Ultrasonically-triggered drug delivery may be ac- complished through the attachment of drug-enriched liposomes to microbubble contrast agent. Understanding of the dynamics and mechanisms of drug release is needed to ensure robust and reproducible delivery of pharmaceutical payloads. Fluorescent microbeads were attached to stabilized perfluorobutane mi- crobubbles with avidin-biotin bonding. The resulting bubble-bead complex is a model for a drug-loaded ultrasound contrast agent. In a preliminary experiment using fluorescent microscopy, the destruction of microbubbles and release of beads were observed during exposure to diagnostic ultrasound. Detailed observations were made using the Brandaris-128 camera operated at 13 million frames per second (Mfps) speed. The bead-bubble complexes were exposed to 2.0 MHz, 10-cycle ultrasonic pulses at up to 0.65 MPa peak negative amplitude. Release and displacement of fluorescent microbeads from their original position was observed during insonation. Detached beads track the fluid flow induced by the bubble compression and expansion, at velocities greater than 10 m/sec. The translational and oscillatory movement of detached beads diminishes as the distance between the bubble and the bead increases. The results did not establish the capability of ultrasound to propel microbeads to a distance greater than a few cell layers. In short, this study exposed the process of the ultrasound-mediated release and subsequent movement of shell- associated microbeads with high temporal resolution.


Consumers experience of various emotions, simultaneously or successively when interacting with the service providers (Maguire & Geiger, 2015). Recently the findings of Bilgihan et al. (2016) consider the key of the emotional role in services and emphasizes that in the context of service companies have to pay more attentions to the consumer's emotions to increase the loyalty df customers. The role and effects of emotions attract more attention from the marketing intellectuals in Indonesia in their search for a better understanding of consumers and the consumption experience (Mattila and Enz, 2002; Ladhari, 2007).


Childhood has been shown to be a crucial period for the effect of sun exposure on the development of melanoma and melanocytic nevi. Whether or not sun exposure after childhood still promotes the genesis of nevi is still unclear. Theoretically, adult monozygotic twins represent a perfectly controlled model to answer this question. Twenty eight pairs of monozygotic twins over 30 years of age were examined and questioned about their sun exposure. As expected, there was good intrapair correlation for nevus density. However most twins exhibited at least a 20% difference in the number of nevi, which can be attributed to a different exposure to environmental factors after childhood. Within a pair, the twin who was more sun-exposed between 15 and 30 years of age had a twice hig er risk of having more nevi. This shows that the influence of sun exposure on the development of nevi is not limited to the first years of life. Intrapair differences in the number of nevi on never-exposed areas raises the possibility of either a systemic effect of sun exposure or other yet unidentified environmental risk factors for the development of nevi.


The catalytic cracking of a Mayan vacuum gas oil and the products from mild, moderate, and severe hydrotreating of this gas oil was evaluated over a low-metal equilibrium catalyst in a microconfined bed unit (MCBU). Results obtained with the Mayan feedstocks are compared with those of an earlier study conducted with similar feedstocks obtained from a Wilmington (CA) crude oil. Two levels of catalytic cracking severity were used in the evaluation. Performance and product analysis showed that hydrotreating improves the yields obtained from catalytic cracking and the quality of the resultant products. In contrast to results obtained with the Wilmington feedstocks, conversion and gasoline yield do not improve with severity of the hydrotreating of the Mayan vacuum gas oils. The insensitivity of the cracking performance to hydrotreating severity may reflect the more facile removal of polar compounds (heteroatom compounds) on hydrotreating of the Mayan gas oil in comparison to the Wilmington. Sulfur and nitrogen contents of the liquid products (gasoline, light cycle oil, heavy cycle oil) decreased as the severity of the feed hydrotreating increased. 7 refs., 12 figs., 15 tabs.


Long-term variation of zooplankton community and species composition was studied from 2003 to 2014 in a deep reservoir, Lake Soyang, in monsoon climate region, Korea. In addition, we examined the correlation with environmental factors. Annual precipitation of watershed showed a large variation in the 705~1,779 mm yr-1 and more than 70% of it was being concentrated from June to September. The water quality of Lake Soyang was shown a clearly seasonal variations and particularly turbid water flowing into the lake during rainy season was the most important environmental factors. Zooplankton community in Lake Soyang showed a significant difference before and after 2006. Zooplankton biomass has shown a large increase and also showed a change in the zooplankton community structure since 2006. The of zooplankton showed positive correlation with temperature and BOD, Chl. a, TP concentration. These results are considered that nutrient and organic matter contained in the turbid water influences the increase in zooplankton biomass and species composition. However, water quality was limited to account for the increase in biomass of zooplankton. For example, increase of small zooplankton density (rotifer; Keratella cochlearis, Polyarthra vulgaris) in spring which is dominated by diatoms (large size; Melosira, Synedra etc.) is considered as a bottom-up effect by the microbial loop. And increased density of crustaceans in autumn was considered a top-down effects by the relationship between predator and prey of microzooplankton and mesozooplankton. In other words the inflow of allochthonous organic matter during rainy season also affected to zooplankton food web in Lake Soyang. In conclusion, biomass, diversity and long-term variations of zooplankton in Lake Soyang were determined by physico-chemical factors but also it is considered that biological interactions is important.


AbstractDifferent magnitude of debris flows causes different damages to the surrounding environment. It is important to know its volume in order to be able to be aware of its run-out length and potential damage level. Many researchers have tried to develop regression models for estimating debris flow magnitude, yet they cannot be used in a general context. A research on debris flow in the eastern Italian Alps, for example, a regression equation to determine debris flow magnitude based only on the slope gradient (S) and watershed area (A) as independent variables was suggested. The purpose of this paper is to develop new regression equations by using a database from 26 watershed sites in South Korea, and to compare it with the previous model from other research. The estimated data of debris flow magnitude were obtained from light detection and ranging and a field survey based on expert decision. The new equation, with two terms [i.e., (1) A, and (2) S], gave better result regardless of the other factors (r...


The sBs based fiber ring with enhanced gain and linewidth is a special slow light device. We report the effect of GAWBS modes on pulse delay and distortion of the fiber ring slow light device.


The presence of, and speed of application for, and number of dollars reserved for, Federal urban renewal programs (the measures of innovation) are analyzed for 582 American cities over 25,000 population in 1960. Other variables studied are ethnicity, income, Democratic vote, political structure, industrial character, educational level, voting turnout, age and size of the city, unemployment, migration, housing condition, and nonwhite composition. Findings: older and larger cities and those with low levels of education and income, high unemployment, fewer managers and officials, and low levels of in-migration and growth are more innovative, even when region, the condition of housing, and the size of city are controlled. Five different theories are discussed: political culture, centralization of formal political structure, concentration or diffusion of community power, community differentiation, and continuity, community integration. An alternative theory is offered that interorganizational networks ("interfaces") between centers of power increase capacity for coordination. Such networks are furthered by greater structural differentiation and an accumulation of experience and information in the community system. The data available provide only indirect tests of the theory.


Purpose

An increasing number of users are inspired by enterprises to repost social media messages, which greatly contributes to the dissemination of such messages in an online social network. The purpose of this paper is to discover the repost patterns of users regarding enterprise social media messages to help enterprises improve information management abilities for social media.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes a novel method to discover the repost patterns of users in enterprise social networking (ESN) at the macro-level through topic analysis. Specifically, it proposes the message-diversity metric to measure the latent topic diversity degree of the social media messages. Through this technique, the paper analyzes the message-diversity characteristics of the enterprise social media messages and then explores the repost patterns of users.

Findings

The experimental results show that a high repost rate is more prominent for the messages with diverse latent topics, where message-diversity is as high as 0.5.

Practical implications

The findings have great potential in several management areas, such as employing social media marketing, predicting popular messages, helping enterprises strengthen their online presence, and gathering more potential customers.

Originality/value

This study explores how the repost patterns of users in ESN can be determined through general macro-level behavior of users instead of their micro-level processes. The patterns can also lead to a deeper understanding of which contents can drive people to diffuse information. This study gives an important insight into the information behavior of social media users for enterprise management researchers.


Surface integrity of machined components is critical for product performance in service. Process dynamic parameters, such as cutting speed and the changing contact condition between the tool flank face and machined surface, have a significant influence on surface integrity of a machined surface. Due to the very small scale of surface integrity factors on a machined surface, nanoindentation can be used to determine the surface/subsurface mechanical properties. However, the test data may be significantly influenced by machining induced residual stresses, strain hardening, and microstructure changes. The fundamental relationships between residual stress, microstructure, and nanohardness in the machined surface are yet to be understood. Further, it is not clear how to determine residual stress, at least its nature of tensile or compressive, from the nanoindentation data with the presence of complex residual stress state, strain hardening, and microstructure changes. This study focuses on the effects of cutting speed and machining system damping or rigidity (through varying tool flank wear) on subsurface mechanical state and the basic relationships between residual stress, white layer, and nanohardness. A series of nanoindentation tests were conducted to machined samples with distinct surface integrity by hard turning, grinding, and honing. It was found that white layer increases nanohardness and dark layer decreases nanohardness in subsurface, while strain hardening only slightly increases subsurface hardness. The research results indicate that subsurface residual stress can be qualitatively characterized by the load-displacement curve pattern and its parameters such as slope at initial loading, total depth, residual depth, and the ratio of residual depth to total depth. Residual stress would affect a load-displacement curve shape only at onset of yielding. Microstructure changes would make a significant difference on the characteristics of a load-displacement curve, while strain hardening exerts slight influence on the curve characteristics. In addition, the mechanism of residual stress on indentation depth was explained using a Mohr's circle.© 2004 ASME


The main objective of this study is to experimentally quantify the feasibility of using ER fluids for suppressing vibrations of the rotating beams. An ER sandwich beam specimen, in which an ER fluids layer is sandwiched between two elastic surface layers, is constructed. An experiment set-up is established to investigate the effect of the ER fluids on vibration suppression of the rotating beams with point-to-point motion. The vibration response performances of the beam subjected to different electric field intensity, rotating speed, and acceleration are demonstrated and evaluated. The experimental results obtained indicate that significant vibration attenuation is achieved at different operating conditions by applying an electric field to the rotating beam.


