dietary sodium intake, a decrease of potassium intake and the resulting increment in the sodium-to-potassium ratio were prospectively associated with worse physical performance in older adults.


The hypersonic meteoroid/bolide–atmosphere interaction can generate numerous phenomena, including strong shocks and infrasonic waves. For a nonfragmenting bolide, the line source, blast wave radius, Ro, is the product of the Mach number and the body diameter. For bolides reaching continuum flow, Ro can range from ∼1 m to many kilometers. To be detected, Ro must exceed ∼10 m [at a minimum source energy, Es, of ∼4.10(7) J]. Beyond 10 Ro, a frequency equal to Cs/(2.81 Ro) will be generated which will change during propagation due to effects of nonlinearity, absorption, and dispersion. Infrasonic arrays are now being routinely used to detect and locate such large near‐Earth objects. Data from the CTBT IMS monitoring system will help refine estimates of the large body influx rate. These arrays have baselines of ∼1 to 2 km using microbarometers with response from ∼10 to 0.01 Hz. For ranges from 100 to 14 000 km, such bolides have been observed previously with amplitudes from 0.02 to 16 Pa, with periods from 0.50 to 300 s, with total durations from 0.10 to 25 min and with computed acoustic efficiencies varying from 0.01% to ∼10%. The influx rate will be discussed as well as several recent bolides detected by Los Alamos arrays and by US DoD satellites.


Predicate abstraction technique suffers from the fact that it requires at least one predicate for each iteration of a loop construct in the program.A new two-phase simulation semi-decision procedure for feasibility of a counterexample with loops is proposed,which can extract looping counterexamples from the abstract model with proposed loop detection algorithm,and to parameterize the simulation instance in the number of loop iterations.The experimental results show that the proposed method is better than the traditional abstraction-refinement method on verification of typical buffer overflow examples.


The market environment in Kenya and the world over is very competitive and dynamic. To deliver seamless service, companies are embarking on continuous process improvement. One o f the ways o f achieving this is through embarking on certification programs such as (ISO) 9001 for constituting a quality assurance program. As employees are key to the success o f any Quality M anagement System. To reap full benefits it is critical to establish their perception to the process improvement initiatives and this research project sought to establish the employees involvement and commitment to the ISO 9001 certification in KenGen. This was a descriptive study and the population o f interest included all the 1500 KenGen staff in the country in the five key geographical areas, viz. Nairobi, Seven Forks, Upper Tana, Kipevu, Turkwell and Olkaria.. The research sampled 100 employees using simple random process. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire which was dispatched to all the selected respondents in the company. The study found out that most o f the KenGen staff is well educated either at the college or the University level. A substantial number o f the workers were male and this caused a gender imbalance at the company. The ownership o f company shares was quite overwhelming amongst the staff members given that 93% o f the employees had KenGen shares spread among all the staff cadres; an indication o f the s ta ffs confidence in the performance o f the company at the stock market which is essential in the motivation and performance o f the staff. In addition, the staff felt that ISO 9001 certification fitted into their circumstances and job roles thus creating even a more positive attitude towards the implementation o f the certification. The staff commitment to the implementation o f ISO 9001 was undoubted. This was shown by their commitment to deliver quality and reliable service to help the company achieve its iv goal o f being an ISO 9001 certified company. This was encouraged by the m anagem ent's commitment in the implementation process. Some o f the major challenges in the development o f the process were poor representation o f lower cadre in the decision making. Failure to continue building on ISO 9001 foundation was also a major contributor to the sluggish development o f the process. However, ignorance by some o f the employees on ISO 9001 issues was the greatest o f all the hindrances. This required the company invest more on sensitization o f its employees on the ISO process. The researcher recommended the need for KenGen to maintain its good relationship between management and operation staff through constant communication between these two cadres in the company. Proper training should be put in place to motivate and educate the staff on sensitive issues involving the implementation o f processes such as ISO Certification. TABLE OF CONTENTS d e c l a r a t io n ............................................................................................................................................. i DEDICATION............................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT............................................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................................................. vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 BACKGROUND.................................................................................................................................1 1.1.1 The Service Industry..................................................................................................................... 2 1.1.2 Power Sector..................................................................................................................................2 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM............................................................................................5 1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES......................................................................................................... 7 1.4 IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY...............................................................................................7 1.4.1 Policy makers at the macroeconomic levels............................................................................... 7 1.4.2 The Management of the services sector..................................................................................... 7 1.4.3 The Academicians........................................................................................................................ 7 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................................ 8 2.


Background: Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonotic disease caused by Leishmaniainfantum in the Mediterranean area. Dogs are the main reservoir of Leishmaniainf antum parasites. Disease management represents a serious problem, since anti-Leishmania drugs have limited efficacy in both symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs, which are infective to phlebotomine vectors. In many tropical and sub-tropical countries the development of a safe and easily-available vaccine has high priority. DNA vaccines represent one of the most recent innovations in the field of immunization. Findings: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a DNA vaccine based on two Leishmania antigens (Cpb1, PO) in leishmaniotic dogs. Twelve leishmaniotic dogs from a Leishmaniasis-endemic area (Naples, Italy) received three consecutive injections of DNA vaccine at 15-days intervals. Another group of five leishmaniotic dogs received the same amount of pVAX-1 without the coding sequences of Leishmania antigens. Leishmania DNA load, INFγ, IL-4 mRNA expression levels and clinical parameters were tested before and after the therapy, every 3 months for a period of 12 months. Analysis of the data in the vaccinated dogs showed: i) a decrease Leishmania DNA load in lymph node samples, ii) an increase of INFγ and IL-4 mRNA expression levels in PBMC samples. All vaccinated dogs also showed an improvement in the clinical symptoms. Conclusion: Our results show that the vaccine developed in this study may represent a useful tool in the treatment of leishmaniotic dogs. However, since the duration of positive effects is limited in time, further trials are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of immunotherapy alone or in association with conventional therapy.


