Informal interaction has proven to be useful in supporting collaboration in office and educational environments. Online courses, however, provide limited opportunities for informal interaction, which might put them at a disadvantage when compared with traditional courses. This lack of opportunities could obstruct collaboration among students, a key aspect for successful instruction. To provide students with opportunities for informal interaction, we designed and developed a system named CENTERS. It is an instant messaging and presence awareness system that supports lightweight communications within the group. CENTERS provides awareness of the presence of members of the distributed community and allows them to interact easily and navigate together through the course's materials, share insights, resolve doubts, and collaborate in course related activities. To evaluate the use of CENTERS in an online learning environment, a study was designed to assess interaction from a socio-academic perspective. Results showed that CENTERS helped reduce the students' feelings of isolation and facilitated a greater degree of interpersonal interaction within the course participants. This chapter appears in the book, E-Education Applications: Human Factors and Innovative Approaches, edited by Claude Ghaoui. Copyright © 2004, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited. 701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Suite 200, Hershey PA 17033, USA Tel: 717/533-8845; Fax 717/533-8661; URL-http://www.idea-group.com INFORMATION SCIENCE PUBLISHING


The results of stability calculations in the case of a damaged watertight compartment occurring during flooding are reviewed in this paper. The constant displacement method along with the method of established volume were used in the calculations. These stability parameters have made it possible to analyze the changes of metacentric height, angles of heel and angles of trim that occur during the flooding. Both the method developed and computer programs elaborated can be used for a training stability simulator at the Naval University of Gdynia. The calculations can be useful in the training program for midshipmen and other personnel who are responsible for safety in flooding situations.


Abstract The main focus of research studies assessing consumers' attitudes toward advertising has shifted to social media platforms, replacing traditional advertising. In this regard, Instagram is considered one of the most popular social media platforms, with a global user base of 700 million active users. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key factors that affect young consumers' attitudes toward the digital advertising of fitness trackers on Instagram. The study is based on the self-administered survey questionnaire responses collected from young Indian consumers. Structural Equation Modeling has been used to analyze direct and moderating effects. The obtained results found that variables such as informativeness of Instagram advertising, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use of fitness trackers play a central role in developing respondents' attitudes. This study pioneers in providing empirical evidence revealing the moderating effect of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on the relationship between advertising value factors and consumers' attitudes toward advertising. The present study also offers valuable insights for marketers to design social media communication strategies on Instagram, showcasing the ease of use and utility of fitness trackers while delivering entertaining values.


An important problem in spray combustion deals with the existence of dense regions of droplets, called clusters. To understand their formation mechanism, the droplet dynamics and fuel concentration profile are investigated by means of planar laser techniques in an industrial gun‐type burner. The simultaneous measurement of elastic Mie scattering and Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) allows the instantaneous measurement of the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD), after proper calibration. Using two different CCDs to get the two signals requires a detailed calibration of the CCD response before getting absolute diameters. Pixels are binned 6 by 6 to obtain the final SMD map, this is a compromise between spatial accuracy and noise. Velocity field is measured on both sets of images using standard Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) algorithms. The comparison of cross‐correlation technique with PDA results shows that the velocity measured on the LIF images are close to the velocity based on D30, whereas the Mie scattering results are similar to D20. On Mie scattering images, regions of high interfacial area forming clusters can be detected. A special tracking scheme is used to characterize their dynamics in terms of velocity and diameters by ensuring that the same volume of fluid is tracked. It is shown that the clusters have a velocity similar to the velocity of droplets with the same diameter as the mean SMD of the cluster. It is also shown that an increase of pressure tends to trigger the appearance of such a group of droplets, due to a smaller diameter of the droplets caused by the increase of pressure discharge. Uncertainties for the different techniques used are discussed.


By means of the results of fertilizer effect experiment, a functional equation was gained from the math model and the best N, P, K fertilization was coming from this model. The best fertilization from ternary quadratic equation: N: 9.78kg/667m^2、P2O5: 1.55kg/667m^2、K2O: 5.25kg/667m^2, highest yield of 538.97kg/667m^2 from quadratic equation: 9.13kg/667m^2 with highest yield of 551.19kg; P2O5: 2.64kg/667m^2 with highest yield of 552.13kg; K2O:6.1 1kg/667m^2 with highest yield of 530.88kg. According to local conditions, the recommended fertilization are respectively N: 9.5kg/667m^2、P2O5: 2.5kg/667m^2、K2O: 6.0kg/667m^2.


Abstract Let R be a non-commutative prime ring of characteristic different from 2, with right Utumi quotient ring U and extended centroid C and let F and G be generalized derivations of R such that F (x)G(y) − F (y)G(x) = [x, y], for all x, y ∈ S, where S is a subset of R. Here we will discuss the following cases: (a) S = [R, R]; (b) S = L, where L is a non-central Lie ideal of R; (c) S = f (R), where f (R) is the set of all evaluations of a non-central multilinear polynomial f (x1, … , xn) on R. In all cases, if R does not satisfy s4(x1, … , x4), the standard polynomial identity on 4 non-commuting variables, then there exist s, c ∈ U such that F (x) = xs, G(x) = cx, for allx ∈ R, and sc = 1C (the unit of C). We also study the semiprime case.


Development of a Solid Rocket Propellant System Capable of Withstanding Extended Storage in a Space Environment. Thiokol Chemical Corp., Elkton Div. Quart. Progr. Rept. 2, Rept. E19462, Dec. 12, 1962, 55 pp. Development of a Hot Gas Valve, W. C. Stone. Rohm & Haas Co., Redstone Arsenal Res. Div. Rept. S-37, Nov. 30, 1962, 14 pp. The Testing and Development of a Ground Muffler for Jet Engine Exhaust Noise, D. Middleton. Gt. Brit. Aeronaut. Res. Council, Current Paper 610, Dec. 1961 (1962), 26 pp. (ARC 23,507). Some Three-Dimensional Effects of Rotating Stall, S. L. Dixon. Gt. Brit. Aeronaut. Res. Council, Current Paper 609, May 1961 (1962), 35 pp. (ARC 22,863). NASA-Industry Conference on the Science and Technology of Space Exploration, Chicago, Nov. 1-3, 1962, NASA SP-11. Vol. 2, 532pp. New Problems Encountered with Pumps and Turbines, M. J. Hartmann and C. L. Ball, pp. 23-36, 22 refs. Current Research and Development on Thrust Chambers, E. R. Jonash and W. A. Tomazic, pp. 43-52, 23 refs. Dynamics and Control of Chemical Rockets, J. C. Sanders and L. M. Wenzel, pp. 53-56. Advances in Astronautical Propulsion (Seminar on Astronomical Propulsion, Milan, 1960), Proceedings, edited by C. Casci (Pergamon Press, New York, 1962), 366 pp. Design and Application of Large SolidPropellant Propulsion Systems, J. Buchanan, pp. 47-62. Physico-Chemical Problems Related to Solid Propellant Propulsion (Abstract), M. Summerfield, pp. 63-70, 27 refs. Design, Development and Operation of Liquid Rocket Vehicles, A. 0. Tischler, pp. 71-106, 220 refs. Horizons in Liquid-Propellant Rocket Propulsion, S. S. Penner and L. L. Bixson, pp. 107-146, 42 refs.


Asbestos, a new prototype operating system, provides novel labeling and isolation mechanisms that help contain the effects of exploitable software flaws. Applications can express a wide range of policies with Asbestos's kernel-enforced label mechanism, including controls on inter-process communication and system-wide information flow. A new event process abstraction provides lightweight, isolated contexts within a single process, allowing the same process to act on behalf of multiple users while preventing it from leaking any single user's data to any other user. A Web server that uses Asbestos labels to isolate user data requires about 1.5 memory pages per user, demonstrating that additional security can come at an acceptable cost.


Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): the National Research Foundation of Korea grants funded by the Korea government (MEST)

 Achieving the optimal target blood pressure is important for patients with hypertension to prevent cardiovascular complications. Adhering to recommended therapeutic regimens is crucial to control the blood pressure. However, patients with non-cardiovascular comorbid conditions along with hypertension may experience difficulty performing adequate self-care of hypertension and achieving the optimal target blood pressure because they need to simultaneously manage hypertension and comorbidities. Treatment burden refers to workloads to manage chronic conditions and their impact. Thus, it is possible that the burden of treatment associated with managing multiple conditions adversely affects blood pressure control.

 To examine whether treatment burden was associated with achieving the optimal target blood pressure in patients with hypertension and non-cardiovascular comorbidities.

 Patients with hypertension and non-cardiovascular comorbidities were recruited and asked to complete the questionnaires via online survey. Treatment burden was measured with the Multimorbidity Treatment Burden Questionnaire. Comorbid conditions that were diagnosed and/or treated were measured with the list developed to document self-reported chronic conditions in primary care. Patients were asked to report their blood pressure readings that were measured most recently within three months. Based on their blood pressure readings, patients were classified into two groups: controlled group with the blood pressure readings of < 140/90 mmHg and uncontrolled group with the blood pressure readings of 140/90 mmHg or above. To determine whether treatment burden was associated with blood pressure group assignment, multivariable logistic regression was used after adjusting for covariates (i.e., age, gender, education levels, employment status, periods since hypertension diagnosis, the number of non-cardiovascular comorbidities, and self-care maintenance of hypertension).

 A total of 280 patients with hypertension and non-cardiovascular comorbidities (52 years old, 33.2% female) were included in this study. Patients had an average of 3 comorbidities (SD 1.3). Of 280 patients, 153 (54.6%) had the blood pressure readings of <140/90 mmHg (i.e., controlled group). The multivariate logistic regression model shows that patients with greater levels of treatment burden were less likely to be in the controlled group after adjusting for covariates (adjusted odds ratio: 0.98, 95% confidence interval: 0.971-0.997).

