he recently signed Australia-US free trade agreement (AUSFTA) is one sign of the shift from multilateral trade negotiations — such as those through WTO or even region wide forums such as APEC — towards what has been called the 'noodle bowl' of bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs). On the cards for Australia are potentially contentious trade agreements with China and Japan. Australian FTAs are only morsels in the developing noodle bowl of preferential trade agreements realised or contemplated within the region. For supporters of multilateral trading agreements — until very recently the cornerstone of Australian trade policy from the 980s — this noodle bowl is not just unpalatable but undercuts the appetite for main multilateral trade liberalisation.


Microstructural analysis and microhardness measurement of experimental repair weld joints were carried out in heat affected zone (HAZ) of the base material (BM) – steel 15Ch2NMFA after weld deposition of several layers by welding metal of Inconel FM 52. A temper bead welding (TBW) technique was used. Required microhardness up to 350 HV0.1 in heat affected zone of base material in distance 0.5 mm from fusion line was exceeded in all three experimental blocks with various welding energy inputs during deposition of three or five weld layers. Metallography showed reaustenitization and structure transformation in HAZ after the deposit of first layer in all three blocks. After deposit of the last layer the structure of HAZ in two blocks was tempered only and one variant of them have been recommended for futher technological tests. Structure of HAZ of the third block was not full tempered even after the last layer deposit.


In India about 70% of overall electricity generation is based upon thermal energy. Huge amounts of non renewable sources such as coal are being consumed for the production of thermal power which leads us to degradation of the environment. Hence it is imperative to shift to renewable sources like solar energy for the generation of electricity. At present scenario generation using solar power is perceived be too costly. Installation of solar equipment for the typical house hold is difficult as enough technical awareness is lacking in choosing suitable components with appropriate ratings. In this paper a mathematical model is suggested, which can perform techno-economical analysis of off-grid rooftop solar system. Two detailed illustrative examples are mentioned using the realistic load specifications and cost of solar technologies available in Indian markets. For a typical hostel building having 192 rooms in 6-floors, the cost of rooftop solar PV system is about Rs. 1.33 Crores, with a life time profit of Rs. 1.95 Crores (in 25 years). The payback period is 10 years with reduction in CO2 emissions of 4490 tons. This paper although using a conservative model, is based on prevailing market conditions, makes a compelling case for consumers shifting from utility grid to rooftop solar PV systems.


Preface 1. Introduction 2. What Evolution Is 3. Fitness Landscapes and Sequence Spaces 4. Evolutionary Games 5. Prisoners of the Dilemma 6. Finite Populations 7. Games in Finite Populations 8. Evolutionary Graph Theory 9. Spatial Games 10. HIV Infection 11. The Evolution of Virulence 12. The Evolutionary Dynamics of Cancer 13. Language Evolution 14. Conclusion Further Reading References Index


Recent years have seen a dramatic shift from mutual funds into hedge funds even though hedge funds charge management fees that have been decried as outrageous. While expectations of superior returns may be responsible for this shift, this article shows that mutual funds are more expensive than commonly believed. Mutual funds appear to provide investment services for relatively low fees because they bundle passive and active funds management together in a way that understates the true cost of active management. In particular, funds engaging in "closet" or "shadow" indexing charge their investors for active management while providing them with little more than an indexed investment. Even the average mutual fund, which ostensibly provides only active management, will have over 90% of the variance in its returns explained by its benchmark index. This article derives a method for allocating fund expenses between active and passive management and constructs a simple formula for finding the cost of active management. Computing this "active expense ratio" requires only a fund's published expense ratio, its R-squared relative to a benchmark index, and the expense ratio for a competitive fund that tracks that index. At the end of 2004, the mean active expense ratio for the large-cap equity mutual funds tracked by Morningstar was 7%, over six times their published expense ratio of 1.15%. More broadly, funds in the Morningstar universe had a mean active expense ratio of 5.2%, while the largest funds averaged a percent or two less.


Background: Dietary vitamin K is a recognized variable associated with oral anticoagulant therapy. However, current practices of dietary education and instruction regarding vitamin K, as well as factors influencing related decision-making, are unknown. Research has examined healthcare providers' ability to identify a meal containing vitamin K, but the ability to classify portions of specific vegetables according to vitamin K content has not been evaluated. Objective: To characterize dietary evaluation and instructional methods provided to patients receiving warfarin therapy, assess factors influencing instructional methods, and evaluate clinician knowledge of vitamin K content for specific vegetable portions. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of US healthcare providers involved with management of outpatient oral anticoagulation therapy was conducted. Results: One hundred twenty-two responses were received. Seventy-four percent of respondents collected initial dietary history from all patients and 52% asked all patients for dietary history at follow-up visits. Taking a verbal dietary history from all patients was significantly associated with larger clinic size and managing patients in person. Eighty-two percent of respondents reported providing dietary vitamin K education to all patients. Low patient literacy was a common factor influencing instruction to avoid foods high in vitamin K. Overall mean score reflecting the ability to classify vegetable portions by vitamin K content was 64.6 ± 10.9%. Conclusions: Acquisition of dietary history by anticoagulation providers is not always completed at initial and follow-up patient visits. Provision of patient education at initial visits is relatively high. Patient factors such as low literacy may influence a clinician's decision to provide a specific method of dietary instruction, including avoidance of foods high in vitamin K. Clinicians are least likely to correctly identify vegetable portions containing vitamin K in the range of 10–99 μg and should consider portion size when assessing dietary history.


Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) represents the most common subtype of cutaneous lupus erythematosus. There is a morphological diversity seen in DLE, at different stages of progression of the disease. Based on these features, dermoscopic criteria have been formed for both early and late stage DLE, and their histopathological correlations studied [1]. We would like to describe a new dermoscopic feature that we have observed in late stage DLEpalisade pigmentation.


The juice of sweet sorghum stem of soluble sugar content 113g/L was used as experimental material; ethanol fermentation experiments were conducted in a shaking flask and the bath shake bed to investigate effect of temperature on the ethanol fermentation of sweet sorghum stalk juice by immobilized yeast. Test pH values were selected 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5 and 5.5 five gradient, The experimental results in the shaking flask showed that the pH 4. 5 are the most suitable condition to the ethanol fermentation of sweet sorghum stalk juice by immobilized yeast. Under this condition, it can be obtained the better ethanol yield,CO2 weight loss rate and the lower residual sugar content.


To investigate the effect of carnosine on pathological changes of lung tissue in mice infected artificially with H9N2-SIV,One hundred and fifty BALB/c SPF female mice(6to 8weeks old)were divided randomly into control group,infection group and carnosine intervention group with 50each.The mice in control group were inoculated intranasally with normal allantoic fluid.The mice in infection group were inoculated intranasally with allantoic fluid containing H9N2-SIV.The mice in carnosine intervention group were also treated with the same to the infection group and additional with carnosine.On the 2nd,4th,6th,8th,and 14th day after treatment,8mice were killed to observe pathological changes in the lung,meanwhile,lung coefficient and the lung wet mass/dry mass(W/D)were determined.Carnosine could alleviate clinical symptom and increased viability of the mice infected with H9N2-SIV.In carnosine intervention group the value of lung wet mass/dry mass(W/D)was decreased apparently on the 6th and 8th day of the experiment(P0.05).The same to the value of lung coefficient and lung pathological changes such as pulmonary congestion,pneumorrhagia,pneumonedema and inflammatory cell infiltration on the 4th,6th and 8th day(P0.05).Carnosine could alleviate lung injury degree and increase viability by reducing the value of lung wet mass/dry mass and lung coefficient as well as lung pathological changes.


In this article, we present a novel approach to investigating entanglement in the context of quantum computing. Our methodology involves analyzing reduced density matrices at different stages of a quantum algorithm's execution and representing the dominant eigenvalue and von Neumann entropy on a graph, creating an"entanglement trajectory."To establish the trajectory's boundaries, we employ random matrix theory. Through the examination of examples such as quantum adiabatic computation, the Grover algorithm, and the Shor algorithm, we demonstrate that the entanglement trajectory remains within the established boundaries, exhibiting unique characteristics for each example. Moreover, we show that these boundaries and features can be extended to trajectories defined by alternative entropy measures. The entanglement trajectory serves as an invariant property of a quantum system, maintaining consistency across varying situations and definitions of entanglement. Numerical simulations accompanying this research are available via open access.


The oral malignant melanoma (OMM) is a rare disease, accounting for 0.8% of all melanomas and 8% of head and neck melanomas and up to 0.5% of all oral malignancies in the world literature. This presents as a pigmented lesion with asymmetrical borders, irregular surface characteristics and distinct color. Moreover melanoma associated pigmented lesion of the oral cavity does not possess clinical specificity and divert the clinical diagnosis, so differential diagnosis becomes mandatory to explore it. The most unpredictable pathophysiological behavior and late detection, contributes for bad prognosis of the disease. As a result, the 5 years survival rate is 10% to 25%. Commonly it is seen with maxillary gingiva of males. However we report a case of a middle aged female having pigmentations and growth over mandibular gingiva.


The MPEG immersive video (MIV) standard is the latest addition to the MPEG-I suite of standards. It focuses on the representation and coding of immersive media. MIV is designed to support virtual and extended reality applications that require six degrees of freedom visual interaction with the rendered scene. Edition-1 of MIV is now in its final phase of standardization. Leveraging conventional 2-D video codecs, the MIV standard efficiently codes volumetric scenes and allows advanced visual effects like bullet-time fly-throughs. The video feeds capturing the scene are first processed to identify a set of basic views that are augmented with additional information from all other views. The data are then intelligently packed into atlases and further compressed with any existing 2-D video codec of choice. Experimental results show BD-PSNR gains of up to 6 dB in the 10–20 Mbps range compared to a naive simulcast multiview video coding approach. This article concludes with an outlook on future extensions for the second edition of MIV.