Assistive devices using eye-gaze control technology have been developed to control personal computers (PCs) so that they can be used by children and adults who have significant physical disabilities. In this time, we focused on human eye movements, which can be very effective as final input controls because they can often provide a means of input for people suffering from extensive physical disabilities. We describe a game application developed to assist persons when they practice controlling their PCs using eye-gaze control. Subjects were given a trial of an eye-controlled game in which they performed the task of counting vehicles. From the experimental results, we have confirmed the effectiveness of our proposed training application, although it needs to be reconsidered for extended use.


A selfadapted two step size algorithm is presented, which overcomes the limitation of the Newton algorithm. In the first place, the analytic expression of the iteration step size factor that includes the information of two iteration points is obtained by the quasiNewton property. Whether there exists the Hesse matrix nonpositive definite point, saddle point or generalized inflexion point between the original iteration point and the best solution, the series of iteration point automatically approaches the best solution repidly. The algorithm has the selfadapted property and has a second order convergence speed. In the second place, the convergence of the algorithm is proved. One numerical example is given to illustrate the availability of the method by using Mathematics software.


Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignancies. Despite recent advances in the treatment for CRC, resistance to chemotherapy drugs and recurrence of the tumor are among the main problems for treatment in this cancer. The MTT assay was performed to assess the cytotoxic effects of drugs on CRC cell lines (SW742 and SW480) and normal colon cells. Three‐dimensional culture (spheroid) was also used to evaluate the effect of drugs on tumor cell masses. The rate of expression of genes was also evaluated using Real‐Time PCR. The analysis of the results demonstrated that aspirin and LGK974 have cytotoxic effects on CRC cell lines, and in the IC50 dose, they disintegrate the cancerous cell masses. These drugs reduce the invasion and increase apoptosis in SW742 and SW480 cell lines. A decrease in the expression of WNT, AXIN, TCF and APC genes and an increase in the expression of β‐catenin gene in the WNT signaling pathway were revealed. The genes involved in the MAPK signaling pathway such as ERK, JNK, KRAS and MEK showed a decrease in expression and a increase in expression of RAF gene. In the apoptotic pathway, increased expression of BAX and decreased expression of BCL‐2 were reported. Also, decreased expression of P53, cyclin D1 and COX‐2 was observed. This study demonstrates that aspirin and LGK974 could be effective in inhibiting the signaling pathways of WNT and MAPK, arresting cell cycle and inducing apoptosis in CRC cell lines.


The thin spindle motor and a micro drive apparatus having the same are disclosed. The disclosed spindle motor, hub, the disc is mounted for rotation by a ball bearing is mounted to the base plate; It is fastened to the outer periphery of the hub, a circular magnet having a thickness of not more than 1mm; It includes; and a stator arranged in a plurality of circular yoke having a plurality of cores and a coil wound on the core portion having a bent end so as to reduce the offset of the central axes in opposition to the magnet. Remove the offset center axes of the magnet and the yoke and it is possible to realize a micro-drive apparatus having a spindle motor with a thin it to a stable driving.


The decomposition rates of 14C-labelled plant residues in different parts of the world were characterized and mathematically simulated. The easily decomposable materials, cellulose and hemicellulose, were described as being decomposed directly by the soil biomass; the lignin fraction of aboveground residues and the resistant portion of the roots entered a decomposable native soil organic matter. Here it could be decomposed by the soil biomass or react with other soil constituents in the formation of more recalcitrant soil organic matter. The transformation rates were considered to be independent of biomass size (first–order). Data from 14C plant residue incorporation studies which yielded net decomposition rates of added materials and from carbon dating of the recalcitrant soil organic matter were transformed to gross decomposition rate constants for three soil depths. The model adequately described soil organic matter transformations under native grassland and the effect of cultivation on organic matter ...


In today – world, smart phone has become an essential part of one"s daily life. Mobile users can nowadays use their Smartphones to make money transactions or payments by using applications installed in the phone. When smartphones can function as leather wallets, it is called "Digital Wallet" or widely known as "Mobile Wallet". The main aim of this empirical study is to examine the mobile wallets usage Consumer attitude and intention to adopt mobile wallet in Chennai city, India. The respondents were categorized on the basis of gender, age and occupation. The study is based on the primary data collected from 481 respondents by using a structured questionnaire. Five point likert scales was used in questionnaire for obtaining responses. The statistical tools applied in this study are ANOVA, Chi Square, Friedman Test, and frequency analysis. SPSS 20 was used to perform statistical analysis.