 We found that treatment burden was negatively associated with achieving the optimal target blood pressure in patients with hypertension and non-cardiovascular comorbidities. It is important for clinicians to assess patients' burden of treatment associated with managing hypertension and comorbidities when discussing blood pressure management.


In this paper, an optimal fuzzy adaptive backstepping controller (OFABC) for a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) quadrotor unmanned helicopter is proposed in the presence of unknown nonlinear dynamics, parameter uncertainties and external disturbances. The control objective is to track the desired trajectory of the helicopter attitude, i.e. roll, pitch and yaw angles. In order to achieve this goal, a fuzzy adaptive controller based on backstepping design optimized by the flower pollination algorithm is developed. Lyapunov theory is used to prove the stability and robustness of the closed loop system. The simulation results for regulation and tracking problems demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.


The substituted imidazole C29H24N2O2 was prepared via multicomponent reactions and the product crystallized using dimethylformamide. The structure of the compound was established by elemental analysis, FT-IR, thermogravimetric analysis, UV-Visible, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The molecule is crystallized in the tetragonal crystal system with the space group P43212 and with unit cell parameters a = 12.226(1) Å, b = 12.226(1) Å, c = 31.807(3) Å, and Z = 8. The molecular and crystal structure of the title molecule is stabilized by intramolecular interactions, O‒H···N and C‒H···N, and intermolecular interaction, C‒H···O.


Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment process that makes use of a non-ionizing light source targeted at specific section of cells (a tumor) in order to induce apoptosis, and eventually, the death of cells in such area. This is achieved using specific light sensitive photosensitizing (PS) agents (in the case of this research Metvix-Methyl Aminolevulinate (MAL)) used to saturate the treatment area for a recorded time period before irradiating with non-ionizing light source. This research was designed to observe the time and frequency domains as the PS signal decays during the PDT process. During the process, the PS agent degenerates and becomes less and less interactive with the light source. Using the Hop/drop/spin nomenclature, the source of the incident photon is simulated using A Gaussian White Noise (AGWN) on Simulink and the incident signal is allowed to attenuate through the target area while the time and frequency domain of the photosensitizer MAL is recorded as it decays. It is observed that the amplitude of the absorption coefficient of the PS agent dropped to almost 0 during a short sample time while the normalized frequency decays with a highly damped and irregular oscillatory pattern. The improvement in attenuation due to the presence of the PS agent degenerates sharply during the initial state of the treatment in order to ensure that the generation of singlet oxygen terminates just after treatment time.


Introduction: Rectal cancer is a common malignancy affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Surgery is the primary treatment modality, and for many patients, the creation of a temporary ileostomy is required to protect the anastomosis and allow for healing. Objectives: The main objective of the study is to find the safety and feasibility of early ileostomy closure within four to eight weeks of the initial surgery compared to traditional closure time frames of six to twelve months and to examine the potential benefits of early ileostomy closure, including reductions in morbidity, improved quality of life, and decreased healthcare costs. Material and methods: This multicenter study was conducted in Surgical Department Lady Reading hospital Peshawar during 1st January 2020 to 30th June 2020. Data on patient demographics, medical history, surgical procedures, and postoperative outcomes were collected using medical records and standardized data collection forms. Patient-reported outcomes, such as quality of life and stoma-related complications, may also have been assessed using validated instruments. Results: Demographic data of the 60 patients included in the study showed a median age of 62 years (range: 42-84 years) and a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.3. The majority of patients (70%) had an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status of 2 or 3, indicating mild to moderate systemic disease. The median body mass index (BMI) was 25 kg/m² (range: 18-35 kg/m²), with 30% of patients classified as overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m²) and 13% classified as obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²). Practical implication: This article will helps to support the safety and efficacy of early closure of temporary ileostomy in patients with rectal cancer. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study provides evidence to support the safety and efficacy of early closure of temporary ileostomy in patients with rectal cancer. The results indicate that there were no significant differences in the incidence of complications between early closure and traditional closure groups. Keywords: Temporary, Ileostomy, Patients, Rectal, Cancer


This chapter explores how just-in-time inventory management principles can be applied to lean capacity management of cloud-based applications. Traditional application service production chain reviews the factors that traditionally drove application service providers to adopt a supply-driven or push model of capacity management. Elasticity and demand-driven capacity management considers how cloud eliminates the factors that drove adoption of supply-driven, push capacity management and enable application service providers to adopt more agile demand-driven, pull-capacity management models. There are significant parallels between running an application service business and operating a number of trendy retail stores. Thinking about intangible application capacity as tangible retail merchandise that must be managed as inventory is a useful way to identify important aspects of application capacity management. Inventory management is a critical factor for a retailer, just as capacity management is a critical factor for an application service provider.


Using administrative data on deposits and loans of every Norwegian with every Norwegian bank, we show that an existing deposit account makes a household more likely to hold deposits at the same bank later despite better alternatives and more likely to borrow there. Consistent with this, banks accept lower deposit spreads from potential future borrowers. Banks charge existing depositors a premium on loans compared to other households, suggesting that cross-selling is driven by demand rather than supply complementarities. Finally, discounting future cross-selling profits motivates lower deposit spreads in times of lower policy rates and contributes to monetary policy transmission.


This study compares the safety and pharmacokinetics parameters of Cinacalcet Hydrochloride Tablets 90mg with the innovator (reference) product, on the basis that if two formulations exhibit similar drug concentration-time profiles in the blood/plasma, they should exhibit similar therapeutic effects. An open label, balanced, analyst blind, randomized, two-treatment, two-period, two sequence, single dose, crossover oral bioequivalence study of Cinacalcet Hydrochloride Tablets 90mg manufactured by Macleods Pharmaceuticals Ltd., India comparing with Sensipari£a (Cinacalcet Hydrochloride) Tablets 90mg manufactured by Amgen USA Inc. on 24 + 4 (standby) healthy, adult, human subjects under fed conditions. To monitor the safety and tolerability of a single dose of the test product as compared to the reference product in healthy adult male human subjects under fed condition. In the following sections, requirements for the design and conduct of comparative bioavailability studies are formulated. Investigator(s) should have appropriate expertise, qualifications and competence to undertake a proposed study and is familiar with pharmacokinetic theories underlying bioavailability studies. The design should be based on a reasonable knowledge of the pharmacodynamics and/or the pharmacokinetics of the active substance. The aim of a bioequivalence study is to demonstrate equivalence within the acceptance range regarded as clinically relevant. In conclusion, the test formulation is bioequivalent to the reference in terms of both the rate and extent of absorption. Both the formulations are well tolerated following a single dose administration of the investigational product. No serious clinical adverse events causing death, disability, hospitalization, or dropouts of the subjects were encountered.


Objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of immunomodulators on the intensity of the post-apoptotic lysis of sensitized organism leukocytes in the presence of specific antigens of tularemia microbe in vitro. Materials and methods . Flow cytometry method was used to determine the relative content of apoptotic and proliferating splenocytes obtained from mice, immunized against tularemia against the background of immunomodulation. Results and conclusions . Obtained is the evidence that is consistent with modern data on the massive leukocyte apoptosis and post-apoptotic leukocyte autolysis (secondary necrosis) in case of tularemia infection. Given the important role of secondary necrosis in the systemic inflammatory response development, the use of immunomodulators suppressing macrophage apoptosis and dead leukocyte lysis, emerging in the course of interaction with Francisella tularensis antigens, may be promising in order to reduce the live tularemia vaccine reactogenicity.


Like many other social scientists who have recently become involved in large-scale survey studies of educational effects, the authors feel that the principal source of possible selection bias in their data is the lack of a measure of I.Q. or intelligence. In effect, they imply that in an ideal study design some prior (pre-educational) measure of ability is available. Unfortunately, the design problem may not be so simple. Long-range learning outcomes are likely to depend on a number of early traits other than I.Q. (intellectual orientations and interests, for example). It seems likely that a young person who is an avid reader will eventually acquire more knowledge of the type assessed in these surveys than someone of the same age and I.Q. who does not read. At the same time, the avid reader probably has a better chance of entering and successfully completing higher levels of education. Such selection factors will produce a positive correlation between educational attainment and knowledge that has nothing to do with the effects of education per se. Even if one accepts the authors' main conclusion about the enduring effects of education, is it reasonable to assume that schooling per se is the critical factor? In all likelihood the enduring effects of education come as much from the "channeling" effect of school attendance as from the skills or knowledge acquired in school. Dropping out of high school channels the young person into an environment where the options, in terms of available jobs and general lifestyle, are radically different from those confronting the typical college graduate. The mere act of attending and completing college exposes the undergraduate to an array of experiences and opportunities that are never available to the school dropout. At the same time, the undergraduate is insulated from the stresses of having to make a go of it with limited educational credentials. Researchers have usually regarded this situation in terms of what the dropout is not doing (going to school), as if nonattendees were in a state of suspended animation while others were going to school. Consequently, little is known about the comparative effects of being a homemaker, serving in the military, working at particular jobs, and other nonschool experiences. The authors have tackled an educational issue of major significance: the long-term effects of education on knowledge and knowledge-seeking. Their major conclusion that the effects of education are large and pervasive must be viewed with some skepticism, primarily because their survey data were crosssectional rather than longitudinal. While such methodological limitations do not necessarily vitiate their conclusions, readers should be aware that the reported correlations between knowledge and education have probably been inflated to some unknown degree by uncontrolled individual differences that existed prior to the subjects' exposure to each higher level of education.