Sexual reproduction is induced in the dinoflagelate Peridinium cinctum f. ovoplanum Lindemann when exponentially growing cells are inoculated into nitrogen deficient medium. Small, naked vegetative cells, produced by division of the thecate cells, then act as gametes. The zygote remains motile for 12–13 days during which time it enlarges and the theca which it forms becomes warty. Thirteen to 14 day s following plasmogamy the zygote is nonmotile, the protoplast contracts, a large red oil droplet appears, the wall thickens and becomes chitinized. This hypnozygote germinates within 7–8 weeks at 20 c producing 1 post‐zygotic cell retaining the large red oil droplet. The presence of 4 nuclei in these post‐zygotic cells may be demonstrated by staining them with acetocarmine. Two of these nuclei are smaller than the other two and probably abort. One may infer that meiosis occurs immediately prior to or at the germinartion of the hypnozygote. This post‐zygotic cell divides within 24 h into 2 daughter cells each with a promment red oil droplet. These daughter cells divide after 2–3 days into ordinary vegetative cells.


Provided is a process for producing a porous film which comprises a step in which a film-forming solution containing a film-forming polymer and an additive for controlling phase separation is coagulated in a coagulation liquid to obtain a porous-film precursor and a step in which the phase-separation control additive that remains in the porous-film precursor is removed, wherein as the phase-separation control additive, use is made of polyvinylpyrrolidone having an integrated molecular-weight distribution curve in which the proportion of the area of a high-molecular-weight region is 11% or less. In the process, the additive for controlling phase separation can be removed by a treatment conducted in a short time period, and a porous film having satisfactory permeability can be produced.


The article is devoted to the problem of enforced taking over by the owner of a building the administration of the property which so far has been managed by the commune. Firstly, the author discusses the legal regulations binding in the period of the People's Republic of Poland, which caused numerous properties, particularly public buildings, to remain in the possession of communes. To assess the legal relation between the commune and property's owners, which are currently of civil legal nature, the author suggests that the provisions of Articles 752–757 of the Polish Civil Code, which concern the management of another person's affairs without mandate (negotiorum gestio), should be applied. To put an end to conflicts over the administration between the owners of buildings and communes, the author indicates substantive legal claim of taking over the management by the building owner, granted to the commune by the legislator. The author considers under what procedure it should be recognized and presents the local and material jurisdiction, as well as the passive mandate in civil proceedings.


Introduction: The advent of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has represented one of the most innovative therapeutic advances in oncology in recent years. Impressive clinical responses to CAR T-cell therapy observed in patients in clinical trials have led to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of five CAR T-cell therapies in the US since 2017 to treat large B-cell, mantle cell, and follicular lymphomas, as well as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and multiple myeloma. The first two CAR T-cell therapies approved by the FDA, axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) and tisagenlecleucel (tisa-cel), have now been on the US market for the treatment of patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) since 2017 and 2018, respectively, allowing for assessment of their use in real-world clinical practice. Given the complex logistics of the manufacturing, distribution, administration and unique toxicity of CAR T-cell therapies, initial use was limited to larger centers with prior experience with CAR T-cell therapy clinical trials. With greater use and availability of multiple CAR T-cell therapies, real-world evaluation of the clinical profiles, treatment patterns, and outcomes of LBCL patients treated with CAR T-cell therapies may inform clinical, regulatory, and drug development decision making, ultimately helping to improve patient outcomes. This real-world claims-based study aimed to describe characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with diffuse LBCL (DLBCL) treated with the CAR T-cell therapies axi-cel or tisa-cel in the non-trial setting.
 Methods: Patients with at least 1 claim for axi-cel or tisa-cel made prior to 03/31/21 and a diagnosis code of DLBCL were identified from the Symphony Integrated Dataverse (IDV), a large US claims database containing linked longitudinal prescription, medical, and hospital claims. The IDV contains claims for 280 million active unique patients representing over 63% of prescriptions with full lifecycle data, 62% of medical claims, and 25% of hospital claims volume in the US. Patients were excluded from analysis if axi-cel or tisa-cel was the first therapy identified for the patient since diagnosis of DLBCL within the claims database, if treatment was received as a part of a clinical trial, if there were no supporting claims around CAR T-cell therapy in the claims database, if next line of therapy was received within 30 days of a sole claim for axi-cel or tisa-cel, or if data supported a diagnosis of ALL. Patient characteristics and treatment patterns were summarized using descriptive statistics.
 Results: Among a total of 88 eligible patients with DLBCL identified in this study, 52% (n=46) received axi-cel and 48% (n=42) received tisa-cel.
 At the time of treatment with axi-cel or tisa-cel therapy, median patient age was 63 years (range, 20-78 years) and commercial insurance was the primary payer for 83% of patients (n=73). The majority (n=59, 67%) of patients were male. Patients with DLBCL treated with axi-cel or tisa-cel were distributed across each of the 4 US census regions, with 27% from the Northeast, 11% from the South, 32% from the Midwest, and 30% from the West. .
 Axi-cel or tisa-cel was received a median of 14 months following patients' initial diagnosis of DLBCL and for the majority (n=54, 61%) of patients, axi-cel or tisa-cel-related claims were associated with administration of CAR T-cell therapy in the outpatient setting (Table). Prior to axi-cel or tisa-cel, 57% of patients (n=50) received 2 or more lines of systemic therapy. Within a median follow-up period of 7.8 months, 17% of patients (n=15) received systemic therapy following axi-cel or tisa-cel treatment.
 Conclusions: In the first few years of US market availability, the CAR T-cell therapies axi-cel and tisa-cel have been used to treat patients with LBCL outside of the clinical trial setting. While the majority of patients in this real-world claims-based study received axi-cel or tisa-cel in an outpatient setting, hospital claims are underrepresented in the database utilized. Despite short follow-up (less than 8 months from initiation of these CAR T-cell therapies), approximately one in 6 patients appear to have relapsed disease, based on the need for subsequent systemic therapy. Further research is warranted to understand real-world clinical outcomes among patients treated with CAR T-cell therapy outside the trial setting.
 Figure 1 Figure 1.

 Zimmerman Savill: Roche/Genentech: Ended employment in the past 24 months; Cardinal Health: Current Employment. Klink: Cardinal Health: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Liassou: Cardinal Health: Current Employment. Chopra: Cardinal Health: Current Employment. Laney: Cardinal Health: Current Employment. Gajra: Cardinal Health: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company.


Background: Surabaya is facing various urban problems that are increasingly complex. Therefore,innovative solutions are needed such as digital health promotion for millenial and post-millenial as thelargest segment of internet users. The aim of this study is to identify the requirement specification to developdigital health promotion platform for millenial and post millenial generations in Surabaya.Methods: This research used qualitative methods with case study approach. This study used purposefulsampling on 24 informants, consists of several related parties who met the criteria. Data collection techniquewas carried out through in-depth interview and documents review.Results: The requirement specifications were classified into 4 domains (functional, technical, interface,performance requirements). Functional requirements consist of procedures, menus, features, content, data,information, control mechanism, and parties involved. Technical requirements include programs, networks,size, and types of digital devices. Interface requirements consist of visual display related to user interfaceand operating system. Performance requirements include several aspects such as speed, accuracy, efficiency,effectiveness, security, etc.Conclusion: Digital health promotion platform requirement specification must be tailored to the needs ofmillenial and post-millenial generations. If these requirements can be met, the target will be easier to acceptand use digital health promotion platform.


In order to improve the precision of gyroscope, two decoupling method of DTG(Dynamic Tuned Gyroscope) were analyzed, the BP neural network and RBF network. The BP neural network has many advantages Compared to the traditional decoupling method, but still some drawbacks such as the over training, the congress process is very slow, and the hidden layer is also hard to determined. The paper introduced the RBF network as the new decoupling method compared with BP network. The simulation result verified that the RBF network is faster than BP, and also the accuracy is much higher. Index Terms—DTG(Dynamic Tuned Gyroscope), decouple- ing, RBF neural network, BP neural network


This paper presents the method of topological analysis of large LLS networks with the use of hierarchical decomposition of the network graph. It is assumed that the network is represented by a directed graph. An algorithm of upward hierarchical analysis of a partitioned graph is presented. The algorithm allows symbolic analysis of large networks with the number of elements kept as symbols practically unlimited. The computational time linearly depends on the network size. A computer program using techniques described is also presented.


Wei-Sheng Lai Department of Operative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University ( Chief and Director: Prof. Hiroyasu Hosoda) The Second Department of Oral Anatomy, Faculty of Dentistry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University ( Director: Prof. Takashi Ichijo) The First Department of Oral Anatomy, Faculty of Dentistry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University ( Director: Prof. Yasuo Yamashita)


This paper offers a dispersing control system (DCS) based on the PC and single-chip computer used in the fermentation process, introduces its constitution and functions ,and explains the signal capture and processing technique, and analyses the control schemes of the procedure parameters.


The L 2 -stability of nonlinear time-varying systems is considered and noncausal multipliers are developed with lower and upper bounds on k(t)/k(t) through the positive operator approach.