The research survey was conducted in Klang valley involving six organizations from hi-tech manufacturing and service industry. This study examines and evaluates learning organizations practices and behaviors of these organizations. The analytical framework of this study is largely based on Watkins and Marsicks (1993), Marquardt (1996) and Peter Senge (1990) conceptual model of learning organization. This research used the questionnaire survey method; and applied descriptive analysis, regression analysis, independent sample t-test and ANOVA analysis to explore retations among variables.


The article describes the relevance of emotion recognition task caller´s voice. Given the existing algorithms for recognizing emotions subscribers, and describes the strengths and weaknesses of these algorithms. Authors propose an algorithm to help eliminate the disadvantages of the described algorithms. It is shown that one of the virtues of the author´s algorithm based on a general mathematical theory of emotional robots with non-absolute memory, is that you can use it to simulate the emotions of mobile phones and computing their education. This article describes a software application, based on algorithm and determining the numerical value of emotions, based on the characteristics of the voice call. The verification of the author´s algorithm in order to study its performance. The conclusions concerning the effectiveness of applying the algorithm to measure emotions subscriber mobile device.


Among the archetypalimages of Dostoevsky's works,female characters make a culture-loaded group.They can be viewed as examples of Frye's"archetype of bride medium".They are degenerate,yet not evil.In fact they are quite ready to show their sympathy,which makes the salvation of themselves and others possible.


Animals in the ecosystem is an extremely impor-tant component of the human species and its diversity is a prerequisite for sustainable development,it is closely related to human food,health and quality of life.However,the cur-rent relationship between man and animals constantly to con-flict,confrontation,as people have a great sense of superior-ity with the main body can not shirk its primary responsibil-ity.Animal protection does not necessarily mean that given the dominant position of animals,animal can only be the ob-ject of legal relations,we should as a special animal-protec-tion.


In this paper a hybrid wind solar system and its synchronization with utility grid is presented. Proposed system is based upon phase loop locked (PLL) technique. This System is designed to have two basic types of alternative energy sources i.e. solar panel and wind turbine. Developed solar panel model employs a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and Boost converters with reference inputs from the grid for synchronization. Wind turbine contains a pulse width modulation (PWM) based controller and voltage side converter (VSC) for synchronization. This piece of work talks about the detailed design of every module to achieve the synchronized voltages with fairly less power loss and minimum harmonics.. Simulation results shows that excess energy can be successfully are transferred to the local grid within the range. Simulation models have been designed in SimPower for analysis purposes.


The advent of urbanization has paved the way for the emergence of varied social problems amongst which is youth unemployment. The occurrence of youth unemployment varies across countries with its n ...


The authors developed an optimal map-aided estimation process for motor vehicles. Each position measurement is translated onto each road in the vicinity of the measurement. The map-aided estimates are used to update a series of Kalman filters, each of which represents one of the possible spatial trajectories that the vehicle could be following. The best spatial trajectory and the current position estimate is determined by maximizing a probability measure that combines each filter's goodness of fit with the likelihood of measurements that contributed to that filter. The purpose of this paper is to describe a means for characterizing empirical source of information, such as road rules, traffic data, and road types, so that they can be integrated with the map-aided estimator to increase the likelihood of identifying the correct trajectory. A number of empirical information sources are described including but not limited to: road type, road capacity, traffic flows, road rules, traffic control system data, and past drive behavior. These information sources are relatively easy to obtain but their disparate nature makes them difficult to combine. This paper describes how the above sources and sources like them can be characterized as probability distributions and subsequently combined using Bayesian probability techniques and then integrated with the map-aided estimator that also has its basis in probability theory. The effectiveness of the characterization is demonstrated by comparing simulations of the map-aided estimator extended with and without the empirical information. The primary aim of the information characterization is the improvement of the map-aided estimator. The now characterized information, however, can be used in other motor vehicle positioning systems. In systems relying on map matching to correct sensor drift in dead-reckoning for example, empirical information can be used to improve the likelihood of matching to the correct roads. At the end of this paper the reader should have an appreciation for the application and modeling of sources of empirical information that can be used to aid in the position estimation of a motor vehicle.


Characteristic energy losses of electrons in alloys of Mg-Al and of Al-Cu have been investigated. Electrons of about 10 kev were transmitted through thin films of the alloys. The energy spectra of the transmitted electrons were registered with a spectrometer of high resolving power. The measurements of the losses in Al-Cu alloys were correlated with the composition of the alloy films determined by chemical microanalysis. It was shown that the spectra of the alloys cannot be explained by the assumption of a simple superposition or combination of the spectra of the component metals. The suggestion is put forward that the spectra of the alloys are a superposition of the spectra corresponding to various phases of the alloy. This suggestion has been checked in detail for a whole range of Al-Cu alloys. In the case of Mg-Al alloys no definite conclusions could be drawn from the experimental results owing to the strong oxidation of the thin films of this alloy.


The surface of polyethylene (PE) film was sulfonated by reaction with gaseous SO3. The structure of the sulfonated PE films was determined on the basis of spectroscopic data such as IR, UV, and resonance Raman spectra. It was confirmed that a PE film and SO3 gave unsaturated sulfonic acids and that, as the reaction proceeded, the elimination of sulfurous acids took place to form sulfonic acids having highly conjugated CC unsaturated bonds.


Customs agency in Indonesia has an important role in procedural matters and in monitoring the entry and exit of goods from and to foreign countries. Customs agencies in carrying out their duties certainly face various obstacles and the right strategy is needed to overcome these obstacles. Tanjung Intan Cilacap Port is a trading gateway for the City of Cilacap and its surroundings, both local and export-import. The purpose of this study was to analyze the role of Customs and Excise in the effectiveness of export-import activities at the Tanjung Intan Cilacap port. This study uses a descriptive research method with a qualitative approach. Data collection methods used were unstructured interviews and documentation. The analytical method used in this research is the data analysis model of Miles and Huberman which includes the following steps, namely data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions / verification and data analysis.


The knowledge of thickness, optical properties and doping profiles of thin film samples is essential in view of their application in electronic devices. Here we present spectroellipsometric analysis on metallic oxygen deficient SrTiO 3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition on SrTiO 3 substrates. Such material is very interesting for applications in oxide electronics, having very large dielectric constant in the insulating state and becoming a metal with very high mobility with doping concentration as low as 10 18 e/cm 3 . First results indicate that SrTiO 3 thin films present a depressed optical absorption in the UV range above the energy gap and an absorption in the infrared region which is enhanced in respect to the bulk material.


High-speed data and mobility are two key factors for today's wireless industry Mounting evidence shows that the existing telecommunications scene is rapidly moving from a voice-centric to a data-centric system. Not only are fixed line services having to support high-speed data, but so are all their wireless counterparts, from Wi-Fi to the upcoming WiMAX technology. Since infrastructures and standards are already available for data transfer, it is necessary to adapt them to take into account the mobility element, rather than introducing completely new techniques. The most common services are those offering data connectivity based on the Internet Protocol (IP). Moving the computer from one network to another creates problems because routing tables need to be updated so that the data can reach the intended user at the new location. The article provides a simple outline of how an evolved version of IP, Mobile IP, deals with these problems.


Left ventricular rupture resulting in death has been reported to be a complication of percutaneous mitral commissurotomy. We report a 71-year-old man in whom a left ventricular rupture occurred during percutaneous mitral commissurotomy and resulted in hemodynamic collapse due to acute cardiac tamponade. The patient was stabilized using percutaneously instituted cardiopulmonary bypass support with subsequent repair of the left ventricle and successful mitral valve replacement. Three months later this patient remains in New York Heart Class I.


A unified probabilistic framework (UPF) of partitional clustering algorithms is proposed based on Penalized Maximum Likelihood. Besides Gaussian Mixture model methods, many popular clustering methods, such as Fuzzy c-Means Algorithm (FCM), Attribute Means Clustering (AMC), General c-Means Clustering (GCM), and Deterministic Annealing (DA) Clustering can be explained as special cases within UPF. Furthermore, this UPF framework provides a general approach to design comparatively stable and effectively regularized clustering algorithms.


Tin molybdate (SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8}) is a member of the well-known cubic AM\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} family of materials which are famous for displaying negative thermal expansion. Remarkably, SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} is the only member that shows the opposite behaviour and "normal" positive thermal expansion. It also shows more complex oxygen-ordering phases than other cubic AM\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} materials. In this thesis, we explore its synthesis, phase transitions and the local structures of each known phase. We hope that studying this NTE counter-example will help us and others to gain a better understanding of how the negative thermal expansion phenomenon occurs in this family, and how it might be exploited in applications.

Chapter 1 reviews the basic ideas and concepts related to thermal expansion and describes materials that display the counter-intuitive negative thermal expansion property. Particular emphasis is given on the AM\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} family of materials which is of relevance to the materials studied in this thesis.