The invention relates to a method for controlling a ventilator of the respiratory gas flow, the airway pressure and the tidal volume during exhalation (expiration). The aim is to realize a certain time characteristic of the breathing pattern (flow, pressure and volume) for the purpose of diagnosis and therapy during the exhalation phase. The method can be used as an independent ventilation mode or as a supplement conventional forms of ventilation for both controlled ventilation as well as in spontaneous breathing. The aspect of diagnostics preferably relates to the analysis of respiratory mechanical properties of the respiratory system; the therapy affects nearly all indications of mechanical ventilation. For example, in patients with obstructive ventilatory impairment characterized stabilization of the airways to ensure that at high expiratory flow, a higher pressure is set than in low flow rate (imitation of the lip brake). In patients with acute respiratory failure ventilator-associated lung damage can be reduced by a selective throttling of the expiratory flow atelectasis and thus the occurrence. The latter is mediated by the reduction of the effective shear forces. The technical implementation can occur for example by a control unit which is either integrated in the ventilator exhalation valve or a separate throttle valve in the expiratory limb of the ventilator ...


In Armenia children with disabilities are often stigmatized and separated from the community. Some are sent to institutions or orphanages, some are hidden in the home, and others are hastily placed into schools and ignored in classrooms. However, Armenia is moving towards a more inclusive society. Victoria Armineh Babikian volunteered with Children of Armenia Charitable Fund (COAF) in 2017; she was their first ever Occupational Therapist. She introduced a different perspective- providing holistic care by addressing self-care needs and enhancing physical, cognitive, and sensory skills for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Upon completion of her volunteer experience, Babikian needed a sustainable approach to continue increasing knowledge on the care of children with disabilities. Therefore, she compiled the Occupational Therapy Guidebook to Inclusion, an 80-page manual that provides clear information about common diagnoses, simple exercises, and functional activities using homemade tools to enhance strength, coordination, cognitive processing, sensory regulation, and behavior among children with disabilities. This guidebook will be published and distributed throughout Armenia.
The purpose of the Occupational Therapy Guidebook to Inclusion is to enhance disability resources for every region of Armenia, especially within rural communities.


Angular correlation measurements have been made in 29Si to determine spins and mixing ratios using the reaction 26Mg( alpha ,n)29Si. Previously undetermined mixing ratios have been measured for the following transitions: (5.653 MeV-4.742 MeV), delta =-0.02+or-0.20; (5.813 MeV-3.068 MeV), delta =-0.06+or-0.03. The levels at 7.069, 7.522, 8.331 and 8.476 MeV were found to have mean lifetimes pi <15 fs, those at 8.641 and 8.861 MeV have mean lifetimes tau <40 fs.


A molecular dynamics computer simulation has been carried out for a two-dimensional (2D) square lattice model crystal. Anharmonic central forces up to the third order are considered for the nearest neighbor and next nearest neighbor interatomic interactions. Pulse input displacements are applied simultaneously to all of the edge atoms at one end of the model crystal, and displacements, velocities, and energies of all atoms in the crystal are calculated as a function of time. Two types of wave are seen in the crystal depending on the excitation conditions. When the input pulse is small, the wave has characteristics of "phonon". When the input pulse is large, it has characteristics of "soliton". A slit-shaped or linear array of defect atoms is placed at the center of the crystal. The waves are scattered by the defect atoms. The dependences of the scattering on the mass of the defect atoms, the interatomic interaction parameters, and the size of the opening of the slit are studied. The experimental results are represented in 2D colored maps.


Measuring the impact of the media The active participation of the people is one of the central components of a functioning democracy. King et al. performed a real-world randomized experiment in the United States to understand the causal effect of news stories on increasing public discussion of a specific topic (see the Policy Forum by Gentzkow). Social media posts increased by almost 20% the first day after the publication of news stories on a wide range of topics. Furthermore, the posts were relatively evenly distributed across political affiliation, gender, and region of the United States. —GJC Science, this issue p. 776; see also p. 726


ABSTRACT This work is about how the United States military has become dependent on networked technology. As arguably the largest contributor to national security, it has become so dependent that its chief doctrine integrates networked technology into nearly every specialty, with particularly intense focus on Network Centric Warfare. As the military's old guard is replaced by the highly technical Millenial Generation, there is cause to pause when assuming this techno-acuity brings nothing but advantage and success. Vulnerabilities stemming from such extensive dependence offer opportunities for exploitation that have not gone unnoticed. The first step to moving forward from this point is to fully understand the extent to which the military has become dependent on computer networks. It might be the Millenials' war today, but it would be quite unwise for the United States military to think about it and fight it in a purely Millenial way.


The problems of the present frequency governor used in lathe principal axis were analyzed,SVPWM control technology was studied.Software MATLAB/SIMULINK was used for simulation.The result shows that AC Motors can gain characteristics of D.C.Motors and meet the requirement of machining for lathe with SVPWM control technology.


The microstructures of the crack induced by hydrogen and crack healing have been studied by using the transmission electron microscopy(TEM).These specimens of carbon steel with the hydrogen induced cracks were cyclically annealed at 1000℃ for 10 h.The SEM and TEM observations on the specimens before and after the heat treatment showed that the cracks could be healed completely by heat treatment.The healing of hydrogen induced cracks was closely related to heat diffusion of Fe and C atoms.The driving force of crack healing resulted from the plastic deformation energy E s created by the growth of hydrogen bubbles or cracks.The critical condition of healing of bubbles or cracks is E s≥2 γ/r (where γ is the surface tension, r is the half length of crack).During healing of the hydrogen induced cracks,the dislocation density around grain boundaries decreased and the dislocation type transformed from tangle dislocation with high energy to vertical and regular dislocation with low energy.The formation of pearlite in distinct layers during healing process indicated the structure of carbon steel recovered too.


Damages by a laser to materials are mainly caused by thermal and dynamic effects; such effects are referable for evaluating damage by a laser to the optical lens and the design of a laser system. We have designed several independent laser–material interaction measurement systems and carried out experimental research based on them. The results show that the laser plasma oscillation frequency is 500 Hz and accompanied by discharge phenomena. The average pressure stress on the material is 1.1 GPa; then it attenuates to the Lamb wave; and the surface coating of the lens reduces the radius of the heat-affected zone to one third of that without film.


John Cotton Dana, who died in 1929, had been Librarian of the Newark Public Library since 1902. Among many other achievements, he was responsible for the development of remarkable art collections in the Library, including a collection of prints, and of a Picture Collection of visual images; the programme of art exhibitions he organised in the Library led to the founding of the Newark Museum. The collections Dana initiated continued to grow after his death, guided by his inspiration: they are of regional and even national importance and, via library networking, serve the whole state of New Jersey; the scope of the print collection has been extended to include several categories of printed ephemera, including shopping bags.


German Rail (DB) was created 10 years ago, in January 1994 out of the former German Federal Railway and German State Railway. The new company was set up as a public limited company with an aim to turn the railway into a profitable business. This article reviews what has happened in DB's first ten years. The strategic plan calls for a three-step plan that: includes lowering the age of the fleet; reduces the number of different classes; and modernizes the existing fleet to adapt it to the current conditions.


Abstract Noise in biomedical X-ray image degrades the quality so that it might causes to decrease the accuracy of diagnosis. Especially the noise reduction techniques is quite essential for low-dose biomedical X-ray images obtained from low radiation power in order to protect patients, because their noise level is usually high to well discriminate objects. This paper proposes an efficient method to remove the noise in low-dose X-ray images while preserving the edges with diverse resolutions. In the proposed method, a noisy image is at first decomposed into several images with different resolutions in pyramidal representation, then the stable map of edge confidence is obtained from each of analyzed image using a fuzzy logic-based edge detector. This map is used to adaptively determine the parameter for guided filters, which eliminate the noise while preserving edges in the corresponding image. The filtered images in the pyramid are extended and synthesized into a resulted image using interpolation technique. The superiority of proposed method compared to the median, bilateral, and guided filters has been experimentally shown in terms of noise removal and edge preserving properties.Key words : Noise Reduction Techniques, Pyramidal Representation, Edge Detector, Guided Filters, Interpolation Technique


The opioid epidemic is still a national crisis with constantly increasing fatal overdoses. The primary cause of death from opioid overdose is respiratory failure, which is the result of muopioid‐receptor mediated inhibition in respiratory centers of the brain. Recently, we have shown that the pontine Kölliker‐Fuse nucleus (KF) is highly susceptible to inhibition by opioids and may be a compelling target to counter the respiratory side effects of opioids. The ideal strategy to reverse an opioid overdose only affects respiratory depression without causing pain or withdrawal. This approach has to rely on targeting non‐opioid respiratory pathways. Prior work has identified direct projections between the KF and the main noradrenergic arousal center of the brain, the locus coeruleus (LC). In an effort to explore non‐opioid‐mediated excitation of respiratory neurons, we studied how modulation via LC neurons may affect KF neuronal activity. We selectively expressed channelrhodopsin2 in the LC of Th‐Cre hemizygous mice. Whole‐cell patch clamp recordings combined with optogenetic stimulation of LC neurons, and immunohistochemistry confirmed channelrhodopsin2 expression in Th+ LC cells. Next, we optically stimulated LC axon terminals in coronal KF slices and recorded light‐evoked EPSCs in the presence of picrotoxin. Since light‐evoked EPSC onsets had fixed latencies with minimal jitter, followed a similar time course and resulted in no failure, our results indicate the presence of excitatory monosynaptic drive between the LC and KF. KF neurons receiving monosynaptic drive from the LC were then tested for opioid‐sensitivity. Application of a mu‐opioid agonist to KF neurons showing consistent eEPSCs resulted in a hyperpolarizing outward K+ current in voltage clamp recordings in >90% of the cases. Our results demonstrate that the majority of opioid‐sensitive KF neurons receive monosynaptic excitatory drive from noradrenergic LC neurons. This work provides exciting novel evidence for an excitatory pathway between the LC and the respiratory brainstem.