We present results on the spectral decomposition of 118 Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectra from local active galactic nuclei (AGN) using a large set of Spitzer/IRS spectra as templates. The templates are themselves IRS spectra from extreme cases where a single phy sical component (stellar, interstellar, or AGN) completely dominates the integrated mid-infrared emissio n. We show that a linear combination of one template for each physical component reproduces the observed IRS spe ctra of AGN hosts with unprecedented fidelity for a template fitting method, with no need to model extinctio n separately. We use full probability distribution functions to estimate expectation values and uncertai nties for observables, and find that the decomposition results are robust against degeneracies. Furthermore, we c ompare the AGN spectra derived from the spectral decomposition with sub-arcsecond resolution nuclear photometry and spectroscopy from ground-based observations. We find that the AGN component derived from the decomposition closely matches the nuclear spectrum, with a 1σ dispersion of 0.12 dex in luminosity and typical uncertaint ies of∼0.19 in the spectral index and∼0.1 in the silicate strength. We conclude that the emission f r m the host galaxy can be reliably removed from the IRS spectra of AGN. This allows for unbiased tu ies of the AGN emission in intermediate and high redshift galaxies –currently inaccesible to groun d-based observations– with archival Spitzer/IRS data and in the future with the Mid-InfraRed Instrument of the Jam es Webb Space Telescope. The decomposition code and templates are available at ht p://www.denebola.org/ahc/deblendIRS. Subject headings: galaxies: active infrared: galaxies infrared:spectros copy


This study aims to determine the risk factors and to predict the occurrence of cerebral infarction in patients with carotid artery stenosis.


Fluid antenna system promises to obtain enormous diversity in the small space of a mobile device by switching the position of the radiating element to the most desirable position from a large number of prescribed locations of the given space. Previous researches have revealed the promising performance of fluid antenna systems if the position with the maximum received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is chosen. However, selecting the best position, referred to as port selection, requires a huge number of SNR observations from the ports and may prove to be infeasible. This letter tackles this problem by devising a number of fast port selection algorithms utilizing a combination of machine learning methods and analytical approximation when the system observes only a few ports. Simulation results illustrate that with only 10% of the ports observed, more than an order of magnitude reduction in the outage probability can be achieved. Even in the extreme cases where only one port is observed, considerable performance improvements are possible using the proposed algorithms.


long-term cardiovascular consequences. 10 The exact relationship between respiratory events such as apneas (or hypopneas), and pulse rate changes has not been well investigated in children. In the study by Quante et al., a significant association was found between the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and several heart rate parameters. 8 Specifically, heart rate during REM sleep was sig nificantly associated with AHI, SpO 2 , different sleep stages, and ETCO 2 . In previous studies, heart rate has been investigated as a predictor of OSA. In one of these studies, heart rate increases by ≥ 6 beats per minute showed 0.70 sensitivity and 0.89 speci ficity for obstructive respiratory events and 0.72 sensitivity and 0.82 specificity for central respiratory events. 11 Heart rate variability (i.e., increases from the baseline) has also been used in previous studies. One of the problems with


In this paper, a robust partial feedback linearizing excitation controller is designed for synchronous generators to enhance the transient stability of single machine infinite bus (SMIB) power systems. The seventh-order dynamical model of synchronous generators including dynamic characteristics of IEEE Type-II exciters are taken into consideration to design this robust excitation controller. Uncertainties associated with both parameters and states are taken into account during the controller design while bounding these uncertainties such that matching conditions are satisfied. In addition, measurement noises are incorporated within the system model which are decoupled through the proposed control scheme and the robustness is ensured through against these noises. The partial feedback linearization method is employed to transform the nonlinear dynamical model into a partially linear system which is then used to design the auxiliary excitation control input for the synchronous generator in an SMIB system. The performance of the proposed excitation control scheme is analyzed on an SMIB system following large disturbances including a comparative study with a conventional power system stabilizer (PSS).


Hard composite alloys based on titanium nickelide and titanium carbonitride (TiNi) 0.3 (TiC,N) 0.7 were prepared by liquid-phase sintering of pressed pellets of initial components such as titanium nickelide and titanium carbonitride. The structure of the alloys was examined by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, and their mechanical properties (hardness and ultimate bending strength) were tested in the initial state and after various heat treatments.


In this study, linear second-order conformable differential equations using a proportional derivative are shown to be formally self-adjoint equations with respect to a certain inner product and the associated self-adjoint boundary conditions. Defining a Wronskian, we establish a Lagrange identity and Abel's formula. Several reduction-of-order theorems are given. Solutions of the conformable second-order self-adjoint equation are then shown to be related to corresponding solutions of a first-order Riccati equation and a related quadratic functional and a conformable Picone identity. The first part of the study is concluded with a comprehensive roundabout theorem relating key equivalences among all these results. Subsequently, we establish a Lyapunov inequality, factorizations of the second-order equation, and conclude with a section on boundary value problems and Green's functions.


