This article considers the issue of changes in the understanding of symbols as an integral part of spiritual life in Neoplatonic philosophy. It seems that ancient Neoplatonic philosophers were the first who clearly realized the importance of symbols to spiritual life. However, it happened due to the influence of the mystical Chaldean and Egyptian thought transferred to philosophical investigation by the Chaldean oracles and Corpus hermeticum. The late Neoplatonic thought of Iamblichus and Eastern Neoplatonic schools used symbols and rituals as integral parts of philosophical investigation, understood as having a mystical goal. Especially mathematical symbols played a significant role, because they were used in the most advanced theurgical rituals. This analysis of the pagan Neoplatonic philosophy permits us to show properly the thought of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, who creatively transformed the teaching of his pagan predecessors, by incorporating ancient Neoplatonic tradition into Christian theology. Pseudo-Dionysius excludes liturgical symbols from the order of the cosmos and transfers them to the plane of Salvation grounded in Biblical Revelation. Only true symbols are used in the liturgy of the Church, and thus mathematical symbols are no longer needed in the ascent of the soul to unity with God. The third part analyzes the meaning of symbolism in the thought of Nicolas of Cusa. Thanks to the rediscovery of ancient pagan Neoplatonism and Pythagorean thought, Cusanus also brings new life to the mystical meaning of mathematics. Mathematical symbols once again become an important part of the mystical ascent of the soul, but this time without their ritual context.


We theoretically investigate the Coulomb drag between the edge states of two quantum spin Hall systems. Using an interacting theory of the one-dimensional helical edge modes, we show that the drag vanishes at second order in the inter-edge interaction, where it is typically finite in other systems, due to the absence of backscattering within the edges. However, in the presence of a small external magnetic field the drag is finite and scales as the fourth power of the magnetic field, a behavior that sharply distinguishes it from other systems. We obtain the temperature dependence of the drag for regimes of both linear and quadratic edge dispersion in the presence of a finite field.


Knitting interloops one-dimensional yarns into three-dimensional fabrics that exhibit behaviours beyond their constitutive materials. How extensibility and anisotropy emerge from the hierarchical organisation of yarns into knitted fabrics has long been unresolved. We sought to unravel the mechanical roles of tensile mechanics, assembly and dynamics arising from the yarn level on fabric nonlinearity by developing a yarn-based dynamical model. This physically validated model captures the fundamental mechanical response of knitted fabrics, analogous to flexible metamaterials and biological fiber networks due to geometric nonlinearity within such hierarchical systems. Fabric anisotropy originates from observed yarn-yarn rearrangements during alignment dynamics and is topology-dependent. This yarn-based model also provides a design space of knitted fabrics to embed functionalities by varying geometric configuration and material property in instructed procedures compatible to machine manufacturing. Our hierarchical approach to build up a knitted fabrics computationally modernizes an ancient craft and represents a first step towards mechanical programmability of knitted fabrics in wide engineering applications.


1-Carboxymethylpyridinium-3-aminophenyl-5-methyl-4-(4-sustituted)sulfonamoylazopyrazoles (2a-f) and 2-amino-4-methyl-(6-(4"-aminotoludyl)-5-(4'sulfonamoyl)azopyrimidines (3a-f) were synthesized by condensation of 1-aminophenyl-2-(4'-substituted)sulfonamoylhydrazonobutane-1,3-dione (1a-f) with 1-carboxymethylpyridinium-hydrazine chloride (Girard-P) and guanidine nitrate respectively.


This work investigates by real-world experiments the throughput and latency of drone-to-drone communications using different wireless technologies. Direct air-to-air links via Wi-Fi 802.11ac are compared to communication via LTE-A and 5G systems on the ground. The following can be observed: Wi-Fi provides a significantly lower drone-to-drone latency than the detour via cellular infrastructure; LTE-A and 5G provide a moderate but reliable throughput of about 50 Mbit/s; and Wi-Fi offers a better throughput only when drones are close to each other. We envision that this work will provide relevant experimental insights for the design of communication protocols in the context of multi-drone systems.


In this work, the quiet zone achieved by a reflectarray antenna is evaluated. The study is focused on obtaining the near field generated by the reflectarray and the evaluation of the quiet zone in terms of the design parameters of the reflectarray antenna is presented. Then, the most critical parameters in the design of the quiet zone are identified. Finally, the quiet zone generated by the reflectarray is compared with that obtained by a classic parabolic reflector.


The article aims to analyse the legal status and modes of acquiring qualification by mediators in Poland and Spain. The study uses the legal dogmatic and the legal comparative methods. The research problem is located in the applicable solutions in Polish and Spanish legislation implementing the objective set out by the content of Article 4 of Directive 2008/52/EC, which obliges EU Member States to ensure adequate quality of mediation and enhance the professional status of the mediator. An analysis of the legislation, judicature and the literature of the subject has shown that the normative regulations which are in force in Spain and Poland are convergent in terms of the objectives set out in Article 4 of Directive 2008/52/EC since they oblige mediators to be adequately qualified to conduct mediation. Notwithstanding the above, significant differences in the legal systems under analysis becomes apparent as concerns an array of legal instruments they apply to implement the Directive. The Polish and the Spanish methodologies display disparate procedures for regulating the acquisition of qualifications by mediators. They are affected by a number of shortcomings, resulting from an insufficient level of standardisation, including the intra legem gaps in the normative regulations in Poland. The outcomes of the analysis enable the conclusion that the regulations concerning the legal status and qualifications of mediators that are in force in Poland and Spain can complement one another, while preserving and respecting the distinctiveness of both legal systems. This complementarity can facilitate a development of an adequate model to enhance the professional status of mediators and improve the regulations so as to achieve the objective set in Article 4 of Directive 2008/52/EC.


ABSTRACT Students in geographic information systems and science (GIS) require significant experience outside of spatial analysis, cartography, and other traditional geographic topics. Computer science knowledge, skills, and practices exist as essential components of GIS practice, but coursework in this area is not universally offered in geography or GIS degrees. To support those interested in developing such courses, this paper describes the design and implementation of a server-focused course in WebGIS at Texas A&M University. We provide an in-depth discussion of the equipment and resources required to build and operate an on-premise CyberGIS server infrastructure suitable for supporting such classes, providing comparisons with an equivalent solution built on Amazon Web Services (AWS). We consider the comparative costs of these systems, including benefits and drawbacks of each. In comparing these deployment options, we outline the technical expertise, monetary investments, operational expenses, and organizational strategies necessary to run server-based CyberGIS courses. Finally, we reflect on assignments and feedback from students and consider their experiences in a course of this nature. This article provides a resource for GIS instructors, academic departments, or other academic units to consider during infrastructure investment, curriculum redesign, the addition of courses in degree plans, or for the development of CyberGIS components.


Parameter estimation of chaotic systems is an important issue in nonlinear science. The knowledge about time-delays and parameters is very important for control and synchronization of time-delay chaotic system. This paper is concerned with the parameter estimation for timedelay chaotic systems, which is converted to an optimization problem. The improved fuzzy particle swarm optimization is used to solve this problem, which finds a best combination of parameters such that an objective function is minimized. Numerical simulations on chaotic timedelay logistic system and the comparisons with similar algorithms like PSO demonstrates the effectiveness and robustness of proposed method.


Genus Bauhinia is indigenous to Northern American region and has a significant presence in Asian sub-continent. This genus has around 300 different species out of which three species mainly Bauhinia purpurea, Bauhinia tomentosa and Bauhinia variegata have rich medicinal and nutritional potential. These species of Bauhinia are used against many diseases in Ayurvedic system of medicine. Both leaves and flowers of B. purpurea are eaten in North eastern regions of the country. Seeds of B. purpurea pods are rich in amino acids and are used as pulse in many tribal areas of north-eastern and central India. Aqueous extract of B. tomentosa flowers are reported to contain carbohydrates, oils and fats, glycosides, phtytosterols, flavonoids, saponins, tannins and phenolic compounds. However, B. variegata flowers are also good source of carbohydrates (16.01%), protein (3.24%), fat (0.15%) and fibre (3.34%) with good content of minerals. Rich medicinal and nutritional potential of these species of Bauhinia, make them a vital and prominent source of nutrition. The use of technological advancements is required to explore the additional features of these species and to use them for better medicinal and health properties.


Diarrhea is a recognized manifestation of a variety of gastrointestinal diseases. While the majority of diarrheal episodes last less than 2 weeks and are self-limited, a smaller proportion of diarrheal illnesses persists for more than 2 weeks, substantially impacting the quality of life and the overall health of the individual; not only because of the inconvenience of persistent diarrhea, but also because of the risk of malnutrition and even death. Definition Diarrhea is defined as frequent passage of loose stools. Diarrhea occurs when the stool volume exceeds the normal value of approximately 10 g/kg/day in infants and toddlers, and 200 g/day in older children and adults. This is typically manifested as loose or watery stools occurring at least three times a day. However, since the absolute limits of normal bowel movements is difficult to define, with normal bowel movements ranging from three times/week to three times/day, any deviation from the child's usual pattern should raise concern (particularly if passage of blood or mucus, or dehydration occurs), regardless of the actual number of bowel movements or their water content. Diarrheal episodes are classically divided into acute and chronic based on their duration. The WHO defines acute diarrhea as less than 14 days in duration and persistent diarrhea episodes as 14 days or longer in duration. Such a distinction can help in forming a differential diagnosis, and thus impact management, as well as prognosis. Acute diarrhea lasts no longer than 14 days, is often infectious in etiology (bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections), and is usually self-limited. Chronic diarrhea refers to the persistence of loose stools (with or without an increase in stool frequency) for at least 14 days. Chronic diarrhea may occur in many conditions, including a variety of infectious and immunologic states, as well as several congenital syndromes. Reports have indicated that between 5% and 18% of all diarrheal episodes are categorized as persistent diarrhea; however the exact cutoff point between acute and chronic diarrhea and persistent diarrhea is arbitrary.