Objective To observe the changes of serum TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-8 levels in patients with bronchial asthma and to explore the role of TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-8 in the development of the disease.Methods The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the levels of serum TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-8 for the patients of the bronchial asthma acute exacerbation group,the asthma remission group and the control group,and then their differences and correlation were analyzed.Results The levels of TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-8 of bronchial asthma patients were significantly higher than those of the control group(P 0.05),and positively correlation were existed among the three cytokines significantly(P 0.05).Conclusion The levels of serum TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-8 in patients with bronchial asthma are higher than the normal,which are impacted by the severity of the disease,and the three cytokines are likely involved in the inflammatory response of asthma.


The purpose of this study is to assess the potential usefulness of phase-contrast imaging for application to mammography. Phase-contrast images were obtained by using a customized mammography unit with a nominal focal spot size of 100 ,w here the source-to-image distance was variable up to 1.5 m. Edge enhancement in radiograph of a plastic fiber was first confirmed in phase-contrast imaging, and then reduction of the image contrast by scattered radiation from acrylics plates added onto the plastic fiber was measured. Moreover, edge enhancement in phase-contrast imaging was observed in the images of an air-cap, and an extracted lung-specimen in comparison with those images of contact radiography. Reduction of image contrast by scattered radiation from added acrylics plates was compared between phase- contrast imaging and contact radiography with the objects of chicken-meat and a raisin. The results indicated that the image contrast in phase-contrast imaging increased with edge enhancement, and that the reduction of image contrast in phase- contrast imaging was smaller than that in contact radiography, even if the thickness of added acrylics plates increased. It is therefore the phase-contrast imaging by using the customized mammography unit would be useful so as to improve the diagnostic accuracy in mammography.


* The eleventh volume in Samuel Eliot Morison's classic History of the United States Naval Operations in World War II recounts the U.S. Navy's role in the invasion of Normandy, the largest and most complicated military operation ever undertaken Combining meticulous detail with a forceful account of the action, Morison describes the landings themselves as well as the "dirty work in the dark" that preceded them: deceptions, diversions, commando raids, parachute drops, mine sweepings, air bombing, and naval bombardment. As he shows, the fire curtain provided by the powerful guns of the navy proved to be one of the most valuable trump cards of the Anglo-United States invasion armies. Morison covers the vital capture of Cherbourg as an invasion port and the diversionary landings in southern France that, together with Overlord, comprised the two main operations in the invasion of Europe in which the U.S. Navy played a leading part. At every stage, the fate of thousands of men depended not only on their own raw courage and resourcefulness but on quirks of timing and sheer luck. Morison offers a magnificent chronicle of these heroic days that definitively turned the tide of the war in Europe.


SE PROPOSES THAT ARE HOLDERS OF PLASTIC MATERIAL compression spring (2) acting on BRUSH HOLDERS AND BODY, FORMING A PART WITH BRUSH GUIDES.


Hydraulic erosion plays an important role in the formation of landform. Influenced by runoff, soil is destroyed, denuded, and transported to form a specific landform. The simulation of erosion can not only be used for the construction of realistic terrain, but also for evaluation in soil and water conservation, which has important research and application value. We construct a hydraulic erosion simulation framework on the basis of soil and water conservation's theory, which considers various factors in erosion, including: water flow, infiltration, transportation, erosion, ditch widening, deposition, and soil sliding. It is the first time to consider the generation time of runoff, soil fixation of plant roots, and ditch widening phenomenon in simulation. Using this method, we can simulate ditch evolution process from rill, shallow ditch, cut ditch to gully, which consist with the real process. Compared with real photos and data, our method has authenticity in both visual and theoretical aspects.


The course of the HOFMANN degradation in the 2-oxo-3-alkyl-9,10-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4,6,7-hexahydro-11bH-benzo[a]quinolizine series has been elucidated and the constitution of the degradation products established. They represent 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives obtained by ring opening between the nitrogen atom and the carbon atom 4. In addition, a new synthesis of substituted 2-oxo-9,10-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4,6,7-hexahydro-11bH-benzo[a]quinolizines is described.


The author discusses the establishment of the EXTRA database at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute. The scope of the data to be collected and how it may be accessed are presented. (non-author abstract)


The purpose of this study was to model weight trajectories over a 5‐year time period (2012–2016) and their association with behavioural and psychosocial characteristics and health care–related experiences using data from the Patient Outcomes Research to Advance Learning (PORTAL) overweight/obesity cohort.


The electric field distortion caused by space charge is an important factor affecting the operation reliability of oil–paper insulation in a converter transformer. To study the accumulation and decay characteristics of the space charge within oil-impregnated pressboard under DC and polarity reversal voltage, and consider the possible operating conditions of the converter transformer, the space charge behavior of oil-impregnated pressboard was measured by the pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) method in the temperature range from −20 °C to 60 °C. The effect of temperature on the accumulation and decay characteristics of space charge is also analyzed. The space charge accumulated within the pressboard at low temperature is mainly homocharge injected by the electrode, while heterocharge formed by ion dissociation counteracts some of the homocharge at high temperature. Thus, the space charge of pressboard first increases, then decreases, with an increase in temperature. However, slow decay of the space charge causes severe distortion of the electric field distribution in the pressboard during voltage polarity reversal.


Phosphate solubilizing bacteria P04 isolated from flue-cured tobacco rhizosphere was identified,and applied to reduce dosage of chemical P fertilizer in flue-cured tobacco production.Phosphate solubilizing bacteria P04 was identified as Enterobacter sp.,maybe Enterobacter cloacae by phylogenetic tree based on 16S rDNA sequences,the physiological and biochemical reaction.Phosphate solubilizing bacteria fertilizer prepared using P04 was used to flue-cured tobacco production.In this study,phosphate solubilizing bacteria fertilizer was employed by 30kg/ha when flue-cured tobacco transplanted in plots with minus 20% P dosage of full fertilizer.Results showed that employing phosphate solubilizing bacteria fertilizer increased the average amount of phosphate solubilizing bacteria in tobacco rhizosphere by 28.19%.The average contents of P in tobacco leaves at different growth stages significantly increased by 19.13%.Accordingly the yield and production value with phosphate solubilizing bacteria fertilizer were slightly improved compared to control.The results suggested that phosphate solubilizing bacteria fertilizer allowed reduced application rates of chemical P fertilizers.To our knowledge,this is the first report on phosphate solubilizing bacteria Enterobacter cloacae in flue-cured tobacco rhizosphere and employing of it could enhance significantly the account of phosphate solubilizing bacteria in flue-cured tobacco rhizosphere and the yield and quality of tobacco leaves.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of workers' demographic characteristics on their perceptions of procedural justice from grievance management. A related aim is to determine whether procedural justice perceptions have an impact on perceptions of distributive justice.Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a survey of 660 employees across the public and private sectors. Perceptions were measured with the use of a dichotomous scale, and logistic regression analysis was applied to test the relationships between the dependent and independent variables.Findings – Except for education, demographic characteristics made no significant difference to workers' perceptions of procedural justice afforded by grievance procedures. Perceptions of procedural justice, however, had an impact on perceived distributive justice.Research limitations/implications – The use of dichotomous response sets prevented the use of factor analysis. Logistic regression analysis compensated for the ...


A GP and three nurses are facing manslaughter charges over the death of an elderly patient in a nursing home who died two days after lapsing into a coma.

Jane Gustaffson, aged 46, who practises as a GP at Marlborough surgery, Seaham, County Durham, was formally charged with manslaughter at Peterlee police station last week, together with three nurses …


In this paper, programming methods of constructing filters for choosing target images from pathology images are discussed. Automatic construction of these filters would be very useful in the medical field. Image processing filters can be expressed as tree topology operations. Genetic Programming (GP) is an evolutionary computation algorithm that can design tree topology operations. Simulated Annealing Programming (SAP) is also an emergent algorithm that can create tree topology operations. These two algorithms, GP and SAP, were applied to construct Image Processing Filters and the characteristics of these two algorithms were compared. The results indicated that GP has strong search capability for finding the global optimum solution. However, in the latter part of the search, the diversity of solutions is lost and the program size becomes large. This can be avoided by removing introns. It is assumed that filters developed by GP have strong robustness for other images. On the other hand, SAP requires many iterations to find the optimum but the program size is small. Filters developed by SAP are relatively weak from the viewpoint of robustness for other images.


Mesoionic l,4-diphenyl-5-(5-nitro-2-furanyl)-l,3,4-triazolium-2-thiolate was prepared as its hydrochloride by the reaction of 1,4-diphenyl-thiosemicarbazide with 5-nitro-2-furoyl chloride. The structure was confirmed by elemental analysis, IR, mass, *H and C NMR Spectra. Pharmacological tests in vitro showed that the compound posseses spasmolytic action in the guinea-pig trachea and the rat uterus, but not in the guinea-pig ileum.


The effects of feeding canola screenings on voluntary intake (VI) and nutrient digestibility by growing steers were determined in two experiments. Twelve steers were involved in the first experiment to study the effects of processing (grinding and pelleting) of canola screenings on VI and apparent total tract dry matter digestibility (DMD), crude protein digestibility (CPD), fatty acid digestibility (FAD), neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD), and acid detergent fiber digestibility (ADFD). In the second experiment, the effects of fat level from canola screenings on VI and total tract nutrient digestibilities were determined using 12 steers. The fat levels tested were 67, 100, 128, and 162 g kg−1 ether extract (EE). Feeding processed canola screenings (176 g kg−1 EE) reduced (P < 0.05) VI by 31% and improved (P < 0.05) DMD, CPD, and FAD by 18, 19, and 28%, respectively. Processing of canola screenings reduced (P < 0.05) ADFD by 15% with no effect on NDFD. Increasing dietary fat level from 67 to 162...