The article reveals the concept of "punishment" in the history of domestic criminal legislation and at the present stage. The author analyzes various approaches formed in the scientific community regarding the essence and content of the concept of "punishment". Also, the signs of the criminal law institute "punishment" are subject to research


All inversion region CMOS design and the gm/ID method have been previously applied to achieve optimized RF CMOS designs for circuits, such as an LNA, with performance determined by the linearized, small signal, parameters of the transistor. In this work we show that this approach is very useful also in the case of an envelope detector, whose operation is based on the second order non-linear behavior of the transistor (determined by the second derivative of the current vs. voltage characteristic). A semi-empirical, look-up table based, model of the MOS transistor is applied. Through it, it is determined the inversion level (directly related to the gms/ID ratio) where the conversion gain is maximized. A novel figure of merit that only depends on the inversion level is proposed to aid the design. The predictions are verified against measurements results, both at the transistor and circuit level. The considered circuit is a MOS Envelope Detector with on-chip matching network for 2.4GHz in 0.13 m CMOS technology.


Poliomyelitis is a viral disease, which is caused by one of the three serotypes of the Poliomyelitis virus. The virus is spread by a faeco-oral route and the contaminated water supply of the food chain is the main vehicle of the viral transmission. Both injectable inactivated as well as live oral Polio vaccines became available in early 1950s, which had to be given at least thrice, to have protection against all three viral serotypes. The developing countries usually had such problems but even in the developed countries, its control was only made possible through universal vaccination. Although the civic amenities had their part to play, the vaccine administration had made polios eradication possible. The vaccine generates life long immunity which stops the proliferation of the virus in the intestine, breaking chain of transmission. By the mid eighties, large scale immunization against the polioviruses had its dividends in many industrialized countries. Some countries, mainly due to their communist regimes ensured it by their tough vaccination policies. Two such countries had made exceptional success, Czechoslovakia as well as Cuba, having eradicated the Poliovirus from their soil in 1960 and 1962, respectively1,2. It made other countries think for eradication of the causative Polio viruses. Which was an achievable goal, when safe, effective and strongly immunogenic vaccines were available. Their universal administration to the children was made possible by the establishment of an intricate system of vaccine delivery. This system was integrated with the health care system of the developed countries whereas the underdeveloped nation had to make specific arrangement for the vaccination.


In this thesis we show that it is possible to build Secure Autonomous Response NETworks (SARNETs); networks that are capable of protecting themselves against attacks. The work describes how control software that utilises Software Defined Networking and Network Function Virtualisation can protect the services in the overlay network. We explain how we combine data from different information sources to improve attack classification and we define metrics that can be used to evaluate defences against attacks in single as well as in multi-domain environments. Finally, we show that multi-domain defence orchestration benefits from considering trust between the collaborating domains. The proof-of-concepts and contributions in this thesis open up new research challenges and introduce ideas that can help to build a more secure and reliable Internet.


In vitro, the compatibility of eight vegetable oils, used as components in formulation, was studied in conidia of entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, based in three parameters that are been evaluated: germination rate, vegetative growth and conidiogenesis. Almond oil and gingelly oils at 1, 2 and 3% concentrations showed compatibility with B. bassiana as well as M. anisopliae. Mustard oil and eucalyptus oils at all three concentrations proved toxic to B. bassiana and M. anisopliae except at 1% concentration. Sunflower oil, olive oil, coconut oil and castor oils displayed compatibility with M. anisopliae and toxic to B. bassiana except olive oil and castor oil at 1% concentration. Conidiogenesis appear to be more affected than germination for the sample which displayed toxicity. Compatibility classification in to toxic, moderately toxic and compatible enabled assessment of the tested oils for use in formulations. Conidial formulations of B. bassiana and M. anisopliae with almond oil/olive oil/gingelly oil/castor oil were used for bioassaying against Spodoptera litura. All the four formulations displayed higher mortalities of the target pest compared to unformulated conidia.

 Key words: Entomopathogenic fungi, compatibility, vegetable oils, concentrations, bioassay.


The utility model discloses an oil cup assembly for air boosting pumps, which comprises an oil storage cup, an oil cup cover a filter screen positioned inside the oil storage cup, and a rubber bladder partition arranged between the top of the oil storage cup and the oil cup cover to form a vacuum chamber between the rubber bladder partition and the oil cup cover. The vacuum chamber is communicated with the external atmosphere via a vacuum-pumping passage, and the volume of the vacuum chamber changes along with the movement of the rubber bladder partition. An external thread is arranged on the top of the oil storage cup. A vent channel is arranged at the inside bottom of the oil cup cover. The oil cup cover has an internal thread fitting with the external thread of the oil storage cup, and the internal thread is intermittent with thread open slots communicated with the vent channel. The vacuum-pumping passage (7) is defined by the vent channel and the thread open slots. With the arrangement, the utility model avoids the invasion of air dust and moist into the braking fluid, protects the braking fluid from being contaminated by air dust and moist, and prevents the occurrence of oil injection promptly upon braking, thereby ensuring the stability of brake performance.


Intumescent paints are widely used as passive fire retardant materials in the building sector. They swell on heating to form a highly insulating char, protecting steel members. Intumescent coatings for use in buildings are typically certified according to the standard cellulosic fire resistance test. This test is expensive, often non-representative of realistic fire conditions, and not enough versatile to gather detailed performance information on the response of reactive coatings. A promising approach, that could offer a helpful tool to the engineering community involved in fire safety, is found in the modelling of the behaviour of the intumescent coating. Under this approach, the knowledge of the equivalent thermal conductivity of the intumescent material is a fundamental issue, since it represents the main parameter that allows predicting the thermal protecting capability of the layer. The purpose of this paper is to optimize an estimation procedure intended to the restoration of the equivalent thermal conductivity of intumescent layers. The thermal stress is activated by the action of a cone calorimetric apparatus, while the estimation procedure is based on the inverse heat conduction problem approach under steady state assumption, where the temperature values measured at some locations inside the layer during the expansion process are used as input known data. This procedure was successfully applied to steel samples protected with an intumescent paint; the estimated equivalent thermal conductivity of the layer results to temperature dependent while the initial thickness of the paint does not seem to have a great effect.