The invention discloses a recovering method of effective components in amoxicillin enzymatic synthesis mother liquor by utilizing nanofiltration. The method comprises the following steps: (1) regulating pH of the mother liquor; (2) hydrolyzing amoxicillin in the mother liquor by utilizing penicillin acylase, thus only D-hydroxyphenylglycine and 6-amino-penicillanic acid (6-amino-penicillanic acid) exist in the other liquor; (3) preparing concentrated mother liquor by nanofiltration; and (4) separating and recovering the D-hydroxyphenylglycine and the 6-amino-penicillanic acid (6-amino-penicillanic acid) by isoelectric point crystallization. The method has the advantages that: the recycling rate of an inactive lateral chain can be improved regarding certain amoxicillin synthetase with highhydrolysis activity, so that the enzymatic synthesis of amoxicillin is more economical.


A large low-head mixed-flow pumping system has been carried out based on numerical analysis of a three-dimensional viscous flow. For analysis, the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with a Shear stress transport turbulence model were discretized by finite-volume approximations. The result has shown that the flow in the double-helix volute passage is a spiral movement combining axial and rotary flows; the static pressure distribution in the volute is symmetric; the uniformity of axial velocity distribution and velocity-weighted average swirl angle at the outlet section is relatively low. The static pressure decreases gradually from the blade inlet to the exit on the pressure side, while increasing gradually on the suction side. The axial forces decrease gradually with the decrease of lifting head, and the radial forces decrease first and then increase. The pressure fluctuation at certain sections of the pumping system was measured from the model test. It is concluded that the pressure pulsations of impeller inlet and "" back wall of inlet passage are little influenced by operating condition. The domain frequency of the impeller inlet is approximately equal to the rotation frequency, while that of double-helix volute passage is multiple relations with the rotation frequency.


The concept of corrected myths is not (yet) established in literary studies. This volume introduces this concept and demonstrates its power using exemplary interpretations. It is the case that in numerous literary works, knowledge of a conventional mythical connection is assumed, but then, at a particular point, the traditional narrative is negated - Candaule's wife was not beautiful, the Sirens did not sing, Oedipus was not surprised by the news (Brecht) etc. The corrections always occur at a significant point, so that the intervention casts a new light on well-known narratives, but in principle does not affect the core of the myth. The present volume examines the forms and functions of such corrected myths. For this, relevant works of European literature are studied and their interpretation related with considerations of Antique myths, Christian corrections of myths, new mythology and the correction of myths from existentialism to post-modernism. The spectrum of texts examined is kept as wide as possible in order not to truncate the concept of correction to an illegitimate degree. The texts include those from authors such as Heiner Muller, Thomas Brasch, Christa Wolf und Volker Braun and by Shakespeare, Goethe and Kleist.


In the analysis of financial performance of Maotai Company, we find that its performance was influenced by the police of "three public consumptions" not as much as other liquor companies were. Its revenue and profit grew less than ever. Its advance receivables were almost exhausted. Its inventory turnover days became longer than before. Its net cash flow turned to be negative in recent years. However, Maotai Company still has surprising rate of return on net assets. Its monetary funds are abundant and rank 1st in the liquor industry. Its extremely high gross margin maintains as before. Therefore, Maotai Company has the possibility to bring its investors a high return in the long run.


The archaeologist author has been involved in dendrochronological research in Transylvania for some fifteen years. In the summer of 2015 she and Istvan Botar got the possibility within the frame of a five-year OTKA research project to examine the altarpiece in the Lutheran church of Almakerek (Mălâncrav, Malmkrog, Szeben county, Romania). It was the first time they had carried out dedrochronological growth ring dating on a work of art in functional use. The material of the altarpiece is presumably fir (Abies alba MILL.). The series of growth rings were measured on the reverse longitudinal surface of all the twelve painted panels and the top board of the predella. The examined panels derived from very old, at least 160-170-year-old fir trees. The researchers managed to determine the year of felling (winter of 1459/60), which is a useful clue for art history to date the making of the altarpiece. If the altarpiece was made in the lifetime of the head of the family that held the advowson Mihaly Apafi (whose wife was mentioned a widow in 1469), then the wood was left to season for fewer than 9 years.


This paper deals with the detection of cancer from gastrointestinal images. Cancer detection is the most adequate field of implementation in bio-medical domains. At first, the several capabilities have been recognized to automate the process of identification of cancer and also upscale the accuracy rates over alternative diagnostic techniques. The methods that presently exist to diagnose cancer are not working constructively on all kinds of images, especially poor-quality images such as images with too much noise. And also, most of the available techniques have completely ignored the effective use of object segmentation in gastrointestinal images. So, to subdue the limitations of previous techniques, a new approach has been proposed in this paper. Impressive results have been generated by using the features of image processing in MATLAB with the help of images from kvasir dataset. The image processing techniques used for diagnostic test pictures might facilitate the sight of distinctive options in cancer detection.


A wireless communications device send a communication (302), for example, a registration request, to a communications network, and then receives a message (304) from the network, for example, a registration reject message, in response to the communication sent. In one embodiment, the message received from the network includes information identifying a network portion, for example, one or more location areas to which the wireless communications device is prohibited from registering. In one embodiment, multiple prohibited location areas are identified as a range of location areas.


College students are a special social group in society, and will be the constructors and successors of the socialist cause in the futule. Strengthening the education of college student's political idea and improving the effectiveness of ideological education are among the most notable plnblems for ideological educators.


Abstract Purpose Invasive aspergillosis usually affects immunocompromised patients. It carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality and usually has a nonspecific clinical presentation. Early diagnosis is essential in order to start effective treatment and improve clinical outcome. Materials and Methods In a retrospective search of the PACS databases from two medical centers, we identified 9 patients with histologically proven cerebral aspergilloma. We systematically analyzed CT and MRI imaging findings to identify typical imaging appearances of cerebral aspergilloma. Results CT did not show a typical appearance of the aspergillomas. In 100 % (9/9) there was a rim-attenuated diffusion restriction on MRI imaging. Multiple hypointense layers in the aspergillus wall, especially on the internal side, were detected in 100 % on T2-weighted imaging (9/9). Aspergillomas were T1-hypointense in 66 % of cases (6/9) and partly T1-hyperintense in 33 % (3/9). In 78 % (7/9) of cases, a rim-attenuated diffusion restriction was detected after contrast agent application. Conclusion Nine cases were identified. Whereas CT features were less typical, we observed the following imaging features on MRI: A strong, rim-attenuated diffusion restriction (9/9); onion layer-like hypointense zones, in particular in the innermost part of the abscess wall on T2-weighted images (9/9). Enhancement of the lesion border was present in the majority of the cases (7/9). Key points  There are typical MRI imaging features of aspergillomas. However, these findings could be affected by the immune status of the patient. Swift identification of aspergilloma imaging patterns is essential to allow for adequate therapeutic decision making. Citation Format Gärtner F, Forstenpointner J, Ertl-Wagner B et al. CT and MRI Findings in Cerebral Aspergilloma. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2018; 190: 967 – 970


Against the problems in landslide forecast,the application of correlated speed,acceleration,monthly displacement and monthly rainfall in landslide warning and failure time forecasting are discussed,which is based on description of Xintan Landslide profile and uses the actual displacement data of the Landslide.Due to in time forecast,personal casualty is avoided and property loss is reduced to a largest extent.


Evidence suggests that motivation is one of the learning factors that has a considerable impact not only on learners' attitudes to the language but also classroom anxiety at different levels. The present study investigates the factors that influence in EFL language learning, the research adapted a survey-based questionnaire from Gardner's (1985) Attitude Motivation Test Battery –AMTB. It identified attitudes towards English 1 Assistant professor at Dept. of English Education, English Major. Technical University of Cotopaxi, Ecuador PhD candidate in Applied Linguistics at University of Szeged, firstname.lastname@example.com Simon Rodrigues s/n El Ejido Town, San Felipe sector. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4970-5234 2 Jhonny Tapia email@example.com Coronel Gemanico Rivadeneira Educational Institution,Ecuador language and learning situation, motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) and classroom anxiety of 295 EFL language learners from the Language Center of Technical University of Cotopaxi, Ecuador, 160 were females and 135 males. Data analysis performed using SPSS software revealed that most of the learners, irrespective of their gender showed positive attitude to English language and its learning. The findings also highlighted a highly significant degree of intrinsic motivation to the target language compared the extrinsic outcomes. Moreover, EFL learners showed to have language anxiety in classrooms, which may vary from learner to learner, and in all cases of surveyed questionnaire, females indicated to be more self-confident than males. F A C T O R E S D E A P R E N D I Z A J E E N U N C O N T E X T O D E A U L A L E N G U A E X T R A N J E R A


In the relationship between Augustine and Tadeusz, three periods can be distinguished. The initial agreement and recognition lasted until 1887. The second period was filled with gradual hatred, although there are still remains of mutual respect. The total severance of ties, imbued with numerous pretensions and accusations, fell in the early 20th century.


Patient falls have long been a difficult problem and topic of research in the inpatient hospital environment. Hospitals experience heavy financial burden due to patient falls. Preventing falls can improve patient outcomes as well as reduce financial burden on both the patient as well as the healthcare organization. In this study, we determine the optimal cut-off value for patients at risk for falls using a Falls Screening Tool, the Morse Falls Scale. This study was conducted at a community-owned hospital with 256 acute care private rooms and 36 critical care rooms. This study used only the admission Morse Falls Scale (MFS) score in its analysis.


Stacked spiral thin-film transformer is designed and fabricated. The mechanism of ferrite thin film is discussed. Primary spiral and secondary spiral are on the different layer and have the same shape. Air core transformer and magnetic core transformer are made with SiO2 or ferrite thin film in the middle of two spirals respectively. S-parameters are measured at 10MHz-20GHz. The result shows that the transmission efficiency of air core thin-film transformer more than 50% at 8GHz-16GHz, and the maximum is 60.6% at 11.95GHz; the transmission efficiency of magnetic core thin-film transformer more than 50% at 2.5GHz-20GHz, and the maximum is 78.0% at 9.85GHz.