Th e objective of this research is to study the di ff erences in perso - nality style between athletes and non-athletes and depending on the type of sport ...


Roundabouts can be a solution to safety concerns common to conventional intersections. Recently in the United States, there has been an increase in the conversion of problematic intersections to roundabouts to improve their safety. However, there are some important considerations and challenges to make roundabouts safe for all users, especially multilane roundabouts. There may also be challenges for drivers to navigate a newly built or a new type of roundabout. Roundabout features such as pavement markings and signage play an important role in driver navigational performance. This research was an effort to evaluate new roundabout design and existing roundabout safety and operational features such as signs and pavement markings. The focus was on how such features influenced the performance of drivers, specifically at multilane roundabouts. Two-lane roundabouts and rotor turbo roundabouts were evaluated. A driving simulator was employed to test various simulation scenarios in a virtual world. The results indicate that lane keeping and higher navigation speeds are still problems at multilane roundabouts. The rotor turbo roundabout outperforms the two-lane roundabout in enabling correct lane choice and navigation speed control by drivers. Furthermore, it was found that roundabout signs and pavement markings used in the United States can be adopted for turbo roundabouts.


This paper aimed at exploring the view of Ibn Sahnun, a famous scholar in the field of education in the second century of Hijrah. This paper will review the criteria of noble personality educator described by him. In this study, the researchers used content analysis methodology regarding the views expressed by Ibn Sahnun. Through this study, the researchers found that Ibn Sahnun defined the role of educators thoroughly, covering things that need to be implemented, virtuous noble personality of an educator, and the limits to being an educator. When an educator can implement all valid hadiths guide given, then continuity, harmony and success in the educational process can be achieved. The results from this paper are expected to serve as guidelines for educators to ensure continuity in the education process.


Objectives: Over the last century, studies have shown that sleep provides numerous benefits and improves quality of life. However, modern life often subjects inhabitants of large cities to chronic lack of sleep due to either social or financial reasons. Simultaneously, sleep loss is frequently associated with the use of illicit drugs to obtain stimulant and pleasurable effects. This review presents a general overview of global production of preclinical studies on drugs of abuse and sleep. Methods: To carry out this survey, specific keywords were searched in the Web of Science database. The drugs selected for this review were based on the most abused drugs described by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). Results: The results show an increase in studies examining these drugs and sleep. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) had the highest percentage of preclinical sleep studies than the other drugs due to its sleep-inducing properties. On the other hand, no preclinical sleep studies were found for other drugs such as ayahuasca, psilocybin, desomorphine, and benzodifuranyls. Conclusion: The results indicate a growing number of publications examining sleep-inducing drugs in preclinical sleep research and also revealed a great expansion in the study with drugs of abuse.


This paper aims to illustrate: 1. that for the founders of population genetics, Fisher and Wright, there was a close relationship between physics and biology. 2. The mathematics of population genetics aimed at placing evolutionary theory as a "hard science" at the same level as Boltzmann and Maxwell's physics. 3. This effort showed that the concept of evolution by natural selection does not contradict the laws of thermodynamics that rule the evolution of physical systems. 4. The metaphor that paradoxically represents living beings as "Maxwellian demons" anticipated some aspects of the present day evolutionary theories that recur to the thermodynamic of complex adaptive systems as developed by Prigogine, 1970, and Kauffman, 1993. 5. To conclude, I contrast Darwin and Einstein in order to clarify, how can be understood today, the bridges and bidirectional connections between physics and biology.


Background: Elastography is a promising imaging technique for evaluating various musculoskeletal tissues which uses acoustic radiation force pulse sequences to generate shear waves, which propagate perpendicular to the ultrasound beam causing transient displacements to calculate the tissues stiffness. Objective: The aims were to assess the validity, inter-examiner reliability and stability of semi-quantitative elastography for calculating strain ratios (SR) in a homogeneous gel phantom in different locations within the image. Methods: A diagnostic accuracy study was performed in a homogeneous stiffness phantom. Two examiners (one novice and one experienced) performed 50 imaging captures in 5 series of 10 captures with 1-minute difference between captures and 30 minutes difference be-tween series. Each examiner assessed the SR in two locations. Difference between-examiners, stability of measurements, SR error and absolute error, mean error of the measurements and coefficient of variation were calculated. Results: The agreement between examiners, validity and stability of measurements were higher in the central area than the lateral limits of the images. Thus, the experience of the examiner showed to be relevant for the concordance of the measurements in the lateral limits of the images (SR difference of 0.13 ± 0.02; p<0.001), but not for the central area (SR difference of 0.00 ± 0.01; p>0.05). Conclusion: Semi-quantitative elastography seems to be an accurate tool for assessing stiffness differences within the same image. Further validity and reliability studies in different materials and in-vivo tissues are needed to ensure the utility of this method.


The mineral content of seawater is a natural raw material to produce rich mineral sea salt. Rich mineral sea salt is a consumption salt with a NaCl content of <50% used to live a low sodium diet for a healthy lifestyle. In general, traditional sea salt was produced with the multistage evaporation method to obtain a NaCl content of ≥ 94.7%, whereas the production of rich mineral sea salt uses a total evaporation method and then removes the salt flower at a certain concentration to get low sodium chlorine and contain other natural minerals. This study aims to analyze the chemical content of the raw material of rich mineral sea salt. The location of seawater used as raw material for rich mineral sea salt is Camplong District, Sampang Regency. Samples were obtained from sea level with a distance of ± 400 m from the coastline and carried out during high tide conditions. The chemical analysis of seawater samples consists of Na, Mg, Ca, K, Fe, Cl− dan SO42−. The analysis method is based on the Indonesian National Standard of environmental quality test. The results of the major mineral analysis showed that the largest mineral content of seawater was calcium (Ca2+) at 492.350±10.395 mg/L and Sodium (Na+) at 482,000±1.979 mg/L. In contrast, the smallest mineral content is iron mineral (Fe2+) of < 0.08 mg/L. These results will be used for preliminary data before producing naturally rich mineral sea salt.


Acetic acid extracts of beef and sheep stalk-median eminence tissue were tested for their effects on release of FSH in vitro and in vivo. The Steelman-Pohley rat ovarian weight and the Igarashi-McCann mouse uterine weight methods were used to detect FSH activity. In vitro experiments consisted of incubation of isolated anterior pituitary tissue from estrogen progesterone treated spayed (EPS) rats. Addition of hypothalamic extracts to the incubation medium raised its FSH activity. In vivo tests consisted of measurement of plasma FSH activity in EPS rats. Injection of the extracts significantly raised plasma FSH activity. The effects of extracts were not due to contamination with FSH or substances having FSH-like activity or to potentiation of endogenous FSH by the extracts. Extracts of brain cortex and lysine vasopressin did not evoke measurable release of FSH either in vitro or in vivo. The results indicate that beef and sheep hypothalamic extracts contain a factor or factors which, both in vivo and in vi...


Determining student interest in learning, of course, the material studied has a lot to do with exact sciences, especially in the field of science. Various constraints and factors that cause learning in the field of science to be not optimal require the need for changes to learning in the field of science that can be used as an alternative in improving learning science majors. E-learning is an alternative in science learning, considering that unlimited access to information via the internet should be utilized by students properly, especially so that students can get meaning from subjects in the science field. The analysis carried out in the research is the decomposition of a complete information system into its component parts in order to identify and evaluate the problems, opportunities, obstacles that occur and the expected needs so that improvements can be proposed and determine the best student learning interests. The method used in the implementation of this research activity will be carried out with a sampling process equipped with training on the use of Edmodo-based e-learning applications to make decisions on the best student interest in the learning system. The results of these decisions can be obtained by using the Weighted Product method. Learning media that is based on Edmodo can be used as an alternative in classroom learning, makes it easy for teachers to provide subject matter by interacting with students online and offline and can monitor student activity in study groups and can carry out evaluations.


Abstract Although action research is defined in a way with which practitioners feel comfortable, it is rarely undertaken by teachers without some external intervention such as funding, requirements for course assessment, group facilitator or university researcher. In this paper I argue that action research is not a natural process for teachers because it requires them to be systematic, collaborative and critical, characteristics which do not feature strongly in teachers' natural approaches to reflecting on and improving their practice. I propose that the inquiring teacher approach and the teacher-as-researcher movement place fewer constraints than action research on the ways in which teachers are encouraged to investigate and improve their practice. I also suggest that narrative inquiry is an approach which many teachers use naturally to explore and understand their practice.


An approach to ground thermodynamics description using a coupled system of atmospheric regional climate and ground heat transfer models is improved by accounting for the time varying snow density. The simulations are compared to available observational analyses, and the sensitivity of the ground thermal regime to variable snow density is analysed. Projected changes of the ground thermal regime in the 21st century relative to the late 20th century are shown and compared to earlier estimates.


The cost and future prospects of direct and large-eddy numerical simulations are discussed in the context of their use in the development of turbulence theory. It is concluded that even today simulations are comparable to experiments in many aspects, including the Reynolds number, and that simulations at asymptotically large Reynolds numbers should become available within the next decade. For isotropic or free-shear turbulent flows, this should be equivalent to an infinitely large Reynolds number, but to achieve the same result in wall-bounded flows requires the development of a theory for the structure of the logarithmic layer. This is the key obstacle for practical large-eddy simulations of wall flows, and it is argued that its development would be better supported by numerical simulations than by experiments.