Dynamic computable general equilibrium(CGE) model has been widely used to forecast and simulate the policy effects in medium and long term.By introducing the concept of owner occupied dwelling sector and estimating the baseline data,this paper develops a dynamic CGE model for China's real estate and macro-economy,to simulate the effects of policy in real estate market.Using 36 million units of social welfare housing project as an example,this paper shows how to calculate shocks in model based on the real policy and analyze the policy effects.Compared with traditional dynamic CGE model,this model takes the equilibrium in supply and demand in stock market into account,so that it can better simulate the policy effects on macro-economy and real estate market.


Smart Ocean Environments are currently considered a key factor to connect the physical world with the information world. A Smart Ocean Environment can be defined as the combination of a physical environment, a collection of marine instruments gathering heterogeneous data from the environment, an infrastructure for data management and a connectivity solution to convey data from instruments to the Smart Space [1]. Also the collected information is stored in the Smart Space and available in the Web in an interoperable format. Standards such as IEEE-1451 [2] and OGC Sensor Web Enablement (OGC SWE) [3] are used to provide instrument descriptions, capabilities, properties, and data structures produced by the instruments. This paper describes the implementation and evaluation of PUCK protocol [4] and Zeroconf protocol [5] in Smart Ethernet embedded systems. These protocols enable observing systems to manage very diverse instruments as well as to acquire, process, and interpret their data in a uniform and automated manner.


Based upon fluid dynamics modeling of gas-solids two-phase flows and Euler-Euler two-fluid modeling approach (TFM), incorporated the kinetic model of heterogeneous catalytic reaction, The spouted bed reactor using activated carbon particles to remove SO2 from flue gases was studied. The distribution of SO2 and overall flow patterns including a stable spout region, a fountain region and an annular down comer region within the spouted bed were obtained well. Then, the simulation results of different operating condition were compared. The results show that the rate of desulfurization in the annular region is much higher. And the temperature of reaction, the concentrations of O2 and H2O in flue gases have a prominent influence on efficiency of desulfurization. Such researches verify that proper reducing the reaction temperature and enhancing the concentrations of O2 and vapor in flue gases will improve the efficiency of desulfurization in the spouted bed.


There exists a substantial body of literature on learning curves; however considerable less work has been done on the impact of forgetting. This paper, after surveying the literature on learning and forgetting, describes an experiment involving the processing of circulars (or 'junk mail") designed to satisfy three objectives. These are to compare learning curves between the production line assembly and the single person assembly, to evaluate the impact of forgetting on the length of break, and to develop an equation which measures the time lost due to forgetting. In reference to these three objectives, the study first shows that the learning ability of an individual appears greater than that of a production line, but slower. The production line assembly is therefore more efficient than the individual. In terms of the impact of the break length on forgetting, it was found that the same power model equation used to model forgetting in earlier studies best measured the forgetting phenomenon. The time lost equation parameters showed that the greatest amount of forgetting occurs only after a short break, which is consistent with other studies.


Introduction. Psychological disorders are closely associated with hormonal factors, including cortisol and serotonin. In patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), autonomic dysfunction and dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis can occur, leading to an increase in cortisol levels that may worsen the prognosis of ACS patients. Therefore, it is important to understand the hormonal impact, namely cortisol and serotonin levels, on depressive symptoms, which will be examined in this study. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study to determine the impact of cortisol and serotonin in the incidence of depression in post-treatment ACS patients at the ICCU RSUPN dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo, Jakarta. Data collection from patients meeting the inclusion criteria was carried out 10-14 days post-treatment through interviews, HADS questionnaire completion, physical examinations, and laboratory tests. The Mann-Whitney test was used to examine the differences between serotonin and salivary cortisol levels in patients with and without depression. Results. Among the 73 ACS patients included in this study, the average age was 57.53 (9.97) years, with 68.5% was male. Posttreatment depression was observed in 15.1% of subjects. The median serotonin levels were lower in patients with depression [175 (147 – 227.64) ng/mL vs. 189.31 (152.87-235.44) ng/mL], while cortisol levels were higher in patients with depression [3.09 (1.46-6.26) ng/mL vs. 2.15 (0.92-3.91) ng/mL]. However, the statistical analysis showed no significant differences between plasma serotonin and depression (p=0.482) or saliva cortisol and depression (p=0.275). Conclusions. There were no significant differences in cortisol and serotonin levels concerning depressive symptoms among post-acute coronary syndrome patients. Nevertheless, this study holds clinical importance due to the observed lower plasma serotonin levels and higher saliva cortisol levels in ACS patients with depression.