A silica-based MCM-41 mesoporous material functionalized with cyanopropyl groups has been synthesized by co-condensation, characterized and applied to pre-concentrate six parabens and three UV filters in river and swimming-pool waters. The analytes were quantified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, according to the Directive 96/23/EC. Even though matrix effect was negligible, quantification in river water samples with the standard addition approach improved the recoveries obtained using solvent-based and even with matrix-matched calibration. The method quantification limits in river water samples were 0.05 ng/mL for 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone and 0.01 ng/mL for the rest. Recoveries, evaluated for a concentration level of 0.5 ng/L, were in the range 93.5-107.6% for parabens and in the range 64.2-85.8% for UV filters, with RSDs intra-day ≤10.2% and 10.8%, respectively. This parameter, evaluated for a concentration level of 0.1 ng/L, ranged between 98.3 and 110.4% for parabens and between 61.9 and 89.9% for UV filters, with RSDs intra-day ≤15.3 and 15.5%, respectively. The two UV filters with lower recoveries were the most affected by the addition of sodium chloride (NaCl). River and swimming pool waters were analyzed and all the personal care products were found in the swimming pool water, whereas only methylparaben was detected in the river water. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Surface of precipitated silica was modified with 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The optimum solvent was selected, in which the silane coupling agent was deposited on silica surface. Basic physicochemical properties of the modified silica were estimated. Methods of evaluating silica surface modification extent were presented, taking advantage first of all of its altered hydrophilicity and of differences in condensation extent of surface silanol groups. The modified silica was used as adsorbent capable of trapping water soluble organic amines.


The accumulation of anthropogenic contaminants by sentinel species such as the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, is common in many monitoring programs such as the National Status and Trends Mussel Watch Program. Bivalves are used because they are filter-feeding organisms with a high lipid content and therefore accumulate pollutants readily, and they do not appear to metabolize contaminants to a large extent. There are difficulties associated with this approach however, such as mortality, changing lipid mass and respiration rates, and interspecies differences; therefore the use of a non-living substrate may be more practical. The semipermeable membrane device (SPMD) consists of a length of thin-walled polyethylene tubing with a film of high molecular weight neutral lipid (triolein) sealed inside. The SPMD, when suspended in the water column, will concentrate lipophilic organic contaminants from the surrounding environment. The authors deployed SPMDs and caged Mytilus edulis side-by-side at five sites near New Bedford Harbor, MA; an area highly contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). A good correlation was observed between the SPMDs and the caged blue mussels, with R{sup 2} ranging from 0.57 to 0.85 (N = 16) for chlorinated pesticides and from 0.81 to 0.96 (N = 20) for PCBs. Bioconcentration factors (BCF) basedmore » on water column concentrations were also calculated and a good correlation was obtained between the SPMD BCFs and corresponding octanol-water partition coefficients. Unlike previous investigations, the authors found good agreement even with the highest chlorinated PCBs suggesting that there was no steric hindrance of uptake through the SPMD membrane.« less


,by Darryl D. Holm, Tanya Schmah and Cristina Stoica, Oxford University Press,Oxford, 2009, xi + 515 pp., ISBN: 978-0-19-921290-3The purpose of the book is to provide the unifying viewpoint of Lagrangian andHamiltonian mechanics in the coordinate-free language of differential geometryin the spirit of the Marsden-Ratiu school. The book is similar in content - althoughless formal - to the book by J. Marsden and T. Ratiu [7]. One can also mentionthe companion two-volumes book by Holm [4,5] written at a more basic level,and that one can recommend as an introductory reading. The classical treatises onthe subject are the books by Abraham-Marsden [1], Arnold [2] and Libermann-Marle [6].Typical applications are N-particle systems, rigid bodies, continua such as u-ids and electromagnetic systems that illustrate the powerfulness of the adoptedpoint of view. The geometrical structure allows the covering of both the nite-dimensional conservative case (rst part of the book) and the innite dimensionalsituation in the second part. The notion of symmetry here is central, as it allowsa reduction of the number of dimensions of the mechanical systems, and furtherexploits the conserved quantities (momentum map) associated to symmetry. Liegroup symmetries, Poisson reduction and momentum maps are rst discussed.The concepts are introduced in a progressive and clear manner in the rst part ofthe book. The second part devoted to innite dimensional systems is motivatedby the identication of Euler's ideal uid motion with the geodesic o w on thegroup of volume-preserving diffeomorphism. The Euler-PoincarO (EP) variationalprinciple for the Euler uid equations is exposed in the framework of geometricmechanics, in association with Lie-Poisson Hamiltonian structure of Noether'stheorem and momentum maps. Original applications of the Euler-PoincarO equa-tions to solitons, computational anatomy, image matching, or geophysical uiddynamics are given at the end of the second part of the book.Here the rst chapter recapitulates the Newtonian, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian117


This paper describes an outline and a design of a recommender system that gives recommendations of contents based on the estimation of user's emotional preferences. Recommender systems are essential tools in the age of information overload, and they are helpful to increase comfortability and quality of life by filtering out annoying, unnecessary and troublesome information. The standard recommender system uses personal database, which stores the profile and preferences of a user. The key point of this study is a use of emotions in the personal preferences. Emotions are subjective quantities so that are difficult to deal with. This paper explains how our system identify emotions and how to deal with them in the recommender system. We also consider risk avoidance in information presentation of recommendations.


A series of novel fluorescent pyrazoline coumarin derivatives were synthesized. From them, we screened a compound possessing strong growth inhibitory effects on lung cancer cells. By taking advantage of fluorescence combined with LC-MS/MS and chemoinformatics technique, we successfully identified HSP90 as the target of the compound.


Attention was focused on 19th century economic terms of Romance origin, used in the Polish press dedicated to economic matters. These are mainly names acquired from French (also via German), popularised in the 19th century, or words previously borrowed from Latin, but gaining new economic references under the influence of associated and similar Gallicisms. A less abundant, but noticeable layer of Romanisms in economic journalism, are loanwords from Italian, which are internationalisms, mainly preserved, also in the borrowing languages, in their original form. Polonised Italianisms were first assimilated in French (sometimes also in German). This article analyses assimilation methods of foreign common names, such as: phonetic, spelling and inflectional adaptation, replication of foreign morphological and phraseological structures using native formative elements, semantic specialisation of certain names of Latin origin under the influence of related French or Italian lexemes.


Ultra-low frequency (ULF) magnetospheric plasma waves play a key role in the dynamics of the Earth's magnetosphere and, therefore, their importance in Space Weather phenomena is indisputable. Magnetic field measurements from recent multi-satellite missions (e.g., Cluster, THEMIS, Van Allen Probes and Swarm) are currently advancing our knowledge on the physics of ULF waves. In particular, Swarm satellites, one of the most successful missions for the study of the near-Earth electromagnetic environment, have contributed to the expansion of data availability in the topside ionosphere, stimulating much recent progress in this area. Coupled with the new successful developments in artificial intelligence (AI), we are now able to use more robust approaches devoted to automated ULF wave event identification and classification. The goal of this effort is to use a popular machine learning method, widely used in Earth Observation domain for classification of satellite images, to solve a Space Physics classification problem, namely to identify ULF wave events using magnetic field data from Swarm. We construct a Convolutional Neural Network (ConvNet) that takes as input the wavelet spectrum of the Earth's magnetic field variations per track, as measured by Swarm, and whose building blocks consist of two alternating convolution and pooling layers, and one fully connected layer, aiming to classify ULF wave events within four different possible signal categories: (1) Pc3 wave events (i.e., frequency range 20–100 MHz), (2) background noise, (3) false positives, and (4) plasma instabilities. Our preliminary experiments show promising results, yielding successful identification of more than 97% accuracy. The same methodology can be easily applied to magnetometer data from other satellite missions and ground-based arrays.


OBJECTIVE
To search for an effective therapy for functional anejaculation (AE).

METHODS
Fifty-five AE patients were randomized into a treatment group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 25), the former treated with Yangjing Capsule (once 5 pills, tid) and low-dose tadalafil (5 mg, qd alt, 1 h before bedtime), while the latter with oral ephedrine (25 mg before bedtime). Meanwhile, the patients were advised to expose themselves to sexual stimulation, reduce the frequency of sexual intercourses and quit masturbation. The medication lasted 1-3 months, followed by observation of the therapeutic effects.

RESULTS
The total effectiveness rate was 83.34% in the treatment group, 11 cases cured, 8 obviously improved, 6 improved and 5 unimproved, significantly higher than 40.00% in the control group, 4 cases cured, 3 obviously improved, 3 improved and 15 unimproved (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Yangiing Capsule plus low-dose tadalafil is safe and effective for the treatment of functional anejaculation.


Air Services Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Armenia (with annex). Yerevan, 10 December 2009


There are heavy environmental pollution in chinese cities.The exhaust gas of cars is one of the main polluting sources,and the noise pollution also has a bad effect on the people′s life and health.Statistics show that,because of the city traffic jam,economic loss could reach hundred billions of RMB Yuan each year in China,that affects severely the development of city and society.From the aim of sustainable development,the paper analyzes the urban communication of system,and the characteristics,the tangible achievement and the function of all sorts of communication modes.In choosing the mode of urban communication,the following principles must be considered:①To save city land and to use the least land to move passenger traffic;②To use the least energy to move the unit traffic volume;③To improve the city environment quality of fulfill unit traffic with the least influence on the environment with the least exhaust gas;④The modes of safety,puncturality and large traffic volume are used. On these principles,and according to the correlative statistic data about occupation of land and energy resources,this paper discusses the strategic countermeasures. China should adopted in the aspect of the development of urban communication,namely,mass transity system.It should mainly undertake long distance transportation. Bicycle as assistant traffic tool for short distance should be used.Saloon car should be controlled strictly in development.