AbstractIn a deck-on-girder composite beam system, the deck and supporting girders work together to effectively provide loading capacity. This system has been widely used for bridges, buildings, and other structures. Effective flange width is typically used to reduce a three-dimensional behavior of the composite beam system to the analysis of a T-beam section with a reduced width of deck. Current studies, including AASHTO specifications, are mainly focused on concrete decks with full-composite action. This paper presents a closed-form solution to study the composite beam system, which considers different degrees of composite action (DCAs) between the deck and supporting girders and can be applied to decks with orthotropic materials. The analytical model is verified through close correlations among test, finite-element, and analytical results for two T-beams with concrete and fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) decks, in terms of both deflections and stress distributions. A parametric study is then conducted by...


The invention relates to a laminate, in particular for producing a package with at least two layers, one, or in case of more than two layers is an outermost layer of a first uniaxially oriented material, and a container made of such a laminate, the container to a sterilization by means of heat and / or pressure and / or water vapor, particularly in an autoclave, is functionally resistant.


We study the effects of symmetries on resonant transport in single-channel systems with an emphasis on their implications for atomic wires. Employing an expression of the scattering matrix in terms of its poles, it is shown that the mirror reflection and time-reversal symmetries lead generically to transmission and reflection peaks of magnitude 1, resulting in perfect transmission and perfect reflection, respectively. In particular, it is demonstrated that even when multiple resonances overlap and resonance shapes are distorted considerably, the perfect transmission (perfect reflection) can still occur provided that a system is free from ``pair annihilation'' events of two perfect transmissions (two perfect reflections). It is argued that these results can remain valid even when the employed expression of the scattering matrix becomes inapplicable, because the symmetries create certain topological structures of transmission and reflection amplitudes that stabilize the perfect transmission and reflection. Crossover from resonant transport to ballistic transport is also discussed. Results are discussed in connection with recent works on atomic wires.


We show that a discrete exchange symmetry can give rise to realistic dark matter candidates in models with warped extra dimensions. We show how to realize our construction in a variety of models with warped extra dimensions and study in detail a realistic model of gauge-Higgs unification/composite Higgs in which the observed amount of dark matter is naturally reproduced. In this model, a realistic pattern of electroweak symmetry breaking typically occurs in a region of parameter space in which the fit to the electroweak precision observables improves, the Higgs is heavier than the experimental bound and new light quark resonances are predicted. We also quantify the fine-tuning of such scenarios, and discuss in which sense gauge-Higgs unification models result in a natural theory of electroweak symmetry breaking.


ABSTRACT Background: BAL101553 is the prodrug of BAL27862, a novel small-molecule microtubule-targeting agent (MTA) with potent activity in tumor models refractory to conventional MTAs. It exerts antiproliferative effects and dose-dependent vascular disruption. A NSCLC xenograft mouse model demonstrated similar BAL27862 tumor exposure (AUC) at the MTD and a sub-MTD dose, with 11-fold higher peak intratumoral levels at the lower dose. Objectives of this first-in-human clinical trial were to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), and to evaluate PK, PD and anti-tumor activity. Methods: Eligible patients (pts) with advanced solid tumors received BAL101553 as 2-h IV infusion on days 1, 8 and 15 of a 28-day cycle (accelerated dose-escalation). Adverse events were assessed by CTCAEv4 grade (G); tumor response was assessed every 2 cycles by RECIST 1.1. Results: 24 pts (12 males; median age 54.5 years; range 29-80) were treated at 15, 30, 45, 60 or 80 mg/m2 of BAL101553. Dose levels of 15-30 mg/m2 were well tolerated with no G3 adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Dose- related ADRs included nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, peripheral sensory neuropathy (G1-2) and transient G3 hypertension. At 80 mg/m2, 2 out of 6 evaluable pts experienced a DLT of G2-3 reversible gait disturbance associated with G1-2 peripheral neuropathy. 60 mg/m2 was defined as MTD with 1 DLT observed in 6 pts (G3 reduced mobility with dizziness). 1 patient had a confirmed partial response (ampullary cancer, >2 years) and 5 pts had stable disease, predominantly at sub-MTD doses. PK-exposure to BAL27862 was dose-proportional. Comparison of post- to pre-treatment tumor biopsies indicated PD effects on vascularization and tumor cell proliferation. Conclusions: The MTD for BAL101553 administered as 2-h IV infusion at days 1, 8 and 15 of 28-day cycles was 60 mg/m2. Clinical activity observed at dose levels of 15-30 mg/m2 together with preclinical evidence of reduced tumour disposition at high vascular-disrupting doses indicate that a lower dose may be preferable by providing cytotoxic and intermediate anti-vascular effects without major toxicity. A randomised Phase 2a study in patients with advanced solid tumors with treatment at MTD and at 50% MTD is ongoing. (NCT01397929).


This paper describes two projects that promote interlibrary loan (ILL) in both traditional online public access catalogs and discovery settings to address user frustrations with gaps in the collection. By creating and inserting OpenURL links into bibliographic records for titles held exclusively by external institutions, the authors leveraged the discovery capabilities of their shared catalog and promoted ILL as an alternative means of access. The second project targeted the overwhelming amount of content indexed in the library's discovery layer that was not locally available. To more directly translate discovery into access, the authors worked with EBSCO to create and enable ILL CustomLinks for this content indexed by EBSCO Discovery Service and not available to their users. This paper presents ILL data to investigate whether these projects are changing the ways our users find and access content not held locally.


Studies on paragonimiasis have been carried out at 9 sites in 8 provinces of the northern mountainous regions of Vietnam, where the people have the habit of eating undercooked crab. From 1994 to 2000 with 6,576 persons inthese endemic areas, the rate of eating raw-crab was 68.1%. Crab examination (species Potamicus tannanti) showed an average infection rate with Paragonimus metacercaria of 53.6%. With 5,340 stool samples examined by Kato technique, the average infection rate of Paragonimus in humans was 1.9%. With 2.216 sputum samples examined by direct and centrifuge methods, the average infection rate of Paragonimus was 6.4%. Most of the patients were children (68.5%). The Paragonimus infection rate in dogs was 12.1%. Adult worms, collected from dogs in the field and from cats in the laboratory, were identified as Paragonimus heterotremus Chen et Hsia 1964 (by electron-microscope and PCR techniques).The main symptoms of paragonimiasis patients was cough (100%), hemoptysis (90.2%), interrupted development (97.7%), no fever (91.7%), chest pain (80.3%), pleural effusion (24.6%), neurological symptoms (4.5%), negative for TB (100%), eosinophilia (90.8%). Chest x-ray examination of the lungs showed nodular shadows (91.8%), ring shadows (90.2%), and more in the lower lobe (82.0%). Paragonimiasis patients were treated by: praziquantel 25 mg/kg/day x 3 days, the cure rate was 68.8%; praziquantel 50 mg/kg/day x 3 days, the cure rate was 75%; and praziquantel 75 mg/kg/day x 2 days, the cure rate was 99.6%.


The research aim to test and analyze : (1) the influence of learning methods of
Numbered Head Together (NHT) and Quiz Team in mathematics achievement. (2)
the effect of the initial ability of students in mathematics achievement. (3) the effect
of the interaction between the learning method and the initial ability of students in
mathematics achievement. The research was conducted at SMP Negeri 1 Surakarta in
VII Grade of even semester of academic year 2016/2017 with the population of 256
students. Samples from this research are two classes which totaled 64 students. VII G
class as an experimental class using learning methods of Numbered Head Together
(NHT). VII H class as a control class using learning methods of Quiz Team. The
data collection use test and documentation. Data were analyzed using two-way
analysis of variance with different cells. The results of the data analysis with a
significance level of 5% was concluded that (1) there is no effect of learning
methods of Numbered Head Together (NHT) and Quiz Team in mathematics
achievement. (2) there is the effect of the initial ability of students in mathematics
achievement. (3) there is no interaction between the learning method of Numbered
Head Together (NHT) and Quiz Team in terms of initial ability of students in
mathematics achievement.


The pioneer work of P. E. Smith ('26, '27) demonstrated that secretions of the pituitary gland produce precocious maturation of the ovaries of the laboratory rat. Subsequently, the role of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland in effecting such maturational changes in the testes and ovaries of different mammals has been studied extensively. The pituitary glands of rats as young as 1 2 days of age are capable of secreting gonadotrophin (Harris and Jacobsohn, '52). Since the pituitary gland is able to secrete gonadotrophins, and the gonads can respond to such stimulation, much earlier than the age a t which maturation occurs normally, it seems apparent that maturatioii is controlled by still more antecedent factors. The present data pertain to the relationship in the albino rat between body growth and maturation as judged by the growth of the testes, semiiial vesicles, and ventral prostate and by the initial appearance of spermatozoa in the seminiferous tubules. The body growth was controlled by quantitative restriction of the intake of food. Many studies have been made on the effect of reduced caloric intake upon the growth of the testes and other body organs (Jackson, '15 ; Winters, Smith, illendel, '27 ; and Stewart,


Zhong Xing Jie ( Explanation of the Transits of Stars) , which was copied in the early Qing Dynasty, is a hand-copied collection of papers and illustrations on astronomy and geography. The author comes to the conclusion that it collects materials both from China and the West.