The trilateral cycle (TLC) has been viewed as a promising technology for low grade heat to power conversion, while its application in reality is greatly limited by the low efficiency of two-phase expander and high volume flow rate at the expander outlet. This paper suggests a novel thermosyphon based trilateral cycle (TTLC), which uses hydraulic turbine for power generation instead of two-phase expander, avoiding problems in traditional TLC systems and also providing a chance for utilization of pump-as-turbine (PAT) technologies. The system performance of TTLC is theoretically investigated, and the results are compared with those of traditional TLC and ORC. It is found that the slip loss is the main contributor to the riser efficiency. The working fluids with smaller density ratio and specific heat are more suitable for TTLC. TTLC generates more power than TLC when the heat source temperature is less than 50 °C, and less power than TLC within the deviation of 10% for the heat source temperature in the range of 50-75 °C. Moreover, the volume flow rate at the turbine outlet of TTLC is only 2-17% of those for TLC and ORC, indicating a much smaller turbine size.


Purpose
This study provides further insight into the experiences of five men who have committed sexual offences, with intellectual disabilities and have been recalled back to prison. The purpose of this paper is to increase professional knowledge to assist with improving working practices that support the reintegration of individuals convicted of sexual offences and with intellectual disabilities, back into the community.

Design/methodology/approach
Interview data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, to identify the key issues associated with criminal justice services.

Findings
The following superordinate themes were identified: "The label that sticks" and "Probation officer dependency".

Research limitations/implications
The key implications of the findings were the high level of dependency individuals had on their probation officers and the impact that this relationship had on the overall experience of recall. The stigma of the label "sex offender" was also found to have a profound impact on individuals' feelings of safety and their future progression.

Originality/value
Research exploring the experiences of individuals convicted for sexual offences and with intellectual disabilities, being recalled back to prison, is limited. Future recommendations of how practice could be improved to better support responsivity needs of this group and to create a more positive self-identity are discussed.


The invention discloses a traditional Chinese medicine health protection tea for preventing and treating hypertension, which has the efficacies of clearing away heat and toxic material, nourishing the liver and the kidney, eliminating pathogenic heat from the blood and expelling wind and cold pathogens. By adding or not adding a proper amount of white sugar for seasoning, the traditional Chinese medicine health protection tea can be drunk for preventing and treating hypertension. The selected crude traditional Chinese medicinal materials in parts by weight are respectively as follows: 10-16 parts of radix rehmanniae, 8-14 parts of wolfberry fruit, 8-14 parts of prepared fleece-flower root, 8-14 parts of glossy privet fruit, 8-14 parts of chrysanthemum and 15-26 parts of tea. Found by clinical application, the health protection tea disclosed by the invention is convenient to drink, the active ingredients can be dissolved in water easily, thus facilitating absorption for the human body, and the health protection tea can both prevent and treat hypertension without any side effect.


One hundred forty-four yearling steers of similar frame score (5.1) were randomly assigned to an extended grazing study to compare grazing native range (  NR  ) or a sequence of NR and annual forages (  ANN  : field pea-barley, corn, cover crop) to evaluate the effect of extending the grazing season feeding cover crop bales (bale grazing) before feedlot entry on steer performance and economics. Compared to previous research, bale-grazing cover crop bales extended the grazing season 41.5 days (180 to 221.5 days). Forage sequence grazing combined with cover crop bale grazing (Table 2) supported ADG of 2.10 lb/day for steers that grazed a combination of NR and ANN forages compared to 1.70 lb/day for steers that grazed NR for the entire period (  P = 0.01). The ANN steers were 94.9 lbs. heavier at the end of grazing (  P = 0.001). For comparison, animal muscling is expressed as


This book examines some of the challenges faced by spatial planning in Europe in the last decade, in particular those related to the eastward shift of the European Union's (EU) geographical and political barycentre after the EU enlargement. It focuses on three key issues combined in a coherent analytical framework: European spatial planning (ESP) as a proper disciplinary field, which has been challenged by the new changes of the last decade; the reforms that have been taking place in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries after their EU membership and the new issues that they have posed to the ESP debates; and the role of the so-called epistemic communities as driving forces in steering the dynamic changes in both the EU agenda and the member states in terms of territorial development policies. The mere attempt to debate these three spheres of knowledge is valuable per se and this makes this book worth reading. Concerning ESP, it has become a proper disciplinary field in the last two decades, despite not formally existing, with some important achievements reflecting the increasing attention to territorial issues by the EU. These developments are well summed up in the introduction to this book. Apart from some formal institutional recognition, and above all the inclusion of the territorial dimension of cohesion policy's aim in the Lisbon Treaty, the disciplinary field has produced academic research and publications as well as several EU policy documents that have strengthened the profile of the specific scientific context in which this book is embedded. However, among the international community as well as in some national arenas, some sceptical voices have voiced criticisms of the EU spatial development approach. While the potentialities of the EU perspective are generally understood, there is a sense of lack of actual capacity to provide added value to regional and local agendas. Moreover, some over-ambitious policy aims, as for instance the Lisbon–Gothenburg and the new EU2020 strategies, have given support to those voices pointing to the distance between discourses and regional realities. At the same time, over-technocratic and bureaucratic ways of action, the unbalanced emphasis on the market economy in comparison with the approach of the EU social dimension and the predominance of western European culture are some of the most recurrent Euro-sceptic and critical comments. In the context of this pessimistic overview, this book represents something of a declaration of faith rather than an evidence-based counterargument on the role of the EU in providing a meaningful policy framework. Nevertheless, it succeeds in highlighting the importance of an EU spatial planning dimension. The different parts of this book are able to


Advocacy of murder of identifiable individuals, which might be protected under the Brandenburg test, has too often been treated by courts (particularly in some recent federal appellate cases) as unprotected threats or solicitation, thus making First Amendment analysis confused and unpredictable. The appropriate solution, I argue, is to modify the Brandenburg test so as to deny First Amendment protection to advocacy of harm to identified targets, because (a) such speech has no value worthy of First Amendment protection and (b) the emotional consequences of such advocacy suffered by the object thereof is no different from that caused by true threats.


In this paper we describe how techniques from psychology and knowledge engineering are used in forming a conceptual model of the musical composition process. The research in compositional processes which is described is based on research in design processes in different domains: written, architectural, industrial and musical composition. Experiments are conducted in which designers, in this case composers, are observed and recorded when performing their tasks. Recorded observations, including auditory, visual and spoken data, are analyzed afterwards. A model of the composition process derived from research in the above design domains can and will be refined and used in developing computer aided compositional tools in further research. These tools will not be mere "type-setting and printing" aids, as are many of the computer-based tools used nowadays, but will assist the process of musical composition itself. Tools can be automated, as in computer programs, or non-automated, as in a description of a new de...


To enhance the efficiency of the automatic conceptual design,a new method based on Orthogonal Interactive Genetic Algorithm(OIGA) in form design was proposed. With the extraction and description of the product form features,the genetic convergence speeds were improved by simplifying the solution space orthogonally.Furthermore,the subjective evaluation errors were reduced greatly and the evaluation mechanism was optimized with the integration of the communizing and satisfying fitness function.In addition,the users' fatigues were alleviated on the condition of the interface visualization as the favored features were interactively selected.Experiment results indicated that the proposed OIGA could obtain higher fitness value by less generation times than the simple Interactive Genetic Algorithm(IGA),and it was more feasible and applicable.


The paper mainly studies the management of military-civil collaboration in emergency logistics and analyzes the design of the emergency logistics military-civil collaboration management system,its major processes,functional modules and structures.


In this paper, we investigate two kinds of Euler sums that involve the generalized harmonic numbers with arbitrary depth. These sums establish numerous summation formulas including the special values of Arakawa–Kaneno zeta functions and a new formula of multiple zeta values of height one as examples.


THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GIS AND REMOTE SENSING
JUNE, 2014


In waxy crude oil transportation process, wax crystals start to precipitate as the oil temperature drops to wax appearance point, and then form a network structure gradually which attaches to the wall. The problem of wax deposition seriously affects the normal operation of pipeline. Based on the wax deposition tendency coefficient method, combined with experimental data, the parameters related to wax deposition tendency coefficient is fitted, and the wax deposition rate equation of crude oil is determined finally. The variation law of wax deposition rate along the pipeline is analyzed, and the influence of different seasons and different throughput the on wax deposition rate is discussed subsequently.


This article is concerned with the investigation of a two-dimensional thermo-visco-elastic problem of an infinitely extended thin plate containing a circular hole. The material is a viscoelastic solid of Kelvin-Voigt type. The formulation of the problem is based on the generalized theory of thermoelasticity proposed by Lord and Shulman. The inner boundary of the hole in the plate is stressfree and is subjected to a step rise in temperature. Laplace transform technique is applied to obtain the short-time approximations for the distribution of displacement, temperature, and stresses. It is observed that the deformation and the radial stress are continuous at the thermal wave front, while the temperature and the hoop stress suffer discontinuities at the thermal wave front. The discontinuities at the wave front of various fields have also been analyzed. Using PC the numerical values of the displacement, temperature, and stresses at different points are computed numerically and the results are displayed graphi...