Abstract Introduction: Postoperative thoracogastric necrosis (TGN) associated with thoracogastric-tracheal fistula (TGTF) of an endoscopic McKeown-type resection of esophageal carcinoma is rare and has a poor prognosis and high mortality. Few cases have been reported and successful treatment is rare. Surgery is the major treatment option. Patient concerns: A 71-year-old man was hospitalized in a local hospital for more than 2 months due to dysphagia. The patient was previously healthy and had no underlying diseases. Diagnosis: TGN associated with TGTF of an endoscopic McKeown-type resection of esophageal carcinoma. Intervention: Two-stage surgeries were performed. Outcome: The patient recovered well at the time of the follow-up examination on April 4, 2021 with an ECOG score of 0. Conclusion: Staging surgery can be an alternative treatment for TGN associated with TGTF of an endoscopic McKeown-type resection of esophageal carcinoma.


With the study of the speech signal in the time-frequency domain, a new method in which algorithm Matching Pursuits algorithm is used to decompose the signal in time-frequency domain is proposed. The sum of Wigner distribution of each part signal is treated as the whole signal Wigner distribution, and an intuitionistic distribution of signal is shown on the time-frequency platform. The results show that using this method, the wide-band noise can be eliminated and the speech can be understood easily by people.


M-commerce is one of the main branches of e-commerce. The banking industry is among the leading sectors in adopting and utilizing the Internet and mobile technology on consumer markets. Mobile banking is a subset of electronic banking which underlies not only the determinants of the banking business but also the special conditions of mobile commerce. The development of electronic banking and mobile banking services via multiple channels has made it possible to create new kinds of added value for customers. However, in spite of their advantages, both are facing some challenges as well. One of these challenges is the issue of security of these systems. This paper presents security of these systems using Random LSB steganography and cryptography method. The proposed method is more safe and secure instead of using either steganography or cryptographic method. This paper shows secure and invisible communication in M-banking as well as e-banking. In this paper instead of direct sending information, it is encrypted first using encryption algorithm and then this encrypted information is processed to hide into an image using a password so that stego-image contains hidden message which is not in plaintext form. Another important point is that encrypted information is hidden into an image using "Random LSB Steganography" that is embedding data in non sequential LSB insertion pattern so that it is unintelligible and difficult to detect. The stego-image is put on a web site then the URL of the web site is sent to the user. After receiving the URL, the user downloads the picture by a special program. The user can extract information from the picture only if the password entered is correct. This information will be in encrypted form user will decrypt it using the decryption algorithm so that user will get required information. The proposed scheme has been implemented using J2EE language for e-banking and J2ME language for m-banking. Our implementation supports all java enabled mobiles for m-banking application.


Microprocessor electronics is based on silicon tec hnology. The growth of microprocessor circuit's spe ed, the increase of elements integration, the developme nt of Si light-emitting semiconductor devices deman ds the introduction of new functional principles and techn ologies in silicon electronics. Recently optical li thography cannot provide the necessary level of miniaturization. Ele ctron-beam and scanning lithography are also unprod uctive. The object of researches was Ge/Si (001) heterosystems with nanoislands obtained using different technolog ical conditions. In Ge/Si heterosystems the kinetics of formation of nanoislands is still not completely cl ear, beginning from the definition of critical thickness of nanola yer, vibroacustics, temperatures. Raman spectroscop y (RS), high resolution X-ray diffractometry and scanning atomic force microscopy (AFM) for research of physical me chanisms of nanoislands formation, character of deformation fields and processes of diffusion of silicon from s ub trate in wetting layer and nanoislands were applied. Such co mbination of analysis methods has allowed to obtain structure's parameters as elastic deformations, structure, dens ity of nanoislands, their sizes and form variation generated at different physical conditions (temperature, acousti c vibration). The photon (optical and acoustic) spe ctrums of self-organized nanostructures, generated during mol ecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) growth of Ge on Si substr ate have been investigated using method of RS. The component al structure and values of elastic deformations in na oislands obtained by the variation of epitaxial temperature at identical thickness of deposited Ge layer and by variation of Ge layer thickness at identical temperature has been e stimated by atomic force microscopy method.


In the context of a balanced diet, wheat, mainly when used as whole grains, is a good source of nutrients, including fibers and bioactive compounds. Cereals belong to the Poaceae family and are crucial for maintaining a healthy status, granted by their nutritional and chemical properties. Recent studies have demonstrated that the intake of whole grains and grain-based products may reduce the risk of oxidative stress, thus lowering chronic and age-related disorders, such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and cancer. Indeed, several studies report that the regular whole grain consumption is associated with lower levels of total and LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, blood pressure and body mass index. Moreover, ancient wheat species have acquired increasing interest for human health, as they contain several nutraceutical compounds, such as vitamins, minerals and others. The numerous phytochemicals present in ancient wheat (polyphenols, carotenoids, phytosterols and phenolic compounds) provide, in fact, antioxidant properties, which are essential in the prevention of various chronic and degenerative diseases. The aim of this review is to report the existing information on ancient wheat species, discussing their composition and nutraceuticals properties compared with modern varieties and highlight the beneficial impact on human health.


Repetitively pulsed laser calorimetry was used to detect both reversible and irreversible increases in the 10.6 μm absorption of NaCl and KCl. The irreversible changes are first noted at the same intensity that is found to cause damage after multiple irradiations. Just below this intensity damage is not detected even after ∼1800 pulses. As a result of this work, a redefinition of the fatigue threshold is necessary as it must be distinguished from the breakdown damage threshold studied in earlier research.


*Dep.t of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma-Italy; Maternal and Child Health Department, Azienda OspedalieroUniversitaria di Parma, Parma-ITALY ^Children's University Hospital, University of Gießen, Gießen-Germany °Santa Maria Nuova Hospital, Reggio Emilia, Italy; Maternal and Child Health Department, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy §Dep. of Economics, University of Parma, Parma-Italy


We use double difference location method to relocate 1569 small earthquakes recorded by 8 seismic stations of the Zipingpu reservoir network from August 16,2004 to May 10,2008.The results show that after relocation,the earthquake distribution is from spatial discretization and gridding to concentrated distribution,and the small earthquakes relocated are mainly concentrated in central Beichuan-Yingxiu fault,frontal Guanxian-Jiangyou fault and retral Wenchuan-Maowen fault of the Longmen Mountains.Most of the small earthquakes are located in the Beichuan-Yingxiu fault and converge to both ends of the Zipingpu reservoir,and occurred at the depth of 5~15 km,and a few at depth of 15~30 km,and the mean depth is 7.8 km.Seismic frequency of the Zipingpu Reservoir region has a correlation with the reservoir water level.The average root-mean-square of travel time residual after relocation is 0.048s,the horizontal average error is estimated to be 0.63 km,and the average vertical error had been controlled less than 0.51km.This paper also discussed the relation between location image and the geological structure.


This study characterizes the settling time of stochastic systems with finite-time stability. Finite-time stability guarantees finite-time convergence of system states to an equilibrium. One of the primary features of finite-time stability is settling time, i.e., the time required for the convergence of system states. In stochastic systems, settling time is a random variable and must be characterized stochastically. In this study, the probability distribution of random settling time is estimated. This complements the estimation of settling time in deterministic systems. A lower bound to the probability of settling time is obtained by combining a comparison theorem for stochastic differential equations (SDEs) with a partial differential equation (PDE) that describes the distribution of stopping times. Besides theoretical characterization, a numerical example is also presented to validate the results.


This paper investigates the potential uses of graphene nanomechanical devices for NEMS applications fabricated using Helium Ion Microscope (HIM). Suspended nanomechanical graphene drum structures of diameter (∼ 2 – 3 µm) and thickness ranging from few atomic layers (∼10 Å) to about 11 nm have been fabricated and characterized using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The initial suspension profile and the thickness of the fabricated structures have been obtained using AFM. FEM results suggest that these structures can vibrate in the range of several MHz. Their small size and the higher operating frequencies make them well suitable for mass sensing applications with sensitivities greater than 10−21 g Hz−1 which is more than three orders of magnitude improvement over silicon based structures. The initial suspended graphene membranes have been patterned using HIM to obtain multiple z- axis flexures with sub-10nm feature sizes.


Performing comprehensive health assessment on turkey populations enables one to determine their responses to physiological factors such as sex, breed and environmental stressors. The haemato-biochemical parameters of 58 apparently healthy domestic turkeys of varying breeds and sexes, raised by small scale turkey farmers in Nsukka metropolis, Enugu State, Nigeria and the physiological factors (sex and breed) that influence them were determined. All haemato-biochemical procedures were carried out following standard procedures. The mean for the haemato-biochemical parameters were as follows: packed cell volume 30.70 ± 0.63 %; red blood cell count 3.75 ± 0.22 x 10 6 /µl; hemoglobin concentration 12.95 ± 0.62 g/dl; total leukocyte count 3.67 ± 0.09 x 10 3 /µl; heterophil  2.24 ± 10 3 /µl; lymphocyte 1.36 ± 0.06 x 10 3 /µl; monocyte 0.03 ± 0.00 x 10 3 /µl; eosinophil 0.10 ± 0.02 x 10 3 /µl; basophil 0.01 ± 0.00 x 10 3 /µl;  aspartate aminotransferase 73.99 ± 5.40 IU/L; alanine aminotransferase  11.00 ± 2.12 IU/L; alkaline phosphatase 165.19 ± 15.77 IU/L; total proteins 4.64 ± 0.17 g/dl; albumin 2.54 ± 0.12 g/dl; globulin 2.11 ± 0.12 g/dl; cholesterol 157.83 ± 12.81 mg/dl; creatinine 0.98 ± 0.11 mg/dl; uric acid 5.62 ± 0.45 mg/dl. There were no sex-related variations in all the studied haematological and biochemical parameters. It was also found that the local breed had significantly higher (p<0.05) monocyte numbers than the foreign breed (Nicholas large white). This study shall form a basis for establishing haemato-biochemical reference range of values for clinical and scientific uses by avian clinicians for turkey populations in Nsukka.


Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, which progressively manifests into in a movement disorder. We propose a mechanism that describes the role that aggregated α-synuclein and neuroinflammation play in perpetuating a vicious cycle of neurodegeneration. A system of autonomous Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) is derived. Given that the percentage decay of neurons that leads to the onset of the disease is unknown, the time it takes for the population of dopaminergic neurons to be reduced to various levels is obtained through numerical simulations. A sensitivity analysis reveals that the decay rate of cytokines is the most important parameter of the system. The effect that the decay rate of cytokines has on the time is explored.


The complete assignment of the natural abundance 13C n.m.r. spectra of the aurovertins B (1) and D (2), toxic metabolites isolated from Calcarisporium arbuscula NRRL 3705, permitted a study of their biosynthetic origin using the following 13C-labelled precursors: [1-13C]-, [2-13C]-, [1,2-13C]-, and [2-13C, 2-2H3]-acetate, (2S)-[methyl-13C]methionine, [2-13C]malonate, and [1-13C]- and [3-13C]propionate. The results show that both the aurovertins B and D can be formed via two biosynthetic pathways which are distinguishable by the different origins of C(1)–C(3). The first pathway involves the C-methylation of a C20-polyketide precursor at C18, followed by the loss of the chain-initiating acetate unit, C19–C20; C(1) in the aurovertins is thus derived from methionine and C(2) and C(3) from malonate. The second pathway involves a C19-precursor, formed from a propionate chain-initiating unit and eight malonate units; C(1)–C(3) are derived from propionate. The simultaneous operation of two independent pathways in the biosynthesis of the aurovertins B and D is unique amongst fungal metabolites.


Abstract Introduction: Resecting large pedunculated bladder tumors can be challenging and time consuming, especially if the tumor is located on the dome or anterior wall. We present our step-by-ste...


Previous studies have explored tourists' environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) from the perspectives of individual commitment, attractiveness, and involvement. This study approaches from the standpoint of environmental knowledge (EK); it probes tourists' behavior to facilitate sustainable tourism development, and constructs a sustainable island tourism development model by integrating EK, environmental sensitivity, place attachment, and ERB. Four hundred and seventy seven tourists visiting the Penghu Islands, Taiwan, were surveyed. Structural equation modeling was used to determine the relationships among the variables and the mediating effects. Results indicate that higher levels of tourists' EK about the Penghu Islands are associated with stronger environmental sensitivity; environmental sensitivity which tourists have for island tourism is positively associated with place attachment. The extent of place attachment of Penghu as perceived by tourists is also positively associated with stronger ERB. When tourists are highly sensitive to the attraction, they are more likely to exhibit ERB. Environmental sensitivity and place attachment were found to exert significant effects in mediating the relationships between EK and ERB. This study pioneers the integration of all four constructs in a sustainable tourism behavior model for tourists to island tourism destinations. Suggestions for marketing and implementation of sustainable tourism, and their managerial implications are proposed.


The biological GAC-FBR process is a high rate treatment system for economically degrading dissolved organics, such as benzene, aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, and organic acids at high rates and short residence times. In many instances, removal of water soluble organics, after deoiling, is sufficient for meeting surface discharge of produced waters. At other sites, a reduction in the TDS concentration will be necessary prior to meeting surface discharge requirements. Results of a field demonstration in Wyoming (up to 350 bbl/day) where a treatment train consisting of deoiling, followed by removal of water soluble organics using the GAC-FBR are presented. Because of a high concentration of organic acids present in this water, a two-stage FBR system consisting of sequential anoxic and aerobic treatment was used to treat produced water from this site. Consistent removal of organics was observed even during periods when the up-front deoiling was not operating properly. Effluent O&G of less than 5 mg/L was consistently achieved with an O&G concentration of 53 mg/L after induced gas flotation. Most organics (i.e., BTEX, acetate) were removed to near or below detection limits. Based on the results obtained, costs for organics removal (deoiling followed by the GAC-FBR for water soluble organics removal) were estimated for 4000 barrels per day of produced water. The total cost, including 10-year amortization of capital, was estimated to be $0.068 per barrel. O&M costs for a single-stage aerobic treatment system were approximately $0.02 per barrel.


Effects of heat treatment(cooled in furnace and water quenched) on microstructure and electrochemical properties of Al-Zn-Sn-Ga-Mg alloy as sacrificial anode were investigated by means of optical microscope,SEM and electrochemical measurements.The results show that the heat treatment of annealing and solution treatment at 470 ℃ reduces the segregation at grain boundary,restrains the hydrogen evolution and improves the current efficiency.The effect of solution treatment is superior to that of annealing.The alloy treated with solution treatment exhibits the negative operating potential,uniform corrosion feature and the current efficiency of 93.4% is obtained,indicating better electrochemical properties.


There exists a significant population of broad line, z � 2 QSOs which have heavily absorbed X-ray spectra. Follow up observations in the submillimetre show that these QSOs are embedded in ultraluminous starburst galaxies, unlike most unabsorbed QSOs at the same redshifts and luminosities. Here we present X-ray spectra from XMM-Newton for a sample of 5 such X-ray absorbed QSOs that have been detected at submillimetre wavelengths. We also present spectra in the restframe ultraviolet from ground based telescopes. All 5 QSOs are found to exhibit strong CIV absorption lines in their ultraviolet spectra with equivalent width > 5u The X-ray spectra are inconsistent with the hypothesis that these objects show normal QSO continua absorbed by low-ionization gas. Instead, the spectra can be modelled successfully with ionized absorbers, or with cold absorbers if they posess unusually flat X-ray continuum shapes and unusual optical to X-ray spectral energy distributions. We show that the ionized absorber model provides the simplest, most self-consistent explanation for their observed properties. We estimate that the fraction of radiated power that is converted into kinetic luminosity of the outflowing winds is typically � 4 per cent, in agreement with recent estimates for the


Data on the banking situation that have become avail able during the past month indicate a further increase in the available money supply in the form of demand deposits and currency outstanding, but a considerably less active use of funds recently than in the early months of this year. During the past year the money supply has increased by approximately 15 per cent, but in the same period the average rate of-turnover of demand deposits in the principal cities has declined by about 14 per cent. In the of this there was an in in the activity of demand deposits accompanying an expansion of business activity, but subsequently the rate of turnover of deposits has substantially, even after allowance for seasonal the accompanying was only slightly in August of this year in if


Different subsets of dendritic cells (DCs) induce different types of effector CD4T cells. Naïve mouse skin is populated with three major DC subsets, including epidermal Langerhans cells, CD103+ dermal DCs and CD301b+ dermal DCs, all of which migrate to the draining lymph nodes (dLNs). We showed previously that CD301b+DCs are required for the differentiation of antigen specific T helper type 2 (Th2) cells upon immunization with ovalbumin (OVA) and papain in the footpad. However, the mechanism by which CD301b+DCs induce Th2 differentiation is unclear. Here, we examined the role of antigen presentation by CD301b+DCs in the priming and Th2 differentiation of antigen-specific CD4T cells. As in CD301b+DC-depleted mice, mice lacking MHC class II (MHCII) specifically in CD301b+ cells (CD301bΔMHCII mice) showed significantly reduced IL-4 production from OVA-specific OT-II CD4T cells 7 days after immunization, suggesting that cognate interaction between CD301b+DCs and CD4T cells is required for the development of Th2 cells. In addition, although the overall cell cycle progression of OT-II cells was unaffected, their entry into the cell cycle was significantly delayed. In both CD301b+DC-depleted and CD301bΔMHCII mice, this reduction of OT-II cells was associated with impaired retention of OT-II cells in the dLN at much earlier timing. Furthermore, CD301b+DCs were required for retaining and activating wild-type polyclonal CD4T cells in the dLNs in an MHCII-dependent manner. These results indicate that CD301b+DCs are required for effective priming of CD4T cells and Th2 differentiation through their cognate interaction with antigen-specific CD4T cells.


Infrared absorption studies of hydrogen beta alumina prepared either from ammonium beta alumina or from silver beta alumina reveal an O-H stretching vibration near 3510 cm-1. This evidence, showing hydrogen to be chemically bound to the beta alumina framework, is in agreement with previous structural work on DAl11O17 and there is no evidence to support the presence of H3O+ species. No far-infrared-active mode is observed. In stoichiometric hydrogen beta alumina, HAl11O17 hydrogen is bound only to the spacer oxygen, O(5) giving rise to the 3510 cm-1 line. In non-stoichiometric hydrogen beta alumina, hydrogen is also bound to charge-compensating interstitial oxygens, with a characteristic stretching frequency of 3548 cm-1. On exposure of anhydrous HAl11O17 to the atmosphere, water is absorbed and the O(5)-H vibration is perturbed by hydrogen-bond formation with H2O. Studies of deuterated crystals and of crystals containing molecules of heavy water support the evidence obtained from work on hydrogenated material.


Two-dimensional (2D) metal oxide nanosheets have demonstrated their great potential in a broad range of applications. The existing synthesis strategies are mainly preparing 2D nanosheets from layered and specific transition metal oxides. How to prepare the other types of metal oxides as ultrathin 2D nanosheets remains unsolved, especially for metal oxides containing alkali, alkaline earth metal, and multiple metal elements. Herein, we developed a half-successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method, which could synthesize those types of metal oxides as ultrathin 2D nanosheets. The synthesized 2D metal oxides nanosheets are within 1 nm level thickness and 500 m2 · g−1 level surface area. This method allows us to develop many new types of ultrathin 2D metal oxides nanosheets that have never been prepared before.