Chapter 2 describes the characterisation techniques used to investigate the materials studied in this project.

Chapter 3 discusses the synthesis of SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} using a precursor and a gas-solid method. The precursor method was investigated in detail and optimum conditions to obtain large samples of SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} were found. This allows large quantities of bulk materials to be prepared for the first time. This in turn enables some of the experiments to probe and understand its properties described in later chapters. One significant feature of the work is the difficulty in reproducibility performing chemically-controlled routes to a metastable phase.

Chapter 4 investigates the conversion of the amorphous precursor obtained via the precursor method of Chapter 3 into cubic SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8}. Reports on the crystallisation of amorphous precursors of SnO\textsubscript{2}, MoO\textsubscript{3}, Sn\textsubscript{0.5}Zr\textsubscript{0.5}Mo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} and ZrMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} are also given. The amorphous phase is not a simple mixture of its amorphous constituent oxides. We follow key changes in local coordination from precursor to crystalline material using PDF methods. Moreover, the conversion is kinetically controlled, and thus temperature and time are key parameters in order to obtain the cubic phases instead of other polymorphs in the AM\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} family. Finally, a methodology for enriching SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} samples with \textsuperscript{17}O is reported for the first time.

Chapter 5 investigates the kinetics of phase transformation from $\alpha$ to $\gamma$-SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} for materials prepared via the precursor and gas-solid methods under different temperatures at ambient pressure. Understanding this process helps us understand the origins of controllable negative, zero and positive thermal expansion in the SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} family.

Chapter 6 reports the phase behaviour and thermoelastic properties of SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8}, derived from variable temperature and pressure synchrotron powder diffraction data. The bulk modulus and the pressure dependence of the thermal expansion for each known phase of SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} are reported. We report the counter-intuitive property of warm hardening for the high-temperature $\beta$ phase.

Chapter 7 investigates the differences in the local structures of the different phases of SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} by means of total scattering analysis using the reverse Monte Carlo method. The difference in the local structures of each phase is used to explain and rationalise the behaviour of all SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} phases. Overall, SnMo\textsubscript{2}O\textsubscript{8} behaves as a quasi-rigid unit structure with highly rigid MoO\textsubscript{4} tetrahedra and less rigid SnO\textsubscript{6} octahedra. The local structure of room-temperature phase deviates heavily from its average structure.

Chapter 8 summarises the work discussed in the previous chapters.


Three series of experiments were simultaneously carried on rats with the purpose of studying the action of different stimulants on the blood system; rats were subjected to immobilization, hypoxic hypoxia and erythropoietin administration. Changes in various cellular forms in the bone marrow, the thymus and the spleen were studied. A unitypical reaction, as in stress, was noted during the first hours; a reduction of the cell count in the lymphoid organs, a reduction of granulocytes and an increase of lymphoid cells in the bone marrow. The differences were chiefly quantitative. This was followed by stimulation of myelo and erythropoiesis determined by the specific features of the action applied. Nonspecific blood reaction was apparently due to activation of the adaptation mechanisms.


J. A. Cuddon defines literary satire as a ̳kind of protest, a sublimation and refinement of anger and indignation' whose creator views him or herself as a ̳self-appointed guardian of standards, ideals and truth [...] who takes it upon himself to correct, censure and ridicule the follies and vices of society and thus to bring contempt and derision upon aberrations from a desirable and civilised norm'. This definition applies to the two satirical efforts I consider in this article. Heinrich Mann's Der Untertan [The Man of Straw] (1918) and Stephen Colbert's I Am America (And So Can You!) (2007) have a great deal in common despite being separated by era, as well as by linguistic and cultural gulfs. In order to demonstrate the models according to which these satires operate, I draw upon Theodor Adorno's The Authoritarian Personality (1950) as well as Judith Butler's theories of performative gender and sexuality construction. The central figures of their works, Mann's anti-hero Diederich Heßling and Colbert's megalomaniacal character (whom I shall call ̳Stephen' to differentiate him from his creator), demonstrate authoritarian personality traits similar to those identified by Adorno and his colleagues. This personality type / James Wilper is Dandelion's editor for European Cultures and Languages. He received his MLitt from the University of Glasgow in 2008. The working title of James's thesis is Discourses of same-sex desire in early twentieth century German and British literature.


The National Toxicology Program (NTP), a cross-agency unit of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), is one of the focal points for government efforts aimed at generating, collecting, and coordinating data used for guiding public health decisions. Now 25 years old, the NTP is in the middle of a strategic planning effort to define how it will integrate new technologies with classical toxicological approaches to continue providing, according to the NTP's motto, "good science for good decisions."

In its current form, the NTP integrates activities from the NIEHS, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR). Its mission is to evaluate agents of public health concern by developing and applying tools of modern toxicology and molecular biology, a mission it achieves through the use of several strategies. It designs studies on potential toxicants and works with outside groups and government labs to carry them out. It reviews and evaluates what's missing in understanding environmentally induced diseases. It then seeks to fill those gaps by collaborating and cooperating with federal agencies and with other domestic and foreign toxicology and public health organizations, and by carrying out research itself on human exposure and toxicity at laboratories housed at NIOSH and the NIEHS. It supports grants, contracts, and interagency agreements made through the NIEHS Division of Extramural Research and Training, and it supports the activities of three centers.

These activities have brought immense gains in knowledge for the scientific community. But there is more work still to do. Since the fall of 2003, the NTP has been engaged in developing and seeking public comment on a "roadmap" to guide the program's route forward over the next decade. The roadmap seeks to build on recent technological advances that will allow toxicology to evolve from a largely observational science to one that is more predictive, and thus in many ways more protective of public health.


Background: Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is an outpatient fluoroscopy procedure that evaluates the uterine cavity and fallopian tube patency. In some cases, HSG may have a therapeutic effect. Case presentation: We present the case of a 35-year-old HIV-positive woman with a 3-years-old history of secondary tubal infertility, a hysterosalpingogram revealing bilateral proximal tubal obstruction and presented later on with a 6-weeks pregnancy on ultrasound after HSG evaluation. Conclusion: Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is an inexpensive and widely available test to assess tubal infertility. Its therapeutic effects, although rare, can lead to pregnancy in infertile women.


With a doctorate degree from the University of Wuppertal in Germany (1991), Tong Zhu is a Cheung Kong Chair Professor of Environmental Sciences at Peking University (PKU). He is a leading scientist in atmospheric pollution study and has been advising the Chinese government on controlling air pollution in the event of major international activities in China, including the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He served as a co-chair of the scientific steering committee of International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) and now is the chair of the Expert Panel of the National Natural Science Foundation of China's Major Research Program, 'Fundamental researches on the formation and response mechanism of air pollution complex in China'. His research is focused on air pollution related chemical reactions, health effects of environmental pollution, megacity and regional air pollution control, and the air surface exchange and global biogeochemistry. To better understand the current status of the atmospheric pollution research in China and its contribution to air pollution control, the National Science Review made an exclusive interview with Prof. Zhu.


The over-burnt temperature of a new Al-Mg-Si-Cu Aluminum alloy was studied by means of DSC and microstructure analysis, as a result of the homogenization temperature being obtained. A favorable homogenization time was got by the way of the dependence of area fractions of remnant phases on homogenization time being calculated. According to experimentation results, the over-burnt temperature of the new Al-Mg-Si-Cu Aluminum alloy was 570°C, and the way to homogenize the new alloy at 560°C for 24h was excellemt.


Weight loss test was employed in this study to investigate the inhibition property of 6-N,Ndibutylamino-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-dithiol monosodium(DBN)towards aluminum alloy in 1mol/L hydrochloric acid solution.The effect of the DBN concentration,corrosion time and solution temperature on inhibition efficiency were discussed.The results show that the inhibition efficiency has been improved with the increasing of DBN concentration,and decreased with the prolongation of time and the rise of corrosion temperature.The analysis of corrosion reaction kinetics suggests that the activation energy(Ea)for corrosion reaction increases after DBN adding.Therefore,the corrosion reaction becomes difficult,which is thought able to protect the metal from corrosion.The study also indicates that the adsorption isotherm of DBN molecules on the aluminum alloy surface is consistent with the Langmuir adsorption model.The calculation of Gibbs free energy(Gθads=-30.36kJ/mol)shows that the adsorption is spontaneous,and both physical and chemical adsorption are existed.Scanning electron microscopy observation(SEM)shows that the corrosion of aluminum alloy can be effectively suppressed in acidic medium by DBN adding.


Recent research indicated that eddy current conductivity measurements can be exploited for nondestructive evaluation of subsurface residual stress in surface‐treated components. This technique is based on the so‐called piezoresistive effect, i.e., the stress‐dependence of electric conductivity. Previous experimental studies were conducted on excessively peened (Almen 10–16A peening intensity levels) nickel‐base superalloy specimens that exhibited harmful cold work in excess of 30% plastic strain. The main reason for choosing peening intensities above recommended normal levels was that the eddy current penetration depth could not be decreased below 0.2 mm without conducting accurate measurements above 10 MHz, which is beyond the operational range of most commercially available eddy current instruments. In this paper we report the development of a new high‐frequency eddy current conductivity measuring system that offers an extended inspection frequency range up to 80 MHz with a single probe coil. In additio...


Based on 0.5μm twin well CMOS process, a voltage muiltiplier used in passive UHF RFID tags was designed. Instead of Schottky diode, which was most widely used in half-wave voltage muiltiplier, the NMOS transistor in P-well was connected as diode in this circuit. This design avoided the special requirement of process and got lower forward voltage than its PMOS comparison. Simulation results shows that the diode-connected NMOS meets the demand of voltage muiltiplier.