TheNigerDelta, a 3 0, 000 km 2 wetland of global ecological significance is located at the southernmost ofNigeria. The Delta is dissected by a dense network of rivers and creeks of saline and freshwater bodies. The brackish water (saline) sector consists of estuaries and intertidal mangrove swamps; totalbrackish water areafor the Niger Delta estimated at about 7,415 km'. The mangrove oysters grow chieflyin brackish water creeks of Bay elsa, Delta and Rivers States.found attached to the aerial roots of the mangrove Rhizophora racemosa (Red mangrove). Mangroves are salt-tolerant evergreen forests alongsheltered coastlines, shallow-water lagoons, estuaries, rivers or deltas,' stands stretching 30-40 km inland with an estimated area of997, 700'ha in Nigeria. Aquaculture has an important role in the developmentof many national economies and plays a key role in rural development. The abundance of a Mturalpopulation of mangrove oysters in the Niger Delta makes seed collection and growing easier and inexpensive.The culture of mangrove oysters by the locals will contribute significantly to economic growth,increases in income and food security, efficient utilization of surplus rural labour and reduced socialproblems, poverty alleviation, and social stability. This paper enumerates the culture and socio economicbenefits derivable from the practice of aquaculture through the sustainable culture of the native


Based on the panel data from 2000 to 2005 of Jiangsu,Shanghai and Zhejiang provinces,our empirical work investigates the effect of motive forces on technology innovation.We find that the driving forces have significant effect on technology innovation.After the comparison of the efficiency in different region,we make some suggestions on how to improve the efficiency of technology innovation.


This paper presents the results of preliminary studies on the long-term development of the power system in Poland. In particular, it analyzes the impact of the price of CO 2 emission allowances resulting from the two scenarios of the Energy Roadmap 2050 on the change in the structure of generating capacity and production. The main analytical tool used in the examination was the TIMES model generator. The paper further describes the Reference Energy System developed and used. The main computational assumptions include predictions of the following: (cid:1) (cid:1) prices of CO 2 emission allowances (EUA), (cid:1) the demand for electricity, (cid:1) the technical and economic parameters of energy technologies. The results revealed significant changes in the structure of fuels and technologies up to 2050 caused by the decarbonization policy. These changes deepen with the increase in the EUA price. The role of low carbon technologies such as: (cid:1) renewables, mainly wind turbines and biomass CHPs, (cid:1) nuclear power plants, (cid:1) brown coal power plants equipped with CCS will significantly increase.


This paper considered the problem of the design of exponential stability non-fragile controller for a class of discrete-time large-scale systems with delays.Based on the Lyapunov stability theory and linear matrix inequality approach,the state feedback non-fragile controller was given to guarantee the exponential stability of the systems.A sufficient condition was expressed in terms of linear matrix inequality which could be easily solved by the toolbox of Matlab.


Significance The Greeks described two classes of convex equilateral polyhedron with polyhedral symmetry, the Platonic (including the tetrahedron, octahedron, and icosahedron) and the Archimedean (including the truncated icosahedron with its soccer-ball shape). Johannes Kepler discovered a third class, the rhombic polyhedra. Some carbon fullerenes, inorganic cages, icosahedral viruses, protein complexes, and geodesic structures resemble these polyhedra. Here we add a fourth class, "Goldberg polyhedra." Their small (corner) faces are regular 3gons, 4gons, or 5gons, whereas their planar 6gonal faces are equilateral but not equiangular. Unlike faceted viruses and related carbon fullerenes, the icosahedral Goldberg polyhedra are nearly spherical. The reasoning and techniques presented here will enable discovery of still more classes of convex equilateral polyhedron with polyhedral symmetry. The three known classes of convex polyhedron with equal edge lengths and polyhedral symmetry––tetrahedral, octahedral, and icosahedral––are the 5 Platonic polyhedra, the 13 Archimedean polyhedra––including the truncated icosahedron or soccer ball––and the 2 rhombic polyhedra reported by Johannes Kepler in 1611. (Some carbon fullerenes, inorganic cages, icosahedral viruses, geodesic structures, and protein complexes resemble these fundamental shapes.) Here we add a fourth class, "Goldberg polyhedra," which are also convex and equilateral. We begin by decorating each of the triangular facets of a tetrahedron, an octahedron, or an icosahedron with the T vertices and connecting edges of a "Goldberg triangle." We obtain the unique set of internal angles in each planar face of each polyhedron by solving a system of n equations and n variables, where the equations set the dihedral angle discrepancy about different types of edge to zero, and the variables are a subset of the internal angles in 6gons. Like the faces in Kepler's rhombic polyhedra, the 6gon faces in Goldberg polyhedra are equilateral and planar but not equiangular. We show that there is just a single tetrahedral Goldberg polyhedron, a single octahedral one, and a systematic, countable infinity of icosahedral ones, one for each Goldberg triangle. Unlike carbon fullerenes and faceted viruses, the icosahedral Goldberg polyhedra are nearly spherical. The reasoning and techniques presented here will enable discovery of still more classes of convex equilateral polyhedra with polyhedral symmetry.


This paper investigates the influence of a high voltage direct current (HVDC) overlay grid on the transient voltage and rotor angle stability with respect to HVDC converter fault ride-through behavior. For this purpose, the studied meshed hybrid AC/DC transmission grid is established in MATLAB/Simulink with user defined dynamic models of voltage-source converters (VSC) considering fault ride-through requirements of the German Technical Connection Rules for extra high-voltage (VDE-AR-N 4130). The voltage profile during three-phase short-circuit faults as well as bus voltage relative entropy after fault-clearing as stability indices are analyzed. The influence of k-factor and power system stabilisers on transient stability is also investigated.