Orthology is a powerful refinement of homology that allows us to describe more precisely the evolution of genomes and understand the function of the genes they contain. However, because orthology is not concerned with genomic position, it is limited in its ability to describe genes that are likely to have equivalent roles in different genomes. Because of this limitation, the concept of 'positional orthology' has emerged, which describes the relation between orthologous genes that retain their ancestral genomic positions. In this review, we formally define this concept, for which we introduce the shorter term 'toporthology', with respect to the evolutionary events experienced by a gene's ancestors. Through a discussion of recent studies on the role of genomic context in gene evolution, we show that the distinction between orthology and toporthology is biologically significant. We then review a number of orthology prediction methods that take genomic context into account and thus that may be used to infer the important relation of toporthology.


The redevelopment of the former Dunlopillo site in Pannal illustrates the need for more light industrial business units in the Harrogate District says ...


AT VARIOUS POINTS in the seventh century, the Northumbrian kingdoms of Deira and Bernicia, divided by the River Tees,1 were notionally joined under the rulership of Kings of the standing of Edwin and Oswald.2 Bede describes the advantages brought by such united political rule. But despite this hypothetical unity within the kingdom of Northumbria itself, the indications are that divisions remained and modern scholarship has investigated the tendency of the Northumbrian kingdom to come apart at the seams, as it were, whenever significant internal or external pressure was applied. The very title of David Rollason's recent historical account emphasises this phenomenon.3 From its emergence in the late seventh and early eighth centuries as a kingdom of Europe-wide significance,4 historians have described the effects of major political events like the manifold civil disturbances of the mid to late eighth century,5 the


Dimeric and centrosymmetric [MeEtN(CH 2 ) 3 AlH 2 ] 2 comprises aluminum centers, coordinated in a distorted trigonal bipyramidal fashion by three hydrogen atoms, one nitrogen atom and one carbon atom. The aluminum atoms are bridged by hydrogen atoms, creating a planar, four-membered Al 2 H 2 ring.


Radiometric tracking Doppler measurements of the signal transmitted by the Galileo spacecraft using an ultrastable oscillator (USO) as a frequency reference have been acquired by antennas of the NASA Deep Space Network between Dec. 1989 and Nov. 1991. The USO is a dual oven-controlled oscillator with an AT-cut quartz crystal (SiO/sub 1/) resonator. The output frequency of 19.124980 MHz is multiplied by 120 to produce the transmitted signal frequency (/spl sim/2.29 GHz). The average Allan deviations at 1-s and 10-s correlate well with spacecraft range, and fall as /spl tau//sup -1/. This is consistent with white PM noise dominating at these times scales due to the low SNR's expected from using the low gain antennas. The Allan deviations at 100-s and 1000-s agree with pre-flight USO stability results at these time scales. The Galileo USO appears to be healthy and functioning normally.<<ETX>>


The Smirnov class $N_\ast(\delta)$ of dyadic martingales is studied. Continuous linear functionals on this class and its Frechet envelope are described. It is proved that, in contrast to the case of $H^p$-spaces, the space $N_\ast(\delta)$ is not isomorphic to the Smirnov class of holomorphic functions on the unit disc. Finally, atomic decompositions of elements of $N_\ast(\delta)$ are obtained.


Interference phenomenon, regarded as a manifestation of the correlation between light beams at two or more space-time points is most often used to study the coherence properties of light. The correlation function is obtained from the measurement of the interference fringes formed when light from pairs of space-time separated points in the field are allowed to interfere. This idea was first used in the pioneering work of Michelson in the reconstruction of the image of a distant, incoherent source from the optical correlation function (Michelson stellar interferometer) [1] and was later more formally derived by van Cittert and Zemike [2,3]. According to the fundamental relationship stated quantitatively by the van Cittert and Zernike theorem [3], the spatial intensity distribution of an unknown incoherent light source can be reconstructed by taking the Fourier transform of the complex degree of coherence in the far field. Later, a study of the correlation existing in the optical field was more elegantly treated using the theory of partial coherence formulated by Wolf [3,4] and others [5] which gives the statistical description of light in terms of observable quantities. For a better understanding and use of the theory of partial coherence in describing the behavior of optical systems, it is useful to measure the degree of coherence in an arbitrary plane for quasi-monochromatic illumination.


It is maintained by some scholars that, while historical events may be incidental in significance, they are never accidental in origin. For instance, the juvenile court, truly a creation of great moment, did not spring fully grown and fully unexpectedly from Julia Lathrop's extraordinary head; nor did it come into existence through any magical intervention. It was a birth from natural causes, quite understandable within a historical context in which probation service was known, in which the innovations of separate detention and court hearings and special reformatory institutions for children were already known, and in which leaders in Chicago for scores of years had pressed for and gained modifications bit by bit in the administration of justice for children.2 To deny divine birth is not to gainsay lofty inspiration; nor does it depreciate the heroic efforts of the crusaders. Oli-


AUTHOR'S CONTRIBUTION: Tim Van Aerde conducted the search for the evidence, and drafted and edited the evidence-based answer and summary.


In this study, we evaluate the performance of global climate models for reproducing the present SLP (sea level pressure) field in the CO2 transient run, which will be used for the prediction of regional climate change. The outputs calculated using the model are projected in 'PC-space', with the component scores from the principal components (or EOF) of observed data as the axes, and their biases are evaluated quantitatively.This evaluation method was applied to the previous runs (CSM125 and ACACIA) using NCAR-CSM. In the ACACIA run, the January SLP field is reproduced realistically and is improved from CSM125, although the winter monsoon is still weak. The reproduced pattern resembled that of December. On the other hand, the July SLP field is not reproduced well; the intensity of the North Pacific High is over estimated and its ridge is shifted to the north, which are both beyond the observed range. Through these analyses, the difference of bias pattern for each year between two runs which have similar mean distribution pattern is evaluated quantitatively.Then the performances of the models are compared quantitatively to the other global climate models in the world through the application of this method. All the models tend to reproduce the Siberian High weakly, which is a common feature of the present models. For the summer SLP field, all the models show poor performance as well as two NCAR runs. A series of analyses revealed that, outputs from two NCAR runs in winter seem to be usable, with some care, for the prediction of regional climate changes. However, summer results are insuflicient for such use, determined from the viewpoint of the performance of reproducing the present SLP field.


Synopsis Exact solutions recently discovered for non-conservative three-wave resonance are here related to the 'one-lump' solutions obtained by Backlund transformation in conservative cases.


We present a new decomposition algorithm for training bound-constrained Support Vector Machines in this paper. When selecting indices into the working set, only first order derivative information of the objective function in the optimization model is required. Therefore, the resulting working set selection strategy is simple and can be implemented easily. The new algorithm is proved to be global convergent in theory. New algorithm is compared with the state-of-art package BSVM. Numerical experiments on several public data sets also validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.


This report presents results of the measured lag between the current ramp and the following magnetic field rise in BM109 magnets. The purpose of these tests is to choose identical ramping programs for PC4AN1, PC4AN2 and PC4AN3 magnets. The lag occurs due to the large eddy currents in the magnets' solid iron cores. The experiment requires a magnetic field stability of 0.1% during beam presence. Using existing equipment and a program slope of 100 Amp/sec starting at Tl yields fields within the 0.05% of set value. Add to this 0.05% for P.S. regulation to meet the required field stability of 0.1%. This program yields annual savings of $200,000 (assuming 100% usage) . Additional savings can be made by using faster slopes, but this requires additional controls.


Inflammatory Bowel Disease(IBD) is chronic, relapsing, immune mediated disorder. The exact cause of IBD is still unknown. The immune system is known to play important role in the dynamics of IBD. We focus on relation between T cells and cytokines in immune system that leads to IBD. In this paper, we propose a mathematical model describing IBD under considering immune mediated disorder by using ordinary differential equations. The existence and stability of the model are established, where an applicable basin of attraction are calculated and examined. Some numerical simulations are presented to verify the proposed results and as changing parameter values given by sensitivity analysis, we show how to change dynamic behaviors of the model.


The purpose is to compare internet prices of the nation's Internet Service Providers (ISPs) with the aim of ranking them to find out the low cost leaders in the industry. Generally the local ISPs employ the strategy of volume-tiered pricing. Volume-tiered strategies exhibit greater complexity in pricing, more opaque prices and sometimes, even higher prices. The advantage of volume-based pricing for operators is that the uncertainty and risk of consumption remains with the customer, rather than the operator. In addition the ISPs offer disparate data volumes and price points with many of them unique so as to perhaps discourage direct comparisons with one another. This paper overcame the issue of complexity, opacity and the dissimilarities in data offerings by fitting regression functions to the data of the competing ISPs and examining the behaviors of the generated graphs across a broad range. The study clearly identified the low cost leaders in the local ISP industry. Currently there is no national ranking system to find out the relative placements of the ISPs in their various service offerings. The contribution represents one of the first times internet service prices in the country have been analytically studied to identify the ISPs with the best prices. may be useful to political decision-makers and regulatory authorities. ch indicate the complexity of the audited firm and the characteristics of the audit.


Extremely high etch selectivity of GaAs over AlOx is mandatory to fabricate a current blocking trench (CBT) between adjacent lasers in a photonic crystal (PhC) laser array for intra-chip optical interconnections. In this paper, selective etching of GaAs on AlOx with PhC structure is reported for the first time by using inductively coupled plasma etching with Cl2/BCl3-containing gas mixture. The etched profile of the CBT on GaAs/AlOx heterostructure with PhC structure was significantly different from that without PhC structure. By optimizing the etching conditions, the etching of the CBT was stopped at AlOx, and extremely high etch selectivity of GaAs over AlOx was achieved. Thus, we successfully fabricated the CBT in the PhC laser array. The horizontal electrical resistance between adjacent laser cavities with a 0.4 μm or wider CBT reached the instrumentation-limit of 100 MΩ, confirming the electrical isolation effect of the CBT.