The role of MSMEs is very large for Indonesia's economic growth, where the contribution of MSMEs to the gross domestic product (GDP) reaches 60.5% and to employment of 96.9% of the total national employment absorption. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the government imposed a semi-lockdown by limiting business operating hours, by limiting 50% of the capacity of arriving consumers and reducing operating hours to only 20.00 at night. This policy resulted in a decrease in product demand by 84.8%. However, the MSMEs coffee shop only had an impact of 16%. Based on this condition, researchers are interested in conducting research on MSMEs, especially coffee shops during a pandemic. The purpose of this study to analyze the Market Orientation effect of Product Innovation on Marketing Performance and to analyze the role of Product Innovation in mediating the influence of Market Orientation on Coffee Shop Marketing Performance in Medan City. The survey was conducted on 143 coffee shop entrepreneurs who still survived from the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Medan. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire with direct interview with the coffee shop owner. Data Analysis using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis technique. The results indicate that market orientation has a positive and significant effect on product innovation at Coffee Shop in Medan. Market orientation has not significant effect on marketing performance at Coffee Shop in Medan City. Product innovation has a positive and significant effect on the marketing performance of the Coffee Shop in Medan City, and there is a role between product innovation in mediating the effect of market orientation on marketing performance at the Coffee Shop in Medan City. Coffee shop should establish mechanisms to obtain information about customer needs and expectations and to disseminate and effectively use this information among business functions. © 2023 WITPress. All rights reserved.


This article aims to understand and compare the use of sounds and music as a tool to disputing, sharing and lotting space in two squares in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. In order to do so, citizens manipulate sounds and their parameters, such as intensity, frequency and spatiality. We refer to research data collected by Nucleurb/CCNM-UFMG constituted by a set of methodological procedures that involve field observation, sound recording, photographs, field notesand research on archives, gathering and cross analyzing texts, pictures and sounds, in order to grasp the dynamics of conformation of "place" within the urban space.


Abstract Construction industry presents an extremely complex combined process, production flow, various structures, high quality requirements and long construction cycle. Large quantities of concrete and time are wasted during building construction due to management procedures, construction processes and reworks. Besides, the final construction quality cannot fully meet customer requirements. This paper explores practical solutions for construction process and quality improvement by using prefabricated composite structure (PCS) based on Six Sigma method. The D-M-A-I-C model of Six Sigma has been applied to conduct the analysis of the construction process, to discover essential factors to improve and thus to achieve higher customer satisfaction. This research finds out what influences construction process, construction quality and then adopts design and technique correction measures. It improves the construction process, quality resistance to various performances and proposes the best mix proportion. These...


Today, one of the main healthcare issues is maintaining the safety of patients in healthcare centers. Patient safety is a global health concern that affects patients in all countries, whether developed or developing countries. For this purpose, the present study investigates the effect of patient safety indicators on patient satisfaction at Shooshtar Maternity Hospital in Shiraz. Data obtained from monthly reports of the hospital during 2015-17 were used to study the research hypotheses. The hypotheses were analyzed using regression test and SPSS. Results showed that infection control parameters, anesthetic complications, blood transfusion complications, removal of surgical wound, post-surgery bleeding, accidental perforation, surgical wound infections, normal delivery with or without instrumentation and birthrate had a significant effect on patient satisfaction.


Numerous articles are now discussing the definitions and areas of overlap between cartography, remote sensing and GIS. While the need to integrate cartography and GIS, and remote sensing and GIS is currently receiving attention in the publications of all three disciplines, this is not occurring in the cases where remote sensing and cartography are linked. The paper examines the cartographic aspects associated with the processing and interpretation of satellite data.


This paper presents a preliminary study on Lean Manufacturing (LM) implementation in the Malaysian food and beverage industry. A survey has been conducted to gauge the extent of LM practices implemented in the organizations. The findings show that the organizations are at the infancy level in terms of implementing LM practices. It can be seen from the Person mean, which is at-0.67 logit. Most of the LM practices in each of the 5 domains studied were not implemented by the majority of the respondents. It was also found that pull production is not being implemented in the same industry. This indicates that LM is not completely accepted throughout the food and beverage industry in Malaysia.


The surface of F 12 fiber is modified by plasma grafting a kind of macromolecule grafting coupling agent. Based on the analysis of the modified surface of fiber by ESCA, the effects of molecular weight and concentration of grafting coupling agent on the transverse tensile strength are investigated, and the modification mechanism is analyzed according to fracture of transverse tensile. Results show that the grafting modification of grafting coupling agent can effectively improve the interfacial bond properties of F 12/ epoxy composite, and therefore increases the interlaminar shear strength and transverse tensile strength thereof.


DNA is considered to be the most important and sensitive target in biological systems. Beside base damage, DNA strand breaks are the major lesion in the genome due to exposure to ionizing radiation. Mutation can be introduced to DNA as a result of enzymatic processing of DNA lesions or post-irradiation replication. However, the mechanisms of radiation-induced mutations are not well clarified at the molecular level. A good way to approach the mechanism is to irradiate the plasmid DNA of heavy ion, then transfect the DNA to host cells to determine the mutation spectra. So to study the effect of heavy ions on the simple plasmid DNA is even predominant or more feasible.


This thesis is empirically grounded in New Zealand's restructuring of unemployment and taxation policy in the 1980s and 1990s. Theoretically it is inspired by a postMarxist discourse analytical approach that focuses on discourses as political strategies. This approach has made it possible, through an analysis of changing citizenship discourses, to understand how the neoliberalisation of New Zealand's citizenship regime proceeded via debate and struggle over unemployment and taxation policy. Debates over unemployment and taxation in New Zealand during the 1980s and 1990s reconfigured the targets of policy and re-ordered social antagonism, establishing a neoliberal citizenship regime and centring political problematic. This construction of a neoliberal citizenship regime involved re-specifying the targets of public policy as consumers and taxpayers. In exploring the hegemonic discourse strategies of the Fourth Labour Government and the subsequent National-led governments of the 1990s, this thesis traces the process of reconfiguring citizen subjectivity initially as 'social consumers' and participants in a coalition of minorities, and subsequently as universal taxpayers in antagonistic relation to unemployed beneficiaries. These changes are related back to key discursive events in New Zealand's recent social policy history as well as to shifts in the discourses of politicians that address the nature of the public interest and the targets of social policy. I argue that this neoliberalisation of New Zealand's citizenship regime was the outcome of the hegemonic articulatory discourse strategies of governing parties in the 1980s and 1990s. Struggles between government administrations and citizen-based social movement groups were articulated to the neoliberal project. I also argue that in the late 1990s, discursive struggle between the dominant parties to define themselves in difference from each other reveals both the 'de'contestation of a set of neoliberal


Screening mammography results in overdiagnosis, researchers have warned, as more small cancers are detected but there is no corresponding decline in the detection of larger cancers and no significant change in deaths from breast cancer.

An ecological study published in JAMA Internal Medicine 1 examined cancer registry data on 16 million women aged 40 and over who lived in 547 US counties …


Oxygen isotope ratio measurements are uniquely applicable to the study of mechanisms of formation of natural or man-made sulphates in the environment because the 180/160 ratios of sulphates that are formed from given supplies of SOz, water, and oxidants can differ, depending upon the mechanism by which they are formed. Some of the more prominent mechanisms of formation of SOifrom SOz are aqueous phase air oxidation, aqueous phase HzOz oxidation, and high-temperature oxidation to S03 (in combustion sources) accompanied by hydration to HzS04. Once formed, the sulphates of various isotopic ratios are extremely stable with respect to isotopic exchange with water, with which they may be subsequently associated.


This paper describes the method developed in the Group of Tether Dynamics of the UPM to gain accuracy in the numerical propagation of the attitude dynamics of a rigid axisymmetric spacecraft. We use a perturbation method which takes as unperturbed problem the Euler-Poinsot case (torque free). The perturbed problem provides the motion forced by non-vanishing external torques. Some numerical comparisons have been carried out to check the kindness of the procedure taking as forced motion some particular case of the Lagrange top, whose analytical solution permits an easy determination of the errors made in the numerical description of the motion.


Differential privacy provides a strong guarantee in protecting privacy of individuals who contributed to a published dataset. In this paper, we focus on spatial datasets and dynamic datasets, and attempt to exploit the intuition that farther-apart entities should have lesser influences to each other, and thus more privacy budget should be invested to protect close-by entities. To capture such intuition, we propose embedding the underlying spatial or temporal distance function into the notion of dataset neighbourhood. We called the proposed neighbourhood δ-neighbourhood, and discuss its implications in both spatial and dynamic datasets. For dynamic datasets, while there are known negative results on the standard differential privacy, it is possible to continuously and indefinitely publish under δ-neighbourhood by reusing the privacy budgets. Although known mechanisms, by definition, are also differentially private under δ-neighbourhood, they are not designed to exploit the relaxed notion for better utility. For spatial datasets, we propose an approach on 2D spatial points that re-allocates more budgets to nearby entities and thus obtains significantly higher utility. In addition, we give mechanisms that achieve "sustainable privacy" on dynamic datasets under both online and offline setting.