Abstract Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) and vascular dementia are the most common forms of cognitive disorder associated with cerebrovascular disease and related to increased morbidity and mortality among the older population. Growing evidence suggests the contribution of blood-pressure variability, cardiac arrhythmia, hyperactivation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system, endothelial dysfunction, vascular remodeling and stiffness, different angiopathies, neural tissue homeostasis, and systemic metabolic disorders to the pathophysiology of VCI. In this review, we focus on factors contributing to cerebrovascular disease, neurovascular unit alterations, and novel approaches to cognitive improvement in patients with cognitive decline. One of the important factors associated with the neuronal causes of VCI is the S100B protein, which can affect the expression of cytokines in the brain, support homeostasis, and regulate processes of differentiation, repair, and apoptosis of the nervous tissue. Since the pathological basis of VCI is complex and diverse, treatment affecting the mechanisms of cognitive disorders should be developed. The prospective role of a novel complex drug consisting of released–active antibodies to S100 and to endothelial NO synthase in VCI treatment is highlighted.


Address for correspondence Ki-Young Jung, MD Department of Neurology, Korea University Medical Center, Korea University College of Medicine, 73 Inchon-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-705, Korea Tel: +82-2-920-6649 Fax: +82-2-925-2472 E-mail: email@example.com Objectives: Selecting suitable illumination is an integral part of increasing productivity in the office or factory, because poor lighting conditions may often cause decreased work efficiency. Light emitting diode (LED) light is becoming recognized as one of the most promising general sources of illumination. We conducted spectral power analysis of electroencephalograms (EEGs) obtained during resting and cognitive task activities to identify the effects on human arousal and cognitive performance under LED light compared with conventional fluorescent light. Methods: Thirteen healthy, right-handed students participated in the present study. Each subject took part in two experimental sessions, one under fluorescent and one under LED lighting conditions. The experimental measurements consisted of a resting state EEG, an event-related potential (ERP) during a visual working memory (VWM) task, and a questionnaire about subjective feelings regarding the lighting conditions. The EEG power spectra, the amplitude and latency of the P300 ERP component, the behavioral responses for the VWM task, and the questionnaire data were compared for the two lighting conditions. Results: The EEG spectral power showed no difference between the LED and fluorescent lighting conditions. The amplitude of the P300 component decreased significantly with increasing numbers of items, while there were no differences between the two lighting conditions. Additionally, behavioral responses and subjective feelings were the same under the two lighting conditions. Conclusions: Our study suggests that there are no significant differences between LED light and fluorescent light on the human arousal state and VWM. J Korean Sleep Res Soc 2012;9:28-33


Computational Complexity Theory is the mathematical study of resources like time, space, or randomness that are required to solve computational problems. The current workshop was focused on recent developments, and the interplay between randomness and computation played a central role in many of them.


In this empirical article, we seek to reveal the effect of accessibility to passenger railway stations in land capitalization. The stakes are crucial, as urban development in many OECD countries has been built around the individual car, favoring sprawled cities. The proximity to a railway station may thus be sought by households engaged in a land acquisition for residential purposes. The method we used in this article consists of estimating the effects of accessibility to passenger train stations on land prices in the peri-urban and isolated areas of the Loire-Atlantique Departement, France. Data on land prices come from the Perval database for transactions recorded in 2012 in both the suburban ring of Nantes (431 observations selected) and in isolated municipalities of the Loire-Atlantique Department (395 observations retained). The database integrates land attributes: surface area, status as for the viabilisation, presence of constructions to demolish ...To constitute our database, contextual variables likely to be capitalized in land prices were quantified as well. Three regression models were estimated afterwards, all adjusted to intrinsic and contextual variables. At first, we wanted to test the assumption according to which the function between the distance to the nearest station and the prices would be decreasing. Thus, a generalized additive model (GAM) has been produced. This type of nonparametric model makes it possible to estimate nonlinear functions in a multiple regression. In a second step, the average effect of this distance was revealed through a global log-linear model. Finally, we explored the possible spatial heterogeneity of the relationship between distance to the nearest station and land price using a geographically weighted regression (GWR). The underlying assumption is that this relationship is likely to vary depending on local contexts, including the attractiveness of the municipality of the train station, as well as human flows in this station. Our recommendations support decisions made in the development of local mobility. The results concerning the significant radius of influence of a train station should help decision-makers to make these latter evolve into multimodal exchange poles. In the absence of significant influence of the station considered, a broad incentive to carpooling practices should be driven by local authorities. The range of our results regarding the types of territory considered also prepares for tomorrow's autonomous mobility for "last-mile trips" towards train stations, a solution envisaged by many French local authorities in various types of areas.


Citric acid (CA) production by Aspergillus niger ATCC9642 from whey with different concentrations of sucrose, glucose, fructose, galactose  riboflavin, tricalcium phosphate and methanol in surface culture process was studied. It was found that whey with 15% (w/v) sucrose with or without 1% methanol was the most favourable medium producing the highest amount (106.5 g/l) of citric acid. Lower CA was produced from whey with other concentrations of sugars and other additives used. Highest biomass ofA. niger was produced with the addition of riboflavins. In general, extension of the fermentation (up to 20 days) resulted in an increase in CA and biomass, and decrease in both residual sucrose and pH values.