Situated in the post-war socio-political milieu, there has been a poverty of citizenship education in Hong Kong schools for more than three decades. The political changes of decolonization and reintegration with mainland China pose new challenges to political education in Hong Kong. Starting with a concern over the programme of civic education in Hong Kong secondary schools, the present study addresses the question of the role of schooling in transmission of social-political orientation to the students. Drawing upon (he theoretical perspectives and findings of political socialization studies, Neo-Marxism, and critical studies of colonial education, the present study conceptualizes school as an agent of political socialization and analyzes the current objectives, contents, organization and implementation of civic education programmes, as well as the formal and informal curriculum at work in six secondary schools in Hong Kong, in particular with reference to the very nature of 'citizenship' itself and die notion of 'civic education'. Albeit with the civic education movement in the 1980s onwards, civic education in schools still fail to provide our further citizens with the necessary political orientation and competence in democracy and national identity to prepare for the change in political system. Instead, the role of school performs socializing and stabilizing functions to the status quo. This dissertation further discusses the theoretical significance on the debate about the role of schooling in political socialization and in the constitution of adolescent political culture and of political order. Practical implications concerning political education in Hong Kong are discussed in addition to a critique and evaluation of civic education programmes in schools


A Iithological grouping of red and/or yellow colored soil materials in the southwestern part of Japan was proposed based on their total chemical composition and quartz content. Close relationships among Fe2O3/Al2O3, A12O3/TiO2 ratios and quartz content enabled the establishment of 6 lithological groups including 4 groups ranging from mafic to felsic in addition to sedimentary and quartzitic. This grouping is relevant to some characteristics related to lithology such as mechanical composition, base composition, Mn and P contents, and fairly well coincides with the kind of parent materials identified in the field. All these observations indicate that this grouping provides a frame of reference for considering the effect of parent materials and degree of weathering on the characteristics of red and/or yellow colored soil materials.


A polarization-sensitive optical coherence microscope (PS-OCM) has been developed to non-destructively measure birefringence distribution at the surface and internal interfaces of multi-layer structures. The PS-OCM can make twodimensional en face measurement by exploiting the parallel sensing capability of the CCD sensors. PS-OCM utilizes the low coherence interference principle to enable the depth-resolved mapping of the birefringence distribution inside the materials. By simultaneous detection of interference fringes in two orthogonal polarization states allows determination of the Strokes parameters of light. Comparison of the Strokes parameters of the incident state to that reflected light from the sample can yield a depth-resolved map of optical properties such as birefringence and refractive index. Because many semiconductor and optic materials such as ceramic/wafer/polymer/glass are stress-induced birefringence materials, changes in birefringence distribution may, for instance, indicate changes in material uniformity and stress inside the materials. The PS-OCM has the capability to measure the spatial stress-field distribution of a material caused by the residual stress or applied load. Using the high numerical aperture of the objective lens and the broad bandwidth of the light source, the PS-OCM has the 1.5micrometer and 1.6 micrometer resolutions respectively in the lateral direction and longitudinal (or depth) direction.


A multilevel nonlinear method (MNM) for the numerical solution of nonlinear partial differential equations is developed. The MNM algorithm is motivated and analyzed using a simplified model which retains the essential features of the new approach. It is thereby shown to combine the advantages of the two classical multigrid approaches to nonlinear problems. The analysis is supported by numerical tests for nonlinear differential equations in one and two dimensions.


This study explores the effects of bypass roads on the build form of small towns in Sri Lanka. The small towns analysed are Avissawella, Mawanella, Balangoda and Piliyandala. The results of the study indicate three impact scenarios: i) the bypass road has more accessibility than the existing main road and new land uses, and high-density areas emerge along the by-pass road, making this the town centre; ii) both bypass road and the existing main road show similar levels of accessibility and attractiveness. iii) accessibility of the existing main road remains higher than the bypass road and very new developments are attracted towards the bypass road - thus the existing main road remains the main centre of the town. The results confirm that spatial and economic forces are closely interrelated as indicated in the theory of the natural movement economic process. However, the study found that the above forces are constrained by natural barriers. These findings are useful for transport engineers when making new strategies to implement bypass roads and to urban planners to develop local development plans after constructing bypass roads.


The converse flexoelectric effect can be utilized to actuate and control flexible structures. Assessing the precision flexoelectric actuation and control effectiveness of cylindrical shells is the main objective of this study. The application of voltage to the line electrode on the external surface of a flexoelectric patch, coupled with the bottom surface electrode layer, causes an inhomogeneous electric field to be generated, which consequently induces internal actuation stresses. The stress-induced membrane control force and bending control moment generate modal control effects, which regulate the cylindrical shell vibration. For an elastic cylindrical shell with flexoelectric actuation, the modal forces and microscopic behaviors are studied to evaluate the flexoelectric actuation effects. For the transverse direction, the electric field gradient drops sharply with increasing distance from the line electrode; thus, the induced internal actuation stresses concentrate on the upper surface. Due to the inhomogeneous electric field gradient distributions, the membrane control force and bending control moment concentrate like spikes. To evaluate the actuation effects, modal force distributions of the elastic cylindrical shell with flexoelectric actuation are analyzed with respect to design parameters, such as the flexoelectric patch thickness, line-electrode radius, cylindrical shell thickness, and shell radius.


Although ocular wounds frequently get contaminated, the overall occurrence of clostridial intraocular infections is rare. An early diagnosis and prompt aggressive treatment may result in acceptable outcomes. In the current communication, we describe a series of cases of endophthalmitis secondary to clostridia sp. treated at our center. Purpose: To describe the clinical presentations, diagnosis and management outcomes of clostridial endophthalmitis, and a review of the previous literature. Design: Retrospective, interventional case series from January 2005 to March 2018 and a literature review. Methods: The study included seven eyes of seven patients with culture-proven Clostridium sp. endophthalmitis. Identification of Clostridium sp. was confirmed by the VITEK 2 system using the ANC card. When VITEK failed to identify the organism, MALDI-TOF was used. Data regarding demography, clinical presentations, interventions received, and final visual and anatomical outcomes were noted. Results:The mean age of the patients was 28.28 ± 22.35 years (median 21 years). By the etiology of infection, 5 (75%) eyes were post–open-globe injury, 1 (12.5%) was post-trabeculectomy, and 1 (12.5%) was postintravitreal injection. The mean follow-up was 9.71 ± 12.03 months, median 6 months. Two samples were positive for Clostridium perfringens, one each for C. subterminale, C. difficile, and C. tertium, and two were unidentified clostridial species. Favorable anatomical outcome was seen in 3/7 eyes (42.85%). Favorable functional outcome was seen in 2/7 eyes (28.57%). These were comparable with the outcomes of the pooled pre-existing literature. There was a trend toward better functional and anatomical outcomes and lesser evisceration/enucleation rates with vitrectomy instead of a vitreous tap, although not statistically significant. All cases showed susceptibility to empirically used intravitreal antibiotic vancomycin. Conclusion: Commonest setting of clostridial endophthalmitis is post–open-globe injury. Despite treatment with appropriate antibiotics, the visual and anatomical outcome is unsatisfactory because of high organism virulence. Early vitrectomy may allow for globe salvage and potential vision.


Abstract It has been increasingly acknowledged that emotions are a significant dimension in teachers' work and professional development, and an inseparable part of reflection promoted in the research-based teacher education. However, at the same time the difficulty of prompting student-teachers to reflect on their emotions in teacher education has been recognised. This article focuses on this difficulty by examining how emotionally loaded stories about teachers' work were dealt with by soon-to-graduate Finnish student-teachers attending peer group mentoring sessions. We illustrate this group-level phenomenon (the challenge of discussing emotionally loaded stories) through the examples provided by one of the participants, Hannele (pseudonym). Our results revealed that emotionally loaded stories in this peer group were often responded to with laughter and humour or via masking or silencing. Participants seemed to avoid deeper emotional reflection on uncertainty related to oneself and to the teaching profession, therefore maintaining an image of a proper (student) teacher. Our results have implications for both peer group mentoring and pre-service teacher education.


Purpose To deepen the understanding diagnosis and clinical practice of acute pancreatitis by CT.Methods Selecting 42 cases with acute pancreatitis confirmed by the surgery and diagnosed by CT in our division in the late five years,the retrospective analyses were carried out.All these cases were classified according to the Balthazar CT grade system,and divided into the edematous and the necrotizing types.The plain scan were performed with a SELE spiral CT scanner produced by Marconi Company in Israel on these cases,among which,the biphasic contrast dynamic enhancement were performed on 15 cases without the contrast agents pre-scan.Results A grade: 2 cases;B grade: 12 cases;C grade: 12 cases;D grade: 9 cases;E grade: 7 cases.The acute edematous type: 31 cases;the acute necrotizing type: 11 cases.8 cases were confirmed by surgery,and 34 cases were confirmed by the clinical diagnosis,the laboratory,the peritoneocentesis,and the CT check.Conclusion the acute pancreatitis has a typical CT manifestation,and the biphasic contrast dynamic enhancement is very useful in diagnosing the acute necrotizing pancreatitis.The CT scan and the classification can make the diagnosis clear,distinguish the pathological type,and are very helpful in the clinical perimeter,discovering the complications and deciding the prognosis.


The aim of this work is to present a review of particle transport theory in randomly mixed binary media. To accomplish this objective we briefly report some basic concepts of transport theory, and then we discuss in detail the derivation of two approaches developed to predict the solutions of such problems: the atomic mix and the Levermore-Pomraning models. Also, using the LTSN formulation, we provide numerical comparisons of these models with benchmark calculations generated through the use of a Monte Carlo procedure.


The economic development in the West depends on not only the reasonable development and use of the natural resources but also the development of the talent resources.It is critical to build a talent team,whose core is political talent.