In this study, the engine cooling system equipment of the rear engine buses produced by Otokar Automotive and Defense Industry were investigated in terms of various radiator, intercooler and fan usage. Experiments were carried out on a specific designed cooling system with a Deutz TCD 2013 4V Euro 5 engine and a Zollner PS1 - 2211 hydraulic dynamometer. 22 data were read, including engine torque and engine speed. Two radiators made from Cu and Al, two intercoolers with different sizes and two fans with different blade numbers were tested. All tests were done with our own design test bench. Studies showed that aluminum radiator has a better engine cooling performance; the CAC (Charge Air Cooler) should be as small as possible, because smaller CAC causes better cooling in the radiator. Also using the 10 blade fan is better for engine cooling and power consumption but it has a higher noise level.


In this study, a mapping of the soot extinction coefficient in an oil refinery flare using a three-wavelength elastic backscatter lidar system is presented. A log-normal aerosol size distribution was assumed for the flare, and a homogenous refractive index was assumed along the nearly horizontal beam path through the atmosphere, excluding the flare volume. The optical depth was estimated for each wavelength and from this the Angstr¨om exponent was calculated. The results were comparable with the literature, demonstrating that it is possible to distinguish small from large particles by this technique in low wind conditions.


As the Russia Ukraine War broke out in February, 2022, a series of international sanctions led to a panic among international hot moneys and slumps in global stock markets. For such a volatile market, hedging strategy is in a position to avoid risks. In finance, the correlation among financial derivative is always a topical issue and investors are concerned about the statistical methods to model the volatility. Recent years, the rapid development in data science makes it possible to record and manipulate massive data of financial derivative series, of which activates statistical arbitrage, a hedging strategy by pairs trading. The most widespread method in practice is cointegration arbitrage and many experiments show that it can always generate positive profits. This paper introduces the backgrounds of statistical arbitrage and relative definitions in cointegration arbitrage like time series, stationary, autocorrelation process, integration and cointegration. Based on the features of financial derivative series, this paper also illustrates error correction model, ARCH model and GARCH model. Finally, this paper shows the current strategy of cointegration arbitrage and raises some improvement by marginal probability distribution.


The 3850-km long Deep Seismic Sounding profile QUARTZ crosses six major geologic provinces in Eurasia and is sourced by 3 nuclear and 48 chemical explosions. We present the first interpretation of the entire data set, using two dimensional (2-D) ray tracing and inversion, resolution analysis, and 1-D amplitude modeling. Our interpretation shows a 42-km-thick, high-velocity crust under the Baltic Shield, a 29-km-thick crust and high-velocity upper mantle under the Mezenskaya depression, 52-km-thick crust with high-velocity lower crust and uppermost mantle under the Urals, and 40-km-thick crust under the West Siberian basin deepening to 45 km under the Altay-Sayan fold belt. High-velocity (8.4 km/s) uppermost mantle is found under the Mezenskaya depression and under the east flank of the Urals. One almost continuous upper mantle boundary occurs at 65- to 80-km depth, and another with an approximately 40-km-thick LVZ occurs at 120- to 140-km depth. The shallow upper mantle blocks and the two extensive interfaces indicate strong upper mantle heterogeneity. Resolution analysis based on direct multivariate model perturbations, artificial neural network and principal component analysis, indicate the depth uncertainty of the 410-km discontinuity within ±6 km, and also its trade-off with dip and velocities above and below the discontinuity. Decreased near-critical amplitudes of reflections from the 410-km and 660-km discontinuities indicate that these boundaries are most likely represented by gradient zones about 15-20 km thick. Lithosphere thins, asthenospheric velocity decreases, and the 410-km discontinuity dips to the SE approaching the Himalayan orogenic belt.


Cull dairy cows comprise almost 10% of the national beef production in the United States and contribute with an important additional income source for farmers. However, cull dairy cows present high variation due to many reasons, which affect live animal characteristics, carcass traits, and market price. The objectives of this study were 1) to assess relationships between price and carcass quality of cull dairy cows sold through auction market, and 2) to investigate the effect of animal life history events on price, as an indicator of carcass quality. Data from four dairy operations in Wisconsin included 3,375 cull dairy cow records during the period of 2015 to 2019. Life history events data were collected from Dairy Comp software; live weight and price were obtained periodically from an auction barn, and the carcass data were provided by a local packing plant. Price ($/cwt) and adjusted price (price divided by the national average price) were the two outcome variables. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and multiple linear regression were used to investigate the relationship between variables. On average (standard deviations within parenthesis), live weight was 701.54kg (123.15kg), carcass weight of 324.97kg (68.92), dressing of 46.26% (4.92%), and price of $56.98/cwt (5.57$/cwt). CCA between adjusted price and carcass quality traits was 0.76, indicating that price is a good indicator of carcass quality. Lactation number, culling reason, month, and year of sale drastically affect price (R2 0.7532) and adjusted price (R2 0.4706). Higher live weight and days open led to higher adjusted price, and longer days dry and high milk production decreased price ($/cwt). A large variation between farms was noted. In conclusion, culling and marketing decisions should consider these factors, as an attempt to increase the price received for cull cows, and ultimately improve carcass quality.


The plaintiffs, five minor children, sought damages against a woman defendant for alienating the affection of their father and depriving them of his support and society. The complaint alleged that the defendant had induced the father to desert his family and to refuse to return and that the father had made no contribution to their support except as ordered in another action. The trial court granted the defendant's motion to dismiss, which was based on the grounds that no such cause of action was recognized at common'law, that no such right had been created by the Illinois legislature, that the action was barred by the "Heart Balm Act,"' and that there was no allegation that the father failed to comply with the support order, and hence that the plaintiffs sustained no damages of which a court may take cognizance. On appeal to the Appellate Court, the judgment was reversed and the cause reinstated. Johnson v. Luhman.2 The court recognized that the cause of action was unknown at common law, but said that the law was flexible enough to take account of the transition which has taken place in our conception of family life. It pointed out that the family is no longer under the complete control of the father, as at common law, but has become an institution in which the members have relative rights and responsibilities. As a result, judicial notice will be taken of the interest that children have in the security of their family life and in their relations with their parents, and the court will recognize their resulting right to seek damages from one who has destroyed the family unit. Alienation of affections actions in Illinois have had a checkered career in the last decade, with the courts and the legislature riding off in opposite directions. By 9oo, the common law right to sue for alienation of affections which had previously belonged to the husband had been extended to the wife on the ground that her new statutory property rights had removed her common law incapacity to sue in tort,3 but there the matter rested. In 1935, the Illinois legislature sought to make it a crime to bring alienation of affections actions, as well as "heart balm" suits for the related torts of breach of promise or criminal conversation, on the ground that these suits were conducive to blackmail and fraud.4 In 1946, this statute was declared unconstitutional as to the alienation of affections provision.S Now with the principal case, the divorce between legislative


Enlightenment onwards. The more objective perspective was that of Cappel's earlier Protestant readers,' whose 'response to Cappel's work... focused on Cappel's own clear theological leanings and perceived scholarly failings, rather than his supposed historicization of the Hebrew text' (248). A daunting project it must be to seek to get such a figure 'right.' After these tonic warnings to would-be excavators of the critical tradition, the final three pages offer an unintended warning of the perils with which this subject is fraught. A new voice is heard: that of Reinhart Koselleck (the Index gives only this passage, on 401–402), who provides the last thought in Hardy's book. Now it would be unfair simply to dismiss Koselleck's Critique and Crisis: Enlightenment and the Pathogenesis of Modern Society (1988; German original 1959) as only another reactionary screed that purports to trace modern authoritarian utopianism (Fascism, Communism) to alleged roots in eighteenthcentury heavenly-city philosophes: blame Voltaire and his lot. Koselleck's study is brilliant if perverse. But he makes clear his view that the culture of critique has generally tainted roots and inevitably toxic fruits: hypocrisy, bad conscience, delusion are the key terms throughout Critique and Crisis. So when Hardy speaks of a 'need to rescue the figures and groups who may not seem like card-carrying members of the republic of letters from the condescension of posterity' rather than focusing attention on 'the closed circles of libertine or academic elites' (401– 402) readers today may not welcome the resonances of his language. They may also not applaud the footnote that ends the text, which pointedly contrasts Koselleck's account of Fascism's intellectual preconditions favorably with Arnaldo Momigliano's defense of 'erudition' as 'a barrier between civilization and a nihilistic fascism' (402). Nicholas Hardy should have ended his significant volume by striking a different chord.


It is a piezoelectric actuator, for example, proposed for actuating a mechanical component, with a multi-layer structure of piezo layers (2) and arranged between the internal electrodes (4, 5) to which an external electrical voltage can be applied, and an alternating lateral contacting of the inner electrodes (4, 5) to the outer electrodes (6, 7). The internal electrodes (4, 5) are made of a base metal or its alloys, in particular copper (Cu) or copper alloys or nickel (Ni) or nickel alloys are also suitable.


The article presents an analytical determination of power and torque of internal combustion engines of small power. It measured actual power and torque characteristics of internal combustion engines of small power. Three types (methods), braking (receiving power via a hydraulic pump, generator and a package of propellers with variable angle of attack. For each method of receiving power (braking) determined the characteristics of torque and power. There is the summary of results for one engine with different ways of braking. There have been evaluation of the presented methods inhibit combustion piston engines of small power as methods for determining power internal combustion engines. The analysis methods presented in the perspective of the braking engine selection for light unmanned aircraft, and the use of parameters derived from research into engine control. Subject to the evaluation method of adjustment (increase) charged, increasing the load on a liquid or ankle. The criterion for comparing methods for inhibition of internal combustion engines of small power load assumed dependence on the rotational speed n, and obtain maximum power on the motor shaft when the throttle, a reflection of the actual engine operating parameters in its target applications.


Objective:To investigate the relationship between plasma uric acid(UA) and insulin resistance,disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism from gout patients.Methods:Detecting the levels of plasma UA?lipid?oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)?fasting insulin and c-peptide?insulin and c-peptide after taking glucose at 30?60?120?180?minutes from 92 gout patients with high UA and 72 normal controls.Results:①The levels of plasma glucose?triglyceride?cholesterol?low-density lipoprotein(LDL) and UA from gout patients were all significantly higher than those from normal controls(P0.01),while the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) was markedly lower (P0.01);②The levels of plasma fasting insulin,fasting c-peptide and HOMA IR from gout patients were also significantly higher than those from normal controls (P0.01).③The peaks of plasma insulin and c-peptide after taking glucose from gout patients were higher than those from normal controls(P0.01).④The level of plasma UA was positively correlated with triglyceride,negatively correlated with HDL,but there were no correlations between plasma UA and cholesterol and LDL.The level of plasma UA was positively correlated with Body Mass Index(BMI)?insulin?HOMA IR and c-peptide, there was no correlation between plasma UA and fasting glucose.Conclusion:Gout patients are apt to develop insulin resistance,it may be helpful to correcting the metabolism disorders of glucose and lipid in gout patients.


Many human societies across the world have collapsed or almost gone into extinction because of the scarcity of natural resources. Others however, have survived by either migrating to seek for natural resources elsewhere or by transition and/or adaptation to new environmental conditions. This narrative review paper examines how a society of Machakos District in Kenya has managed to escape from a potential collapse driven by natural resources' scarcity. The review found that most societies in developing countries have failed to: (i) successfully repack natural resources management information into stories that motivate collective action, and (ii) invest in institutional improvement, innovation and technological changes through the influence of political leaders and economic elites. This paper recommends that for developing countries to successfully avoid societal collapse due the scarcity of natural resources, there is need to follow similar pathways like the society of the Machakos District in Kenya.

 Key words: Natural resources management, developing countries, societal collapse, population growth, Malthus, Geertz, Boserup.


We have developed a sideband separating receiver module for the W band (75–110 GHz) that has been designed with a scalable and compact architecture allowing easy integration into larger systems, like focal plane arrays. The receiver includes a high-frequency amplification stage giving it a good conversion gain and, most importantly, due to its original architecture, excellent return losses. The latter permits, if needed, efficient incorporation of further amplification prior to mixing. The module is based on a 90° hybrid followed by an amplification stage and broadband mixers. As amplification stage, we rely on commercial low-noise amplifier chips that use the 70-nm metamorphic-high-electron-mobility process from OMMIC. The downconverter is a subharmonic mixer designed as a monolithic microwave integrated circuit and fabricated using the standard gallium-arsenide Schottky diode process from United Monolithic Semiconductor. The size of the module is 50 mm × 25 mm × 20 mm and shows good performance with an input return loss above 12 dB in the entire band, an average conversion gain of 5 dB, and sideband rejection ratio above 10 dB in the majority of the band. The primary motivation of this article has been radio astronomy, but other areas like imaging, telecommunications, or remote sensing can benefit from such compactness and integrability into multibeam systems.


In this paper, the vibration of a micro-electromechanical resonator with positive position feedback controller is studied. The analytical results are obtained to the first order approximation by using the multiple scale perturbation technique. The stability of the steady-state solution is presented and studied applying frequency response equations near the simultaneous primary and internal resonance cases. The effects of the controller and some system parameters on the vibrating system are studied numerically. The main result of this paper indicates that it is possible to reduce the vibration for the resonator system.


standards of rationality and argues that human forms of reasoning are rooted in and shaped by the forms of life out of which they arise. This stress on the historicity of human life and thought leads postliberals to insist that when the Christian faith articulates what it believes, it does so by developing its own commitments and rationality instead of explaining itself in terms provided by some other tradition. Furthermore, the rationale and justification for Christian faith are to be found not in a universal rationality shared by all others but within the Christian tradition itself. Yet, while postliberals acknowledge the historical nature of human understanding-the dialectical interplay between past and present, framework and experience-some of them tend, at some critical junctures, to overlook the implications of this interplay for the way we understand and articulate the Christian faith. In other words, although they recognize the historicity of human understanding, they do not always consistently accept the implications of this recognition. An examination of this inconsistent use of the concept of historicity should help to clarify an objection some have to the approach proposed by some postliberals, even when they agree with its rejection of universal standards of rationality. The intent of the present essay is to offer such an examination and to make a few observations about where we find ourselves if my criticisms are essentially correct.


Developments in the global electronics industry are typically monitored by tracking indicators that span a whole spectrum of activities in the sector. However, these indicators invariably give mixed signals at each point in time, thereby hampering efforts at prediction. In this paper, we present a unified framework for forecasting the global electronics cycle by constructing a VAR model that captures the economic interactions between leading indicators representing expectations, investments, orders, inventories and prices. The ability of the indicators to presage world semiconductor sales is assessed by Granger causality tests. The VAR model is also used to derive the dynamic paths of adjustment of global chip sales in response to shocks in each of the leading variables. These impulse response functions conform to our theoretical priors and confirm the leading quality of the selected indicators. Finally, out-of-sample forecasts of global chip sales are generated from the VAR model and compared with predictions from a univariate model as well as a model which uses a composite index of the leading indicators. An evaluation of their relative accuracy suggests that the VAR model's forecasting performance is superior to that of the univariate model and comparable to that of the composite index model


Clinical Image The adenoide cystic carcinoma is the most common malignant tumors of lacrymal glands, however it remains very rare. We describe the case of a young patient of 30 years old who presented 5 months ago a periorbital edema of the left eye, the MRI showed a mass of the soft tissue inside the lachrymal fossa with bone invasion (Figure 1), she underwent left eye exenteration with tumoral reduction, the histology confirms the diagnosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lachrymal gland. She received postoperative orbital radiotherapy. 5 months later the patient presented a local and metastatic recurrence and chemotherapy was given based on cyclophosphamide, adryamycine, platinium, after progression after 4 cycles, weekly paclitaxel was received without any results, she progressed in the lung and locally after 3 cycles with infiltration of the front brain lobe. The patient nevertheless kept a good condition without orbital pain; we put her in metronomic chemotherapy cyclophosphamide with novatrex. Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lacrimal gland is the second cause of epithelial tumors of this gland, characterized by a high degree of malignancy, a high rate of recurrence and lower survival rate at 5 years.


Enterin has raised $12.7 million in a series A financing round. The Philadelphia-based biotech firm says it will use the funds to complete a Phase II study of its lead product, ENT-01, as a treatment for Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases. ENT-01 is a derivative of squalamine, an aminosterol discovered in the tissues of the dogfish shark by Enterin cofounder and Georgetown University professor Michael Zasloff. According to Enterin, the compound can slow the progression of Parkinson's by preventing the accumulation of α-synuclein.


As my journey as American Fisheries Society (AFS) President comes to an end, it is time to reflect on this past year and bring things to a close. It has been an enjoyable but arduous journey to be ...


This article exposes how young people use dress to negotiate, articulate and display identity. A diverse group of young people from Manchester, England, were asked to style themselves using items of clothing, or artefacts, which represented their individual and civic identities. Responses to this styling workshop and the accompanying interviews confirmed the powerful part that dressing can play, as young people navigate different cultural contexts and social environments in their everyday life. The research brings new insights into how dress is used as a catalyst for self-awareness, communication and development of self within multicultural urban settings. It proposes a new model for Dress, Youth and Identity (DYI) that provides a structure onto which young peoples' narratives of dress can be mapped and analysed, building upon the model for Dress and the Public, Private and Secret Self (PPSS) proposed by Eicher and Miller.


In this paper, GPS / GLONASS receiving a small active antenna is proposed. A microstrip patch antenna which supports dual-band (GPS and GLONASS) was optimized. The antenna size is . The jig was changed to confirm the proposed antenna characteristic size, was adjusted to feed gap of the patch antenna, it was confirmed by change in LNA shield case or not. The antenna jig size is . The maximum gain of the GPS band is 3.78dBi, the maximum gain of the GLONASS bands is 4dBi. To amplify the Satellite reception signal level, one-stage low noise amplifier(LNA) was designed. The LNA chip was using the BGA715 N7, the LNA gain is 19.9dB. The utilization possibility of the GPS / GLONASS receiving a small active antenna could be confirmed according to compare and analyze the simulation and measurement data.


Pristine graphene interacts relatively weakly with Al, which is a specie of importance for novel generations of metal-ion batteries. We employ DFT calculations to explore the possibility of enhancing Al interaction with graphene. We investigate non-doped and N-doped graphene nanoribbons, address the impact of the edge sites, which are always present to some extent in real samples, and N-containing defects on the material's reactivity towards Al. The results are compared to that of pristine graphene. We show that introduction of edges does not affect the energetics of Al adsorption significantly by itself. On the other hand, N-doping of graphene nanoribbons is found to affect the adsorption energy of Al to the extent that strongly depends on the type of N-containing defect. While graphitic and pyrrolic N induce minimal changes, the introduction of edge NO group and doping with in plane pyridinic N result in Al adsorption nearly twice as strong as on pristine graphene. The obtained results could guide the further design of advanced materials for Al-ion rechargeable batteries.


The use of plastics as an energy source has been demonstrated on a commercial scale at a plastics manufacturing site. This paper covers the preparation and use of pre and post consumer plastics as supplementary fuels within a circulating fluidised bed boiler specially designed for co-combustion with coal. Full emissions data on the 15% mixtures of individual plastics with coal are presented together with calculations of thermal efficiencies. Measurements by an independent body confirm that the co-combustion of coal and plastic reduce some emissions relative to coal alone. Thermal efficiencies of around 80% were achieved during operation, and this heat was used effectively during the production of plastics.


The term "heterogeneity" is widely used to describe complex IT systems and can refer to various characteristics, such as vendor, technology, or semantic diversity of the systems components. However, no commonly accepted definition or quantification of this "diversity" can be found in IS literature. In this article we transfer well-studied measures from other disciplines (especially economics and the anti-monopoly legislation) to heterogeneity in IT landscapes. The two main contributions of this article are A) the definition of heterogeneity in an IT landscape as a statistical property – which therefore can be measured by statistical indexes and B) a generic approach to quantify heterogeneity in IT landscapes. The applicability of the conceptualization and the approach to quantify heterogeneity is demonstrated in two real IT organizations.


Preventive control actions for enhancing the transient stability of power system ensures the system stability under a given contingency. Generation rescheduling through stability constrained optimal power flow (TSC-OPF) is one of the widely adopted preventive control scheme. This study reports an approach for enhancement of transient stability using global transient stability constrained optimal power flow (TSC-OPF) methods. The proposed approach uses individual machine equal area criterion framework (IMEAC), which is a direct time-domain approach for transient stability analysis, to carry out two important functional aspects of TSC-OPF methods: first, individual machine Kimbark curves (IMKC) are used to perform the transient stability analysis; second, IMKC around the critical clearing time (CCT) are used to identify most severely disturbed machines (MDM) for the given contingency. Further, the critical trajectories of these MDMs are utilized in forming reference transient stability constraints, at only one particular time step of integration. In such manner, transient stability constraints are modified at each iteration of TSC-OPF, so that they represent the dynamic response of the power system efficiently, while operating condition is improving through TSC-OPF iterations. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness and main properties of the proposed approach.


IN 2005, THE AMERICAN CONTACT DERMATITIS SOCIETY DESIGNATED CORTICOSTEROIDS AS ALLERGEN OF THE YEAR. In response, the following classification chart has been constructed with the objective to allow for quick referencing and cross-referencing of the members of the corticosteroid family. Each column represents one structural class organized from low to high potency. Because of the cross-reactivity seen between the substances within each structural class, a specified patch test substance — noted at the bottom of the chart — has been selected to screen for class-specific sensitization. IN ADDITION, THE CHART CAN BE UTILIZED TO CHECK FOR CROSS-REACTIVITY BETWEEN STRUCTURAL CLASSES. For example, Class A components can cross-react with Class D2, thus warranting caution in prescribing a product in either class in a known sensitized patient. One further utility of this chart is that it will enable you to efficiently switch between steroid classes, while maintaining the same numeric potency classification. We hope you'll find this guide informative and useful.


We establish several necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of Hermitian positive definite (HPD) solutions to the general matrix equation where p, m are positive integers, M i (i = 1, 2, …, m) are n × n nonsingular complex matrices, A and B are HPD matrices, and then give three algorithms to get the unique solution. Moreover, we give two numerical examples to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results and the behavior of the considered methods.


A recent German survey has shown that it is possible that up to 40 per cent of the traffic in town centres at peak periods could be motorists looking for a place to park. Examples are given to illustrate the multitude of signs used at present. The author suggests ways of simplifying and unifying the signs. More frequent use should be made of a simplified version of the standard doe sign no 734.8 (signs and general directions 1975 no 1536). If this sign were used universally, there would be little need for any others. High intensity reflective material should be used in poorly lit areas or where electricity is not available. The simplified sign with p and chevron only can be side-fixed more satisfactorily. It is also important that the motorist is warned when a car park is full and is directed to another park with available spaces. Markings on the carriageway itself showing the way in are also very useful. /TRRL/


Medieval Glagolitic missals and breviaries contain three translations of Latin hymns and one sequence of St. Thomas Aquinas. The songs were translated from Latin originals into Slavonic by Croatian editors, because there were no translations into Old Church Slavonic. Some local Croatian language characteristics can be found in these texts. The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the above-mentioned Croatian linguistic features present in the Glagolitic translations of Pange lingua gloriosi, Verbum supremum Prodi and Sacris Solemnis, especially morphological and lexical aspects. Graphical analysis is not possible due to access only to the Latin versions. The examined songs date from the XIV and XV centuries – a period that marks the increasing influence of Croatian Glagolitic texts. This state was associated with the growing influence of old Croatian language in the form of the Chakavian dialect.


This paper presents an effective method to characterize microwave connectors over a range of temperatures (-30 - 100°C), which can be useful to the accurate thermal characterization of devices or materials. First, to address the challenges of de-embedding over temperatures, the de-embedding standards are made of thermal-stable RF laminate, allowing for the assumption of constant standard properties over temperatures; all the standards are measured concurrently with a 4-port VNA for each temperature of interest, ensuring little error induced by temperature difference. Second, de-embedding methods TO, TS, TSO, and TD are found fit for the above setup. Based on a linear and generalized formulation, a comprehensive analysis of the error sensitivity and standard design is performed. Last, based on the above knowledge, SMA connector (Radiall #R125-541-000) is characterized with good preliminary results, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method.


Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of Th1 and Th2 lymphocyte in the morbidity of postinfection irritable bowel syndrome (pIBS) by detecting the expression of interleukin (IL) -6,IL-18 and IL-13 in intestinal mucosa of pIBS. Methods Twenty-three patients with pIBS,27 patients with non-pIBS and 20 controls were collected. The expression of IL-6,IL-18 and IL-13 in ileocecal and rectal mucosa were determined by immunohistochemical straining. Results The positive expression rates of IL-6,IL-18 in pIBS were higher than those in controls and non-pIBS ( P 0. 05) . Compared with controls,the levels of IL-6,IL-18 in intestinal mucosa did not significantly increase in non-pIBS patients. Compared with controls,the positive expression rate of IL-13 in ileocecal and rectal mucosa in patients with pIBS and non-pIBS had no significant difference. Conclusion The reaction of Th1 enhanced in pIBS. It was possible that proinflammatory cytokine induced disequilibrium of Th1 /Th2.


Hot stripped dirty recycled wastewater is treated with polyester fiber ball adsorption and ceramic filtration so as to satisfy recycled reuse criterion, with which oil can be reused. Its effect is very significant. The method is feasible and possesses good operation. Based on the experiments,technology parameters are acquired, which is beneficial to reuse project and practical.


PURPOSE
To report a case of presumed choroidal nevus that eventually grew into melanoma in a patient with family history of choroidal melanoma and germline BAP1 mutation.

METHODS
Case report.

RESULTS
A 55-year-old healthy white woman with a family history of uveal melanoma in her father, paternal aunt, and paternal cousin was referred for evaluation of an asymptomatic small pigmented choroidal lesion in her right eye, measuring 2 mm × 2 mm in basal diameter and 1 mm in thickness. There were no clinical risk factors. The patient was advised routine monitoring but returned 4 years later with intermittent photopsia. The choroidal mass demonstrated growth and suggestive of transformation into melanoma, measuring 9 mm × 6 mm in basal diameter and 2.5 mm in thickness with overlying orange lipofuscin pigment and no associated subretinal fluid. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy disclosed Chromosome 3 mosaic monosomy and Chromosomes 6 and 8 disomy. Iodine 125 plaque radiotherapy was provided. Based on growth to melanoma and strong family history of uveal melanoma, BAP1 germline mutation testing was performed, and the results were positive.

CONCLUSION
This case demonstrates growth of a presumed choroidal nevus into melanoma in the setting of underlying germline BAP1 mutation. We suggest that small pigmented choroidal lesions be monitored closely in patients with germline BAP1 mutation or with family history of uveal melanoma, even in the absence of known local risk factors predictive of tumor growth.


"The purpose of this survey was to learn the situation obtaining in the several states relative to the certification requirements for school psychologists." An inspection of returns from 42 state departments of education shows that only 7 states certify school psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)


Qualitative observations are reported on the polymerization of styrene with acid clay cracking catalysts. Molecular weights were 500–2000, depending on solvent, catalyst quantity, monomer concentration, and temperature, monomer conversions approached 100%. The reaction rate is rapid at 0°C. and at ambient temperatures and is severely inhibited by water and other proton acceptors. The polymer was structurally the same as polystyrene and contained saturated endgroups formed by solvent termination and by a competitive cyclization reaction. The chain termination products and polymer end-groups were identified.


In this article we empirically try to answer the second hypothesis on the theory of the OCA developed by Mc Kinnon (1963), while working on a sample of the countries of the zone franc. We found on the assets of the gravity models to put in evidence the existing monetary union impact on the bilateral trade flux.
In order to measure the effects of the monetary union on the trade intra zone we call on a model structural VAR, to which is associated the method of space state model assessment with the aim of distinguishing the impact of an economic policy shock in a group of country in open economy. Our sample is constituted in this particular case of the 12 countries of the zone franc; seven countries of the UEMOA zone and five countries of the CEMAC zone.
The originality of the approach is based on the fact that we tempt an endogeneisation of the flux of bilateral trade of every country in this analysis. The results of our investigations show a sensitive reduction of the effects borders, an improvement of the institutional effects as well as the effects bound to the distance on the flux of trade intra zone.
On the other hand, the analysis by structural VAR and state space models shows a relative symmetry of shocks observed to in the real shocks of demand while the shocks of price and offer rather present an asymmetric character. With the importance of the real demand shocks, in our study we globally notice that some efforts must be made to vary the structure of the economy of zone franc countries currently based on the agroalimentary industries, which are very sensitive to the climatic risks; in order to hope to have the sustained growth rates which will allow to reach the objectives of poverty reduction by 2015.
Key words: Structural VAR model, optimal monetary Zone, symmetry of the shocks, filter of Kalman


To my wife, for her love and patience. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Dr. Martin Savelsbergh for serving as my thesis advisor, and providing invaluable advice and support. There is no way that I could have completed this thesis without his excellent insights, invaluable suggestions, and endless encouragement. C. White III for serving as members of my committee. Words are insufficient to express how much I owe to my families. My parents have always been there to encourage me. They have never doubted that I could do anything. Their endless love is the source of my courage. I want to thank my parents-in-law for their support and encouragement. My many thanks also to my sisters, sister-in-law, brothers-in-law, and nieces for their love. I owe special thanks to my wife, Se-kyoung Oh. Her support, patience, and love enabled me to complete this thesis. SUMMARY The elimination of distribution inefficiencies, occurring due to the timing of customers' orders is an important reason for companies to introduce vendor managed inventory programs. By managing their customers' inventories, suppliers may be able to reduce demand variability and therefore distribution costs. We develop technology to measure the effectiveness of distribution strategies. Popular practical performance measures, such as volume delivered per mile, are effective in measuring relative performance, but inadequate to measure absolute performance. We develop a methodology that allows the computation of tight lower bounds on the total mileage required to satisfy customer demand over a period of time. As a result, companies will be able to gain insight into the effectiveness of their distribution strategy. This technology can also be used to suggest desirable delivery patterns and to analyze tactical and strategic decisions. Secondly, we study a variant of the inventory routing problem, which we will refer to here as the inventory routing problem with continuous moves (IRP-CM). The typical inventory routing problem deals with the repeated distribution of a single product, from a single facility, with an unlimited supply, to a set of customers that can all be reached with out-and-back trips. Unfortunately, this is not always the reality. We introduce the IRP-CM to study two important real-life complexities: limited product availabilities at facilities and customers that cannot be served using out-and-back tours. We need to design delivery tours spanning several days, covering huge geographic areas, and involving product pickups at different facilities. We develop a heuristic and …


Objective To explore the effects of inhalant formaldehyde on lipid peroxidation in mice. Methods Fifty male mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: one control group and four experimental groups. The mice were poisoned 2 hours one day for 7 weeks continuously,then were killed. The contents of MDA and the activeties of SOD in serum and liver were measured. Results The contents of MDA in different experimental groups were significantly higher than that in control group, and the activities of SOD were remarkably lower than that in control group (P0.01).The contents of MDA in different experimental groups showed an increasing tendency,and the activities of SOD showed a reducing tendency with the increase of the formaldehyde doses. Conclusion A certain dose of formaldehyde can destroy the balance of lipid peroxidation in mice,the ability of antioxidation is reduced obviously.


By Christopher Dudley, M.S. Washington State Univsersity Department of Physics August 2004 Chair: Mark G. Kuzyk An acceptor/acceptor conjugated oligomer chromophore, Naval Research Laboratory 303 (NRL303) was rigorously studied in a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) matrix. Linear optical studies were conducted with the third harmonic (THG) of an Nd:YAG laser (355nm) and nonlinear studies with the second harmonic (SH) (533nm) and the optical parametric amplification (OPA) wavelengths from a tunable Ti:Saphire laser. The chromophore-doped PMMA matrix strongly fluoresces and is a source of efficient blue light centered around 460nm from amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). Blue emission from this chromophore has higher gain, efficiency and two-photon absorption cross-section (σ2) than Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) a benchmark in laser dyes in a solid state system. This chromophore has been successfully made into a blue ASE polymer-fiber light source. A design factor σdf is introduced to investigate the design strategy for making molecules with large TPA cross-section for this class of donor/donor (D/D), acceptor/acceptor (A/A) and acceptor/donor(A/D)chromophore-linked π-centers.


Objective: To promote understanding of the antimalarial mechanism of artemisinin and investigate the role of mitochondrial permeability transition pore, a protein complex which is involved in regulation of mitochondrial volume, in the antimalarial action of artemisinin. Methods: Mitochondria fraction was isolated from malaria parasites and mouse liver. Spectrophotometry was used to check the direct effect of artemisinin on the mitochondrial volume. Isobologram and inhibitors of mitochondrial permeability transition pore were used to check whether mitochondrial permeability transition pore is involved in the antimalarial action of artemisinin. Results: Artemisinin directly worked on isolated malarial mitochondria and caused mitochondrial swelling but had no effect on the volume of mouse liver mitochondria. In addition, two different mitochondrial permeability transition pore inhibitors antagonized the antimalarial effect of artemisinin. Conclusions: Artemisinin can work directly on malarial mitochondria to cause mitochondrial swelling and mitochondrial permeability transition pore is involved in the antimalarial action of artemisinin.


THERE IS WIDE VARIATION in the acceptance of drugs among hospitals through Joe.al committees charged with the responsibility of recommending medicinal agents which are considered most efficacious, safe and economical for patient use. Some hospital formularies or drug lists may contain well over a thousand. drug items while others contain only a few hundred. The difference is one of therapeutic enthusiasm versus conservatism and is reflected in the prevailing attitude of the local Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. If a conservative attitude in selecting drugs can be taken as a measure of discreet judgment by a local committee of medical and pharmaceutical advisors, then theoretically, a more rational basis of therapeutics might be found among those hospitals employing a fewer number of well-chosen drug items. Admittedly, this would be difficult to prove in practice, but it was considered desirable, nevertheless, to survey a number of teaching hospitals to ascertain the over-all scope and pattern of drugs selected through local committees which appeared to be very active. Early in 1964, 48 questionnaires were sent throughout the country to major teaching hospitals thought to be actively employing a formulary system based on drug selections recommended through their local Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. Of these, 6 did not meet the criteria for an active committee function (i.e. they did not have a broad enough representation or meetings were held too infrequently) ; 16 said they utilized American Hospital Formulary Service with no printed formulary or drug list; 3 did not reply, and only the remaining 23 provided formularies or drug lists


1511 Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), a nucleic acid receptor, heterodimerizes with retinoic acid X receptor (RXR). Ligand activation of RXR leads to decreased proliferation of SCCHN cell lines. TZDs (syn: glitazones), used to treat diabetes mellitus (DM), are ligands for the RXR:PPARγ heterodimer. A retrospective study of diabetics attending the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system was undertaken to assess the association between TZD exposure and the risk of developing SCCHN. Methods: Data were obtained from the electronic patient database VISN 16 (covering 10 VA institutions) for males aged ≥40 presenting with DM and no prior SCCHN between 10/01/96 and 12/31/03. DM and SCCHN diagnoses were identified using ICD9 codes. Subjects were followed until 12/31/05, and analyzed for SCCHN risk via Cox regression, using time-dependent covariates to model exposure to TZDs, insulin and other anti-DM agents. Results: 130,406 subjects met the study criteria. Median (quartiles) age ...


Fluorescent quantitative PCR technology can be applied to the detection of genetically modified food,its sensitivity is improved by 10 times to quantitative detection of PCR in the past.At the same time,it can obtain the result conveniently and quickly,and it improves detection efficiency and speed.


A digital decimation filter system for oversampled A/D (analog-to-digital) converters is addressed. To achieve very low passband ripples for data acquisition converters, a cascade of a comb filter and some bireciprocal equiripple wave digital decimation filters is applied. The complexity of the filters is minimized by taking into account the noise shaping of the modulator. An example is considered, involving the design of a digital decimation filter for a 16-bit sigma-delta A/D converter.<<ETX>>


The results of the studies on development of a rapid assay of antibiotic sensitivity of gas gangrene causative agents with their high nutrient requirements under obligatory anaerobiosis are summarized. The data on development of a uniform standard nutrient medium with the use of dry components made in the USSR are presented for the first time. The medium is intended for rapid assay of antibiotic sensitivity of the main causative agents of gas gangrene, i.e. C. perfringens, C. oedematiens, C. histolyticum and C. septicum.


Abstract—The flow pattern inside rectangular intake air duct of 300 MW lignite coal-fired power plant is investigated in order to analyze and reduce overall inlet system pressure drop. The system consists of the 45-degree inlet elbow, the flow instrument, the 90degree mitered elbow and fans, respectively. The energy loss in each section can be determined by Bernoulli's equation and ASHRAE standard table. Hence, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used in this study based on Navier-Stroke equation and the standard kepsilon turbulence modeling. Input boundary condition is 175 kg/s mass flow rate inside the 11-m2 cross sectional duct. According to the inlet air flow rate, the Reynolds number of airstream is 2.7x106 (based on the hydraulic duct diameter), thus the flow behavior is turbulence. The numerical results are validated with the real operation data. It is found that the numerical result agrees well with the operating data, and dominant loss occurs at the flow rate measurement device. Normally, the air flow rate is measured by the airfoil and it gets high pressure drop inside the duct. To overcome this problem, the airfoil is planned to be replaced with the other type measuring instrument, such as the average pitot tube which generates low pressure drop of airstream. The numerical result in case of average pitot tube shows that the pressure drop inside the inlet airstream duct is decreased significantly. It should be noted that the energy consumption of inlet air system is reduced too.