 Key words: Citric acid, Aspergillus niger, whey fermentation, surface culture.


Based on the study of the relationship between RD expenditure and patent output,and funding-performance structure of RD expenditure,this article builds a theoretical framework about relationship of RD organizational structure and patent output.We measure the diversification of unilateral and cross organizational structure of RD expenditure in the U.S.,analyses the relationship of organizational structure and patent output.The results show that the degree of diversification is at the intermediate level,the unilateral structure evolution shows "inverted U-type" curve and the cross structure evolution shows alternating increase and decrease,the funding structure of RD expenditure impact to patent output by the RD intensity,and the relationship between the structural diversity of RD expenditure and patent output showed "inverted U-type" or "U-type" curve.


[Objective] In order to give some advice for hair removal in animal experiments,the advantages and disadvantages of four depilation methods(waxing, chemical depilatory(Na2S alcohol solution),wet shaving and electrical clipper)were compared. [Mefrl-Ods] The average consuming time of four methods were recorded. The macrographic observation was carried out after hair removal and the results were graded into 4 levels.Unhaired skin was taken for HE dyeing 2,24,48 and 72 h after hair removal,and 2 weeks later hair regrowth rate was measured. [Results] The average consuming time of waxing, chemical depilatory, wet shaving and electrical clipper were (291±61.6)s,(240.6±16.1)s,(159.6±49.3 )s and (74.9±11.9)s,respectively.In the macrographic observation,the percentages of the excellent level in appearance were 50.00%,68.75%,18.75% and 0.00%,respectively.According to the histopathological changes,light inflammation was found after waxing and chemical depilation,and all disappeared 2 days later, while serious inflammation was aroused by wet shaving and followed of epidermis erosion 3 days later. Little histopathological alteration was observed after the hair removal with electrical clipper.The hair regrowth rate was significantly slower with the method of waxing than with others. [Conclusion] Waxing is suitable for a long-term animal experiment. Hair depilation is suggested to be used for single hair removal,electrical clipper method is fit for those experiments without high unhairing requirement, and novice should be cautious when use the method of wet shaving.


We introduce a likelihood framework for nonlinear signal processing using partial likelihood and use the result to derive the information geometric em algorithm for distribution learning through information-theoretic projections. We demonstrate the superior convergence of the em algorithm as compared to least relative entropy (LRE) algorithm by simulations. The performance of finite normal mixtures (FNM) based equalizers with different number of mixtures and different dimension observation vectors is also discussed.


Toxicity studies were made on chlortetracycline hydrochloride (CTC) in ddN mice, emphasis being placed on the effect of heating at 100°C for 30 minutes on its toxicity.1) pH of CTC solutions in distilled water at the concentrations of 0.75% to 2.0%, suitable for assessing LD50 in mice, was in the range of 2.98 to 2.70.2) pH of CTC buffer solutions consisting of 1/30M of KH2PO4 and Na2HPO4·2H2O at a ratio of 3 to 7, was 6.37 to 6.3 in the 0.75% and 1.0% solutions, and 2.77-3.96 in the 2.0% solution.3) When injected intraperitoneally, both vehicles and heating exerted no significant changes on the LD50 value of CTC.4) In the intravenous route, heating had no effect on the LD50 value of CTC in the acid solutions, and elevated its value remarkably in the buffered solutions. But LD50 values of CTC in the latter solutions before and after heating were far less than those in the acid solutions, indicating that the addition of buffer agents mentioned above intensified the toxicity of CTC.


Lévy flights representation is proposed to describe earthquake characteristics like the distribution of waiting times and position of hypocenters in a seismic region. Over 7500 microearthquakes and earthquakes from 1985 to 1994 were analyzed to test that its spatial and temporal distributions are such that can be described by a Lévy flight with anomalous diffusion (in this case in a subdiffusive regime). Earthquake behavior is well described through Lévy flights and Lévy distribution functions such as results show.


This essay contributes two arguments on the place of democratic norms in democratic peace. First, the literature under-appreciates the inter-democracy moral constraint hypothesis: the hypothesis is ignored in the "critical test" of the most frequently cited article on democratic peace and research finding that joint democracy has consistently contributed to peace since the early twentieth century, particularly among developed states; fits with inter-democracy fights in the ancient world; is attuned to the possibilities that democracy carries less moral weight in joint democracy dyads with non-Western states and imposing regime-change can bring resentment that countervails respect deriving from joint democraticness; and is free of the presumptions of democratic moral superiority abroad and autocratic inclination toward aggression. Second, the absence of a determinate correspondence between domestic and external agency, structure, and action makes inevitable that members of democracies will hold competing views on "extending" domestic norms abroad; yet, just as this diminishes the extension hypothesis as a general explanation of democratic peace, it makes government-level orientation on the extension of domestic norms an important shaper of democracy war-proneness and the ways in which democracies get involved in wars. Various democratic peace research designs are inconclusive if a government foreign policy orientation variable is omitted. The study's two arguments provide insight into specifying foreign policy orientations.