The article deals with some untouched problems concerning Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues: the three independent lines formed by the subject and its two fixed countersubjects, all on the same triad; the "answer in natural mode" in the same key; and the techniques of "motif growing" and "straight expansion" as concluded by the author. In addition, the followings are also treated: the application of quite a number of musical forms in the polyphonic suite, and the inner link and formal comparison between preludes and fugues.


Rebels at Rock Island: The Story of a Civil War Prison. By Benton McAdams. (DeKalb: Northern Illinois UNiversity Press, 2000. P;. xiv, 260. Illustrations, maps, index. Cloth, $32.00) In Rebels at Rock Island, Benton McAdams seeks to dispel the "myth" of this Civil War prison as the "Andersonville of the North." Originated during the war and perpetuated by Margaret Mitchell in Gone with the Wind, this legend shrouds the true history of Rock Island Prison, McAdams believes, and he seeks to "reduce the myth without shrinking the truth." (xiii) While debunking, especially of Gone with the Wind, is an admirable pursuit, McAdams often simply sets up new heroes and villains. McAdams's story proceeds mostly as a chronological narrative of events on the island, from the earliest planning of the facility to its eventual closure at the end of the war. Along the way, several key figures come in for part of the blame. Federal Commissary General of Prisoners William Hoffman appears as a man bent on monetary savings to the detriment of the prisoners. Joseph Baker Danforth, Jr. plays the role of the sinister Copperhead editor bent on destroying or at least defaming all that is good on the Island. Major Charles Kingsbury, commander of the federal arsenal on Rock Island, is a petty, though largely incompetent, meddler. Even the average citizens of the Quad Cities come off as little more than avaricious hucksters looking to make a buck off the U.S. Army. On this sea of incompetence and treachery sails the camp's commandant, Colonel Adolphus J. Johnson, who calmly runs the prison despite all hazards until, responding to Danforth's criticism, he tragically helps create his own legend by lashing out at the editor. McAdams's account is a tale of drama, suspense, and turmoil, and as such it is an interesting story to read. Unfortunately, the book is frequently short on historical explanation. The central figures appear motivated mainly by good or bad character traits, rather than forces that can be accounted for historically. Danforth comes in for the most pointed censure. Describing Danforth's "smugness," (21), McAdams avers that "J.B. spent the late summer and autumn of 1863 happily lashing out at everyone around him." (22) By simply reporting the conditions on the island, Danforth "by implication attacked Johnson." (99) Despite this tendency to overdramatize the story, much that is worthwhile still appears in this book. McAdams does prove, for instance, that the smallpox epidemic behind the horrific death rate in the winter of 1863/4 resulted from an incompetent commander in Kentucky sending prisoners he knew to be infected. …


Geotextiles have been increasingly applied as reinforcement in road embankments on soft soil. The purpose of this study is to determine the optimum tensile strength of geotextile as the reinforcement in road embankment considering the allowable factor of safety and displacement. The stability analysis of the road embankment has been done by finite element method using PLAXIS 2D. In this study, three types of sequence modeling were conducted. First, the stability of road embankment without any reinforcement was analyzed. Second modeling was to determine the length of geotextile reinforcement considering the stability of the model road embankment. The last sequence was to investigate the stability of the model reinforced embankment with various tensile strength of geotextiles reinforcement. The result of this study showed that the optimum tensile strength of geotextiles was strongly influenced by the factor of safety. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of organizing committee of The 5th International Conference of Euro Asia Civil Engineering Forum (EACEF-5).


Productivity is the essential comparative advantage in high tech industry company in 21 century. These company endless endeavor for low cost production. Low cost production can be led by low facility operation cost and low labor cost. But reducing facility operation cost arise much investment. Thus many high tech company drive reduction of labor cost. These article suggest model for reducing labor cost and prove a effect by example of some company.


An improved method of separation and purification of nuclear DNA from pea tissue is described in this paper, which simplifies working processes. A 260 /A 280  of the purified nuclear DNAs of G 2 pea and Alaska pea are 1.92 and 1.88 respectively, these are typical value of absorption ultraviolet spectrum of nucleic acieds. It clearly showed that purified nuclear DNA are pure DNA. The output of nuclear DNA is about 130 micrograms per gram of seedling. This method is simple, economic and useful for further study on the nuclear DNA of pea.


In order to study the biological function of endothelial differentiation gene 4(EDG4), polymorphisms in exon 2 of EDG4 gene in 7 pig breeds were studied by PCR-RFLP method. The results showed that TT, TC and CC genotypes of EDG4 were detected only in Lulai and Yorkshire pigs, TC and CC genotypes of EDG4 were found in Laiwu,Licha, Yimeng and Duroc pigs, and CC genotype were assayed in Landrace pigs. Allele C and genotype CC were dominant in all 7 breeds. A chi-square results indicated that the distributions in Licha, Laiwu, Yimeng, Lulai, Landrace and Duroc pigs were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium(P 0.05). Distributions of TT, TC and CC genotypes were significantly in 7populations(P 0.01). Population genetic character results showed that effective number of alleles ranged from 1.000 to1.5127. Polymorphism information content(PIC) was between 0.0000 and 0.2815; The PIC of Lulai pigs was more than 0.25,being moderate polymorphic locus. The PICs of other breeds were low than 0.25, being low polymorphic.


INTRODUCTION. The current global spatial control net of Mars provides the geodetic basis for an orthoimage map composed of image data sets obtained from VIKING missions from 1976 to 1980. This map is not consistent with data returned from the Mars Observer Laser Altimeter (MOLA) onboard the spacecraft Mars Global Surveyor (MGS). In order to adjust the VIKING orthoimage map to MOLA, a new photogrammetric analysis of the global control net including MOLA data has been initiated. Altogether, coordinates of more than 3700 Martian surface points and outer orientation parameters of more than 1140 images are to be determined in the adjustment process. The methods applied are presented in this report.


We consider the coupled partial differential equations which arise in modeling linear thermoelastic structures. When this model is reformulated as an abstract Cauchy problem, it is known that the resulting solution semigroup is exponentially stable, and in certain cases it is analytic. In most cases, though, the infinitesimal generator of the semigroup does not satisfy a strict dissipative inequality. We construct a new norm, equivalent to the energy norm, for which a strict dissipative inequality is obtained. In the case of an analytic semigroup, the new norm allows the semigroup generator to become associated with a coercive esquilinear form.


Studies of egg‐batches of the pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Den. & Schiff.) were carried out in the years 1986–1989. The egg batches were collected in September–October shortly after oviposition and in March on the western Peloponnes and near Delphi. On Kassandra, the process of egg deposition was observed on one occasion. The hatching of caterpillars and parasitoids was examined over a period of about two years.


At the time of World War II, the vaccine against epidemic typhus that was most trusted by the Germans was the one developed by a Polish microbiologist, Rudolf Weigl. This vaccine was only available in his laboratory in Lwow. It was made by infecting body lice with the typhus rickettsiae, waiting a week for them to develop, and collecting the infected gut. This material was phenol treated and made into the vaccine. To accomplish this, Weigl needed a colony of healthy lice, which he bred using human volunteers as feeders. The Germans placed such priority of this endeavor that they left not only the outspoken Weigl to his work, but even sheltered the louse-feeding volunteers, which included scientists and other intellectuals, some of whom were Jewish. Moreover, the lab sent full-strength vaccine preparations to the underground and to some ghettos while diluting out those provided to the Germans.


Particulate matter can be generated through several processes. Formation processes determines the size distribution of the particles. The size distribution gives us important data about the fate of the particles. Composition of the particulate matter includes forensic about their actual sources. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of composting process to laboratory indoor air quality in close proximity to composting process. For this purpose, sampling was conducted at two different points; one of them wass inside the laboratory, whereas the other one was in the composting facility. A low volume cascade impactor was used to collect particulate matter according to their sizes. The impactor was operated for one week at each sampling point. Particles of 10 µm was dominant in the composting facility. The dominant particle size was 5.8 µm inside the laboratory. Particles were ultrasonically extracted in deionized water in order to determine ion concentrations. Ions were quantified in Dionex ICS-3000 ion chromatograph. Ca +2 , NH 4 + and SO 4 -2 were investigated. NH 4 + and SO 4 -2 had highest share in the finest size fraction at both laboratory and plant. Particles of 3.3 µm were enriched with Ca +2 . Biological decomposition products were effective in the ionic composition of  the fine particles, whereas mechanically generated dusts formed the coarse particle fraction.


The main idea behind OFDM is, the so called Multi Carrier Modulation (MCM) transmission technique. MCM is the principle of transmitting data by dividing the input bit stream into several parallel bit streams, each of them having a much lower bit rate, and by using these sub-streams to modulate several carriers. The two main drawbacks of OFDM are the large dynamic range of the signals being transmitted and the sensitivity to frequency errors. Using a Matlab simulation we can easily change the values of S/N ratio and change the multi propagation effects on the transmission. Then we can analyze the results of each transmission and see how the BER is changed. The performance is calculated in terms of Bit Error Rate (BER) versus the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR). In this project we discuss the BER performance of the MIMO-OFDM system with two different equalizers (ZF and MMSE,LSE) for various modulation techniques i.e. BPSK, QPSK, QAM using multipath fading channels i.e. AWGN (Additive White Gaussian Noise), Rayleigh and Rician channel. The multicarrier modulation is employed, which gives advantages like inter symbol interference (ISI) reduction, high data rate, high reliability and better performance in multipath fading. KeywordsOFDM,LSE, ZF and MMSE Equalizer, Multipath fading channels, Energy Efficiency.


