ously silenced voices, we cannot ignore the ongoing realities that allow the West to "hear" what it needs or wants. As much as the myth of the vanishing Native has been undermined and Native stereotypes debunked, one need only visit the grocer, gas station, or sports arena to remind oneself how prevalent those same myths remain. And despite Goodyear's valuable insights, his work ultimately documents how Red Cloud and others were virtually swept away by the white ideologies of the time—their legitimate complaints and concerns about conditions on the reservation mostly ignored, and their many trips to Washington largely unsuccessful in changing anything.


In NUREG-1801 (GALL) Revision 0 and Revision 1, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) defined the locations evaluated in NUREG/CR-6260 as a minimum acceptable set for evaluation of environmentally assisted fatigue (EAF), in addressing license renewal for nuclear plant components. Within GALL Revision 2, the NRC revised the expectation, so that plants also investigate the possibility of other locations being more limiting. To address GALL Revision 2 and NUREG-1800 Revision 2, an EAF screening methodology was developed that considers all Safety Class 1 reactor coolant pressure boundary components in major equipment and piping systems that are susceptible to EAF, including those locations listed in NUREG/CR-6260. While the overall screening process steps are similar to those published by EPRI, elements of the detailed application of some steps were performed using alternative techniques. The screening process utilized the comprehensive database of plant component fatigue qualifications available in NSSS vendor documentation, and yielded a comprehensive list of lead indicator locations for EAF consideration. This paper describes the overall process and alternate methods in the context of a specific plant license renewal application.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


The invention discloses a power consumption reducing method and device and relates to the technical field of control over a magnetically levitated train. The power consumption reducing method comprises the steps that when the magnetically levitated train is at the idle state, whether the magnetically levitated train is at the suspension state or not is judged; when the magnetically levitated train is at the suspension state, a suspension gap parameter corresponding to the current suspension state is amended, a suspension gap of the magnetically levitated train is reduced, and consequently the power consumption of the magnetically levitated train is reduced. Meanwhile, the method does not change the structure of a current suspension controller, and the manufacturing cost of the magnetically levitated train is not increased.


This paper discusses experimental results from an effort conducted to discern the basic mechanism of reactions in porous metal/metal compositions under rapid plastic flow conditions. Small-scale impact tests were performed on various intermetallic mixtures: 3CuO + 2Al, Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} + 2Al, Ni + Al, and 5Ti + 3Si. The addition of polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) to the metal/metal mixtures has been demonstrated to affect the extent of the reactions. Real-time emissivity and species evolution measurements of the reacting materials were used to discern the chemical reactions occurring under rapid plastic flow conditions.


Background  Stretch marks or striae distensae (SD) can be considered a common skin disorder, but their physiopathogenic mechanisms have not been totally clarified. Although it is considered an esthetic complaint, it may have serious psychosocial consequences besides the local and systemic alterations of the conjunctive tissue. This study aims at assessing and quantifying the estrogen, androgen and glucocorticoid receptors in skin samples with striae and comparing with normal skin.


An analytical model of a nanogap-embedded field-effect transistor, which is termed here simply as a biotransistor, is developed in this study. A surface potential model is attained by solving a 2-D Poisson equation with approximation of a parabolic potential profile along the channel depth. The analytical threshold voltage is then derived from the surface potential model to comprise the unique feature of the biotransistor, which acts as a biosensor. A shift of the threshold voltage was used as a metric to ascertain the sensitivity after the biomolecule interacts with the biotransistor. Various device parameters were investigated in the developed analytical model. The characteristic trend is supported and verified via a simulation. Hence, the proposed model can provide a useful guideline for the optimal design and fabrication of a biotransistor.


Various potentials and challenges in agricultural development in the border region are expected to managed and overcome properly. The participation of all parties, is needed to support this sector. The purpose of study was to determine the basic food crop agricultural commodities that have fast growth and competitiveness in the border region of North Sulawesi. This study uses analytical methods with secondary data. The data analysis determined changes in the structure or performance of the regional economy against higher economic structures (provincial or national) is the location quotient analysis (LQ). To determine the performance or productivity of the work of the local economy by comparing it with the larger using Shift Share Analysis (SSA). The results showed that the most superior commodity and the base in the Sangihe Islands Regency was sweet potato with the LQ value of 12.64, cassava 9.1and peanut 2.96. The results of the Shift Share analysis show that the six agricultural commodities of food crops (lowland rice, dry rice, cassava, sweet potato, peanuts) have not been able to growth in the food crop agriculture sector because it has slow growth.


A 3times3 SOA-based switch is demonstrated for routing both radio-over-fiber and digital signals simultaneously. High extinction ratio digital baseband signals are transmitted and sufficient linearity is found for high performance RF signal distribution.


Using the experimental technique of Raman and Venkataraman for the determination of the adiabatic piezo-optic coefficients of liquids, the adiabatic piezo-optic coefficients of three acetates and cyclohexanol have been determined. The temperature variation of refractive index of the above liquids has also been studied using a Pulfrich refractometer. The data obtained for the above four liquids have been discussed in the light of deviations from refraction formula, temperature coefficient of refractive index at constant density and the relation between the adiabatic and the isothermal piezo-optic coefficients.


In the present study two well-known combination methods, Fisher's and Tippett's, are compared according to their power. The calculations are made for normally and chi-square distributed test statistics. None of the two procedures is uniformly better than the other according to the power but sometimes the power curves cross each other. The calculated power-graphs give guidelines for when to use Fisher's method and when to use Tippett's.


Air kerma data and the relative response of the new HPA TLD are calculated for Narrow Series X-ray distribution and Cs photon sources using the general purpose Monte Carlo code MCNP5, and the results are compared to those obtained using its predecessor, MCNP4c2. It is found that the results differ at low energies (< 0.1 MeV) by up to ~10 %. This disparity is mainly ascribed to differences in the default photon interaction data used by the two codes, and derives ultimately from the influence on absorbed dose of the recent updates to the photoelectric effect cross sections. The sources of these data are reviewed, and their differences explored. The cross sections used to derive the commonly-used mass attenuation and mass-energy absorption coefficients, as well as air kerma to personal dose equivalent conversion coefficients, are also discussed, and the implications of these considered.


Invertebrates in tropical ecosystems are generally considered to have little or no need for a dormant phase due to the stability of the habitat. However, resting stages of aquatic organisms are occasionally found here as well. This fact increases the possibility of transport of tropical organisms by ships' ballast water, which is the main vector for the spread of alien aquatic organisms between continents. During a study of resting stages in the bottom sediments of the island of Taiwan in 2006–2007, nine species of invertebrates were found, invasive or new to the fauna of the island, with some of them forming large banks of resting stages in sediments.


The MACSYMA's symbolic ordinary differential equation solver ODE2 is described. The code for this routine is delineated, which is of interest because it is written in top-level MACSYMA language, and may serve as a good example of programming in that language. Other symbolic ordinary differential equation solvers are mentioned.


Efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi products (i.e. Bio- Power (Beauveria bassiana), Bio-Catch (Lecanicillium lecanii) and Priority ( Paecilomyces fumosoroseus)) against Spodoptera littoralis and Agrotis ipsilon larvae were evaluated under laboratory conditions. Four different concentrations i.e. 0.125x10 9 , 0.25x10 9 , 0.5x10 9 and 1x10 9 spores/ 1000ml D.W of each formulation were used against each pest under investigation and compared with control insects. The results obtained show that Bio- Power was the most effective product followed by Bio-Catch and Priority against S. littoralis 3 rd instar larvae, whereas , the LC50,90 values were 0.2x10 9 and 1.5x10 9 , 0.22x10 9 and 4.6x10 9 , 0.44x10 9 and 4.7x10 9 , respectively. While in case of A. ipsilon, Priority was the most potent product followed by Bio- Power and BioCatch, whereas, the LC50,90 values were 0.14x10 9 and 0.6x10 9 , 0.2x10 9 and 0.9x10 9 , 0.4x10 9 and 9.7x10 9 , respectively. Also, The results obtained show that percentage mortalities of treated third instar larvae of S. littoralis with Bio- Power, Bio-Catch and Priority were 87.5,72.5 and 67.5 %, respectively ,within 6.3,8.2 and 7.4 days at the highest concentration used (1x10 9 spores). However, The treated third instar larvae of A. ipsilon with Priority, Bio- Power and Bio-Catch achieved 100, 90.0 and 62.5 % mortality, respectively, within 5.3, 7.1and 3.9 days at concentration of 1x10 9 spores. The different formulations had delayed effects, the percentage of pupae and adults emerged were significantly decreased with an increase in concentrations.


The Russo-Japanese War was a clash of two continental empires. Of course Japan was proud of her description as an island empire with growing power at sea; and Russia too had expanded her Pacific fleet by 1900. But this war tilted the balance away from naval empires and further toward continental expansion and the clash of the two imperial armies. Russia never won a major battle in the land war, though it claimed some minor successes. The initial aspect of the naval war was the blockade of Russian squadrons and the mining of the approaches to Port Arthur and Vladivostok. It was an outright victory for the Japanese the most clear-cut victory of the war. It was also one of the great naval battles of history, a rare example of a numerically inferior fleet defeating a superior one. Keywords: continental empires; Pacific fleet; Port Arthur; Russo-Japanese War; Vladivostok


&NA; Massive rotator cuff tears present a difficult problem for orthopedic surgeons. To address this problem, a long head of triceps muscle interposition flap was proposed. Ten patients underwent repair of massive rotator cuff tears using the triceps muscle flap. The patients' strength and range of motion were tested preoperatively, and a University of California, Los Angeles, shoulder score was assigned. Similar testing was performed 1 year later. Postoperatively, the patients showed significant improvement in the overall shoulder score and in the pain and function components of the score. There was no significant improvement in shoulder range of motion, except for shoulder flexion. An important finding was that there was no loss of strength in elbow extension following the loss of the long head of triceps muscle. It was concluded that the long head of triceps interposition flap is useful in the reconstruction of the massive rotator cuff tear. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 110: 1266, 2002.)


Enicostema lettorale Blume (Gentianaceae) is a valuable & remarkable ethnomedicinal plant used by Bhil tribe of Ratlam District (M.P) in the treatment of Gout, Malaria and Typhoid. The species is under threat due to over-exploitation for its medicinal properties, indicating an urgent need for conservation of the species.


Programming assignments are typically constructed with great precision, in order to ensure that students traverse the important content areas in the unit. This paper makes a case for an "ill-defined", large programming task by presenting experiences with an assignment based on flocking behavior. Providing students meet the criteria that their artificial life forms clearly exhibit flocking behavior, they become responsible for defining the exact nature of the task. The success of this approach is partly measured by the ability of novice programmers who fully engage with the course material to produce spectacular results. The paper includes a discussion of the philosophical requirements for adopting such an approach within a programming unit.


Using publicly available data from the National Air Pollution Surveillance Program, water-soluble ion mole fractions in PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 were extracted for 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2015 at six locations across Canada. Fine particle ion content was dominated by ammonium sulfate, with ammonium to sulfate ratios largely approaching 2 and no seasonal or geographic trends. Sulfate and nitrate mole fractions were negatively correlated in the fine particles, consistent with their expected pathways of entry into PM2.5. Coarse particle composition varied depending on location and season. Coastal stations were dominated by sodium and chloride year-round while inland stations showed high amounts of these ions only during the colder months, where road salt is often applied. A negative correlation between nitrate and chloride mole fractions as well as a positive correlation between nitrate concentrations and "missing" chloride provides evidence for near-ubiquitous nitrate displacement of chloride. This displacement was strongly indicated in coastal sites and also evident inland, especially during cold months. Weak evidence for nitrogen dioxide as the source of nitrate was found for inland sites, but none was found for coastal sites, suggesting a nonlocal source for the particulate nitrate precursor.


The aim of this paper is to present "CoRe Square", a collaborative research space implemented with standard MOODLE components that we have designed as a space for integrating teaching and research at our University of Applied Sciences. The CoRe Square platform is intended to contribute to the creation and cultivation of a "Community of Research", a new way of organising the integration of teaching and research that we have developed inspired by a Community of Practice approach. The main design concept of the CoRe Square platform is that of two cross-coupled learning loops: 'cultivation' and 'participation'. Our specific design of the combination of the dyad "Forum & Wiki" allows creating interacting dualities where the two learning processes the cultivation of research knowledge and participation in cultivating that knowledge – activate and sustain one another.


A long standing problem in paleontology is the presence of giant arthropods during the so-called carboniferous era. The same difficulty occurs for the size of plants at the same period. We devise a possible answer to this question entirely different from the theories developed until now, based on the hypothesis that the size of atoms is decaying for very large times and the dimensions of polymers such as chitin and cellulose, containing expansible holes, are decreasing more slowly than rigid materials such as metals, alloys, composite materials and stone. Incidentally, this hypothesis might also give an alternative statement to the expansion of space.


The changes of two main sweet content, Stevioside(SS) and Rebaudioside (RA),the effects of 6 benzylaminopurine riboside(6 BAP) on the two sweet content in callus of stevia rebaudiana, as well as the role of root in the process of stevioside biosynthesis have been studied.the result showed that the ability for stevioside biosynthesis of callus altered with the lapse of cultural time; when cultured 10 days, Trace SS and RA were tested on callus. 20、30 days later,neither SS nor RA were tested, which indicated the callus had no ability for stevioside biosynthesis.But 40 days later,only RA was synthetized. It seems that the stevioside biosynthesis is related to re differentiation of chloroplast.when cultured 60 days later,all the callus with different concentration 6 BAP do have ability to synthetize SS or RA.The callus in culture with 0.5 mg/L,1 mg/L, 2 mg/L 6 BAP can only synthetize RA, while the callus with 3mg/L 6 BAP only sythetize SS.The rooted seedling demonstrated the ability to synthetize both SS and RA,Shooted seedling only to synthetize SS.


In this paper, we proposed a new multi-relay selection and power allocation scheme to maximize network lifetime. To maximize network lifetime, it is important to select appropriate relay node for cooperative communication and allocate power fairly among nodes in a network as well as to minimize total transmitted power. In the proposed scheme, the channel condition and residual power information were considered in multi-relay selection and the allocated power is proportional to the residual power, satisfies the required SNR at destination node and minimizes the total transmission power. In this paper, proposed scheme is base on ldquoamplify and forwardrdquo (AF) model. We evaluate the proposed scheme using extensive simulation and simulation results show that proposed scheme obtains much longer network lifetime than the traditional scheme.


In this article, we outline the significance of the special issue on the scholarship of Raphaël Lemkin. We argue that genocide scholars tend to identify with one of three different types of Lemkin scholarship. Each of the articles for the special issue challenges these genres in an effort to extend the study of genocide in new directions. Moreover, we contend that this work suggests that genocide scholars should endeavor to extend the study of genocide beyond Lemkin's vision and writings.


Lipids have been little investigated as food for adult insects, considering the importance of these macronutrients for development and reproduction. Lipid reserves are essential for oogenesis and somatic functions. Through host‐feeding, parasitoid females obtain essential nutrients, including lipids used in reproduction. The present study determined the lipid profile of Anagasta kuehniella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), a factitious host of Trichogramma parasitoid wasps, and evaluated whether the fertility of the parasitoid was increased by supplementing its diet with oils having a lipid profile similar to that of the host. Females of Trichogramma pretiosum Riley (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) fed continuously with a diet composed of 90% honey and 10% vegetable oil, mixed in a water bath at 70 °C, parasitized significantly more eggs (11–18%) than did females fed only with pure honey. However, addition of the oil reduced the longevity of these wasps by 40% compared to the controls fed with pure honey. The oil‐enriched diet did not affect the flight performance and quality of the offspring. This information on the use and allocation of lipid reserves in T. pretiosum will help to increase the parasitism capacity of this important biocontrol agent, when produced by mass rearing.


Fibrosis is a contributing factor to morbidity and mortality associated with several diseases. Infection with S. mansoni results in parasite egg deposition within the liver inducing high levels of IL‐4 and IL‐13, causing granulomatous lesions to form around the egg. In addition, these cytokines are responsible for the differentiation of resting macrophages into alternatively activated macrophages (AAMΦ) that express Arginase‐1 (Arg‐1), which are a major population within the granuloma. In these studies, mice with a macrophage/neutrophil‐specific conditional knockout of the Arg‐1 gene were infected with S. mansoni for up to 22 weeks. The absence of Arg‐1 during infection with S. mansoni resulted in 40% mortality whereas 100% of littermate controls survived to the chronic stage of infection. Death was not due to excess nitric oxide production as oral treatment with aminoguanidine failed to reduce the mortality. Histological examination of liver sections showed a significant increase in granulomatous inflammation in the LysMCreArg‐1flox/flox KO mice, which was associated with increased collagen deposition and mast cell infiltration. Observed variations in granuloma volume and fibrosis may be attributed to small yet consistent increases in IL‐13 production over the course of the infection. These data suggest that Arg‐1 is a critical regulator of survival and infection‐induced pathology during S. mansoni infection.


is my privilege today, in the absence of Dr. Sykes, to confer upon you the degrees to which you are severally entitled. I congratulate you on your accomplishment. It means that the college has examined you and found you worthy. Now you are going out into the world to be examined by it. Some of you have taken a partial examination there already. In college you may have had good luck or bad luck in your examinations. Sometimes the questions hit upon the field exactly in which you were best prepared. Sometimes your mind was working at its best. At other times, you were less fortunate. The examinations with an ingenious deviltry seemed to hit upon the things you did not know. In some degree, the examinations which the world will make of you will be the same. Sometimes opportunities will come to you to display great strength and find you qualified to do it. Sometimes the world will call upon you with confidence, and you will disappoint both it and yourselves. The only difference between your college examination and the world's examination is that the world subjects you to a continuing examination and the dates set for it are not determined in advance. It comes at most unexpected times and in unlooked-for situations. Frequently you do not even know that the examination is going on, and yet it may be a very critical moment in your career. The very continuity of examination guards against error in results. You have an opportunity to correct your bad examinations, and you take the risk of impairing the good ones. By and large, it is fair to say that the world's judgment will be correct. You will not get by permanently with lucky questions. You will not fail with a few unlucky ones. May I suggest this morning that you subject yourself to another examination. It is the most vital and important one of all. It must be more searching than any other. Your answers must be more full and frank. The results of this examination must be taken more seriously.


The key point of the theory of aesthetic knowing is that human's cognition involves the function of perception and emotion in addition to reasoning.By means of a variety of senses,we catch data of the world,distinguish the qualities in environment,and achieve in-depth understandings.Forms of representation developed based on senses become the ways for people to make their knowledge public and participate in construction of culture.By intuition which is constituted of sensory perception and knowledge,we are able to grasp the gestalt quality based on informed guesses.As a mind-alter device,school curriculum is supposed to offer students the experience to understand and construct meanings through multi forms of representation.This kind of curriculum formed by aesthetic experience can't be planned completely beforehand,but is fulfilled by the interaction between teacher and students.Therefore,on the standpoint of aesthetic knowing theory,curriculum must be formed in the process of teaching.There is no curriculum without teaching and learning.


This paper summarizes DTI's work in developing components for several different radar transmitter upgrades. The systems discussed include the AN/SPS-49 long range air surveillance radar, the Cobra Judy X-band systems, and the AN/SPQ-9A radar. The new technology is a viable and cost-effective replacement for obsolete components. Further, it improves the reliability of the transmitter and delivers better protection to the RF amplifier (klystron, TWT, etc.).


A simplified water balance approach is used to evaluate the impact of climate change on water resources within Western Australia. Two indicators; water availability index and groundwater recharge are used to express the predicted impacts. The HadCM3 climate model and the CSIRO-MK3 model provided the most relevant data for the given region of Western Australia. The largest water availability index throughout the selected climate models was in the far northern region of the state, closer to the towns such as Kalumburu. In contrast, the least water availability was found in the southern interior and the mid-western interior. These trends could be verified within the groundwater recharge results.


The beam‐plasma type ion source that we have developed has an original ion‐ beam extraction mechanism. An ion beam is formed with an ion space‐charge compensation by electrons which are distributed by force in the extraction region. The electrons are used in order to ameliorate an ion space‐charge effect, which might be an obstacle for high‐current ion‐beam extraction. The space charge of ions is effectively neutralized by many kinds of energetic electrons; that is, a primary electron beam, a secondary electron beam, and high‐energy plasma electrons. When the ion space‐charge compensation by these electrons is effective, theoretically, the divergence of an ion beam is suppressed, the space‐charge limitation of an extractable ion current is relaxed, and the shape of the ion‐emission surface is improved. Therefore, a high‐current ion beam with good quality can be extracted, even at a low‐extraction voltage. In the experiment, the current of more than 0.1 A at the extraction voltage of 1–5 kV, which was more...


Despite widespread attention to population aging and contemporary increases in racial intermarriage, little is known regarding their joint implications for social support in middle and later life. Drawing on data from the 2007 General Social Survey conducted by Statistics Canada on intermarried and endogamously married adults age 45 and over (N = 13,238), this study examined the effects of intermarriage on instrumental and emotional support. The results revealed that intermarriage was accompanied by a reduced likelihood of instrumental support with transportation from others outside the household but that it had no impact on the receipt of help with household tasks or in caring for family members and a positive impact on emotional support. These findings suggest that intermarriage is not uniformly positive, neutral, or negative in its implications for social support. Future theoretical and empirical work will need to address the complexities of these relationships in order to enhance our understanding of these emergent family structures.Key Words: intermarriage, late life, middle age, race, social support.Recent demographic trends in the United States and Canada, like those in other developed countries, include the aging of the population as well as shifts in ethnic and racial composition due to changing immigration patterns. The former is increasing the number of people in their later years of life and, with it, attendant requirements for social support and care. The latter is having an impact on marital and family structures, institutions within which needs for social support and care tend to be met. This includes the nature and extent of racial intermarriage (mixed union). In the United States, interracial marriage rates increased from 1.8% of all marriages in 1990 to 2.6% in 2000 and nearly 3.9% in 2008 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). In Canada, the rate of intermarriage increased from 2.6% of all unions in 1991 to 3.1% in 2001 and 3.9% in 2006 (Statistics Canada, 2008). Similar trends have been observed in other Western multiracial societies (Fincham & Beach, 2010).At present, intermarriage is more common among younger than older adults (Milan, Maheux, & Chui, 2010), likely reflecting more recent changes in laws, attitudes, and norms regarding intermarriage. Nevertheless, the increasing prevalence of intermarriage represents but one of a series of changes to family structure (including increases in childlessness, divorce, remarriage, and stepfamily formation) being experienced by cohorts currently entering into and transitioning through the later years of life that are likely to influence their access to familial and other resources for support as they age (Silverstein & Giarrusso, 2010). Such changes suggest that today's middle-aged and older adults are likely to have more diverse family networks than previous generations. Thus, insofar as intermarriage influences access to sources of support, increases in intermarriage raise important questions about the future wellbeing of older adults.Despite considerable interest in the implications of changes in family structure for the support of people as they age, little is known about those associated with racial intermarriage. Although extensive research has addressed overall patterns and trends in intermarriage in Canada (Hamplova & Le Bourdais, 2010; S. M. Lee & Boyd, 2008), the United States (Fu, 2001,2010; Kalmijn & van Tubergen, 2010; Qian & Lichter, 2011), Europe (Gonzalez-Ferrer, 2006; Kalmijn & van Tubergen, 2006), and elsewhere (Okun, 2001), much less research has examined its implications (Kalmijn, 2010). In addition, where these have been addressed, the focus has been on the development of racial identities (J. Lee & Bean, 2004; Qian, 2004), psychological distress (Brader & Eschbach, 2006), or marital stability and divorce (Brader & King, 2008; Fu & Wolfinger, 2011 ; Zhang & van Flook, 2009), rather than on issues of social support (Kalmijn, 2010). …


The U.S. health care system is indeed challenged to provide effective, equitable, and efficient care for its citizens (Aday, Begley, Lairson, & Balkrishnan, 2004). The past decades have witnessed profound concern about the quality of care Americans receive, the equality of care across racial ethnic communities, and the escalating costs of private and public coverage. These concerns apply to the cancer care continuum, including screening. This commentary reflects on the methods, findings, and implications of the articles from the Behavioral Constructs and Culture in Cancer Screening (3Cs) in this Health Education & Behavior supplement. This commentary considers several important themes for consideration in applied screening research, including the (a) focus on population diversity in a cultural context, (b) domains of social context and their importance, and (c) contributions of an interdisciplinary team and mixed methods to research productivity. Although the articles focus on breast cancer screening, the methods, observations, and recommendations are relevant to other screening tests.


Single nucleotide polymorphisms of xenobiotics metabolizing enzymes are critical in inter-individual variability in drug response. Cytochrome
P450 2E1, which is highly polymorphic belongs to these enzymes and ethnicity signicantly determine their expressions. Volunteers from Fulani
extractions were recruited through their expressed consents. Five mls of blood sample was collected in EDTA container used for DNA extraction,
PCR and sequencing. The consensus sequence generated for individual participants were located to the Cyp 2E1 gene and spanned both target rs
2031920 to rs 3813867 polymorphism region. Chromatograms were validated with Bioedit software. Three (3) volunteers (15%) revealed new rs
147346389 A>C polymorphism at nucleotide position 4029. Also, three (3) other volunteers (15%) revealed rs 35806299 A>G polymorphism at
position 3661. One (5%) new (unlabelled) A>C polymorphism was revealed at position 3906.


Inherited hemoglobinopathies are basically thalassemia syndromes that occur due to decreased or absent formation of normal hemoglobin. Abnormal globin gene in thalassemia describes its type. Patients who have defective alpha globin genes suffer from alpha thalassemia and patients who have defective beta globin genes suffer from beta thalassemia. There are clinical presentations which varied widely in thalassemia patients, the severity range from asymptomatic to severe anemia in which blood transfusions are needed for lifetime and in multiple organ system many complications occur.1 Alpha thalassemia has been prevailed in India, Africa and South East Africa. Beta thalassaemia has been spread in many areas of Middle East, Mediterranean, in Southern China, in South, Central and South East Asia. The carriers of alpha thalassemia are 5% and of beta thalassemia is 1.5% all over the world. Genotypes of alpha and beta thalassaemia are highly prevalent in those regions which are infected with Plasmodium falciparum. This leads to a theory that evolutionary protection mechanism is represented by thalassemia gene mutation. The populations which are at risk to thalassemia are migrating towards non-endemic areas and increasing the rate of thalassemia gene mutations all over the world.2


Adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ASCs) have tremendous potential for use in regenerative medicine; their secretome is especially important for regenerative processes. We hypothesized that exposure of ASCs to an electromagnetic field (EMF) can influence the proregenerative potential of cells by influencing the secretion of growth factors (GFs) responsible for regenerative properties. We showed that the exposure of ASCs to an EMF (50 Hz; 1.5mT) affected the secretion of GFs as well as the cell cycle process. The most important observation was a statistically significant, 3-fold increase in FGF-2 concentration at 48 h, and a 2-fold decrease at 72 h when compared to the control group. This finding is very important for regenerative medicine, because with precisely adjusted parameters, an EMF can be used to stimulate the production of GFs, mainly of FGF-2, by ASCs, thereby increasing proregenerative properties. The ASC secretome after EMF treatment could be a method for easy, simple and cost-effective stem cell differentiation and therapy facilitation.


The transformation of traditional energy networks to smart grids revolutionizes the energy industry in terms of reliability, performance, and manageability by providing bi-directional communications to operate, monitor, and control power flow and measurements. However, communication networks in smart grid bring increased connectivity with increased severe security vulnerabilities and challenges. Smart grid can be a prime target for cyber terrorism because of its critical nature. As a result, smart grid security is already getting a lot of attention from governments, energy industries, and consumers. There have been several research efforts for securing smart grid systems in academia, government and industries. This article provides a comprehensive study of challenges in smart grid security, which we concentrate on the problems and proposed solutions. Then, we outline current state of the research and future perspectives.With this article, readers can have a more thorough understanding of smart grid security and the research trends in this topic.


be the optimum age of pigs as donors for clinical islet xenotransplantation. In follow-up, we compared the immunogenicity of islets isolated from three and day-old newborn pigs. We also assessed their survival and function in immune-competent diabetic B6 mice treated with a combination of anti-LFA-1 and anti- CD154 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), a therapy that could induce tolerance to islet xenografts from 3-day-old newborn pigs in B6 mice. Recipients of 2000 I.E. from 7 day-old (n=10) newborn pigs that were treated with combined mAb therapy achieved normal blood glucose levels faster (7 to 8 weeks post-transplantation) than those treated mice that received islets from three day-old newborn pigs (10 to 12 weeks post-transplantation, n=6). No untreated mouse recipients (five for each group) achieved normoglycemia during the 150 days follow-up period post-transplantation. Conclusion Collectively, these results indicate that islets from 7 day-old newborn pigs may be more immunogenic than islets from 3 day-old newborn pigs, but a combination of anti-LFA-1 and anti-CD154 mAbs can protect these islets from immune-mediated rejection in B6 mice. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest. by measurement of


Disclosed is a fuel cell stack which is provided with: a cell laminate in which unit cells each composed of a membrane-electrode assembly and separators sandwiching the membrane-electrode assembly are laminated; a pair of collector plates, namely a collector plate A and a collector plate B that sandwich the cell laminate; a pair of end plates, namely an end plate A and an end plate B that sandwich the cell laminate and the collector plates; and an elastic member that is arranged between the end plate A and the collector plate A. A surface of the end plate A facing the collector plate A has a recessed and projected shape, and a recessed portion of the end plate A holds the elastic member. The bottom surface of the recessed portion has a second projected portion and a second recessed portion.


The property, synthesis, application and prospect of tetrahydrofuran were discussed. The tetrahydrofuran being an important raw material for organic chemical industry was pointed out.


The invention described herein relates to a method for identifying the antigenic regions of HCMV proteins involved in the human B-cell response to HCMV infection, for combining such antigenic regions in the form of chimeric fusion products, and their use as diagnostic and immunogenic agents.


The authors have carried out an analysis of the performances of a d.c. electromagnetic pump with a superconductive field magnet (SCEMP). The importance is stressed of the introduction of an algorithm capable of evaluating the power losses in the conducting fluid outside the magnet; the electromagnetic efficiency of the pump is further analyzed, by varying the length of the magnet itself as well as the spatial distribution of the magnetic flux density.


This paper preliminarily studied the microbial community structure of reclaimed soil in core-mining subsidence area of WuYang coal mine in XiangYuan of ShanXi province by using PLFA analysis methods. The results showed that the total PLFA,bacterial PLFA and fungal PLFA in a reclaimed soil were increased under fertilization treatments compared to the controls. After the content of soil total PLFA were analyzed in core-mining subsidence area under different fertilization treatments,it was shown that at seeding and jointing stage,the total PLFA between fertilization treatments and control were not significant different,but at heading and maturating,the total PLFA was obviously increasd under the treatment of manure with chemical fertilizers,and was significant different from these of control. At seeding,soil bacteria PLFA content under the treatment of manure with chemical fertilizers increased by 120. 7% compared to control,and was significant different from these of control. The content of soil bacterial PLFA was obviously increased under the treatment of manure with chemical fertilizers at jointing and heading,and was significant different from that of the control. At maturating stage, the difference was not significant among all the treatments. We also analyzed soil fungi PLFA in core-mining subsidence area under different fertilization treatments. At seeding stage,soil fungal PLFA content was also obviously increased under the treatment of manure with chemical fertilizers compared with other treatments,increasing by 126% compared to control, and was significant different from that of control. At jointing stage,soil fungal PLFA content increased sharply under chemical fertilizers treatment,and was significant different from control. At heading stage,the soil PLFA of fungi under different treatments were significantly different,and the soil PLFA content of fungi reached 325. 24nmol/g in the treatment of manure with chemical fertilizers. At maturating stage,the soil PLFA content of fungi under different treatments decreases rapidly compared to the control,and the difference was not significant among all the treatments. The principal component analysis of reclaimed soil PLFA data in core-mining subsidence area under different fertilization treatment indicated that the first principal component ( PC1) of the PLFA data has a great contribution to data variation,and the contribution rate was 74. 8% ,especially the treatment of manure with chemical fertilizers,and it showed a high positive correlation with the first principal component. It could also be seen in factor loading graph that most unsaturated fatty acids like C18 ∶ 2ω6t、 C18∶3ω6、18∶1ω9t、18∶3ω3 which represent fungi were concentrated mainly in area of the treatment of manure with chemical fertilizers and in higher content. It suggested that the treatment of manure with chemical fertilizers had great influence on soil microbial community structure of fungi,which may increase the soil microbial community diversities and produce dominant microorganisms. In addition,the soil total PLFA had good correlation with the amounts of organic matter,alkali-hydrolyzable-N,available P and available K. The relative coefficients were 0. 76,0. 85,0. 67and 0. 67 respectively. It can be proved that soil nutrient content was main factors of energy and nutrition for growth of microorganisms.


Aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of depression and anxiety among newly diagnosed patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), without known comorbidities other than hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, and to explore differences associated with OSA severity. Methods: Consecutive individuals, examined with polysomnography for suspected OSA, were enrolled. The Zung self-rating anxiety scale (ZAS) and the Zung self-rating depression scale (ZDS) were used to assess anxiety and depression, respectively. Patients were divided into subgroups according to OSA severity. Results: Included were 376 individuals (age 55.2±12.8 yrs; 74.7% males). Severe OSA was diagnosed in 43.1%, moderate in 18.9%, and mild in 20.5%; 17.6% had AHI Conclusions: Prevalence of depression and anxiety is not neglectable among OSA patients, as indicated by ZAS and ZDS questionnaires. OSA severity does not seem to be a predictive factor overall, although differences are observed in some items.


The synthesis and structure characterization of 1, 2, 4-triazoles and [1, 2, 4]triazolo[4, 3-b]pyridazine derivatives 2-10, 12-16 were prepared starting with 2-(5-phenyl-3H-1, 2, 4-triazol-3-ylsulfanyl)-acetohydrazide 1 and 11 as starting materials. Moreover, the prepared compounds were evaluated as antimicrobial agents and the results revealed that, compounds 4 and 6 revealed promising antimicrobial activities compared to the activity of the commonly used antimicrobial drug, Ciprofloxacin and Ketoconazole.


Paracoccidioidomycosis is a systemic disease that predominantly affects males. Experimental models suggest that males are more susceptible to the disseminated form of the disease. In vitro studies have documented growth inhibition in the presence of estradiol and progesterone whereas testosterone does not. Paracoccidioidomycosis has been "well described involving the male genitalia. Female genital involvement is rare; perhaps related to hormonal inhibition of fungal growth. A 57 year-old causasian female is described who presented with a ten year history of diffuse abdominal pain with alternating diarrhea and. constipation. She went on to present with an acute surgical abdomen and proceeded to laparotomy. Histopathological study revealed involvement of the omentum, fallopian tubes and right ovary with Paracoccidioidomycosis. Endometrial biopsy revealed chronic granulomatous endometritis, however, no fungus was visualized. Chest X ray and tomography were consistent with right parahilar involvement. We suggest, pathophysiologically, that the genital disease represents reactivation of an abdominal focus.


ASHTON (1914) described three species of cicada from Africa which were
soon placed in synonymy with other species. Re-examination of the type material
lead to the following revisions: Platypleura nigromarginata Ashton 1914 is
removed from synonymy with Oxypleura quadraticollis (Butler 1874) and placed
in the genus Strumoseura n. gen.; P. sikumba Ashton 1914 is confirmed as a junior
synonym of Munza basimacula (Walker 1850) along with M. parva Villet 1989
n. syn.; and P. longirostris Ashton 1914 is removed from the synonymy of P. divisa
Germar 1834.
KEY WORDS: Homoptera, Cicadinae, Platypleurini, East Africa, Strumoseura n. gen.


TAMPERE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Master's Degree Programme in Signal Processing and Communications Engineering KORPI, DANI: Analog Imperfections in Wireless Full-Duplex Transceivers Master of Science Thesis, 65 pages, 4 Appendix pages February 2014 Major: Wireless Communications Supervisors: M.Sc. Taneli Riihonen and D.Sc. Lauri Anttila Examiner: Prof. Mikko Valkama


The utility model discloses an on-line evaluation apparatus for motorcycle exhaust gas catalyst. It includes multifunctional engine exhaust gas analyzer, electric heater, gas inlet sampling tube, gas outlet sampling tube, exhaust gas direction control valve, gas inlet pipelines, and direct discharging pipelines. The gas inlet pipelines are respectively connected to the gas inlet sampling tube, electric heater and by-pass pipelines. The gas outlet sampling tube is connected to the multifunctional engine exhaust gas analyzer. The above tubes and pipelines are each provided with direction control valves. The utility model directly uses motorcycle exhaust gas as research subject, and directly utilizes ordinary multifunctional engine exhaust gas analyzer to analyze and compare the composition of exhaust gas before and after catalyst, so as to obtain relatively true evaluation results.


Online services or e- and m-services have gradually replaced traditional over-the-counter services in government offices. Some countries like Singapore with 1900 or Estonia with 550 e- and m-services respectively, have been very successful, while others like Mauritius have lagged behind with only 66 e-services, most of which are underutilised. A coherent and comprehensive citizen-centric framework for e-services is therefore necessary in order to guide the development and deployment of government e-services for citizens. This paper presents an e-services framework based on 136 factors influencing e-services uptake, categorised into 21 components that have been grouped into 3 core concepts and 2 main thrusts of the government e-services ecosystem. It is accompanied by 21 sets of actions for its implementation. The framework has been validated through a survey of citizens of Mauritius to confirm the hypothesis that adoption of the measures proposed in the framework will positively influence the behavioural intention of citizens to adopt government e-services.


This paper proposes a compensated Active Disturbance Rejection Controller (ADRC) based on Sliding Mode Control (SMC) for PMSM speed regulation system. This strategy obtains part of the system disturbance through identifying the moment of inertia and observing the load torque, then compensating them to the controller so as to reduce the pressure of extended state observer (ESO). Meanwhile the algorithm takes SMC to solve the problem that it is difficult to tune the parameters in nonlinear state error feedback control law (NLSEF), which can make the controller parameters simpler and easier to adjust. The simulation and experimental results show that the algorithm has the advantages of fast dynamic response, strong ability to resist the disturbance and simple parameters for tuning.


We consider the dynamics of a simple one-dimensional model and we discuss the phenomenon of ageing (i.e. the strong dependence of the dynamical correlation functions over the waiting time). Our model is the so-called random random walk, the toy model of a directed polymer evolving in a random medium.


This work presents the results of long-term deep-water observations carried out in the southwestern Adriatic margin. Hydrodynamics and thermohaline measurements were carried out in the last 100 m of the water column using two long-term moorings placed at two different locations along the western sector of the Adriatic continental margin (open slope vs. submarine canyon). The observations, carried out over a period of almost 10 years, made it possible to define the intra- and interannual deep-water dynamics, which are mainly influenced by the passage of cold, dense water. The hydrodynamic field is influenced by seasonal behavior and varies from year to year, with no clear temporal trend or periodicity. Thermohaline properties follow hydrodynamics but also show a climatological trend toward higher temperatures and salinity. The combination and variability of preconditioning factors explains the interannual variability in dense water passage at the mooring sites triggering the formation of dense water in the northern Adriatic. The impulsive nature of the dense water flow, which is difficult to capture with sporadic oceanographic surveys, and its linkage with the large-scale atmospheric circulation make continuous monitoring essential to answer open questions about cascading processes and deep-water dynamics under a global change scenario.


Percutaneous image-guided ablative therapies using thermal energy sources such as radiofrequency, microwave, high intensity focused ultrasound, cryotherapy, and laser have received much recent attention as minimally-invasive strategies for the treatment of focal malignancy in the liver. Potential benefits of these techniques include the ability to ablate tumor in non-surgical candidates, reduced morbidity as compared to surgery, and the potential to perform the procedure on an outpatient basis. This article will present an overview of the principles and techniques used for thermal ablation, as well as review the results of published clinical trials.


With the frightening rate of decrease of main energy resources such as fossil fuels, together with the environmental deprivation caused by the procedure of harnessing these energy sources, it has turned out to be an urgent need to spend in renewable energy resources that would adequately fulfil the growing energy requirements without degrading the environment. Solar energy is the direct conversion of solar radiations into Direct Current (DC) using solar cells and other solar technologies. Conversion of sunlight into electricity for industrial and domestic applications is both clean and environment friendly. The conversion efficiency of commercially available solar cells is in the range of 10% to 20% only. While recent advancements in solar technology has significantly improved the solar cell efficiency, but still the maximum efficiency falls in less than 20% range depicting enormous room for improvement. Solar cells accomplish better efficiency in cold weather than in hot climate. Solar panels are rated at 25 C ̊ while panel temperature simply reaches to 70C ̊ or more in the hot summer days. The deviation from the 25 C ̊ temperature reduces the efficiency of the solar cell up to 25%. A 100W panel produces only 75W in the months of May-June in most parts of Pakistan where temperatures reach 45 C ̊ and above in summer when electricity demand is high. The focus of this research work is to improve the efficiency of the solar cells by keeping the cell temperature within permissible limits. An experimental model is developed for two types of solar panels i.e. Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline. In the experimental model, both the solar panels were installed with a temperature sensor connected to Arduino. The temperature sensor measures the temperature of the solar panel. If the temperature of the solar panel is increased to a certain level the Arduino will generate a signal to a solenoid valve connected to it. The solenoid valve, connected to a water reservoir, would be turned ON and the water will be sprayed on the glass surface of the panel making a cooling effect. If the temperature increases further the Arduino will switch on the fan. The fan would turn ON making a cooling effect. The performance of both types of solar panels were analyzed by measuring the output power of the solar panel with and without cooling system. The results show that the efficiency of the solar panels were improved significantly by employing the dual cooling system.


A fundamental issue in user interface design is the effective use of available screen space, commonly referred to as the screen real estate problem. This paper presents a new distortion-based viewing tool for exploring large information spaces through the use of a three-dimensional pliable surface. Arbitrarily-shaped regions (foci) on the surface may be selected and pulled towards or pushed away from the viewer thereby increasing or decreasing the level of detail contained within each region. Furthermore, multiple foci are smoothly blended together such that there is no loss of context. The manipulation and blending of foci is accomplished using a fairly simple mathematical model based on gaussian curves. The significance of this approach is that it utilizes precognitive perceptual cues about the three-dimensional surface to make the distortions comprehensible, and allows the user to interactively control the location, shape, and extent of the distortion in very large graphs or maps.


 Abstract—In 2006, Box store marketing pattern was introduced in mainland of China. Because it is a very fashion marketing pattern, it attracted many young entrepreneurs to set up their own small business. In a short time, hundreds of box stores emerged in many cities. But because it is a new pattern, many owner of box store can not manage it successfully because of quality problems and poor management. The interests of the owners have been severely affected, some owner of box store was bankruptcy. Some owners even doubt whether this marketing pattern is a good style. Therefore, his paper is to introduce the development of box store marketing pattern in China and analyze it objectively to give some good advise to the owner of box store and the boss of box. The status of box store development in China is introduced in the beginning of this paper and then analyze what problems exit in the process of box store developing.At last some good advise is givern to the ower of box store.


In this paper, three different kinds of steel fibers, being micro (M), end-hooked (H), and corrugated (C), commonly used in engineering applications, are added to high-strength lightweight aggregate concrete (HLAC) to study the effects of steel fiber and volume content ratio of fiber on the compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strength of HLAC. The range of steel fiber volume content fraction studied is 0.5% to 2.0%. The research shows that different types of steel fiber have different effects on the mechanical properties and toughness of HLAC. M steel fibers have the best reinforcing performance on the mechanical properties. The study also shows that the toughness of M steel fibers is the best with the same fiber content. The toughening effect of H and C steel fibers can only reach 2/3 and 1/2 of M steel fibers, respectively. At the end of this paper, the unified strength formula and toughness index of these three kinds of high-strength steel fiber lightweight aggregate concrete (HSLAC) with different fiber contents are given to provide a reference for engineering practice and design.


In 2011 a European campaign was executed to estimate the daily loads of drugs of abuse into sewage treatment plants (STP) of 19 European cities. During one week every day a representative 24h composite sample of the influents was taken. For one particular case, the city of Utrecht, an abnormally high load of MDMA was encountered. The levels of MDMA found did not correspond with those observed in the previous year 2010. The samples were measured by HPLC-LTQOrbitrap- MS, and calculated loads varied from 350 g per d for the first day to 75 g/d for day seven. Compared to the preceding year the levels were 35x higher on average. The results raised suspicions about the origin of these loads. The Netherlands and Belgium are known for being the major producers of MDMA in the world, according to information of the EMCDDA. After viewing police reports on the internet it became clear that a possible cause for the abnormally high levels could be a police raid into a private home two days before the sampling started. The location raided appeared to be equipped for producing MDMA tablets, but only additives, empty tablet bags and a few tablets were found. MDMA is produced as a racemate. When swallowed, it is transformed during passage through the human body. However, the rates of transformation of the two enantiomers of MDMA are different in the human body. The S-enantiomer is transformed at a slightly higher rate than the R-enantiomer, resulting in a shift in the enantiomer fraction from racemic (0.5) to =0.65. The enantiomer fractions for all samples from the campaigns in 2010 and 2011 were measured using chiral chromatography on CBH columns and triple-quadrupole MS detection. The results showed that the samples from 2011 invariably had enantiomer ratios fractions close to 0.5, demonstrating that the observed MDMA in these samples is racemic and therefore could not be subjected to human metabolism. It can be therefore concluded that MDMA originated from direct disposal into the sewer. The total amount of MDMA that was disposed in the sewage system was assumed to be 30 kg equivalent to approximately 500,000 tablets. As MDMA is not removed at all in the STP plant of Utrecht the amount discharged is directly transferred to the environment. The implications of these direct discharges for ecosystem health remain largely unknown. The present study demonstrates the potential of sewage analysis by LC-MS methods and that of chiral separations for forensic purposes.


The seabed soil sampling device is disclosed. Seabed soil sampling device according to the invention, is provided on a line is drawn to the sea floor in the sea bed soil sampling device for collecting the deposited soil on the ocean floor, there is provided a bearing adjacent to the sea floor, the through-hole is formed at the center Triangle zone and, above with the delta area through the through hole and one penetration part to be perpendicular to the seabed soil, with the core barrel on the inner side to the depth to be intrusive to the seabed soil the seabed soil filled in, either side of the core barrel to be this is provided spaced apart from, the one side is provided between the installed to be perpendicular to the upper part of the delta area of the pair of guide rails and, with the core barrel of the guide rail for guiding the core barrel so as to be movable in the upper or lower side and close to the outer peripheral surface of the core barrel, is provided in the upper part of the delta area by the pulling power of the core barrel To the core barrel of the intrusion or withdraw the sea floor drive unit, and a cable connected to the upper side of the core barrel, and that the cable is wound, wherein is provided on the board in accordance with the depth of the core barrel is raised and lowered and varying the length of the cable, and the core barrel completing the subsea soil sampling comprises a motorized winch for the recovery of the line. Accordingly, the gear is rotated due to the operation of the drive motor is provided in the delta zone is engaged with the core barrel to the intrusion reliably the core barrel on the sea bed soil may take samples of the precision and quality of the seabed soil sampling, a core catcher is the by avoiding departure of the seabed soil to be intruded into the inside of the core barrel to prevent disturbance of the soil, and the center of gravity is in the lower part maintaining the vertical when falling to the sea floor and a drop after the delta zone is firmly supported by the seabed surface core the barrels can be intruded vertically in the seabed soil, and there is an effect that can be stored folded triangle zone in a narrow deck of the ship.


Soil nutrients content of upland, paddy field and vegetable plot changed from paddy field were measured under the 10 rotation cropping systems in the hilly region of red soil in south Hubei. The organic matter and nitrogen were commonly low and the phosphorus was deficiency, where the potassium was gradually reduced in the area. It was found that the content of organic matter and nitrogen in the rotation cropping system could be set in sequence from high to low, for paddy field, vegetable plot changed from paddy field, and upland, while the content of phosphorous might be set an other sequence, for vegetable plot changed from paddy field, paddy field, and upland. The content of potassium was remarkable lower in paddy field than in upland, especially low in three harvests a year (rape seed-watermelon--rice). Changing to vegetable plot can remarkable reform soil moisture region of paddy soil.


Let G = (V, E) be a weighted undirected graph with |V| = n and |E| = m. An estimate deltacirc(u,v) of the distance delta(u,v) in G between u,v isin V is said to be of stretch t iff delta(u,v) les deltacirc(u,v) les t middot delta(u,v). The most efficient algorithms known for computing small stretch distances in G are the approximate distance oracles of (M. Thorup and U. Zwick, 2005) and the three algorithms in (E. Cohen and U. Zwick, 2001) to compute all-pairs stretch t distances for t = 2, 7/3, and 3. We present faster algorithms for these problems. For any integer k ges 1, Thorup and Zwick (2005) gave an O(kmn1k/) algorithm to construct a data structure of size O(kn1 + 1k/) which, given a query (u,v) isin V times V, returns in O(k) time, a 2k - 1 stretch estimate of delta(u, v). But for small values of k, the time to construct the oracle is rather high. Here we present an O(n2 log n) algorithm to construct such a data structure of size O(kn1+1k/) for all integers k ges 2. Our query answering time is O(k) for k > 2 and Theta (log n) for k = 2. We use a new generic scheme for all-pairs approximate shortest paths for these results. This scheme also enables us to design faster algorithms for all-pairs t-stretch distances for t = 2 and 7/3, and compute all-pairs almost stretch 2 distances in O(n2 log n) time


A simple method for calculating the free-exciton binding energies in the fractional-dimensional-space model for single-quantum-well structure has been extended to quantum-well wires and quantum dots, in which the real anisotropic system is modelled through an effective isotropic environment with a fractional dimension. In this scheme, the fractional-dimensional parameter is chosen via an analytical procedure and involves no ansatz. We calculated the ground-state binding energies of excitons and donors in quantum-well wires with rectangular cross sections. Our results are found to be in good agreement with previous variational calculations and available experimental measurements. We also discussed the ground-state exciton binding energy changing with different shapes of quantum-well wires.


Detroit Diesel's test experience on light duty truck PM aftertreatment technology development will be presented. The Tier-II extremely low emissions standards combined with the light-duty test cycle impose a significant challenge for the development of production-viable emissions technologies. A robust general path to achieve these emissions targets will be outlined.


Abstract This article examines the development of racially segregated Mexican rooms and Mexican schools in Wyoming during the Depression era. Working in concert with New Deal legislation, the segregation of Mexican children—regardless of US citizenship—in Wyoming was not just a matter of social practice and local custom, it became an expression of increased state and federal power that mirrored Jim Crow laws. Wyoming was not alone. The segregation of Mexicans also occurred in neighboring Colorado, Montana, and Nebraska. This article also discusses how, ultimately, public schools and schooling finalized the codification and institutionalization of Mexicans as a race of their own. In Wyoming, schools were the architects of the Mexican race. Furthermore, this unexplored area demonstrates that the segregation of Mexican children was not just a Southwest phenomenon but encompassed almost all of the US West.


The lambda calculus, developed in the 1930's by Church and Curry, is a formalism for expressing higher-order functions. In a nutshell, a higher-order function is a function that inputs or outputs a "black box", which is itself a (possibly higher-order) function. Higher-order functions are a computationally powerful tool. Indeed, the pure untyped lambda calculus has the same computational power as Turing machines [Tur36]. At the same time, higher-order functions are a useful abstraction for programmers. They form the basis of functional programming languages such as LISP, ML, Scheme, and Haskell. In this chapter, we discuss how to combine higher-order functions with quantum computation. We believe that this is an interesting question for a number of reasons. First, the combination of higher-order functions with quantum phenomena raises the prospect of entangled functions. Certain well-known quantum phenomena can be naturally described in terms of entangled functions, and we will give some examples of this in Section 1.2. Another interesting aspect of higher-order quantum computation is the interplay between classical objects and quantum objects in a higherorder context. A priori, quantum computation operates on two distinct kinds of data: classical data, which can be read, written, duplicated, and discarded as usual, and quantum data, which has state preparation, unitary maps, and measurements as primitive operations. The higherorder computational paradigm introduces a third kind of data, namely functions, and one may ask whether functions behave like classical data, quantum data, or something intermediate. The answer is that there will actually be two kinds of functions: those


Disclosed herein is a signal processing apparatus including: analog-to-digital conversion means for performing delta sigma modulation of generating a digital signal having a predetermined sampling frequency and a predetermined quantization bit rate of one or more bits based on an input analog signal; signal processing means including a digital filter having a characteristic for outputting a digital signal having a sampling frequency n × Fs (Fs is a reference sampling frequency) and a quantization bit rate of a bits (a is a natural number greater than one) based on the above digital signal; and digital-to-analog conversion means including a part for performing delta sigma modulation for outputting a digital signal having a sampling frequency n x Fs and a quantization bit rate of b bits (b is a natural number greater than zero and less than a) based on a digital signal outputted from the signal processing means.


Despite the high prevalence and incidence of cervical cancer, this disease can be avoided and has great healing potential when detected at early stages. Cervical cancer screening is used in monitoring programs for early diagnosis and is considered safe and effective. This study aimed to analyze the conceptions of women on cervical cancer screening. A qualitative study was carried out with 30 women assisted in primary care, in Teresina, Piaui, Brazil. The Discourse of the Collective Subject was obtained from interviews carried out from August to October 2016. The speeches expressed the notions that women have about the significance of the screening test, the importance of undergoing the test, and prevention of cervical cancer. The conceptions of the interviewed women revealed that the test prevents diseases, including cervical cancer. However, the discourses left clear the lack of knowledge on HPV, its forms of prevention and cervical cancer. The analysis revealed that women have superficial or insufficient knowledge about the significance of the screening test and cervical cancer.


Plaza Pangkalpinang – Bangka Trade Center Area as The Central Market of Pangkalpinang, generates a large number of trips. The trips are not only vehicle trips but also trips of the pedestrian. The high pedestrian traffic requires pedestrian facilities. The availability of pedestrian facilities will affect the pedestrian environment. The pedestrian-friendly environment will encourage people to walk more. This study aims to assess pedestrian facilities to improve the pedestrian environment in Plaza Pangkalpinang – Bangka Trade Center Area. Pedestrian facilities are evaluated based on the walkability index. In this study, the area is divided into 2 zones, followed by determining the pedestrian routes in each zone. All of the pedestrian routes are divided into 16 road segments. Then, the walkability index will be assessed using 9 parameters in each road segment. The research finding shows that Plaza Pangkalpinang – Bangka Trade Center Area is in bad condition for walking and not pedestrian-friendly. The walkability index in this area is 49.17. It means the available pedestrian facilities are not good enough for walking. Furthermore, the result can be used as a consideration of the government for increasing pedestrian facilities to improve the pedestrian environment in Plaza Pangkalpinang – Bangka Trade Center Area.


Religious fundamentalism is a topical issue in our current global political context. It is characterised by unquestioning adherence to literal interpretations of religious doctrine. It is usually synonymous with violence, intolerance and oppression. Fixed positions associated within this fundamentalism are often vehemently defended against change and secularisation.


We propose an efficient, generalized, nonparametric, statistical Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for detecting distributional change in high-dimensional data. To implement the test, we introduce a novel, hierarchical, minimum-volume sets estimator to represent the distributions to be tested. Our work is motivated by the need to detect changes in data streams, and the test is especially efficient in this context. We provide the theoretical foundations of our test and show its superiority over existing methods.


Abstract Using a unique hand-collected nationwide survey, this paper studies China's privatization, by far the largest one in human history. We find that privatization in China has improved performance, but only for firms bought out by managers (MBOs). Consistent with improved performance, MBO firms are less likely be influenced by the state in their daily operation and are more likely to take various restructuring measures. We also find city governments with stronger fiscal disciplines and with less political burdens of disposing laid-off works tend to use the MBO method to privatize. Our empirical design deals with the selection issues by applying a difference-in-difference approach and an IV approach.


The main objective of solar air heater (SAH) is to make use of the solar potential for heating air and this is used for drying, crops, fishes, wet grains during post harvesting, space heating and in greenhouses. SAH is a black body which has less emissivity and high heat absorbing capacity. The air enters into the collector gets heated with addition of solar radiation. The collector is placed at an angle due to which the natural draught occurs. The main advantage of this type of air heater is compactness, maintenance, easy to assemble and dissemble. In this work a SAH is examined with the use of different materials, sizes and shapes (like plane, rugged) of absorber plates with optimum tilt angle for better thermal storage performance and greater efficiency.


OBJECTIVE: To assess survival rates and clinical (pretreatment) prognostic factors in patients with clinically localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate. METHODS: Hospital cohort including 258 patients registered in the National Cancer Institute, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil, from 1990 to 1999. Fiveand ten-year survival functions were estimated using the KaplanMeier estimator from the histological diagnosis (initial time of follow-up) to death due to prostate cancer (events). Prognostic factors were assessed using hazard ratios (HR) with confidence intervals of 95%, following the Cox's proportional hazards model. The assumption of proportionality of risks was tested using Schoenfeld residuals and the impact of outliers in the model fitness was analyzed using martingale and score residuals. RESULTS: Of 258 patients studied, 46 died during follow-up. The overall fiveyear and ten-year survival rates were 88% and 71%, respectively. A Gleason score higher than 6, PSA levels higher than 40 ng/mL, B2 stage, and white skin color were independent markers of poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Gleason score, digital rectal examination and PSA levels have great predictive power and must be used in pretreatment risk stratification of patients with localized prostate cancer. DESCRIpTORS: Prostatic Neoplasms. Prognosis. Survival Rate. Cancer Care Facilities. Oncology Service, Hospital. Prostate-Specific Antigen. Neoplasm Staging. 2 Survival of patients with prostate cancer Migowski A & Silva GA Prostate cancer is the most common malignant neoplasm among Brazilian men, following non-melanoma skin cancer, with 52,350a new cases in 2010. Most of these tumors are confined to the prostate at diagnosis, accounting for 69.4% of prostate cancers diagnosed in public services of the Sistema Único de Saúde (National Health System) in the state of São Paulo.17 Many tumors clinically staged as localized are not actually localized, resulting in non-effective therapeutic indications.9 Moreover, patients with clinically nonsignificant cancer are unnecessarily treated due to the limitations of current prognostic classification.1 Unclear definition of pretreatment prognosis of localized prostate cancer is a serious public health concern given high morbidity associated with common treatment options. For example, even five years after treatment, erectile sexual dysfunction affects 80% and 50% of patients undergoing radical prostatectomy and external beam radiation therapy, respectively.10 Given this limitation of clinical staging, new clinical prognostic factors have been thoroughly studied. Clinical prognostic factors are identified prior to treatment and guide the choice of the best therapeutic option for each patient.11 The most important clinical prognostic markers currently available are pretreatment PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels and the degree of histological differentiation according to Gleason score of tumor specimens collected through biopsy. There are many studies supporting these prognostic factors as valuable clinical tools.4 Despite their importance, both Gleason score and total PSA do not completely define the prognosis of patients with clinically localized cancer. It was found that even with a Gleason score ≤6, only 70% of patients have confirmed localized disease in the pathological staging. When the score is ≥7, this percentage falls to 34%.18 It is estimated that sensitivity of PSA to detect localized disease, with 100% specificity, is only 14%.9 To combine information from several prognostic factors that would allow more accurate and individualized predictions than the classical classification in risk groups, many researchers have developed nomograms based on results from multivariate models. In these models, discordant prognostic variables are incorporated in the estimate of the patient's individual risk.5,7,12,21 Biochemical recurrence and staging (after surgery) are commonly used outcomes in studies of clinical prognostic factors in prostate cancer. Major outcomes such as metastases and specific mortality are not widely used as they require long follow-up.b INTRODUCTION a Brazilian Ministry of Health. National Cancer Institute. Estimativa 2010: incidência de câncer no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro; 2009. b National Comprehensive Cancer Network.Clinical practice guidelines in Oncology: Prostate Cancer. 2005. Washington; 2006. The objective of the present study was to assess survival rates and pretreatment prognostic factors in patients with localized prostate cancer.


In this paper a linear programming model of planting trade decision for farms in reclamation area is given, and a fuzzy programming model of planting trade decision is also built, and its solution method is discussed also. Finally, an optimization planting plan of planting trade is presented for some farm in Mudanjiang reclamation area.


Abstract We study the model-theoretic aspects of a probability logic suited for talking about measure spaces. This nonclassical logic has a model theory rather different from that of classical predicate logic. In general, not every satisfiable set of sentences has a countable model, but we show that one can always build a model on the unit interval. Also, the probability logic under consideration is not compact. However, using ultraproducts we can prove a compactness theorem for a certain class of weak models.


Inter-firm organizations are considered as new and strategic organizational forms by the industrial evolution and fast development of the net. Inter-firm organizations are different net governing forms from market and firm organizations. Meanwhile it is also considered as an important resource to get competitive advantages. When facing fast-changing environment, severe market competition and easy-changed demand of costumers, the traditional firm organizations confront with great challenge. And inter-firm organizations are effective strategy to solve the problems between organizations and environment. This paper will mainly analyze the trust mechanism between firm organizations. And based on the trust mechanism, firm organizations can communicate, learn and cooperate. Finally the efficiency of the firm organizations will be upgraded.


Tissue engineering (TE) has been defined as "the application of the principles and methods of engineering and the life sciences toward the fundamental understanding of structure-function relationships in normal and pathological mammalian tissues and the development of biological substitutes that restore, maintain, or improve tissue function" (Skalak & Fox 1988). There are prognoses that the economic volume of TE will soon exceed that of gene therapy, and that it may be one of the developments in biotechnology with the most impact. TE offers bright prospects especially for surgeons, and clinically practicing surgeons may play a major role to ensure the success of TE. Notably tissue engineering may offer more functional solutions for chronic diseases and degenerative ailments than conventional treatments. These chronic deficiencies constitute an increasing social and economic burden, especially in western societies with aging populations. Two relatively simple tissue types – epithelium (epidermis and oral mucosa) and cartilage – have already been introduced into routine clinical practice (BioSeedS/BioSeedC). They share the peculiarity that they do not need an intrinsic vascular system for parenchymal cell survival and function. Other clinically relevant tissue defects currently under investigation for this kind of tissue substitution include nervous tissue, cornea, liver, endocrine pancreas, kidney tubules, urothelium and bladder, adipose, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal tissues (bone, cartilage, muscle, tendons, ligaments), abdominal wall and many more. For practical application, tissue engineering approaches can be categorized into more substitutive approaches, where the aim is the ex vivo construction of a living tissue or organ similar to a transplant, versus histeoconductive or histeo inductive concepts. With regard to this aspect a frequently used synonym is regenerative medicine. The latter approach attempts to optimize the structure and composition of biogenic or (semi)synthetic matrix materials, boost or select living cells for optimal proliferation in vivo, and to use highly specific growth factors or gene therapy transfecting for such cytokines. For the successful development of products applicable in TE a close co-operation between material sciences, biology (cell biology, molecular biology, genetics), medicine (clinical sciences, embryology, anatomy, physiology) and industry is a prerequisite. Only a comprehensive understanding of the components involved (biomaterials, cells, cytokines, genes) can lead to successful manipulation of reparative processes. With increasing experimental success in the development of TE products, the importance of a complex medical technology (including minimally invasive surgery) to transfer them into clinical application becomes increasingly important. Materials used for TE applications must be biocompatible, non-toxic (including their breakdown products), non-carcinogenic, sterilizable and surgically handable. They should have an intrinsic mechanical stability as requested for the tissue type to be substituted for. In most cases they should be resorbable in the order in which they are replaced in vivo by the newly produced matrix. They should also be tissue conductive (guide migrating and proliferating cells) and possibly tissue inductive (induce specifically the proliferation of cells). To permit the survival of living cells they must be permeable for nutrients, cytokines and waste products. Ideally they may contain binding sites for cells (e.g. fibronectins). Currently used Min Invas Ther & Allied Technol 2002: 11(3) 85–86


American theatre director Robert Wilson is often celebrated as the quintessential post-modern artist from the American avant-garde movement of the 1950s. Wilson is often read as a paradigm for Post Modernism, in part due to the claim that Wilson's performances are without explicit meaning. However, this is only one view of Wilson's work. Most artists in America, creating theatre during the 1950s onwards were reacting in some way to certain social and political issues. Wilson seems to have been more involved with the creative developments in the theatre of that time, but is it possible to take from his work some influences from the social and political turmoil around him, and could the historical timing of Deafman Glance, have had an effect on its meaning? This report investigates the popular view that Wilson's work is without meaning.

It is expected that, by detailed examination of American culture around the time of Deafman Glance, it will be possible to show how Wilson's reaction to certain social norms affected some creative choices in his work. It should also prove, by exploring the social, political and artistic contexts around him, that meanings are woven inadvertently into his performances.


This is the text of my talk at CMU on Feb. 4, 2010 were I gave the second public presentation of the Univalence Axiom (called "equivalence axiom" in the text). The first presentation of the axiom was in a lecture at LMU Munich in November 2009.


The primary ambient extraction (PAE) decomposes a stereo mixture into separated primary and ambient components, providing a crucial step in spatial audio analysis and reproduction. The necessary spatial assumptions of PAE include (i) uncorrelated balanced ambient components, (ii) uncorrelated ambient and primary components, and (iii) primary components with the only difference in the panning factor. Hence, different PAE methods can be developed for different decorrelation processes that are used to produce the uncorrelated ambient components. This paper investigates a new decorrelation process, namely the random sign Hilbert filtering decorrelation process. This decorrelation process ensures that the ambient components consistently have ±90° phase difference between the left and right channels. The PAE method catering for the random sign Hilbert filtering decorrelation process is called the uncorrelated-ambient PAE (UAPAE). This paper expounds the UAPAE and demonstrate a comparison between the UAPAE and existing PAE methods.


The amount of music in digital form increases due to the improvement of internet and recording technologies. With this increase, the automatic organization of musics has emerged as a problem needs to be solved. For this reason, Music Information Retrieval (MIR) is commonly studied research area in recent years. In this context, with the developed Music Information Systems solution is sought for some problems such as automatic playlist creation, hit song detection, music genre or mood classification etc. In previous works, meta-data information, melodic or textual content (lyrics) of music used for feature extraction. Also, it is seen that song lyrics not commonly used and number of work in this area is not enough for Turkish. In this paper, Turkish lyrics data set created and used for automatic music genre classification. Experimental results have been conducted on support vector machines (SVM) and the effect of feature model on results has been investigated in music genre classification which considered as a classical text classification problem. The features are extracted from three different models which are Structural and Statistical Text Features (SSTF), Bag of Words (BoW) and NGram. The results shows that lyrics can be effective for Turkish music genre classification.


Abstract An electron-paramagnetic-resonance study of the 105 K phase transition in a flux-grown low dislocation density SrTiO3 crystal is described. The rotational order parameter reveals no time-dependent effects, and the transition is within experimental accuracy continuous. These results agree with recent X-ray and neutron-scattering measurements of the lattice parameter, a = a(T c) × cos phi; being continuous at T c


AbstractThe method of determination of the ribonucleic acid (RNA) content of gelatin has been improved and thirty different gelatins (bone or hide, lime or acid processed, inert or active ...), chosen to represent the actual production, have been analyzed.Despite the diversity of the analyzed gelatins, all the values obtained are small, when not nil. According to these measurements, the ribonucleic acid level in photographic gelatin approaches a maximum of 0.1–0.2 milligram/gram, even in gelatins like DGF 5294 and Stoess 2766 which contain respectively 2.5 and 3.0 milligrams of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) per gram. For these gelatins the RNA/DNA ratio is about 1/20.The RNA levels found in this study are compared with values previously determined and those differences which exceed the error limits of the former method are discussed.


Collegiality is considered to be any extra‐role behaviour that is discretionary, not recognised by a formal reward system and that promotes the effective functioning of the organisation. Although there is much literature on the concept of collegiality, there are few studies examining collegiality in the medical profession and none looking at collegiality among emergency physicians (EPs). The aim of the present study is to explore the perceptions of different ED healthcare professionals on the meaning of collegiality among EPs, the benefits of collegiality and behaviours they identify as indicative of collegiality.


There is great controversy both in theory and practice on the contract validity of the specific property transfer without administrative examination and approval.Based on the trial practice,this article first analyzes and reviews contract disputes of administrative examination and approval over different codefendant phenomenon.Then from the nature and purpose of the administrative examination and approval,it analyzes the impact on the contract effectiveness of the transfer of specific property rights,and the legal responsibility that should be taken for breach of the obligation.Finally,it discusses the boundary of judicial power and administrative power,and puts forward corresponding suggestions to the effectiveness of the administrative examination and approval regulation in order to standardize the jurisdiction and help to improve our administrative examination and approval system.


How to distinguish random type of trouble in beating crime and the crime of intentional injury is a problem to the judicial practice.The case of Fang testifies again that the two crimes need to be clearly sorted out in order to explore the case fair.


The gain of advanced optical communication systems is reduced by the noise of optical source. Coherent optical communication systems are in particular very sensitive to the noise transmitter and lo...


In the Copenhagen Accord, nations agreed on the need to limit global warming to two degrees to avoid potentially dangerous climate change, while in policy circles negotiations have placed a particular emphasis on emissions in years 2020 and 2050. We investigate the link between the probability of global warming remaining below two degrees (above pre-industrial levels) right through to year 2500 and what this implies for emissions in years 2020 and 2050, and any long-term emissions floor. This is achieved by mapping out the consequences of alternative emissions trajectories, all in a probabilistic framework and with results placed in a simple-to-use set of graphics. The options available for carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) emissions in years 2020 and 2050 are narrow if society wishes to stay, with a chance of more likely than not, below the 2 °C target. Since cumulative emissions of long-lived greenhouse gases, and particularly CO2, are a key determinant of peak warming, the consequence of being near the top of emissions in the allowable range for 2020 is reduced flexibility in emissions in 2050 and higher required rates of societal decarbonization. Alternatively, higher 2020 emissions can be considered as reducing the probability of limiting warming to 2 °C. We find that the level of the long-term emissions floor has a strong influence on allowed 2020 and 2050 emissions for two degrees of global warming at a given probability. We place our analysis in the context of emissions pledges for year 2020 made at the end of and since the 2009 COP15 negotiations in Copenhagen.


A computational work is performed on laminar free convection from an isothermally heated spherical shaped open cavity with negligible wall thickness suspended in the air. Fluid flow and heat transfer characterization is elucidated in detail by solving governing differential equations (continuity, momentum, and energy) over wide ranges of dimensionless pertinent parameters, namely, Rayleigh number, 104 ≤ Ra ≤ 108; and height to diameter ratio, 0.15 ≤ h/D ≤ 0.95. The detailed behavior of thermal and flow fields is delineated by employing visualization techniques like temperature contours, velocity profiles, and velocity vectors for different Ra and h/D. The influence of Ra and h/D on the local and average Nusselt number is also predicted and it is observed that the average Nusselt number on both outer and inner surface decreases with the increase of h/D for a constant value of Ra. A suitable correlation for net average Nusselt number is obtained for the spherical shaped open vessel surface as a function of Ra, and h/D based on the computed data points which would be helpful for various academic and industrial operations.


Quartz glass crucible of the present invention, the crystallization caused by point registered at the inner surface features, and that has a crystallization promoter-containing layer on the inner surface, the crystallization region of the platen by the crystallization promoter on the inner surface at the time of pulling the silicon single crystal form without a separation of the substances it occurs, and is a peeling minute portion of the crystal layer, such as when forming a crystalline layer over the entire surface of the inner surface is not formed in the gas-discharging holes, and determined from the gas discharge holes of the dissolved silicon in the minute peeling and it provides the silica glass crucible and a method of manufacturing a silicon single crystal using the same for the silicon single crystal pulling is obtained with high yield by also do not flow between the glass layer and the layer below it.


This paper investigates the dynamics of perfect fluid spherical collapse in curvature-matter coupled gravity. Using Darmois junction conditions, we derive smooth matching of both interior and exterior regions. The dynamical equations are formulated through Misner–Sharp formalism that give the collapse rate for both general and constant curvature terms. Finally, we formulate a relationship between correction terms, Weyl scalar and matter variables. For constant value of [Formula: see text], it is found that the metric is conformally flat if and only if energy density of the collapsing system is homogeneous while the positive correction terms decrease the collapse rate.


OBJECTIVE To study bioavailability of puerarin(Pue) in rats and learn the biodistribution of pue in mice,the different size range of puerarin(Pue) nanoemulsion(NE) were prepared.METHODS Rats were fed five different particle sizes Pue NE,mice were fed three different particle sizes Pue NE,respectively.The RP-HPLC method was established to determine the pue levels in the plasma and other tissues.The tissues distribution and targeting efficiency were evaluated by pharmacokinetic parameters(AUC,MRT) and targeting parameters.RESULTS The pharmacokinetic parameters from the known,the particle size are(10.3±1.7),(24.8±2.3),(38.7±3.0),(54.6±6.0),(98.4±9.8)nm,AUC values were(16.79±3.67),(20.20±4.23),(30.16 ±5.78),(36.77±3.98),(32.69±4.041) μg·h·mL-1.In contrast to pue suspension group,NE showed a higher targeting efficiency in the Kidney and lung.The AUC of Pue in the liver and spleen were 5-6 times and the MRT were 2-3 times,respectively.CONCLUSION In a certain size range(10-60 nm),the smaller the particle size,the smaller bioavailability.NE shows a higher targeting efficiency in the lung and kidney.


Allyl ether resins with various chemical structures and degrees of functionality were used as promoters and cross-linkers for polymerization of acrylic oligomers at room temperature in air. Thin films were prepared to allow monitoring of polymerization via disappearance of acrylate and allylic unsaturation by FTIR. The effect of air upon curing of films was investigated; excluding air from the surface of the film had a much greater effect than did addition of allyl ether. In air, the curing rate and extent of cure were found to be dependent upon molecular weight Mn and degree of functionality of the allyl compounds. At high allyl monomer concentrations, homopolymerization of the allyl groups occurred. The mechanical properties (tensile strength, Young's modulus, and elongation at break) of films were evaluated on an Instron, whereas viscoelastic properties, transition temperatures, and cross-link densities of polymer bars were studied by dynamic mechanical analysis and relaxation measurements. The study showed that addition of highly functional allyl ethers combines the advantages of an air-curable system with those of highly cross-linked materials, allowing ultimate properties to be tailored.


Abstract
In the spirit of 'Europe of the Regions', local authorities are responsible for responding to the main interests, needs and preferences of the country's citizens. Regional and local administrative authorities provide citizens with the necessary public goods, which reflect the trend towards 'glocalisation' in public administration at the European level, more significantly in the states in which the political system recently became democratic. With this background, the effectiveness of local self-government depends not only on local authorities' decision-making freedom but also on (financial) support for it through decentralisation, and the member states of the European Union (EU) employ different strategies to achieve the same goal, with varying degrees of success. Within this context, our chapter offers a comparative analysis of the administrative, financial and local self-government decentralisation in member states, which include the southern and eastern regions on the outer edges of the EU. The general goal of our study is to identify the main trends in the present administrations and their challenges, as well as best practices that can offer lessons to other member states which are reforming their administration through decentralisation. In addition to the identified challenges, solutions and best practices, our study reveals a tendency towards consolidation at the level of regional government not only in the terms of legal responsibility but also of administrative budgets, thus generating an assumption of improvement in the general quality of governance in the member states.


The importance of the measures applied to control the importation, export, registration, supply, sale and use of veterinary medicines, biologicals and diagnostic reagents is based on their relevance to the animal and public health, through the prevention of zoonoses and its impact on food safety. South America plays a major role in the production and exportation of products of animal origin, thus the availability of safe and effective veterinary products is mandatory. The evolution of the regulatory framework and the different regional approaches towards the harmonisation of the requirements for the registration and control of veterinary products are presented, and the activities and outcomes of the Americas Committee of Veterinary Medicines, CAMEVET are described.