The first paper "Integrating New Media and Old Media: Seven Observations of Convergence as a Strategy for Best Practices in Media Organizations" by Gracie Lawson-Borders presents a study of convergence as both a concept and a pro-" cess ahcfprdvides media organizations"" with a set of best business practices in which to assess convergence processes and help to formulate or refine business models. This paper contributes to our growing collection of papers that deal with convergence. The very first issue of JMM (Vol.1, No.l, 1999) and previous issue (Vol.5, No.l, 2003) mainly contained papers that dealt with multi-faceted problems of convergence.


The invention discloses a composite anti-continuous cropping microbial ecological agent specially used in cucumber, special bacterial strain thereof and the preparation. The composite anti-continuous cropping microbial ecological agent takes bacillus polymyxa KTB002 CGMCC No.2565 and trichoderma hazianum KTF002 CGMCC No.2563 as active ingredients. The content of the bacillus polymyxa KTB002 CGMCCNo.2565 is 50 hundred million cfu/g preparations; the content of trichoderma hazianum KTF002 CGMCC No.2563 is 5 hundred million cfu/g preparations. The composite anti-continuous cropping microbial ecological agent of the invention is highly active, non-toxic, non-polluting, not only can prevent and control diseases caused by cucumber continuous cropping, but also can increase the output of cucumbers, improve quality and enhance stress resistance of cucumber plant, is beneficial to reducing the usage of chemical pesticide and the residues of chemical pesticide in agricultural products, and is important to protect human health and prevent environmental pollution.


Saihanba is located in the forest-steppe ecotone in northern Hebei Province of China.The spermatophytes in Saihanba flora were abundant,which includes 75 families,318 genera and 713 species or varieties.According to the floristic geographic elements in Saihanba flora,the northern temperate,cosmopoltan and palaeo-temperate was to the 47.65%,15.36% and 14.11% of the total 313 spermatophyte genera respectively,while the others were rare.Based on plant life-form,the phanerophytes,chamaephytes,hemicryptophytes,geophytes and therophytes were 16.27%,1.54%,40.95%,25.39% and 15.85% of the total spermatophytes respectively in Saihanba region.Compared with the other five surrounding regions using the principal component method,Saihanba was an obvious forest-steppe transitional flora.The relationships of Saihanba flora with Songshan Mountain flora in the forest zone and Xilinhe River Basin flora in the steppe zone were closer than those with the other region floras.


This paper presents the design of a locomotion interface for gait simulation and interaction with a virtual environment. The proposed mechanical interface is based on two planar two-degree-of-freedom belt-driven mechanisms which fully decouple the vertical and horizontal motion of two supporting footplates. Force sensors are mounted under the footplates in order to move the end effectors according to the user's intentions. The user's feet are rigidly attached to the footplates but a system of hinges allows an additional unactuated two-degree-of-freedom motion. A lag controller allows the user to move the end-effectors freely and a virtual floor based on a virtual spring and damper restrains the end-effectors' movements so that the user experiences an intuitive contact with the ground. Finally, preliminary experiments are reported in order to demonstrate the capability of the locomotion interface for gait simulation.


This study was performed to examine the food behavior and dietary fiber intakes of high school girls using questionnaires and 24-hr recall method. Collected sample were 263 girls from 4 different high schools. The dietary intakes were analyzed by the DS24 WIN program. The average height and weight of the respondents were cm and kg. The average BMI was which was within the normal range. The breakfast skipping rate was 39.2% and the reason of breakfast skipping were lack of time(50.0%), irregular meal time due to eating between meals(17.0%) and poor appetite(13.7%). The average daily energy intake of the respondents was 1741kcal. Beside protein, phosphorus, iron, niacin, vitamin A, and B1, all other nutrients intake level were below the recommended intake(RI). Average calcium and folate intakes were below the EAR as of and respectively. The average dietary fiber intake of the subjects was g, between 3.4g-35.2 g, and the respondents coumed g/kcal of dietary fiber. The main sources of dietary fiber were rice and kimchi which supplied 14.75% and 13.66% of total dietary fiber respectively. Also the major food groups supplying dietary fiber were vegetables and cereals, 36.90% and 31.06% of total dietary fiber respectively.


Method of Moments (MoM) transforms a functional operator equation into a matrix equation. When the operator is the surface integral, its solution is useful for the study of antenna and scattering problems involving homogeneous objects.


ABSTRACT Intellectual properly right (IPR) protection provides incentives for innovation and consequent spillover benefits for the global economy, but it may also have anti-competitive effects. Economic theory has only recently addressed the international trade flow implications of different IPR protection regimes—including those consistent with the TRIPS agreement. The theory suggests IPR protection offers grounds for both conflict and congruence between net technology importers (mostly developing countries) and net technology exporters. Empirical evidence suggests that IPR protection influences trade and investment flows, but that economic impacts vary across nations and industries. Debate continues over crucial measurement issues.


This chapter contains sections titled: General Problems in Detail Design, Screw Fastenings, Engine Illustrations, Design-Ratio Tables, 11-2 Through 11-9, The Power Train, Cylinder Design, Piston Design, Connecting Rods, Crankshaft Design, Crankcase Design, Engine Bearings


Gay people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) face two stigmas, being gay and having HIV/AIDS, thus making their daily lives very complicated. To survive their life challenges, they need strong resilience. This study examined the sustainability effects of Group Positive Psychotherapy in improving the resilience of gay people living with HIV/AIDS. Participants were 18 gay people (9 each in experimental and control groups) living with HIV/AIDS and experiencing resilience problems. The study's design was quasiexperimental, with an untreated control group and pretest and posttest dependent samples using switching replications. The instruments used were the Resilience Scale, the Positive Psychotherapy Inventory (PPTI), and the Day Reconstruction Method (DRM). Besides qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis was conducted through statistical testing using the Mann-Whitney U Test. Results showed that Group Positive Psychotherapy significantly improved participants' resilience (U = 0.000; p < 0.01), and its effects lasted for at least two weeks post-intervention. In this study, the Group Positive Psychotherapy sessions on "three good things" and "savoring" proved most effective in improving the resilience of gay people living with HIV/AIDS. Group Positive Psychotherapy also effectively reinforced groups as a positive forum for sharing. Psikoterapi Positif Kelompok untuk Meningkatkan Resiliensi pada Lelaki Homoseksual Penyandang HIV/AIDS


Address correspondence to: Doç. Dr. Arzu Daşkapan Kırıkkale University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Yahşihan, Kırıkkale, Türkiye E-mail: email@example.com Purpose: Physical activity protects against many chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, diabetes, depression and cardiovascular diseases. Recent Turkish studies have indicated a higher physical activity level in men as compared to women population. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived benefits and barriers to exercise in Turkish women. Methods: Two hundred and eighty women volunteers aged between 24-63 years participated in the study. Women answered questions related to physical activity and they rated statements related to the benefits and barriers to exercise. Results: 69.7% of study participants did not do any exercise. When ranked from highest to lowest; perceived benefits and barriers of exercise were physical, psychological and social health benefits, environmental and personal barriers and timelessness. Conclusion: Based on the results, Turkish women's attitudes about doing exercise can be understood to some extent. There is a need for further comprehensive studies with larger samples.


This thought-piece reaffirms and updates the 10 "Imperatives for the 90s" articulated in a 1993 issue of The Jossey-Bass New Directions for Student Services Series titled The Changing Role of Career Services (J. R. Rayman, 1993). In that volume (No. 62), 10 imperatives for the 90s specific to career services in colleges and universities were identified. Some of the issues that seemed critical then remain critical today. Others have been partially resolved and still others have taken on even more importance and urgency. This article reaffirms those 10 imperatives, provides additional support for their legitimacy, and offers speculations about the future. In early 1992, M. Lee Upcraft and Margaret J. Barr (associate editor and editor-in-chief, respectively, of the respected Jossey-Bass series titled New Directions for Student Services) approached me about editing an issue on college and university career services. I was delighted with the opportunity because it had been some time since an issue had been devoted to career services. As I completed my editing chores on that volume (No. 62), which was titled The Changing Role of Career Services (Rayman, 1993), 1 felt confident that the six authors and I had accomplished our goal. We had brought to the fore many of the critical issues confronting the profession, we had anticipated future trends, and we had provided concrete suggestions to career services practitioners as they confronted a challenging decade. I still feel good about that volume although my hindsight, like that of everyone else, is much closer to 20/20 than was my foresight. In the pages that follow, I restate the 10 imperatives exactly as they appeared in the original chapter and provide my hindsight-aided updates. In most cases, the imperatives still hold with only modest revision. With hindsight, however, it is fair to say that some of the imperatives were more insightful and accurate than others. Where appropriate, I have revised my thinking to reflect changing conditions in the last half of the decade. In all cases, I provide elaboration and include current support for my claim as well as possible implications for future practice. It is my hope that college and university career services practitioners will find some utility in this update and elaboration. Imperative 1: We must acknowledge the lifelong nature of career development and initiate programs and services that enable and encourage students to take responsibility for their own career destiny, Imperative 1 seems more compelling now than it did 5 years ago. The obsolete notion that career development is a point-in-time event that coincides with graduation from college has little currency in a world where individuals, not institutions, must take responsibility for their career destiny (Santry, 1996). Adult and nontraditionalaged learners make up a growing minority of the total enrollment in higher education (U.S. Department of Education, 1998b), and their penchant for flexible scheduling, extended service hours, practicality, utility, and efficiency are shaping the way student service providers think about service delivery in general. The fact that adult and nontraditional learner enrollment in higher education continues to increase (Behrens, 1996; U.S. Department of Education, 1998b) is, in a way, tangible proof of society's acceptance of the twin concepts of lifelong learning and career development as a lifelong process. Likewise, the professional interest in studying lifelong career development (e.g., supporting adults in the process of changing careers, educating parents on their roles as career information sources, supporting workers' adjustment to retirement) reflects this trend (Niles, 1997). Furthermore, there is consensus that the global economy forces workers to acquire and upgrade skills as an ongoing process (Harris-Bowlsbey, 1996). Not only does this force the employee to become a lifelong learner, but it also requires career counselors to reconstruct the practice of counseling. …


The economy, the production of which is aggregated in two sectors, is considered in the article. The first sector is produced a uniform final product, part of which is used as a consumer product to the public, and some like fund-creating product to create capacity in both sectors. The second sector is produced a uniform product the energy, part of which is spent in the first sector of the production process, and some for final human consumption. The technology that used in the first and second sectors and production capacity of manufacturers are described. Using a systematic approach it is built the mathematical models for recording the capacity of first and second sector. The research results can be used to forecasting the development of energy-dependent economy by changing the price of imported energy and efforts to control the parameters of the economy.