In this investigation the complex copper core spun yarn (Cotton Sheath and Polyester Sheath) of 179, 118, 98, and 84 tex count of copper core yarns were produced by Dref friction spinning machines and the count of 74 and 59 tex of copper core yarns (cotton sheath and polyester sheath) were produced by ring spinning machines with core attachments device for electromagnetic shielding yarn production purpose. The article reports the effects of the process variables on tensile properties of the copper core yarn as well as individual core and sheath components. Various parameters such as Spinning drum speed, the sliver material, core materials, and count of the yarn were changed to investigate how various parameters affects the tenacity of the complex copper core spun yarn.


Since 1987 sustainability has dominated the discourse in relation to environmental protection, though the concept has a broader scope that includes social and economic aspects. In the 1980's innovative ways to produce were explored to produce more resources efficiently whilst this also prevented any contamination. This change is recognized as the move from end of pipe solutions to the clean production type. This latter provoked a paradigm shift when producers identified in the 1990s the opportunity to design the products in a waste less system approach whilst keeping their quality and functionality. After it, the producers try to manage their environmental improvements that could also be accountable either to improve their reputation and/or attract responsible investments. This sustainable accountability became certifiable by organizations as ISO, Global Impact, Global Reporting Initiative, among other certifying entities. This new type of environmental management represented an additional concern for producers as it also enables comparison in terms of sustainability. At present, financial entities look at producers' sustainability credentials to approve loans and promote investments. Lately, the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria have been reported as reference for responsible investors. Hence, in this paper, we explored several questions: (i)how ESG has been adopted by producers in Latin America? (ii)How that governance has become the focus in relation to sustainable investment? (iii)What have been the benefits? In order to respond those questions, we analyzed producers in Brazil, Mexico and Chile which were ranked by RobecoSam in 2018 among the best sustainability report holders.


The economy development in county areas is increasingly becoming to be one of key parts in China.The main body of economy in county areas is medium-sized and small enterprises.Starting from characteristics of medium-sized and small enterprises in county areas,this paper mainly analyzes existing problems and obstacles in the aspect of financing for those enterprises and lastly brings forward targeted countermeasures from governments,financial organizations,and medium-sized and small enterprises in county areas.


The paper discusses the origin of the,,Lutherbibel" and Martin Luther's principles for his translation of the Bible. The second part of the article is devoted to the revision of the ,,Lutherbibel" from 1984, the form which is used today in German speaking Protestantism. The history of this revision and its stylistic characteristics are the major themes in this part. On the whole the article tries to show why Martin Luther's translation of the Bible has such an important position in current Protestantism.


Objective: Using the atomic force microscopy (AFM) to observe the membrane surface changes of rat's hippocampus primary culture neurons irradiated by EMP, and to explore possible injured mechanism of EMP to neuron membrane. Methods: Hippocampus from neonatal rats(24 hours) were isolated by dissection microscope, the concentration of the dilution neurons was 1×106/ml, then the cells were cultured in 6-well culture plates. About 14 days later, the cells were irradiated by high field strength 5 EMP ( electromagnetic pulse, EMP) within 2 minutes, The electromagnetic pulse simulator which provides 5 pulses/min with a high electric field intensity 60 kv/m, 20 ns rise time and 30 μs pulse wide. The exposed cells were fixed immediately following irradiation and scanned by AFM (SPM-9500J3, SHIMADZU). Results: The results showed that there is membrane perforate with different size and shape (281.56 nm×89.90 nm×17.76 nm). Conclusion: EMP could injury the neuron membrane of hippocampus, and the membrane may be the target position of EMP.


To meet the requirements of robot's bionic expansion, multimode locomotion and multi-daughter collaboration, the mechanism design of a new kind of amphibious robot is presented. The swimming modes of snake and jellyfish are combined in the robot design. Furthermore, referring to the principles of blended-wing-body, oar pulling and tail cutting escape way of a house lizard, this design uses some new design concepts like blended-oar-body, hinged oar and motherdaughter separable body other than the traditional designs of wheel, propeller and fin leg. To verify the design, the daughter part, the joint part and the separable part of the robot are all developed. With the mathematical models of each motion mechanism, the rationality and feasibility of the robot parts' motion mechanism designs are finally proved by UG motion simulation, MATLAB numerical analysis and the test experiments.


Reasons of failure in cooling pipe of the reactor have been studied by the chemical composition analysis,optical microscopy examination and electron probe microanalysis.The results show that the early failure of the cooling pipe was caused by the stress corrosion cracking in the components.According to the working condition,the improvement measures had been adopted in material selection and construction design,the service life of the cooling pipe has been prolonged.


Isokinetic dust-sampling does not guarantee a true concentration measurement of particles when the particles and the sampling probe are electrified. The measured concentration is lower than the true concentration when both the particles and the probe are electrified to the same polarity. If the polarities of their electrostatic charges are opposite, the measured concentration is higher than the true concentration. The effect becomes predominant as the particle inertia becomes smaller. The sampling error takes a maximum in a certain range of particle diameter depending on the sampling conditions. Further, the smaller the probe, the larger the electrostatic effects. The effect of the induced force is, however, very weak and is negligible in actual cases. The results obtained in this paper give a better understanding of experimental results left unexplained.


Abstract The Anderson problem in the presence of a magnetic field is investigated. For 2 + e dimensions we compute the conductivity by means of a two-cut-off scaling procedure. We find the following behaviour. If for zero magnetic field the system is an insulator, the presence of the magnetic field gives rise to an insulator-metal transition. Upon increasing the magnetic field, we find that the conductivity increases. Upon further increase in the magnetic field, a second transition occurs leading to an insulating state. We find a series of such transitions. For the tight-binding Anderson model we find that the conductivity is periodic with the increase in magnetic field. The period is half a fluxon φo/2, (φo = hc/e). The conductivity is minimal for φ = (φo/2)n, n = 0,1,2,… and maximal for φ = (φo/4)(4n + 1), n=0, 1, 2,. (φ is flux per unit cell).


Threshold voltage and channel mobility of 1.2kV SiC MOSFET at high junction temperature up to 700°C have been extracted and analyzed for the first time, by virtue of a specially designed short-circuit measurement technique we developed. During the short-circuit operation, the junction temperature of the SiC MOSFET can rise significantly within a few microseconds, which can be extracted based on the short-circuit waveforms and electro-thermal calculations. The SiC MOSFET investigated in this work can maintain normally-off operation at a junction temperature up to 700°C. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms of the temperature dependence of the threshold voltage and channel mobility are also discussed.


This research is motivated by the importance of monitoring physical fitness in elementary school students. The results of an interview with the PJOK teacher at SD Negeri Sidomulyo 2 said that they had never conducted a physical fitness test on students. The purpose of this study was to determine the physical fitness level of fifth and sixth-grade students at Sidomulyo 2 Public Elementary School, Wates District, Kediri Regency for the 2022/2023 Academic Year. This research is quantitative descriptive research with a survey method. The sample for this study was all students in grades V and VI of Sidomulyo 2 Public Elementary School, Wates District, Kediri Regency for the 2022/2023 Academic Year using a total sampling technique. The research instrument used TKSI Phase C SD/MI including tests: Child Ball, Tot Tok Ball, Shuttle Run 4x10m Get Ball, Move The Ball, and Run 600 Meters. The results of the study showed that there were 2 students in the Very Good category with a percentage (of 4.44%), in the Good category there were 8 students with a percentage (of 17.78%), in the Moderate category there were 22 students with a percentage (48.89%), in the Less category as many as 13 students with a percentage (28.89%), and the Less Once category as many as 0 students with a percentage (0%). So it can be concluded that the level of physical fitness is in the "moderate" category.


Over the past century skiing has experienced remarkable growth in popularity, equipment and technique. From 1946 to the present the number of ski resorts in North America with operating lifts has grown from 15 to over 600. During this time skiing has developed from a means of winter travel into a sport that combines paramilitary precision and control with leisure. Driven by economic interests and the superficial imitation of European alpine architecture the contemporary ski lodge model has failed to meaningfully address these changes and has failed to address function and context in terms of both its formal organization and expression. This has resulted in the current ski lodge model that is detached from its site and primary functions. Through a critical study and analysis of the functions of the contemporary ski lodge and their relationship to a specific site a transformation of the ski lodge typology can occur in which the ski lodge meaningfully responds to the relationship between form, function and site. This transformation will manifest itself in the formal, material and tectonic expression of the ski lodge. Through the analysis of the functions of the contemporary ski lodge and their relationship to the specific site of Hunter Mountain, New York, the study of the evolution of the ski lodge typology and a graphic study of the contemporary ski boot a ski lodge was designed for Hunter Mountain, New York which critically responds to the relationship between form, function and site and attempted to address the changes which have occurred in skiing culture. The transformation of the ski lodge manifests itself in two primary ways. The first is through a reconsideration of the current notion of the ski lodge as a single entity that exists at the base of the mountain. In order to respond to the variety of functions existing within the contemporary ski lodge and to have a more meaningful impact within the larger site of the ski area specific functions of the ski lodge have been critically dislodged from their current location at the base of the ski area and integrated throughout the entire site. These lodge fragments include a base lodge, summit observation lodge and restaurant, shelters for reflection, several observation platforms, ski patrol stations and a terrain park lodge. They are located according to existing site characteristics such topography, views, density of use, and materiality. Through a unifying formal, tectonic and material language the fragments of the ski lodge form a unified system which utilizes the site to its full potential and promotes discovery and interaction between the natural and the constructed throughout the entire site of the ski area. The second way the thesis manifests itself is in the formal organization and expression of the lodge fragments. Primarily focusing on the design of the base lodge the formal organization and expression manifests itself as a series of fluid concrete blades, which emerge from the landscape. The form of these walls is derived from the multiple functional sequences of the ski lodge and a desire to integrate the lodge with the landscape. The programmatic spaces of the ski lodge are located between these blades to maximize efficiency and enhance the experience of the ski lodge constantly connecting the users to the landscape and the mountain beyond. A fluid shell that functions as a double skin to provide opportunities for passive ventilation in the summer as well as heat gain in the winter encloses the base lodge. This enclosure analogically references the fluid shell of the ski boot and fluid movement of the skier.


Aiming at the process of chromium ore smelting reduction for stainless steelmaking in a converter,the theoretical analysis and calculations were carried out for the several important questions of the process in the view of metallurgical thermodynamics.A theoretic basis for the thermodynamic feasibility of steel composition readjustment by chromium ore direct alloying in a converter steelmaking process was afforded.The following results are obtained: ① According to the thermodynamic analysis,the chromium ore can be reduced in a smelting reduction converter.② The activity of chromium in hot metal is raised by the incresement of the chromium content in hot metal.The effect of temperature on the activity of chromium is less.③ When the chromium content in hot metal is less than 20%,the precipitation of chromic carbide in Fe-Cr-C melts with carbon saturation is impossible on the conditions of producing stainless steel crude melts by smelting reduction at 1500-1600℃.


The rationality of tunnel lining design is based on the choice of design parameters. These main parameters are included coefficient of earth pressure at rest K0, soil young's modulus Eg, segment connection rotational spring Kθ, and circumferential connection shear spring Ks. In this paper, we will focus on these five parameters and consider the staggered effect of tunnel linings. Furthermore, the MOLEMAN-i computer program developed by Prof. Murakami and Koizumi is used to establish 3-ring model for the tunnel lining. The output data will be used for parameter sensitivity analyses and get useful suggestions for tunnel lining design.


This work studies the role of a human instructor within an immersive VR lesson. Our system allows the instructor to perform "contact teaching" by demonstrating concepts through interaction with the environment, and the student to experiment with interaction prompts. We conducted a between-subjects user study with two groups of students: one experienced the VR lesson while immersed together with an instructor; the other experienced the same contents demonstrated through animation sequences simulating the actions that the instructor would take. Results show that the Two-User version received significantly higher scores than the Single-User version in terms of overall preference, clarity, and helpfulness of the explanations. When immersed together with an instructor, users were more inclined to engage and progress further with the interaction prompts, than when the instructor was absent. Based on the analysis of videos and interviews, we identified design recommendations for future immersive VR educational experiences.


We have developed a prediction model of program/erase endurance for NAND flash memory cell. Program/erase simulations of the life-time of the tunnel oxide based on the anode hole injection model are carried out for the NAND flash memory cell structure with various floating gate lengths. The anode hole-generation model is implemented in our device simulation and the simulation in consistent with actual circuit operation has been carried out. It is revealed that the concentration of holes at the edges of the floating gate has an impact on the life time of the tunneling oxide. The present simulation scheme has capable of estimating the dependence of the program/erase cycles to breakdown on the effect of the gate edge current in conjunction with the storage density.


Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been approved by the FDA for use in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. Case reports and case series have reported significant psychiatric side effects in some individuals. The goal of this meta‐analysis is to characterize the risks and benefits of DBS and to assess its possible use within the psychiatric setting. A search was conducted on PubMed, EBSCO, and PsycInfo in January 2006 that covered the time period 1 Jan 1996–30 Dec 2005. All identified articles were reviewed and those describing adverse events were further examined with a structured instrument. The initial searches yielded 2667 citations; 808 articles met inclusion criteria for the meta‐analysis; 98.2% of studies that specifically assessed motor function reported some level of improvement. Most reported side effects were device or procedure related (e.g., infection and lead fracture). The prevalence of depression was 2–4%, mania 0.9–1.7%, emotional changes 0.1–0.2%, and the prevalence of suicidal ideation/suicide attempt was 0.3–0.7%. The completed suicide rate was 0.16–0.32%. In conclusion, DBS is an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease, dystonia, and essential tremor, and case reports suggest that major depression and OCD may also respond to DBS. Reported rates of depression, cognitive impairment, mania, and behavior change are low, but there is a high rate of suicide in patients treated with DBS, particularly with thalamic and GPi stimulation. Because of the high suicide rate, patients should be prescreened for suicide risk prior to DBS surgery. Additionally, patients should be monitored closely for suicidal behavior post‐operatively. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society


Japan is facing a shortage of human resources, and Japanese universities are becoming more open, providing many programs taught in English to attract international students to study in Japan. More international students who do not speak Japanese face the language barrier when trying to find a job in Japan. In this study, we have proven through various methods that even IT engineers who do not speak Japanese can perform IT-related tasks with native Japanese IT engineers. Moreover, use translation software enough to help them solve communication problems at work.


Crowdsourcing has become a popular service for requesters to integrate the human intelligence to complete software task. Since Crowdsourced Virtual Teams (CVT) are the foundation of the success of crowdsourcing tasks, previous studies have proposed various algorithms to solving CVT problem, including Alternating Variable Method (AVM), Hybrid Metaheuristic algorithm (ES-AVM), etc. However, there is still room for improvement in performance. In this study, we propose to apply Evolutionary Strategy algorithm with Self-Adaptation (ESSA) to help publishers identify ideal CVTs. ESSA is effective which leverages self-adaptation mechanism to search solutions. We experimentally evaluate ESSA with 6,000 random classic instances. ESSA achieves the state-of-the-art results. Due to the lack of open databases to construct instances, we additionally construct a dataset with 1,556 realistic instances for the CVT problem. Experimental results show that ESSA signi?cantly outperforms AVM and ES-AVM over 1,527 and 717 of the 1,556 realistic instances respectively.


The utility model relates to an air quantity change regulator suitable for an air conditioner and the ventilating equipment, which comprises an air pipe, a regulating valve sheet and an actuator, wherein the regulating valve sheet is positioned in the air pipe and is fixed on a shaft which is arranged by being perpendicular to an air flow direction, and the shaft can rotate and is penetrated through the pipe wall of one side of the air pipe at least; the actuator is arranged on the end of the shaft which is extended out of the air pipe, and the change of the position of the regulating valve sheet can be realized by the actuator; the actuator also comprises a control device which is connected with the actuator, and the control device and the actuator are arranged in a shell together; at least one pressure sensor which is connected with the control device is arranged in the air pipe; at least one setting device which can be used for regulating the minimal allowed air quantity and (or) the maximal allowed air quantity in the air pipe is arranged on the control device. The utility model has the advantages of compact structure, convenient installation and regulation, etc. The utility model can be widely used for the regulation of the changing air quantity for the air conditioner and the ventilating equipment.


Gene Sr21 for resistance to Puccinia graminis tritici in five hexaploid derivatives of the diploid Triticum monococcum was located in chromosome 2A. Since only one chromosome was involved in resistance, abnormal ratios found in some diploid wheat crosses and in one hexaploid derivative were attributed to differential transmission of gametes rather than to gene duplication in the diploid wheat sources. By using 2AS and an unknown telocentric presumed to be 2AL in telocentric mapping, Sr21 was placed 2·4±0·9 recombination units from the centromere in 2AL.


The paper examines the anomaly of the positive relation between cross-sectional stock returns and corporate cash holdings. We hypothesize that the relation is driven by the endogenous nature of cash holdings when firms face expected uncertainty in the presence of external financial constraints. We first use an EGARCH measure to proxy for expected firm-specific risks. We find that the positive relation disappears after controlling for firm expected uncertainty. In addition, we examine how fundamental sources of firm expected risks affect the relation. Specifically, we include three main drivers of firm risks that are identified in previous literature: cash flow volatility, financial constraints, and firm R&D activities in our tests. Consistent with our previous results, the positive relation is no longer significant after controlling for the fundamental sources of expected firm risks. Our results are robust to various alternative specifications. Our study highlights the importance of taking into account the endogeneity of firm fundamentals in asset pricing studies.


BACKGROUND: Methotrexate is a cytostatic drug belonging to the group of antimetabolites; it is an antagonist of folic acid with an intensive application in gynecology practice. METHODS: The frequency of micronuclei (MN) in peripheral blood lymphocytes of 30 patients with myoma uteri was analyzed before and after intratumoral application of methotrexate (MTX) in total dose from 50 to 115 mg. Analysis of micronuclei was performed by the application of cytokinesis-block technique (CB). RESULTS: Average frequency of MN in lymphocytes of patients before the therapy was 4.6±0.4 MN/1000 analyzed cells. After the completion of therapy with six separate doses during six consecutive menstrual average frequency of MN increased 1.5 times (7.0±0.6) in comparison to control frequency before the therapy. Statistically significant difference (p<0.001) was established by the Student t test. CONCLUSION: Methotrexate intratumoral treatment of the myoma uteri significantly increased micronuclei in peripheral blood lymphocytes.


To study the gas concentration distribution principles of close protective layer with Y-type ventilation,the models are built with the field conditions of No.62114 protective layer in Xinzhuangzi Coal Mine.Numerical simulations are performed by using the Fluent program.The simulations give the gas concentration distribution rules with and without the drainage work.The results provide a guidance and theoretical basis for on-site gas control system.