This letter demonstrates the fabrication of the MoS2 monolayer based breath sensor and the detailed theoretical analysis of the transduction mechanism using first-principal calculations. The theoretical analysis reveals that the water molecules tend to get preferentially and strongly adsorbed on the sulfur vacancy sites on monolayer MoS2. After adsorption, the water donates electrons to the host lattices, leading to an increase in electronic conductivity and subsequent drain current as observed experimentally. The sensor displayed response to varied breath frequencies, thereby having potential applications in breath pattern analysis for disease detection.


An unusual compound, 1,3,4,6-hexanetetracarboxylic acid, was identified by 1H and 13C two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as one of the major components of the small-molecule pool in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum ΔH under optimal conditions of cell growth. Incorporation of 13C- and 2H-labeled acetates was consistent with the biosynthesis of this tetracarboxylic acid from α-ketoglutarate, two molecules of acetyl-coenzyme A, and one molecule of CO2, as established for the tetracarboxylic acid moiety of methanofuran. 13CO2 pulse- 12CO2 chase methodology was used to establish the turnover rate for this compound. In contrast to the two other major solutes in this bacterium, cyclic 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and glutamate, which are key metabolic intermediates, this free tetracarboxylic acid was metabolically inactive, with a half-life that exceeded the cell doubling time. Hence, this molecular pool cannot serve as a metabolic intermediate in cell biosynthesis. The functional role of free tetracarboxylate as a conservative part of a system that maintains high positive internal osmotic pressure in this bacterium is proposed.


THE question of Ireland's place in Tudor foreign policy has received comparatively little scholarly attention. Apart from a handful of studies, the writings of historians have presented Ireland mainly as a domestic issue for the Tudors, only infrequently adverting to the country's significance (or lack of it) in European diplomacy during the Renaissance and Reformation period. The result has been not just to emphasise the contemporary peripherality of the country in early modern Europe, but also to consign it to relative historiographical inconsequence. William Palmer's book is a welcome attempt to address this myopia. His approach is to track the appearance of Irish affairs in the foreign policy of each of the Tudor monarchs, and also to assess the impact of that policy on the English administration in Ireland. Using mostly Irish state papers and printed calendars, Palmer briskly covers the ground, collecting and analysing the many 'bruits', rumours, reports and alarums which stud the correspondence of Tudor state officials relating to Ireland. While disarmingly admitting the tenuity of much of the evidence of 'rumour-mongering common among Tudor diplomats', the author does demonstrate quite effectively how Ireland was sucked into the Franco-Scottish nexus down to 1559. The effects of Spain's replacement of France as England's national enemy, culminating in Ireland in the crisis of the Nine Years War, are shown to have been especially reverberant. Disappointingly, however, although the constitutional implications of Ireland's being considered a papal fief are raised briefly in the context of changes wrought by the Reformation in the 1530s, the issue is not really examined again for the Counter-Reformation period.


To achieve secure electronic payment, based on proxy signature scheme and Brands' e-cash scheme, this paper presented a new e-cash system with multiple banks. The analysis shows that the new scheme is secure. By introducing the presented proxy signature scheme, the signing capability of issuing bank can be easily canceled and it avoids some bothersome problems such as member deletion complexity and coalition attacks in the existing e-cash system with multiple banks based on group signature scheme.


An assessment is made here of the status of programmed instruction in the foreign language field. From available evidence, neither unbridled optimism nor gloomy pessimism is justified. On the contrary, the potential of the approach has barely been touched, and examples of successful development and use of programmed materials ought to encourage further efforts and act as an antidote to extremist views.


"Tu m'as donne ta boue et j'en ai fait de l'or." The last lines of one of Baudelaire's unfinished projects for an epilogue to the 1861 edition of Les Fleurs du Mal suggest that Baudelaire considers poetic production to be both ornamentation, the gold of luxury and aristocratic elegance, and purification, the result of some mystical or alchemical exercise. Yet the poet's self-designation as "parfait chimiste" aligns him with the various bourgeois state functionaries who, beginning in the second half of the eighteenth century and especially throughout the nineteenth, elaborated corrective measures, regulations, and institutions based on new conceptions of cleanliness. The battle in the name of hygiene, as much a battle in the name of morality, was first waged in the cities and coincided with the rise of capitalism and industrialization. City air and water were the two elements to be reckoned with. They had to circulate cleanly, freely, and efficiently. Though hygienic practices were often first developed for and practiced by the middle and upper classes, the working class, the poor, prostitutes, often women in general, were eventually the prime targets, feeble and feminized, in the effort to make society function as efficiently and as waste-free as a successful industry. It is thus no surprise that the apostrophes of Baudelaire's epilogue projects are from a "vieux paillard" to his mistress, "l'enorme catin" that is Paris. That Paris is a woman is a commonplace in nineteenth-century literature.(1) The city that is mud- "la femme est naturelle, c'est-a-dire abominable" (MC, v)- must drape herself in gold- "idole, elle doit se corer pour etre adore" (CE, 492).(2) Chemists, with their analyses of the composition of air and their warnings against the potentially hazardous effects of miasmas, were the first to heighten public awareness of menaces in the environment, but doctors, architects, engineers, and that new figure, the public health specialist, all played a role in what amounted to nothing less than a total restructuring of town and society.(3) Under the pen of one such specialist, Alexandre Parent-Duchatelet, the language of the sewer expert converged with that of the inspector of brothels. Parent-Duchatelet's solutions to this natural, "inevitable" problem of prostitution, as inevitable as sewage itself, was the same utopian strategy of containment he devised for refuse and excrement.(4) One early moment in this rearrangement of town and society was the celebrated closure, in the 1780's, of the Cemetery of the Holy Innocents in the heart of Paris. With the transfer of the remains to the underground Catacombs south of Paris, the living were protected from the noxious vapors of the dead. Out of sight; out of mind. The transformation of the site into an open marketplace dominated by a fountain was a model for many of the urban purifications that were to follow.(5) Far from resembling medieval ossuaries, the Catacombs were carefully organized, their bones disposed so as to form regular patterns. Aristocratic visitors came to see the Catacombs as early as 1787. Only a few years after the first visits to the sewers, themselves impressively illuminated and billed "un second Paris souterrain" in time for the Exposition of 1867, the Catacombs were opened to the public.(6) Visits to the Catacombs and the sewers thus partook of that larger movement of domestication begun in the eighteenth century: tourism. Developments underground accompanied the more visible Haussmanization experienced by Baudelaire, with its evacuation of cluttered, crowded old buildings, its wide aerating and aerated boulevards infusing a darkened city with more light, its vast projects for underground water conduits, and its "social dichotomy of purification",(7) the migration of the poor to distinct neighborhoods. The nineteenth-century (feminine) city underwent a "topographical toilette" corresponding to a "social toilette" of cleaning streets and organizing places of confinement(8) which in turn was reflected in the more literal toilette of the individual, for, as Georges Vigarello has noted, it is "care of the body [which] involved a total reconstruction of the world above and below cities. …


Professor Su Buqing was a distinguished educationist, who had devoted to the cause of the higher eduction for over seventy years and accumulated a lot of practical experience in his lifetime. He summed up his ideas on higher education during the fifteen yeas when he worked successively as deputy president and president of Fudan University. His main ideas are as follows:to teach students to think and create independently; to insist on the combination of teaching and reseach; to deal correctly with the relationship between fundamental reseach and applied scientific reseach ; to encourage students to excel the older generation. In this article the author will briefly discuss Professor Su's ideas on higher education as mentioned above.


We provide a profile of forest-related conflict in Indonesia from 1997 to June 2003, based on a survey of national and provincial newspaper articles and six case studies in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Java. The survey shows that conflict increased most rapidly in 2000 during the transition to decentralization and has generally stayed at higher levels than during the New Order period. Reports of conflicts were highest in East Kalimantan, followed by Sumatra and Central Java. The main causes of conflict were differences in perceptions about boundaries, rights to use of forest, compensation payments and distribution of benefits from forests. Although media reports focus on the escalation of conflict after the reform period, the case studies demonstrated complex histories of latent conflict and conflict resolution through compensation payments that proved unsuccessful in reducing long-run conflict. The study recommends that (i) conflict management be considered an element of forest management, (ii) forest conflicts be monitored to learn more about their incidence, causes and ways of managing them and (iii) alternative methods for managing conflict be explored. Introduction During the New Order in Indonesia, authorities sought to avoid or suppress forest-related conflict (Suporahardjo, 2000). Although reforms since 1998 have made it possible to acknowledge and talk about conflict more openly, there has been little systematic information about the incidence or causes of forest-related conflict in Indonesia, or how these have changed with reforms. Such information could help inform conflict management, especially to anticipate where conflict is likely to occur and escalate. To better understand forest-related conflict in Indonesia and how it has been affected with reforms, this report aims to provide a preliminary profile of forest conflict: its frequency, geographic distribution, associated parties and causes. We look at the trends in these features from 1997 to 2003 to see how conflict changed between the New Order and the reform period. Where information was available, we also examined local efforts to manage conflict. The work builds on previous studies, especially Potret Keadaan Hutan Indonesia (Forest Watch Indonesia and Global Forest Watch, 2001) which includes a map showing the distribution of conflict based on a limited number of cases. These studies show that although conflicts occured under vastly different institutional arrangements—including timber concessions (Hak Pengusaha Hutan, HPH), industrial plantations (Hutan Tanaman Industri, HTI), other plantations such as oil palm, and Governance Brief An Analysis of Forestry Sector Conflict in Indonesia 1997 2003 Yuliana Cahya Wulan, Yurdi Yasmi, Christian Purba and Eva Wollenberg C e n t e r f o r I n t e r n a t i o n a l F o r e s t r y R e s e a r c h S e p te m b e r 2 0 0 4


Analyzed on the employment in the southwest of Central South University of forest and technology graduate from 2006 to 2009,and visited some large enterprises of southwest,the method that guiding the employment of college graduates of Hunan for the Southwest region strongly were proposed.With the western development and economic structural adjustment,college should improve the training mode,and get actively the labor market supply and demand real-time information,thereby providing students with better employment services.


Roughness is a key factor to explain mechanical and hydraulic feature of rock fracture.Using the self-made mold,we split the rock sample through the middle to produce fresh fractures which are perpendicular to the axial direction.188 fracture profiles from 47 cylindrical specimens of seven rocks were measured.Relationship among joint roughness coefficient JRC,asperity profile index Rp,asperity angle i,fractal dimensions D,and intercept A were analyzed.The results show that the JRC has a close relation with the sizes of grains of rocks,the bigger the grain size is,the bigger the JRC is.JRC has a logarithmic relationship with Rp-1,but not a linear relationship;the JRC is positively related to i and the two roughness angles i derived from Z2 and Rp respectively are close to each other,the latter one is a little larger while i is larger than 7.2,otherwise,the former one is larger.The JRC and intercept A meet approximately the equation JRC=37.087+16.235A,so that the intercept A can be used to represent fracture roughness.The JRC has the lowest negative correlation with fractal dimension D for every group of rock specimen fractures.However,for the average values of a group of specimen,the JRCave and fractal dimension Dave have a good positive correlation among five groups of rock specimen fractures except for two groups of sandstone.As a whole,the JRC increases while the fractal dimension D decreases with increase of profile size.


A study of the value of Southeast Asia to the United States, which is also considered in certain extreme contingencies over a period that is short-term in a historical sense, though somewhat longer from the standpoint of economics.


The tendencies of the modern education development are represented in the article; the characteristics of innovations as an integrative category is given; the criteria are defined and the classification of innovations in education are presented; the structure-forming components of the innovative activity of a municipal professional education institution are marked out.


Particle beam (PB) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/MS and ionspray (ISP) HPLC/MS were investigated for the separation and mass spectral characterization of the phospholipids phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol. Fragmentation patterns obtained in both positive-ion and negative-ion chemical ionization modes using the PB/MS technique were not useful in differentiating phospholipid classes. The HPLC/ISP-MS technique was able to provide direct information about the molecular weights of the individual homologues; more complete characterization of the fatty acid chains and of the polar head group was obtained by using ionspray with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The HPLC/ISP-MS system was used to characterize the lipid fraction of different soybean products; phosphatidylserine and less polar lipids such as triglycerides were also identified from the on-line mass spectra of eluates. Finally, the potential of the MS/MS selected-reaction monitoring (SRM) technique for the analysis of phospholipids at the nanogram level was explored. The higher selectivity observed with SRM compared with that obtained by using selected-ion-monitoring suggests the potential of the former method for the analysis of these substances in samples with a low content, such as biological and clinical ones.


The feasibility of acidifying home canned tomatoes was determined. Citric acid, lemon juice, or vinegar were added at three concentrations to tomatoes which were canned by the raw pack method. The pH of low acid products was lowered effectively by acidulation with lg citric acid monohydrate or 1 tbsp lemon juice per pint. Vinegar was less effective than the other acidulants and also contributed an off-flavor at all levels. Acidulants equilibrated more rapidly when added to filled jars rather than to empty jars before filling. Alternative acidulation recommendations were compared by use of data derived from canning studies and from measurements of the response of high pH raw tomatoes to acidulation.


The patient, a fit man of 45, was to have a nasal operation. Pre-operative examination showed nothing abnormal in any system. Papaveretum 20 mg and scopolamine 0.4 mg was given 1 hour before induction and 15 minutes later the nose was packed by the surgeon using 8 ml of a solution containing equal quantities of 4% cocaine and 1 in lo00 adrenaline. Anaesthesia was induced with thiopentone 0.7 g, suxamethonium chloride 80 mg and pethidine 25 mg. The larynx was sprayed with 10% cocaine, not more than 2 ml being used, the patient was intubated with a 10 mm plain Magill tube under direct vision and the throat was packed. Connection was made to a Magill semi-closed (Mapleson A) circuit. Seventy per cent nitrous oxide in oxygen at a flow rate of 10 litres per minute was used. Artificial ventilation was carried out for 2 minutes and, after spontaneous respiration had started, minimal trichlorethylene was added and the patient was placed on the table in the supine position. Ten millilitres of adrenaline 1 in 200,000 in 0.9% saline solution was infiltrated locally. The foot-rest was then placed in position and the table given a 20" head-up tilt. The patient's body began to shake all over within 2 or 3 minutes; he was apparently having a convulsion which was so severe that the operation had to be stopped. The trichlorethylene was discontinued and the oxygen percentage in the inspired mixture was increased without effect upon the movements. Thiopentone 0.25 g was then given, also without effect, followed by gallamine 80 mg, which, though it produced respiratory arrest, did not stop the movements. Artificial ventilation was instituted meanwhile. The drapes were removed to permit a detailed examination of the patient and, while this was being done, the feet were lifted off the foot-board; the clonic movements ceased immediately. A diagnosis of postural ankle clonus was made as the cause of the 'convulsions'.


a happy mis-translation by John Colson of the name versiera (from Latin versare, to turn), an Italian word that was also an abbreviation of avversiera, meaning 'the wife of the devil'. Otherwise, perhaps, the name of Agnesi would not be familiar to us today. Again, her interest in curves was geometrical: 'the ones which depend on a knowledge of physics I left aside on purpose for I did not want to get involved in physical matters. I left aside all those problems which depend upon them, in order to avoid going beyond pure analysis, and its applications to geometry.' Maria Gaetana was born into a wealthy Milanese family, the oldest of her father's twenty children, and she showed exceptional intellectual ability from an early age, being almost an 'exhibit' in her father's conversazione when she would show off her knowledge of languages and philosophy. The author notes that philosophical disputation was not a traditional way of entertaining guests at social events; indeed a best-selling book of the time explicitly banned mathematics from the topics that could make for a rewarding conversation. Plus qa change....


In a study of novice teachers' I investigate the conception of randomness among teachers college trainees that study probability and statistics. I gave the students questionnaires which serve to explored their conception and problem-solving approach with respect to probability problems, conception of randomness and deciding about the randomness of sequences and arrays, solving a THOG type problem, which raise the use of matching biases characteristics. I will show that the students use a set of rules to solve these different categories of problems. There is a common heuristic for all or many of these problem solving categories: the problem solver relay on heuristics anchored on the symmetry and asymmetry of sets of objects or more abstract elements to decide on questions like what is the probability of getting a certain sample in a random drawing of beads, the randomness of an array; certain sequences are measured by looking at the amount of apparent order in-order to make decisions concerning randomness and deviation from symmetry of the sample also effect the decision. This characteristic heuristic approach of problem solvers is founded on a set of simple rules relating to order, deviation from symmetry, the distribution of patches in the plane and occurrence of ordered subsequences in certain linear arrangement of sequences.


Shooting is a sort of sports event relying mainly on isometric strength. With the development of science and technology, athletic performances of the elite shooters were generally improved and were getting closer and closer with each other. At that time, mental training seems to be particularly important. Through the tracing investigation for 8 years in 10 elite shooters of the military sports training school in Guizhou province of China measurements were taken for several times with psychological measuring scales, such as the 16 PF (measuring scale of 16 personality factors) and the Raven progressive matrix etc. By methods of data statistics and processing as well as literature summarizing, the statistical list for expressing the relationship between parts of the psychological indexes and athletic performances of the elite shooters was achieved to provide gist for studying effects of mental factors on athletic performances in shooting.


The electrostatic potential profile and the particle densities of a simplified auroral double layer are found using a relaxation method to solve Poisson's equation in one dimension. The electron and ion distribution functions for the ionosphere and magnetosphere are specified at the boundaries, and the particle densities are found from a collisionless kinetic model. The ion distribution function includes the gravitational potential energy; hence, the unperturbed ionospheric plasma has a density gradient. The plasma potential at the upper boundary is given a large negative value to accelerate electrons downward. The solutions for a wide range of dimensionless parameters show that the double layer forms just above a critical altitude that occurs approximately where the ionospheric density has fallen to the magnetospheric density. Below this altitude, the ionospheric ions are gravitationally confined and have the expected scale height for quasineutral plasma in gravity.


Although compatible with polychromatic radiation, the sensitivity in X-ray phase contrast imaging with a grating interferometer is strongly dependent on the X-ray spectrum. We used an energy resolving detector to quantitatively investigate the dependency of the noise from the spectral bandwidth and to consequently optimize the system—by selecting the best energy band matching the experimental conditions—with respect to sensitivity maximization and, eventually, dose. Further, since theoretical calculations of the spectrum are usually limited due to non-ideal conditions, an energy resolving detector accurately quantifies the spectral changes induced by the interferometer including flux reduction and beam hardening.


A method and decision support subsystem based on the principles of fuzzy logic for Mueller-matrix polarization diagnostics of biological tissues have been developed. On the basis of statistical, correlation and spectral analysis of invariant Muller-matrix images of biological tissues and their superpositions, informative signs of diagnosis are determined. Mathematical models of functions belonging to the "normal" and "pathology" states of the studied samples for the decisive rule in the system have been developed.


Four herbal plants namely Polygonum chinense, Polygonum perfoliatum, Eclipta prostata and Cardamine hirsuta were evaluated for their antioxidant activity using various chemical assays like diphenyl picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide (O2) and hydroxyl (OH) radical scavenging methods. Vitamins C and pyragallol are used as standard compounds in these experiments. The herbal plants are extracted by using methanol for their best result. The decoloration from 100-500μg/ml indicated concentration dependent scavenging activity of DPPH radicals by the crude extract of these species. Similarly the plant extracts showed a concentration dependent inhibition of O2 radical and hydroxyl radical production. The IC50 values of these plant extracts were also calculated by using linear regression analysis. The result shows strong support of the nutraceutical capability of these herbal plants. © 2015 Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved


It is known that any matter has a quantum electromagnetic field (QEF) [1], Therefore, the WEF of Earth's stressed matter generates waves of quantum electromagnetic energies (S-radiation), which reveals the origin of geopathic radiation (GR), which, as is well known, cause diseases. For the same reason, electric generators, including solar panels, together with electric current generate quantum currents. Internet technology and satellites transform them into S-radiation, the effects of which, like GR, cause diseases. The orbits of these satellites correlate with the dislocation of coronavirus foci, indicating their involvement in the emergence and development of the pandemic. It is shown that the S-radiated metal of the roof of the car, as well as a person infected with COVID-19, generate S-radiations that infect others. Proposed measures that will increase the effectiveness of quarantines, which will stop the pandemic.


In allusion to the characteristic of Digital Signal Processing teaching and the advantage of MATLABs visual program and data calculation, developed a set teaching demo system of DSP and compiled MATLAB programme exercise which can not only increase teacher's teaching means but also improve students study quality.


People in the middle and late Tang Dynasty held different views on QU Yuan and YANG Xiong from people in the early and prosperous Tang Dynasty,Which led to people's re-evaluation of QU Yuan and YANG Xiong in the middle and late Tang Dynasty as well as great changes of literary creation.People in the middle and late Tang Dynasty had better undestanding and more sympathy for the experiences and literary works of QU Yuan and YANG Xiong because of the social influences and personal experiences,which resulted in the imitation of literary works of QU Yuang and YANG Xiong in literary creation,esp in Cifu creation.


We present optical spectroscopy of projected QSO pairs to investigate the Mg II and the C IV absorption features imprinted on the spectrum of the background object by the gaseous halo surrounding the foreground QSO. We observed 13 projected pairs in the redshift range 0.7 ∼ < zF ∼ 2.2 spanning projected separations between 60 kpc and 120kpc. In the spectra of the background QSOs, we identify Mg II intervening absorption systems associated to the foreground QSOs in 7 out of 10 pairs, and 1 absorption system out of 3 is found for C IV. The distribution of the equivalent width as a function of the impact parameter shows that, unlike the case of normal galaxies, some strong absorption systems (EWr>1 Å) are present also beyond a projected radius of ∼ 70 kpc. If we take into account the mass of the galaxies as an additional parameter that influence the extent of the gaseous haloes, the distribution of the absorptions connected to the QSOs is consistent to that of galaxies. In the spectra of the foreground QSOs we do not detect any Mg II absorption lines originated by the gas surrounding the QSO itself, but in 2 cases these features are present for C IV. The comparison between the absorption features observed in the transverse direction and those along the line of sight allows us to comment on the distribution of the absorbing gas and on the emission properties of the QSOs. Based on observations undertaken at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) under Programmes 085.B-0210(A) and 086.B-0028(A).


Culturally produced dominant representations and discourses mark low-income, urban black girls' bodies, thoughts, and actions as "fast (i.e. sexually promiscuous). This punitive label enforces regulatory systems where the girls can be policed and reprimanded. This paper closely examines political narratives, policies, ethnographic data from focus groups with urban black Baltimorean middle school girls, and online coverage of a Baltimore City teen school sex scandal. The author uses an intersectional analysis to highlight how urban black girls are often excluded from stigma-free sexual citizenship and bodily agency. The author suggests that national and local Baltimorean public policies have limited the girls' access to key resources such as health clinics, SBHC, and after school programs that focus on teen pregnancy and sexual development. This coupled with community stigma and silences surrounding romance, desire, and sex, may place the girls at higher risk to make unhealthy and un-pleasurable sexual decisions that negatively affect their positive social development. The author wonders if new media will provide new ways of speaking back to political narratives, structural inequalities, and public policies that aim to hinder clack youth's access to sexual citizenship and bodily agency.


The early modern period witnessed the colossal enterprise of scientific inventions and their technological potential where economic growth appeared unlimited. The treadmill of production for both civilian and military sectors has all along driven the expansion of production and consumption synergistically. The economy subsystem expands relative to the fixed dimensions of the containing and sustaining ecosystem and becomes disembedded from the planetary socio-ecological threshold. Thus fossil-fuelled industrialization and growth has created increasing resource constraints like peak oil and sink constraints like disastrous climate change. In 1972, Club of Rome's Report entitled 'Limits to Growth' forcefully demonstrated that exponential growth in a finite world was impossible in the long run. Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen in 1970s introduced entropy law in economic process and laid the foundation of ecological economics.The ecological economists since late 1980s challenge the notion of growth-asprogress given that ecological and resource factors are constrained and advocate sustainable degrowth in the North. The regions and populations with the least carbon footprint in the world are the most vulnerable to environmental calamities. North has been the main source as well as main beneficiary of climatic deterioration from the days of industrial revolution to contemporary neoliberal world order. The climate debt thus encompasses the historical as well as contemporary exploitation of third world natural resources and the excessive use of 'environmental space' for dumping waste and thus expropriating global atmospheric resources. Thus the climate justice movement of the South fighting ecologically unequal exchange and the ecological debt and the sustainable degrowth movement of the North implying a lower social metabolism complementarily reflect on the global ecological crises in terms of overconsumptive western lifestyles and ecological unsustainibility of capitalism. Foucauldian wisdom reminds us that the dominant configuration of knowledge and power is not inevitable and further reflections can change it. Thus if the values and political implications underlying the debates on growth business as usual do not ensure how to protect the society, we can refuse to accept their imperatives and develop alternative epistemology and strategy. Critical Realism provide us with the intellectual foundation to transcend from the apparent utopia of a Just Safe World to be a concrete utopia for achieving ecological rationality, based on vision of reembedding the economy as the subsystem sustained by a larger ecosystem with limits and capacities, justifies creative destruction of the disembedded economy.


Au nanoparticles (NPs) have interesting optical properties, such as local field enhancement for improving light absorption and Raman scattering cross-section of an organic chromophore, and catalytic properties of improving the kinetics of redox reactions involved in clean energy transformations. Real-time electrochemical measurements of catalytic Au NPs would help resolve their local structure–function relationship, which can further provide insights into developing an optimal catalytic condition. It is extremely challenging to resolve the electrochemical events of electrocatalytic Au NPs at a single-particle level using conventional ensemble averaging methods. Here, we present a light-scattering-based spectroelectrochemistry analysis of single catalytic Au NPs at a transparent planar electrode and ultramicroelectrode (UME) with combined methods of electrochemistry and dark-field light scattering (DFS). Hydrazine oxidation reaction is used as a model system to characterize the catalytic characteristics of...


From observations with the Bell Laboratories 7 m telescope of the K components of the CH/sub 3/CH J = 4..-->..3 rotational transition at 73.6 GHz, 6..-->..5 transition at 110.4 GHz, and 7..-->..6 transition at 128.7 GHz, a mean kinetic temperature of 85 +- 10 K and a mean H/sub 2/ density of (1.1 +- 0.5) x 10/sup 5/ cm/sup -3/ are deduced for the central 2' of the Sgr B2 molecular cloud. Within the K = 0--4 ladders of CH/sub 3/CN in Sgr B2 the populations of the radiatively coupled J levels are relaxed, with a rotational temperature of approximately 16 K: similar to that of several linear molecules.


Background: The diagnosis of Typhoid fever, based on the Widal slide agglutination test, remains a major hurdle in developing countries like Cameroon due to varied perceptions of the value of the Widal test in determining clinical decision making. We undertook a study to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Widal test and the typhidot immunoassay in patients suspected of having typhoid fever in the Menoua division, West Region of Cameroon. Methods: Blood and stool samples were collected from 558 consenting febrile patients on the basis of suspicion of typhoid fever. These patients attended three district health services of the Menoua division between April 2018 and September 2019. These patients had clinical symptoms suggestive of typhoid fever as determined by their consultant. Serum from whole blood was used for the Widal slide agglutination test and for the Typhidot rapid immunoassay test based on manufacturer's guidelines. A composite reference of fever plus positive coproculture for Salmonella enteric serovars typhi and paratyphi was used as reference. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive values of the positive and negative tests were calculated as well as the Cohen's Kappa for agreement between the two tests. Results: Of 558 patients, 12.90% tested positive for the reference method, 57.17% tested positive for the Widal slide agglutination test while 15.59% were positive for typhidot-IgM. The overall sensitivity, specificity, predictive values of the positive and negative tests were 80.56%, 94.03%, 66.6% and 97.03% respectively for typhidot-IgM; 94.44%, 48.35%, 21.32% and 98.33% for Widal slide agglutination test. The Cohen's kappa estimates were 0.1660 (0.121-0.211), 0.386 (0.312-0.460) for Widal test and typhidot immunoassay respectively, with agreements of 53.76% and 76.16% respectively. Conclusion: The Widal test was found to have a lower predictive value for the diagnosis of typhoid fever in our setting. However, the Typhidot test, although better, was not ideal. Diagnosis of typhoid fever should therefore rely on adequate clinical suspicion and a positive Typhidot test to improve the clinical management of Typhoid fever in our setting.


A microgrid may comprise several zones with local loads and distributed generation resources. If a fault occurs in a zone, then a static switch between the faulty and fault-free zones must be activated to detect/classify the faults and enable the breaker to open the circuit immediately. This paper presents a new method for designing a detection/classification module in a static switch using the Park Transform (PT), Multiresolution Analysis (MRA) and Takagi–Sugeno–Kang (TSK) fuzzy rules. Both wavelet coefficients/energies of the d-axis component, within 0.96–1.92 kHz, obtained by MRA and PT are employed to effectively detect and classify the fault types using the local fault signals near the static switch without a complicated communication system. The proposed TSK fuzzy rules, defined by the scenario data only, successfully classify the faults. The proposed method is verified by hardware-in-the-loop simulation using a real-time digital simulator and a realistic 5 kVA static switch. The proposed method is implemented in a Xilinx field-programmable gate array. Test results show that the proposed method is efficient in the real-time control environment of a microgrid.