In a paper entitled " The Typical Form of the Cochlea and its Variations " ('Roy. Soc. Proc.,' B, 1916, vol. 89, pp. 410-421), I displayed a series of correlations that were based upon Dr. A. A. Gray's measurements of the cochleas of a large number of different species of animals. I took no regard of the measurements he had also given for the other parts of the labyrinth, especially for the semi-circular canals. But it seems a pity to abandon the work involved in the study of the cochlea without setting it into relation to the rest of Dr. Gray's data. There is no such obvious variation in the structure of the canals as there is in the number of whorls of the cochlea. Their regularity of structure might well be assumed from a general impression of them. Nevertheless, it is more satisfactory to know definitely by statistical means whether they do really agree so closely with one another as they seem to. For these reasons I now present the results of my study of these measurements of the rest of the labyrinth. These measurements concern the internal and external diameters of the semi-circular canals (" respectively, the distance between concave margin of one limb and concave margin of the other limb, and between convex margin of one limb and convex margin of the other limb "), the extreme length of the labyrinth ("the distance from the vertex of the posterior canal to the innermost point on the lowest whorl of the cochlea "), the longest diameter of the vestibule, the height of the canals, the diameter of the tube at the vertex of the canals (which " terms explain themselves ") and with the measurements of the cochlea given in the earlier paper.


A number of algorithms for estimating the so called fetal heart rate baseline was proposed so far. However, there is no reference pattern enabling their objective evaluation, and thus no methodology of comparing the competing algorithms still exists. In this paper we propose a method for evaluation of automatically determined baseline in reference to a group of experts, basing on ten separate groups of signals comprising typical patterns observed in the fetal heart rate. For the purpose of quantitative assessment of the estimated baseline a new synthetic inconsistency coefficient is presented. The proposed methodology was applied to evaluate ten well-known algorithms. We believe that the method will be a valuable tool for assessment of the existing algorithms, as well as for developing new ones.


Abstract Disorders of the large bowel are common in the West. Colonic cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death; about 34,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the UK. The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly Crohn's disease, continues to increase. Effective imaging to diagnose and document the extent of disease is essential. Imaging may be indicated to define the cause of colonic symptoms or to screen patients at increased risk of colorectal cancer. Colonoscopy is the most important investigation, because it examines the entire colon and has both diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities.


Ipsos MORI were commissioned by the Scottish Government to conduct an independent national evaluation of campus officers 1 in Scotland. The research used a mixed method case study approach to explore the roles that officers play in Scottish schools and provide evidence on the impact and effectiveness of their placements. A best practice guide was created to help local decision makers through the process of deployment and the practicalities of placing an officer in a school. This document summarises the findings of the evaluation.


A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods has been employed in this study in order to assess the impact of a variety of factors on young peoples drug-using behaviour. The focus is on the responses to an enquiry with respondents who had never used heroin, methadone, other opiates, cocaine powder, crack cocaine, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, ecstasy, LSD, cannabis, and solvents who were asked for their reasons for this non-use. The data were also analysed to ascertain whether reasons for non-use varied according to age, what respondents thought the effects of the drugs they had never used would be, and how likely they thought it was that they would use them in the year following the interview. No single reason was given by the majority of respondents for the non-use of drugs, but the motive most frequently reported - particularly by older respondents - was a lack of interest in the effects. Younger respondents'reasons for non-use were, overall, related to a fear of drugs and their effects. Most...


Theoretical work suggests that information risk affects corporate bond pricing. This paper empirically examines the relation between information asymmetry, a specific aspect of information risk, and bond yield spreads. Using equity holdings by different institutions following distinct investment and trading styles, we find that yield spreads narrow (widen) with an increase in equity holdings by institutional groups that are more (less) sensitive to information asymmetry. This relation is strongest for bonds with short maturities, lower ratings, higher leverage, and higher equity return volatilities. The relation between yield spreads and different institutional equity holdings is not subsumed by other information risk measures, including probability of informed trading, bid-ask spread, analyst forecast dispersion, and accounting disclosure rankings. It also survives adjustments for the equity style of the issuing company. Moreover, the relation holds for both the level and changes in bond yield spreads.


Development of browning after cutting pineapple fruit is a major problem affecting the fresh cut quality of the fruit, and shortens storage life. The purpose of this study was to reduce the incidence of browning and to delay senescence of fresh-cut pineapples (Ananas comosus L. Mess. cv. Huaimun) by using citric acid. Pineapples with a shell color corresponding to stages 2 and 3, meaning 25-50% shell color change were washed, and sliced, the slices were air dried and then divided into three portions. The first was dipped in distilled water, with 0% acid, as a control, the second and third portions were dipped in 0.5% and 1.0% w/v of citric acid (CA) solution for 2 min, respectively. The slices were then packed in clamshell trays and stored at 2.5C for 12 days. The amount of browning was observed every two days. The best results were obtained from the 0.5% citric acid solution which showed reduced browning incidence at day 6 (p0.05), which was associated with a change in L* value of pineapple slices. As well, electrolyte leakage was lower in the slices treated with the 0.5% solution on days 1, 2, 4, and 8 than those in the 0% control and 1% citric acid solutions, but not significantly. The soluble solids content of the pineapple slices showed a significant affect from both citric acid treatment levels after 12 days. All of the pineapple slices developed an offodor over the storage period of the 12 days, but the off-odor of the slices in the 0.5% level slices was lowest, but not significantly lower than the control. Fruit quality, as in firmness, was well maintained significantly better in the 0.5% treated fruit for the first 4 days of storage than the other two treatments. The results suggest that treating the fresh-cut pineapple with a 0.5% solution of citric acid resulted in better fruit quality, best visual appearance with less browning and delaying senescence of the fresh-cut pineapple. The acceptable storage life of the fresh-cut pineapple was extended in the 0.5% citric acid treated fruit to 8.5 days at 2.5C while the storage life of the control and the 1.0% citric acid treated fruit extended to 7.5 and 7 days, respectively. However, this indicates that there were no significant differences in storage life among the treatments (p0.05).


Following two years of anaemic and uneven recovery from the global financial crisis, the world economy is teetering on the brink of another major downturn. Output growth has already slowed considerably during 2011, especially in the developed countries. The baseline forecast foresees continued anaemic growth during 2012 and 2013. Such growth is far from sufficient to deal with the continued jobs crises in most developed economies and will drag down income growth in developing countries.


To satisfy the increasing requirements for high-quality cavity mirrors for semiconductor lasers, the influence of the anisotropic stress field generated by scratching GaAs on the quality of cleavage planes was investigated. First, a novel method for calculating the interplanar spacing was proposed to estimate the favourable direction for the scratching operation. Some mechanical properties in the scratching direction were calculated. Consequently, an anisotropic calculation model of the stress field generated by scratching was established. The calculation model was used to analyse the y-component stress field distribution along different directions beneath the indenter. The results show that the maximum stress occurs at the contact area between the material and indenter tip, and the stress along the <100> orientation is lower than that along the <110> orientation. According to our experiments, a significant decrease in the average radial crack length and a slight decrease in the average kerf width were observed along the [011] direction compared to the corresponding results for the [001] direction. In addition, the (011) plane had a surface roughness of 0.43 nm and could become a preferential cleavage plane under a low scratching load. The results of this study contribute to advance our understanding of the mechanisms of mechanical cleavage processes.


Abstract : The pathways stimulated by the oncogenes HER2/Neu/ErbB2, Wnt-l, and H-ras are aberrantly activated in many human cancers, including breast cancer, and have been shown to play a role in carcinogenesis. In order to better investigate the role these genes play in breast cancer, we generated mouse models that inducibly express activated forms of these oncogenes in the mammary gland. This system allows us to activate these oncogenic pathways during specific windows of mammary gland development, as well as to remove the initiating oncogenic stimulus after the development of a tumor or during later stages of tumor progression. As such, we anticipate that the study of these models will provide valuable insights into the mechanisms by which activation of these pathways contributes to breast cancer development or progression, and will ultimately aid in the generation of therapeutic strategies that specifically target these pathways. We have found that expression of Neu in the mammary glands of transgenic mice results in the development of both invasive adenocarcinomas and pulmonary metastases that remain dependent upon Neu expression for maintenance of the transformed state. We have also determined that both Wnt-l and c-Myc synergize with Neu in mammary tumorigenesis.


Bridging the Gap: IMF and World Bank Membership for Socialist Countries is part of the 2003 Annual Proceedings of The Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy.