The EU Succession Regulation constitutes a remarkable achievement of unification of conflict of law rules at the European level. It has importantly changed the landscape for all those interested in succession law, in particular, the notaries and theestate planning practitioners. The present article takes up a number of selected issues that arise under the Regulation. The paper first identifies certain general difficulties that result either from the complex nature of the matters addressed or from a somewhat ambiguous wording of the rules adopted by the EU legislator. The attention is devoted to the exceptions to the principle of the unity of legis successionis, the dispositions upon death, and the intertemporal questions resulting from the change of the conflict of laws rules in the Member States which occurred on 17th August 2015 when the Regulation started to be applied. The paper then moves to some of the more specific issues arising under the Regulation. To that effect, it first looks at the Polish Act of 2018 governing the "succession administration" of the enterprise, which forms part of the estate. The argument is made that the rules contained in the 2018 Act should be applied by virtue of Article 30 of the Succession Regulation because they constitute "special rules" in the meaning of this provision. Second, the notion of a "court" under Article 3(2) of the Regulation is discussed in light of the recent judgment of the CJEU in case C-658/17 WB, where the European Court found that a Polish notary issuing the deed of certification of succession is not a "court" for purposes of Article 3(2). The paper provides a critical account of the Court's decision.


The problem of decreasing the moral hazard of subsidiary company with asymmetric information and optimizing the group's profit after tax, through determining the transfer price and transportation cost allocation rate, when there are both affiliated trade and external trade in group, is discussed. According to principal agent theory, in order to maximize the group's profit after tax, considering the individual rationality constraints of subsidiary companies with symmetric information and asymmetric information, and the incentive compatibility constraint of subsidiary company with asymmetric information, and the transfer price and transportation cost allocation rate regarded as decision variables, the model of optimizing group's profit after tax is established, and the evolutionary programming algorithm is used to simulate. The results show that group can optimize its profit after tax through the determining of transfer price and transportation cost allocation rate.


The increasing use of robots in the industry, the growing energy prices, and higher environmental awareness have driven research to find new solutions for reducing energy consumption. In additional, in most robotic tasks, energy is used to overcome the forces of gravity, but in a few industrial applications, the force of gravity is used as a source of energy. For this reason, the use of magnetic springs with actuators may reduce the energy consumption of robots performing trajectories due their high-hardness magnetic properties of energy storage. Accordingly, this paper proposes a magnetic spring configuration as an energy-storing system for a two DoF humanoid arm. Thus, an integration of the magnetic spring system in the robot is described. A control strategy is proposed to enable autonomous use. In this paper, the proposed device is modeled and analyzed with simulations as: mechanical energy consumption and kinetic energy rotational and multibody dynamics. Furthermore, a prototype was manufactured and validated experimentally. A preliminary test to check the interaction between the magnetic spring system with the mechanism and the trajectory performance was carried out. Finally, an energy consumption comparison with and without the magnetic spring is also presented.


A printed-circuit, 7-element, 3-dB hybrid coupler has been developed for application to low - cost systems operating in the 3-mm atmospheric window. Based on a computer-aided analysis, a prototype coupler has been constructed and tested. Across a 3.7-GHz band centered at 94 GHz, the measured isolation is 22 dB or better, and the coupling is 3.4±0.9 dB. Such a coupler can be integrated with other planar circuits to form a variety of components useful in advanced high-resolution systems.


To what extent did media politicization linked to "new left" governments in Latin America affect media trust? Using individual level data in Argentina, where the government-multimedia conflict was intense, we examine the impact of three political variables: sophistication, preferences, and issues. We find that persons who identified as kirchneristas express less trust, while government voters evaluate media outlets considering presidential performance. In contrast to public opinion in the US, conservatives reveal higher levels of trust. Moreover, individual attributes linked to political sophistication are negatively correlated with media trust, while victims of crime manifest lower levels of credibility. These results have implications for the study of media politics, and the role of elites' frames and rhetoric in shaping individual perceptions about mass media.


The research focused on identifying possible ways to provide the pre-school with low-cost fencing that could not be used as fuel (such as wood used for heating), had no scrap metal value (such as steel or wire which could easily be stolen) and the material would not block visibility (which might hide criminal activity in the area). Plastic lumber and recycled plastic HDPE were considered for the fence material.


Background : Hepatitis B virus(HBV) is unarguably the major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Nigeria. Other aetiologies including Hepatitis C virus(HCV) and aflatoxin have been reported to be of less significance. This study was aimed at determining the relationship between alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and viral/aflatoxin aetiologies in HCC. Methods: Sixty consecutive patients with HCC seen at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi and 60 patients with non-hepatic diseases who were age and sex matched to the index patients and used as controls were investigated for the presence of AFP, HBsAg, anti-HCV, and aflatoxin(AFB). Results: Of the 60 cases of HCC analyzed, there were 38 males and 22 females. The AFP concentration in patients with HCC ranged from 4-934ng/ml with a mean of 451.57±265.1ng/ml and that in the controls was 3-477ng/ml with a mean of 83.43±129.33ng/ml. The difference was statistically significant (p=0.000). Diagnostic AFP concentration e"400ng/ml was seen in 38 (63%) of the patients with HCC and in 3(5%) of controls (P=0.000). Amongst those with HCC, AFP concentration e"400ng/ml was found in100% of patients who were positive for both HBsAg and anti- HCV, 86% of patients who were HBsAg positive, 80% of those who were anti-HCV positive and 89% of those who had significant aflatoxin levels. However, only HBsAg showed a statistically significant correlation with diagnostic serum AFP levels (p=0.005). Conclusion: We conclude that in patients with HCC in Nnewi, high values of AFP correlate positively with viral aetiology especially HBV.


Abstract This article begins with a synthetic presentation of key issues in the numerical description of combustion phenomena. Different levels of combustion modeling are identified and characterized. It is indicated how these modeling levels may be used to deal with fundamental questions or technological applications. Important advances have been made in detailed numerical modeling of complex flames and in direct simulation of flame/turbulence and flame/flow interactions. Results obtained in these areas have been employed to improve physical modeling methods which are currently used to calculate reactive flowfields in practical combustors operating in the turbulent regime. As physical modeling relies on average Navier-Stokes equations it requires closure rules for turbulent fluxes and for mean reaction rates. Considerable effort has been expanded to devise novel closure schemes or improve current models. Progress has been accomplished in the development of probabilistic methods in which the probability d...


Synthesis of the benzannulated spiroketal core of the pinnatifinoside family of natural products, via Sonagashira cross-coupling and gold-catalysed spirocyclisation of functionalised flavone derivatives is described. These investigations lay the framework for ongoing synthetic studies towards the pinnatifinoside family, and related biologically active derivatives.


The current state‐of‐the‐art in high‐rate acoustic communications is represented by adaptive multi‐channel equalization of single‐carrier wideband signals. An alternative technique with significant potential for achieving high bit rates over multipath‐distorted (frequency selective) channels is multi‐carrier modulation (MCM). There are obvious technical advantages of MCM. Each frequency channel of MCM can be transmitted using a relatively narrow‐band, high‐efficiency transducer, and low‐power amplifier, which allows achieving a very broad bandwidth. Use of narrow‐band channels increases the tolerance for time synchronization errors in multipath array processing. Each frequency channel has a relatively low delay spread when measured in symbol units and can be equalized with low‐complexity algorithms and simplified array processing. The reduction of the ISI span in each sub‐channel allows for the application of soft decision decoders optimal for joint channel estimation and data recovery such as maximum‐likelihood sequence detectors (MLSDs) and adaptive BCJR MAP algorithm. The adaptive form of the MAP algorithm is considered. The combination of channel shortening equalization and a practical MLSD algorithm with dual loop feedback and pre‐survivor processing were tested in shallow water acoustic communications experiments and shown a very good performance. [Work supported by ONR Grant N00014‐07‐1‐0229.]


7507 Background: Bulky disease is associated with inferior outcomes in patients with early stage cHL. Historically, most patients (pts) receive chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy (RT), which is associated with long-term toxicity. We tested a PET-adapted approach to reduce the need for RT in pts with early PET-negative (PET-) disease and escalate therapy in pts with PET-positive (PET+) disease. Methods: Eligible pts aged 18-60 years (yrs) had stage IA-IIB cHL with disease bulk >10 cm or >.33 max intrathoracic diameter on chest x-ray. Pts received 2 cycles of doxorubicin-bleomycin-vinblastine-dacarbazine (ABVD) followed by centrally reviewed PET. PET- was defined as Deauville of 1-3. Pts who achieved a negative PET scan (PET2-) received 4 additional cycles of ABVD. PET2+ pts received 4 cycles of escBEACOPP plus 30 Gy involved-site radiation therapy. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) estimated from PET2. With 93 pts and assuming 30% PET2+, there was 80% power to rule out that PFS of PET2+ pts was substantially inferior to PFS of PET2- pts (HR 4.1, 3-yr PFS 40% vs 80%) if the true PFS of PET2+ pts was closer to that of PET2- pts (HR 2.29, 3-yr PFS 60% vs 80%) with one-sided alpha=0.15. With few events and mature follow-up, we report results 3 yrs after the last pt was enrolled. Results: Between May 2010 and October 2017, 101 pts enrolled. Excluding 6 ineligible pts (3 without baseline DLCO, 2 did not meet definition of bulk, 1 stage IIIB) and 1 pt without PET2, 94 were evaluable. 78% of pts were PET2- (73 PET2-, 21 PET2+). Median age was 30 yrs (range: 18 to 58) and 53.2% were female. Distribution of stage was: 1A - 7.4%, IB - 2.1%, IIA – 39.4%, IIB - 51.1%; 61.9% PET2+ pts had stage IIB disease. Therapy was generally well tolerated. Grade > 3 neutropenia occurred in 86% of pts with 8% of PET2- and 10% of PET2+ with grade > 3 febrile neutropenia. 3-yr PFS estimates were 93.1% (95% CI: 87.4-99.1%) in PET2- pts, 89.7% (95% CI: 77.2-100.0%) in PET2+ pts (HR=1.01, 85% upper bound 2.32), and 92.3% (95% CI: 87.0-98.0%) for all pts. The protocol-defined primary endpoint was met as the PFS hazard ratio for PET2+ vs PET2- was less than 4.1 (one sided p=0.04). With a median follow-up of 5.5 yrs, 3 PET2- pts died (HL, anaplastic astrocytoma and COPD) and 1 PET2+ died of progressive disease. 3-yr overall survival (not a primary or secondary outcome of the study) estimates were 98.6% (95% CI: 95.9-100.0%) in PET2- pts, 94.4% (95% CI: 85.4-100.0%) in PET2+ pts (HR: 1.2, 95% CI: 0.12, 11.60), and 97.7% (95% CI: 94.7-100.0%) for all pts. Conclusions: Excellent PFS outcomes were observed in all pts using a PET-adapted approach that allowed omission of RT in 78% of pts. In addition, PET2+ pts treated with escalation to BEACOPP and consolidative RT did not have inferior outcomes. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882; https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org ; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01118026. Clinical trial information: NCT01118026.


1 Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), Centre for Security Science (CSS), National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 0K7 2Manufacturing andMaterials Deptartment, School of Applied Sciences, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK 3Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA 4Bombardier Aerospace, Station Centre-ville, Montreal, QC, Canada H3C 3G9


Feeding cereal grain to cattle is common practice for optimal beef and milk production. High concentrations of starch and other soluble carbohydrates may cause acidosis. Information on the effect of processing on starch and protein degradability in the rumen are scarce. This study was to determine the ruminal degradation patterns of common grains and the effect of steam pelleting on starch and crude protein (CP) degradability in the rumen. The ruminal degradation pattern of dry matter (DM), starch, and CP of ground and pelleted sorghum, barley, wheat, and samples along with ground oats and triticale were determined using the in situ nylon bags method. Cereals were incubated for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32, and 60 h, and the fast and slowly degradable fraction, the effective degradation rate, and effective degradability (ED) of DM, starch, and CP were calculated. The starch ED of ground and pelleted sorghum, barley, and two wheat samples were 57.3, 93.6, 95.2, and 97.2%; and 61.5, 93.8, 93.8, and 95.6%, and their crude protein ED was 54.8, 82.3, 83.3, 82.6% and 51.9, 79.2, 81.8, and 78.1% respectively. The starch ED of ground oat and triticale were 98.3 and 94.7%, and that of CP were 93.7 and 75.2%, respectively. The degradability of sorghum was significantly lower than that of the other grains. Pelleting increased the fast-degradable DM and starch faction of sorghum and tended to improve its DM degradability (p = 0.081). Pelleting significantly reduced the fast-degradable fraction of DM and starch of wheat samples and numerically reduced its degradability.


Growing interest in global history has made the Mongol Empire a particularly dynamic subject for art historical research. This panel gathers four art historians focusing on less-studied materials, such as Buddhist woodcuts and books, stone carvings, paper, and textiles to chart out previously unnoticed links of contacts across Eurasia. The panel conceptualizes the cultural space of the Mongol Empire as transcending the borders of political entities such as Yuan China and Ilkhanate Persia. Each study shows how trade and travel facilitated the movement of objects and ideas within this space, creating an expansive network that sometimes went beyond even the geographical bounds of the Mongol Empire, from North and Central Asia to East and Southeast Asia, the Himalayan Plateau, Persia and Western Europe.


Missing data imputation is an important step in the process of machine learning and data mining when certain values are missed. Among extant imputation techniques, kNN imputation algorithm is the best one as it is a model free and efficient compared with other methods. However, the value of k must be chosen properly in using kNN imputation. In particular, when some nearest neighbors are far from a missing data, the kNN imputation algorithms are often of low efficiency. In this paper, a new imputation framework is designed. The imputation uses the left or right nearest neighbor for a missing data in a given dataset. Furthermore, a parimputation (partially imputation) strategy is proposed for dealing with the issue of missing data imputation. Specifically, some missing data are imputed when there are some complete data in a small neighborhood of the missing data and, other missing data without imputation are given up in applications, such as data mining and machine learning. Index Terms—Artificial intelligence; Data management; Data processing.


In the study reported in this paper, carbon nanotubes of up to two per cent by weight were added as reinforcement to the pure magnesium. A disintegrated melt deposition technology was employed as the solidification method and the ingots produced were subsequently hot extruded at a temperature of 350 °C and extrusion ratio of 20:1. The thermo-mechanical analysis showed a reduction in the coefficient of thermal expansion due to the presence of the carbon nanotubes. Examination of the mechanical properties indicated that with increasing amount of carbon nanotubes reinforcement added, there was a significant improvement in the performance of pure magnesium. An attempt is made to correlate the weight fraction of the carbon nanotubes with the properties of the resulting magnesium nanocomposite material.© 2004 ASME


Allicin, which is one of the main biologically active compounds derived from garlic, has been shown to exert various pharmacological activities is considered to has therapeutic potential effect for many pathologic conditions, and provides broad antioxidant activity to reduce free radical damage. The aim of the present study is to investigate the positive role of allicin in reducing the side effects induced by Cyclophosphamide drug in reproductive system of male rats. In this experiment, fifty adult male Wister rats were used, about four month old, with average weight about(162.5±13gm) were divided randomly into five equal groups (10 animals for each group) and treated for 60 consecutive days as following : The first group (C) was given 1 ml distilled water orally as a control group. The second group (T1) was given allicin orally in a dose of 50 mg\kg B .W. The third group (T2) was given cyclophosphamide orally in a dose of 10 mg /kg /B .W .The fourth group (T3) was given allicin orally (50mg/kg/B. W) for 30 days then given cyclophosphamide orally (10 mg /kg B. W/ day )for 30 days. The fifth group (T4) was given cyclophosphamide orally (10 mg/kg B.W/day)for 30 days then given allicin orally (50 mg/kg B.W/day for 30 day. At the end of the experiment all animals were sacrificed and blood samples were collected from the heart and serum samples were isolated for assessment of MDA and CAT. Testis from all animals were removed for estimation of Testis weight and semen parameters. The results of this study were revealed a significant differences (P  0.05) represented by the increase in sperms concentration, percentage of sperms motility, percentage of sperms viability weight of testis and CAT concentration in T1 group as compared with other groups also, increased in T3 and T4 groups as compared with T2 group, while decreased in T2 group. The percentage of abnormal sperm and concentration of MDA decreased significantly in T1 group as compared with other group, and decreased in T3 and T4 group compared with T2 group, while increased in T2 group. We could be concluded that allicin in dose of 50 mg/kg/B.W has both preventive and therapeutic role in ameliorating cyclophosphamide toxicity in adult Wister male rats.


The present paper describes the findings of a failure investigation on the basis of metallographic examination of Gas-Turbine blades of a 3MW power plant in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Two blades were randomly picked up for inspection from a lot of 61 blades that had been removed from the turbine after annual inspection. The blades were removed on the recommendations of the inspectors (from the manufacturers of turbine) according to which the blades had suffered from corrosion-fatigue cracking at the inlet of the cooling air passage. The objective of the present examination was to establish whether there were any cracks at the inlet of the cooling air passage, and in case any cracks were present, what was the possible cause of such cracking. The investigation showed that cracking at the air-inlet was not due to corrosion-fatigue, but instead the cracks were a manufacturing defect that could be described as 'solidification shrinkage' cracks.


As a literary historian concerned with the cultural construction of masculinity in the nineteenth century, I am the person in our Centre for Women's Studies who ends up with review copies of books with 'Men' in the title. And they arrive, if not in truckloads, at least in a relentless stream. For this reason, I have for some time been intrigued by developments in the Ž eld of men's studies, and have had a sceptical—and increasingly voyeuristic—interest in that multitude of sins known variously as masculinity politics and the men's movement. The latter, in its British manifestation, has its most visible manifestation in the recently renamed Man Kind. A relatively small group of activists— the current ofŽ cial body claims 300 active members—this organization, perhaps too easily dismissible as ineffectual, misogynist and cranky, is nevertheless still capable of commanding full-page coverage in the broadsheets. A recent spread in the Independent on Sunday devoted to its attempts to overturn British divorce law, had men's movement spokesperson Barry Worrall invoking men's 'well-demonstrated grievances (...) in almost every area of life'. The article concluded by reporting that in 1999 the organization had lobbied the Scottish Parliament to introduce rites-of-passage girl-free training camps for all boys between the ages of eight and Ž fteen, with lessons to include 'integrity' and 'heroism' as well as outdoor activities. The group had also called for an equal number of male and female primary and nursery school teachers (Pyke, 1999, p. 3). In the light of such high-proŽ le reportage, the publication of the new volume Men Engaging Feminisms: Pro-feminism, Backlashes and Schooling appears timely. I opened the book, however, with some trepidation. In an early, angry response to the growth of men's studies, Jalna Hanmer deplored the 'lack of recognition and citation of feminist work' in the emergent literature by men on masculinity (Hanmer, 1990, p. 22). Indeed she went further, relating this scholarly (or unscholarly) habit to the ideological project of male domination. She noted the material impact of this trend on the gender of intellectual labour, pointing out that women scholars had to read both what women and men write, while male academics, even those working on their own gender, persisted in reading only each other. She also drew attention to the fact that where feminist scholarship was cited in the men's studies literature, it was only certain perspectives that were considered academically legitimate, with certain types of work, notably radical feminist work, being misrepresented as unitary and scapegoated as the primary error in need of correction


Commercial enthusiasm for investing in China has to be tempered by the logistics of doing business with the Chinese. For many companies negotiations have proved an insurmountable stumbling block. This article seeks to put the problems and obstacles into perspective as well as attempting to offer solutions. The list of questions for the new investor in China is immense—Where to locate? Which Chinese partner to choose, if any? How long are negotiations likely to take? Are they getting any quicker? How can negotiations be shortened? What tactics are used by the Chinese in negotiations? Who should form the foreign negotiating team?


The optical properties (absorption and luminescence) of a small concentration of divalent europium (6 mol ppm) incorporated into single crystals of NaCl doped with a higher concentration of divalent strontium (860 mol ppm) have been systematically investigated as a function of different annealing treatments in order to follow strontium precipitation in the NaCl matrix. The results indicate that the ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{2+}$ ions become incorporated into the Sr precipitates. The annealing of quenched samples in the range of temperatures (100-300\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C) produces the growth of three emission bands peaking at 450, 415, and 407 nm. The former two bands appear to be associated with metastable strontium precipitates from which grows the stable dihalide phase Sr${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$, responsible for the emission at 407 nm. From the analysis of the excitation spectra of these emission bands it is inferred that the structures of the metastable precipitates are quite similar to that of Sr${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$. On the other hand, the aging at room temperature for long times produces another two Sr-second-phase precipitates responsible for the emission bands peaking at 410 and 448 nm, the structures of these precipitates being different to that of strontium chloride.


The laboratory integral cross section under crossed‐beam conditions is examined for collisions between a structured and an unstructured species, where the orientation (or alignment) of the initial and final states is determined with respect to arbitrarily configured laboratory axes. Three parameters are necessary to characterize the mutual orientation of the relevant axes in this case and these parameters then also characterize the cross section. The laboratory cross section is expanded in terms of a more fundamental (angle‐independent) set of cross sections as determined in the so‐called collision frame, where projections of the structured species are taken with respect to the direction of the initial relative velocity vector. Drawing upon a number of symmetry relations, we count the numbers of fundamental cross sections for arbitrary initial and final angular momenta. Then we consider the explicit dependence on angular parameters which can be anticipated for the laboratory cross section. Finally, we rai...


The utility model relates to an anti-blocking liquid distributor, and belongs to the field of tower packing fittings in the petrochemical industry. The anti-blocking liquid distributor consists of a main liquid distribution groove and a plurality of branch liquid distribution grooves, wherein the main liquid distribution groove is longitudinally formed in the tops of the branch liquid distribution grooves which are transversely formed at certain intervals; the branch liquid distribution grooves are communicated through communicating pipes which are arranged symmetrically; a buffer plate is arranged in the middle of the main liquid distribution groove; a plurality of distribution square holes which respectively correspond to the branch liquid distribution grooves are formed at certain intervals in a bottom plate of the main liquid distribution groove below the buffer plate. The anti-blocking liquid distributor is high in anti-blocking capacity and is uniform in liquid distribution, the advantages of high operating elasticity and high anti-blocking capacity of an overflow distributor are ensured, and the problems of small quantity of liquid distribution points, bias flow and laminar flow existing in a conventional distributor are solved. The anti-blocking liquid distributor is particularly suitable for gas-liquid mass transfer and gas purification in the fields of petroleum, chemical industry, pharmacy, environmental protection and the like, and is suitable for being arranged and used in a cooling tower.


As software systems and networks continue to evolve, so do threats to their security. Unfortunately, most security issues come to light only after completion of the system because security is often managed in an ad hoc fashion late in the software lifecycle. There are many advantages to incorporating security specification into the requirements phase and a number of approaches have been proposed. In this paper, we present a comparative evaluation of three such approaches: The Common Criteria, Misuse Cases, and Attack Trees. We applied each of these approaches to a common problem, a wireless hotspot, and evaluated them for learnability, usability, solution inclusiveness, clarity of output, and analyzability. We found that each approach has strengths and weaknesses, and that they can be complimentary when combined. The Common Criteria are difficult to learn and use, but are easy to analyze. Misuse Cases are easy to learn and use, but produces output that is hard to read. In contrast, Attack Trees produce clear output, but are difficult to analyze.


With the increasing of the types of surface finishing of valuable hardwood furniture in deep color,people are confused and puzzled about the different surface finishing types.Through the collection and field survey in enterprises,the traditional finishing and modern finishing technologies are analyzed.Then the advantages and disadvantages of various finishing technologies are summarized,which will provide reference value for the development of the surface finishing of Valuable hardwood furniture in deep color.


1Laboratory of lmmunodiagnostics, Jiirva-Jaani Collective Farm, 202823 Paide Rajoon, Estonian S.S.R., 2Department of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Estonian S.S.R., 200026 Taltinn, Akadeemia 23, Estonian S.S.R., 3Estonian Biocenter, 202400 Tartu, Kingissepa 14/16, Estonian S.S.R. and 4Institute of Organic Chemistry, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian S.S.R., Kiev 94, Ukrainian S.S.R, U.S.S.R.


Abstract The role of statistics is to summarize, simplify and explain the hidden features of a data set. When a large number of measurements are available, it is usual to enquire whether they could be replaced by a subset of the measurements, or of their functions, without loss of information. Principal Components, which are linear functions of the measurements, are suggested for this purpose. Two distinct procedures for the application of principal components to linear discriminant analysis have been proposed and investigated by Dillon et al. (1989) and Jolliffe et al. (1992 & 1996). Analysis of five case studies shows that one procedure achieves better linear discrimination than the other. Analysis also suggests that selected original variables are usually more discriminatory than selected principal components.


The possibility of a new extension of the general relativistc theory will be considered using Finsler geometry. The extension of Einstein's general relativity can be expected to regard gravitational, electroweak, and strong interactive fields as geometrical structure of a spacetime based on Finsler geometry. Indeed, it will be shown that this theory can include the general theory of relativity under a certain special condition. In addition, Maxwell's equations will be expressed using new metric representations of the electromagnetic vector and its tensor. Moreover, it will be suggested that this theory may include metric representations of weak and strong interactive fields.


This study evaluates the development and productivity of maize plants at different spatial arrangements under rainfed conditions in cerrado-caatinga (savannah) transition zone, where characterised as semiarid. The experimental plan was Randomised Blocks Design (RBD) with four replications. This was 3×3 factorial design with three types of row spacing (0.35 m, 0.50 m, 0.75 m) and three types of population density (50,000, 65,000 plants.ha, 80,000 plants.ha). The hybrid 30F53YH recommended for the region was used in this experiment. We collected the morphological parameters of five plants in each subplot for six weeks after thinning. Then, productivity data were obtained by weighing harvested grain from two representative lines of each subplot. Furthermore, all data were analysed by performing both statistical tests Tukey (p≤0.05) and Shapiro-Wilk. The best response of maize canopy architecture and productivity was in smaller spacing (0.35 m) with high population density (80,000 plants.ha). However, the total productivity index was high in recommended row spacing and population (0.70m and 50,000 plants.ha-1). Thus, smaller row spacing with a higher population (e.g. 80,000 plants.ha) can deliver better plant distribution density as a solution for production losses due to drought during maize growth stages.


Background
Facial nerve palsy often leads to functional and physiological impairment in patients and they often suffer from social stigma. The use of polydiaxone (PDO) threads has long been used to treat facial furrows and age-related sagging in the face. The basic principle of the thread lift procedure is placing cogged threads in the subcutaneous plane along a planned trajectory. The efficacy and ease of this procedure compared to a traditional face lift has made PDO threads a popular option in the past three decades.

Methods
We treated 50 patients with a drooping face on one side following facial paralysis with thread lifting and botulinum injections to control contralateral hypertrophy and ipsilateral synkinesis. The Facial Grading System or the serial Sunnybrook Facial Grading System (SB scores) was used to assess at all the visits and serial photographs were recorded.

Results
Following the threading procedure, all 50 patients displayed improved facial symmetry. There was significant improvement in the baseline SB scores compared to the scores over following year, with all the scores having significant p value less than 0.05.

Conclusion
Based on our results, subdermal suspension with re-absorbable threads in conjunction with botulinum toxin constitutes an efficient and safe procedure for face lifting and rejuvenation of a drooping face as a result of long-lasting facial paralysis.


Data Mining extracts knowledge automatically based on the abilities of data analysis, decision making and prediction. The main aim of data mining is to provide support for decision making by detecting useful patterns from large voluminous datasets. Large numbers of association rules are often produced by association rule mining algorithm. Sometimes, it can be very difficult for decision makers to understand the rules and find useful knowledge source apply to the Business process. Predicting financial information is very difficult task. To improvise the shopping complex dataset strategy, DCAR and CMDC algorithms are implemented in shopping complex dataset and finally experimental results are carried out. It is clearly proven that the proposed CMDC provides better accuracy than existing algorithm.


Nowadays, people around the word tend to be more interested in learning English. They learn it for certain purposes. Learning English means learning language components and language skills. Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and spelling are examples of language components. Meanwhile, language skill covers listening, writing, reading, and speaking. Among the four skills, speaking is often considered as the most difficult skill to be learned by the students. The objectives of this research is to find out the kinds of error and how far the error in English speaking made by the third semester students of Muhammadyah University of Purworejo in Academic year 2012/2013. This research is also analyzed the errors that made by students. The researcher takes the population of the third semester students of Muhammadyah University of Purworejo in Academic year 2012/2013. The researcher uses class F and G which consist of 32 students as sample. In collecting the data the researcher held observation and collects some documents. The result of the analysis shows that the kinds of errors that made by third semester students are Inter-lingual Error is 20.5%, Erroneous Input is 27%, Inherent Difficulty 6.8%, Omission 34%, Misinformation 9%, and Misordering 2.2%. The most error made by the third semester students of Muhammadyah University of Purworejo in Academic year 2012/2013 is Omission. Based on the findings, better condition of the classroom will make the teaching learning process more comfortable and interesting method.  Moreover, being confident is an important thing in learning process. The better understanding among the students in a class, the better the process of learning will be. While the most important thing in improving the quality of students' learning process in speaking comes from themselves. The students should study hard and more active to get good English achievement; besides, the students should have motivation and also think that English is interesting by being able to speak fluently. Keywords: Error Analysis, Speaking Skill, Errors


The mean 700-mb circulation for October 1972 was characterized by a highly amplified midlatitude flow pattern from the central Pacific eastward to Europe (figs. 1, 2). Blocking was evident in the Gulf of Alaska and along an axis westward from Scandinavia. In conjunction with the blocking, midlatitude Lows were observed along coastal California and west of Portugal. Mean height departures fell sharply near the North Pole from September to October (fig. 3) as the blocking ridge that had been over Siberia during September fell away in October. Support for the ridge was lost as the LOW to its west moved polewtard from its mean September position. Most midlatitude components of the mean 7Q0-mb flow pattern moved eastward from Septmber to October under the influence of a seasonal strengthening of the zonal westerlies. As a result, a full-latitude trough in the Pacific Ocean extended southward from the Bering Strait, and a blocking ridge developed downstream near 13Oo-14O0W. The aforementioned Low along the coast of California developed when the attendant trough deepened as it moved slightly westward.


"In the present research project, the authors developed wearable and portable solutions capable to improve safety in production lines by taking advantages of availability of exhaustive and reliable data in modern industrial plants. Indeed, the synergy between Industry 4.0 and cutting edge devices, such as smartphones and headsets for Mixed Reality demonstrated to be potentially used to assist personnel on the shop floor, especially during critical and most dangerous operations. In this paper it is presented an ongoing project devoted to develop such support systems and to evaluate their efficiency in multiple industrial environments."


The application of geostatistical method, kriging, to predict the unknown property values from observed data of known property values in the context of mass appraisal is described in this paper. This method uses semivariogram to define the weight of neighboring observations in the prediction procedure. Kriging has been used successfully in predicting underground surfaces such as ore bodies and soil nutrients but receive less attention from valuation and econometrics experts. Several variations of kriging are available but the focus of the paper is on ordinary kriging. The theory is described and computational method applicable to hedonic price equation is shown. Transaction data within Majlis Perbandaran Kulai from year 2004 to 2006 are used as a case study. The results are compared with the traditional method of Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) in term of its prediction performance.


In juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients there is a lack of markers that predict severe disease. Although anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) have contributed substantially to the understanding of rheumatoid arthritis (RA),1 their detection in JIA has not been equally useful as incidence rates in JIA patients are low2 and merely confined to the polyarticular immunoglobulin (Ig)M-rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive category resembling RA. Recently, anticarbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies were detected in 45% of RA patients and importantly also in 16%–20% ACPA-negative patients.3–5 Within the ACPA-negative patients, anti-CarP antibodies were associated with more severe radiographic progression.3 Since most JIA patients are ACPA-negative we investigated whether anti-CarP antibodies are present in the sera of JIA patients and how they are related to ACPA and IgM-RF.

JIA patients from three Dutch sources were included: the BeSt for Kids trial (NTR 1574, a treatment strategy study) (n=33), a previously described cohort6 (n=48) and the Arthritis and Biologicals in Children (ABC) register7 (n=153). Healthy controls (n=107) (mean age/range 11/(2–20)) are stem-cell graft …


Abstract : Resin composite (Z250, 3M, St Paul, MN) was bonded in bulk with various degrees of cure into Class 2 preparations in extracted human molar teeth. Two control groups consisted of a highly-cured incrementally-placed group and a non-fatigued low- cure group. The restorations were subjected to 1000 thermal-cycles and 500,000 fatigue cycles from 18 to 85 Newtons using a stainless-steel sphere. Marginal integrity was evaluated using visual rating (ridit analysis) and microleakage. The degree of conversion had a significant effect on marginal defects but not on microleakage. Water had a significant dissolving effect on gingival margin integrity at very low degrees of conversion. Gingival marginal defects were maximized at 25% of maximum conversion and 3% of maximum hardness. There was no overall significant effect of thermal-mechanical stressing on marginal defects or microleakage. A recommended lower limit of gingival margin acceptability in a bulk-filled resin composite restoration was created by 80% of maximum conversion, 73% of maximum hardness and approximately 70% of maximum flexural strength and modulus in the gingival marginal area.


FREEMAN, R. D. and THIBOS, L. N. [1973]: 'Electrophysiological Evidence that Abnormal Early Visual Experience can Modify the Human Brain', Science, 180, pp. 876-8. HAYES, P. and MCCARTHY, J. [1969]: 'Some Philosophical Problems from the Viewpoint of Artificial Intelligence', in D. Michie (ed.): Machine Intelligence, 4. New York: American Elsevier. KLEIN, S. and STROMEYER, C. F. Ill [1974]: 'Spatial Frequency Channels in Human Vision as Asymmetric (edge) mechanisms', Vision Research, 14, pp. 1409-20. MARG, E. and RUTKIN, B. [1968]: 'Receptive Fields of Cells in the Human Visual Cortex', Experientia, 24, pp. 313-6. PucCETTi, R. [1974]: 'Pattern Recognition in Computers and the Human Brain', British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 35, pp. 137-54. PYLYSHYN, Z. [197s]: 'Minds, Machines and Phenomenology", forthcoming in Cognition. WILKS, Y. [1975]: 'Dreyfus' Disproofs', forthcoming. WILLIAMS, B. [1974]: 'Review of H. Dreyfus "What Computers Can't Do" ', The New York Review of Books, November. WINOGRAD, T. [1974]: 'Five Lectures on Artificial Intelligence', Stanford A.I. Memo, 246. YIN, R. K. [1970]: 'Face Recognition by Brain-Injured Patients: a Dissociable Disability?', Neuropsychologia, 8, pp. 395—402.


ESA's general definition for the term 'concurrent engineering' is as follows: development of an engineering design team covering all relevant disciplines as from the initiation of a project; with the team working and communicating in a single environment, to establish a system design within a short period of time and in a more consistent way with respect to other approaches. This design approach offers distinctive gains due to greater consistency over a shorter time period. This article describes the above-mentioned approach applied in the area of the spacecraft electrical power systems design.


The effects of shear velocity,normal stress and moisture content on the measurement of angle of internal friction of wheat,paddy and corn were investigated by single-factor method. A shear velocity of 5.20 mm/min was found to be the best for the measurement of angle of internal friction. The angles of internal friction of wheat,paddy and corn all declined with the increase in normal stress and shear velocity. An upward trend of angle of internal friction was found in both wheat and corn as the moisture content went up,which,however,appeared to have little influence on the angle of internal friction of paddy. Four mathematical models describing the relationships of angle of internal friction with normal stress,shear velocity and moisture content were developed for each of the grains.


The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of samples from 21 sites within the granitic Elberton pluton, located in northeast Georgia, has been used to determine a possible tectonic rotation, source, and flow direction for granite emplacement. The data indicate that the granitic magma may have been initially emplaced in the northeastern and south central portions of the body and then flowed as a result of plastic deformation to the northeast and southwest. Estimates of tectonic rotation are based on field evidence and on the assumption that the magnetic fabric within the body was initially horizontal. Present orientation of this fabric, then, indicates a rotation about a N-NE strike, down to the southeast by possibly as much as 35°. A zone of high bulk susceptibility within the body, indicative of an excess in iron content, is closely associated with areas of pink discoloration of the granite. We suggest that the pink discoloration is the result of low-temperature oxidation of magnetite to hematite in the feldspars.


The studies contained in the current literature particularly emphasize the importance of the role of the local bond mechanism on the global performance of fiber reinforced polymer systems (FRPs) employed for the strengthening and the rehabilitation of structures. Nevertheless, although several applications of FRPs involve curved masonry structures (arches, vaults, domes, etc.), the bond mechanism of FRPs applied on masonry samples with curved substrates is a topic still scarcely investigated and the actual guidelines do not provide specific design formulas. The aim of the present paper is to analyze the main features characterizing the bond behavior of FRPs externally applied to masonry specimens with a curved substrate configuration throughout a simple modeling approach based on the interface concept. Particular consideration is devoted to the development of suitable constitutive laws for the FRP/masonry interface. Considering case studies derived from the current literature, consisting of shear-lap bond tests of curved masonry specimens characterized by different curvatures of the bonded surface and different strengthening configurations, numerical analyses are carried out in order to emphasize the ability of the model to capture the bond behavior of FRP applied on curved masonry substrates.


In this paper, we attempt to answer the following questions about differential games: 1) when does a two-player, zero-sum differential game have a value and is it unique? 2) How can we characterize the value of the game and relate this value to some Hamilton-Jacobi equation? 3) When in general does the Nash Equilibrium of the differential game exist? To answer these questions, we use control theory and viscosity solution approaches, appealing to the existence of the Isaacs' conditions: the relation between the upper and lower Hamiltonians.


Abstract The aim of the study is to develop and investigate the suitability of thermoplastic composites for underwater applications. PA6/PP/PP-g-MA (70 wt%/30 wt%/3 phr) blend is used as a novel matrix to synthesize UDCF composites with balanced strength and toughness even in humid conditions. This novel matrix has around 60% lower water absorption capacity compared to PA6. Short carbon fibres (SCF) and unidirectional carbon fibre fabric (UDCF with 12K rovings) are used as reinforcements. X-ray CT data of injection-molded SCF composites revealed good wetting. However, in the case of compression-molded UDCF composites, a few unwetted zones were found. Comparing dry and wet samples, wet-matrix, wet-SCF composite and wet-UDCF composites had 40, 15, and 25% reduction in their tensile strengths, respectively. However, the impact strength of wet-matrix and wet-UDCF composites increased by 67 and 61%, respectively. Hence, SCF composites having a wet tensile strength of 46 MPa can be used in preparing underwater components due to the low number of interfacial voids. UDCF composites having more interfacial voids are recommended for humid conditions wherein the wet impact strength (11.4 J) and wet tensile strength (266 MPa) are the main criteria. Graphical abstract


e16728Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a dreaded malignancy accounting for 7% of all cancer related deaths in the United States. The two most used chemotherapeutic regimens are a combinatio...


The dreamlike spectacle that can pop from a painting byFlorineStettheimer (1871-1944)defies easydescription. What to make, for example, of the merry group in SundayAfternoon in the Country that includes a guest gleefully performing a handstand under a pink cotton candy–like tree, and another lying lopsided on his back with a precariously balanced parasol? There seems to be little place for the douranddismalhere, andpartof the fun is the stories that suggest themselves in these sometimespsychedelic scenarios. It's all in the spirit of savoring the joys of life. Stettheimer was born in Rochester, New York, but she lived in Stuttgart and Berlin, Germany, at times during childhood. Florine's father Joseph Stettheimer did not remain with the family after the birth of the youngest child, and mother Rosetta and children moved to Germany. Of the 5 children, the 3 youngest were sisters Carrie, Florine, and Ettie, none of whom ever married. What could be little guessed by the sisters in these early years is that they would someday host and mingle with the glittering avant garde of artistic innovation in their New York City salon. As a young girl, Florine was a student at the Priesersches Institut in Stuttgart, and later in life portrayed its directress in Portrait of My Teacher, Fraulein Sophie von Prieser (Muhling M, Althaus K, Boller S, eds. Florine Stettheimer. Munich, Germany: Stadtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau/Hirmer Verlag GmbH; 2014:1-192). InPortrait, adignifiedwoman inadarkdress trimmedwith lace at the wrists jauntily holds aloft a lorgnette. Stettheimer painted this likenessof vonPrieserplaced ina settingof awellappointed room bounded by a balcony overlooking a palace. An image of a youngFlorine inwhite frock andbrunette locks is reflected in a mirror hanging above the mantel ledge (http://www.portlandartmuseum.us/mwebcgi/mweb.exe ?request=record;id=11685;type=101). Her teacher's name is worked into the balcony railing behindwhich children appear to be playing a game on the lawn. A filigree chair with plush rosy quilted cushion allows for repose while gazing upon the scenery and goings-on. Florine's sister Ettie described the classical head resting on themantel as a bust of the goddess Juno (Bloemink BJ. The Life and Art of Florine Stettheimer. NewHaven, CT/London, UK: Yale University Press; 1995:i-303). Posies in a blue and white vase sit atop the tasseledwhite table linen, echoing the pattern of the wall covering. Given the conventions of the era, von Prieser was a woman of some distinction and accomplishment, and exemplifies the contributions and wisdom to be gained from elders. Back in New York City in the 1890s, Stettheimer received tutelage from teachers at the Art Students League who included Kenyon Cox, James Carroll Beckwith, and Harry SiddonsMowbray.Subsequent travel inEuropewith familyprovided an opportunity for extensive exposure to art and culture, but at the onset of World War I, the Stettheimers returned to NewYork, and Florinewould not see Europe again. The use of clear, brilliant pigments by the French artist Henri Matisse was a guiding principle for Stettheimer in her own vivid renderings andwas reflected in her paintings even when her energetic personal style began tomove beyond the early influences. She experiencedher inaugural (itwould also serve as a finale) solo show in 1916; thereafter, she would exhibit in group venues. A turning point in her career occurred in following years that marked a transformation of her work to that of intriguing originality. Indeed, it has been suggested that much of her more important art appeared inmid to later life (Bloemink, pp ix-x). One source of inspiration for her later pictures was to be found in the hubbub and hilarity of family and friends, perhaps exemplified by the antics of beachgoers in her exuberant Lake Placid. The dynamic character of her paintings paralleled the vibe of the 1920s, and the writer Carl Van Vechten suggested that her work could be considered to be the visual counterpart of jazz. OperaalsobecamepartofStettheimer'sartisticoeuvre,and she was asked to participate in designing costumes and sets for Four Saints in Three Acts,which featured a Gertrude Stein libretto. Her contribution to the opera was favorably received, and thus itwasaroundage63 that sheexperienced this measure of public acclaim. Another honor occurred with the contribution of her work to an American art retrospective to be held in 1938 at the Jeu de Paume in Paris. It was not only through the personalities in her paintings that Stettheimerwas able to conveyher enjoyment of life; she also expressed her emotions through poetry. In her posthumously published Crystal Flowers, an entry reads as follows: "Our Parties/Our Picnics/Our Banquets/Our Friends/Have at last a raison d'etre/Seen in color and design/It amusesme/To recreate them/To paint them."


The ecclesiastical faculty's mission is to evangelize culture. such a mission cannot be accomplished in European campuses without implementing internal quality assurance procedures, as stipulated by the bologna process, to which the Holy see, for good reasons, adheres. Within the process of creation of a common European Higher education area (the key aspects of which are briefly outlined), AVEPRO, the Holy see's agency for the evaluation and promotion of Quality in ecclesiastical universities and faculties, assumes the task of developing this culture of quality within the european higher education institutions that depend directly on the Holy see. this is does through promotion, not accreditation or verification. an internal quality assurance body, self-evaluation methods, external evaluation coupled with public reporting and an improvement plan open to review are all essential elements and all must be compliant with current European directives.


This study reports on an international inter-ethnic Dictator Game experiment with Turkish, Dutch, and TurkishDutch (subjects of Turkish origins from the Netherlands) subjects. With this design we investigate the influence of Ego's and Alter's social group on the weight that Ego attaches to (1) the outcome of Alter ('altruism') and (2) the absolute difference between the outcomes for Ego and Alter ('inequality aversion'). We find clear differences between Turkish, Turkish-Dutch, and Dutch subjects with respect to altruism and inequality aversion. However, we find no in-group favoritism.


The Peer-to-Peer (P2P) service model is being intensely explored for creating scalable and robust designs for decentralized Internet-scale applications. A lookup service for finding resources within a P2P network is one of the key services in the model. Lookup queries in P2P applications can be precise queries based on resource identifiers or imprecise ones involving keywords or attributes associated with resources. Some recent P2P designs have tried to leverage the efficient key-based routing mechanism of structured P2P systems for efficient lookups. These systems support precise queries directly and efficiently. To support imprecise queries, they create an index that maps keywords or attributes to keys used for structured routing and is attribute-partitioned across peers, that is, the index entry for a given attribute is stored at the peer addressed by its key. This approach has certain drawbacks. First, maintaining these index partitions in the presence of network churn is expensive. Second, popular keywords/attributes may get mapped to low capacity peers that cannot cope with the load. Third, the queries that require intersection of large indices to be computed, can be quite expensive to resolve.


MOFs (Metal‐organic frameworks) emerging as newest materials with porous structure and ease to synthesize results in new material growth with enhanced surface area. Nanocrystalline copper‐metal organic framework (Cu‐MOF), cobalt‐metal organic framework (Co‐MOF), and copper/cobalt metal organic framework (Cu/Co MOF) nanocomposite have been synthesized via superficial cost‐effective hydrothermal method by using trimesic acid in order to restrict nano‐particle growth. X‐ray powder diffraction of the synthesized material indicates a reduction in the c‐lattice parameter for Cu/Co nanocomposite to value 8.062 Å. Existence of oxygen, copper, chromium, and cobalt inside the Cu/Co MOF nanocomposite is indicative of successful nanocomposite synthesis whereas surface morphology gives a fall in particle growth resulting value 3.53 nm. PL (Photoluminescence) spectra showing reduction in peaks whereas Raman spectra demonstrate the presence of both copper and cobalt peaks inside the nanocomposite. Electrochemical studies were analyzed using IM KOH as an electrolyte resulting in enhanced specific capacitance of 228 Fg−1 for Cu‐MOF, 280 Fg−1 for Co‐MOF, and 935.8 Fg−1 for Cu/Co MOF nanocomposite respectively. Galvanostatic charge discharge (GCD) analysis reveals power density value increment from 1092 Wkg−1 to 2495.5 Wkg−1 for Cu/Co MOF nanocomposite with energy density value decreases to 45.2 WhKg−1 allowing rapid ions transport at electrode/electrolyte interface suggesting Cu/Co MOF nanocomposite as a high performance electrode material with maximum storage capacity in supercapacitors.


This paper has dealt with direct contact heat exchange characteristics between ice water slurry (average ice particle diameter : 3.10 mm) and hot air bubbles. The hot air bubbles ascending in the layer fluidized the ice water slurry layer, and the bubbles were cooled down directly by the ice water slurry. The following results were obtained from the experiment. In case of ice water slurry layer, the hot air bubbles fluidized the layer in earlier stage and heat exchange performance was higher than using only ice particles layer. The maximum temperature efficiency increased as Reynolds number Re increased because fluid in the layer became active and kept at the fixed value in the region of Re >__=900. Dehumidity efficiency increased as modified Stefan number and Re increased since the heat capacity of inlet air and heat transfer coefficient increased. Some empirical correlations for temperature efficiency, dehumidity efficiency and the completion time of latent cold heat release were derived in terms of various nondimensional parameters.


Humans recognize surface texture of objects by perception of force and vibration during contact. In our previous work, it is demonstrated that multi-axial contact force can be detected by tactile sensor using Si microcantilevers with thin film strain gauge embedded in the elastomer. In this work, to detect vibration, Si microcantilever with PZT thin film embedded in the elastomer has been newly fabricated and characterized. As a result, the output voltage depending on vibration frequency can be successfully obtained from PZT on the fabricated microcantilever. Furthermore, the microcantilever has been thinned by dry etching process after fabrication and it is suggested that sensitivity and frequency characteristics of the vibrational tactile sensor can be controlled. キーワード:触覚センサ,振動覚,PZT,カンチレバー,エラストマ


As high-rise buildings continue to grow, design and control of elevators still remains a challenging problem. An important issue is to transport passengers with minimal residual motion once the elevator has reached its destination floor. A simple and elegant solution of the residual motion control problem can be given using the theory of /spl delta/-flatness. The elevator car is modeled as a rigid body connected by two flexible ropes. Forces are applied at the ends of the ropes using motors. An approach is presented to modify the residual motion of an elevator car through selection of force trajectory applied by the motors. The approach is demonstrated by experiments.


Impending anomalous characteristics such as water level, oil recovery volume, gas recovery volume, casing pressure of 7 wells in Liaohe Oil Field prior to Xiuyan MS5.6 earthquake are analyzed in this paper. The trend, short term and impending anomalies appeared in the 7 observed wells prior to the earthquake appear with a fairly good synchronism and a shape of rise-fall-rise. The observation shows that some disturbance factors such as water flooding, pressure and temperature, etc. did not influence the observed data, therefore. the observed anomalies are true.


Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-~ controls T-cell activation and is a major inducer of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-I replication in chronically infected cells. Therefore, we have investigated its role in primary cultures of HIV-infected human T lymphocytes by using neutralizing anti-TNF-oL antibodies or TNF-o~. Primary resting T lymphocytes produced TNF-o~ and supported HIV replication after T-cell receptor activation. Addition of neutralizing anti-TNF-ot antibodies drastically reduced p24 antigen release and prevented CD4 + cell depletion associated with infection. Anti-TNF-a also prevented nuclear factor-KB (NF-KB) activation, and a good correlation between this inhibitio n and inhibition of H1V replication was observed. Moreover, supplementing the cultures with high doses of IL-2 reverted anti-TNF-oL inhibition of cell proliferation but did not affect the inhibition of HIV p24 antigen release or NF-KB activation in the same cultures. Moreover, anti-TNF-ot inhibited HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR)-driven transcription of a reporter gene in primary T cells in response to activation, either in the presence or the absence of HIV-1 Tat. Our results support an important role for autocrine TNF-o~ secretion in controlling HIV replication in primary T cells because of its ability to maintain NF-KB elevated in the nucleus of T cells. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 1997;100:838-45.)


Ecocritical tools offer an opportunity to analyze not only literary texts but also other art forms like visual arts, paintings, and sculptures. More than any art form, it is sculpture that has been used most as a propaganda tool. Kings and leaders have erected sculptures of themselves or their ancestors in great numbers. Even greater numbers of sculptures have been carved with a view to propagating religion. Historians today are discovering the hidden messages in sculptures when they examine them with newer tools of analysis. This paper uses ecocritical tools to analyze a sculpture and propounds an oikic interpretation of the sculpture of Mahishasuramardini at Mamallapuram in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.


This paper proposes a methodology for using social media tools in online community of practices, through a cross-reading with the emotional dimension which is one of the key motivation aspect in the widespread use social media. We consider the tools for shared contents construction (content publishing, interactive environments and wikis) and the tools for content negotiation (cross comments, blog, forum and whiteboard). The proposed methodology uses the communities of practice theoretical (Lave, Wenger) in relation with the approach of David Goleman to the relationship between learning and emotional dimensions: selfawareness, self-domain, motivation, empathy and social skills.


xii Chapter One Introduction 1 Defintion of terms 4 Notes 7 Chapter Two Theoretical Bases of the study 8 Rationale 11 Notes 14 Chapter Three A Review of the Literature in the Field 15 Notes 18 Chapter Four Statement OfThe Problem 19 Hypothesis 20 Delimitations/Limitations 20 Chapter Five Methodology 22 Experimental Design 22 Measurements 23 Notes 27


Adaptive lighting environments (ALEs) are becoming increasingly important to regulate lighting conditions for our daily activities due to its promises to increase user comfort and decrease power consumption compared to static lighting. We propose a service to synchronize lighting scenarios over a partition of autonomous light agents. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to present an ALE with decentralized dynamic scenario management.


On the imposition of uniform duties of customs the power of the Parliament to impose duties of customs and of excise, and to grant bounties on the production or export of goods, shall become exclusive. On the imposition of uniform duties of customs all laws of the several States imposing duties of customs or of excise, or offering bounties on the production or export of goods, shall cease to have effect, but any grant of or agreement for any such bounty lawfully made by or under the authority of the Government of any State shall be taken to be good if made before the thirtieth day of June, one thousand eight. hundred and ninety-eight, and not otherwise.


Breast cancer is one of the commonest neoplasm diseases in females. The type of mastectomy, ranging from tumorectomy, to quadrandectomy, simple or total mastectomy, modified radical mastectomy and radical mastectomy, depends on the patient's clinical conditions. Current research analyzes the isostretching method in mastectomized patients and evaluates lung functioning, expansion capacity of thorax, amplitude of the homolateral shoulder movement after surgery and quality of life. Procedures were undertaken at the Physiotherapy Clinic of the University Center of Maringa, Maringa PR Brazil. Since mastectomy may cause complications with a decrease in life quality, current research contributes towards a deepening of the literature on the health of mastectomized patients. All patients underwent twelve sessions in isostretching with positive results in all items evaluated: lung function, expansion of thorax, amplitude of the homolateral shoulder movement after surgery and quality of life. Results show that isostretching was efficient in mastectomized patients with special emphasis on the complications from surgery.


This paper introduces the design and implementation method of open computer laboratory management system.It mainly contains system analysis and design,net design,bar code design and several key techniques in system implementation.


Attribute-based signature (ABS) assures the verifier that the message is endorsed by a signer whose attributes satisfy the claimed attribute policy (predicate); thus, it can provide identity authentication with privacy preservation in scenarios like anonymous communication and access control. However, we have found that the inherent delegatibility of attribute-based cryptography, which enables the utilization of relationship between policies, could make most of the existing ABS constructions not satisfy the unforgeability requirement under the common security model. In this paper, we dig into the delegatibility property of ABS for the first time and propose the potential delegation attack to break the unforgeability of the existing ABS constructions under the common security model. We also give two attack instances on a typical ABS construction to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed delegation attack. Finally, we present two solutions to improve the above issue and give a further discussion about the delegatibility property of ABS.


The results of an experimental investigation into the behavior of the so-called Multiple Submerged Horizontal Jets with pressure flow are presented. After an introduction to the hydraulics problems involved in the computation and design of abruptly or gradually enlarged stilling basin, some information about the most important references is added. Velocity profile, free water surface, time-averaged pressure and fluctuating pressure were measured at a model and these distributions and characteristics were analyzed. Experimental investigations show this kind of energy dissipation is able to realize a good goal with lower velocity on the bottom, more stable flow pattern, and higher energy loss. Lower velocity above the lining is preferred to minimize the risk of the ablation in stilling basin. In this paper, we had analyzed the turbulence flow and obtained some laws that the height of an abrupt and enlarge width ratio affects strongly the stability of flow and the velocity on the bottom. When the flow in chute, which outlet is rectangle or square shape and lies on the middle of the water depth at the toe, is pressure flow, a stable flow pattern will be obtained. In order to reduce the risk of cavitation, this paper also provided some principle based on these experimental results.


We report ultra-wide range and highly efficient wavelength conversion by exploiting four-wave mixing (FWM) in Raman distributed-feedback (R-DFB) fiber lasers. The lasers are 30 cm-long center π phase-shifted DFB gratings UV written in commercially available germano-silica (Ge/Si) single-mode fibers (PS980 from Fibercore Ltd., and UHNA4 from Nufern). The R-DFB lasing signal acts as pump wave for the FWM process within the DFB cavity, and the obtained FWM conversion efficiency is around -25 dB with a maximum wavelength conversion range of 112 nm.


Significance The Hubbard model plays a central role in the theory of highly correlated systems. Its simplicity allows conceptual issues—which are generally complicated in the context of experiments on interesting materials—to be sharply posed and definitively answered. Recently, a variety of numerical studies have led to the conclusion that the "pure" Hubbard model on the square lattice at intermediate coupling, U, is not superconducting in the range of electron densities in which many previous approximate treatments had inferred high-temperature superconductivity. Here, using controlled density matrix renormalization group methods, we show that superconductivity is spectacularly enhanced if the hopping matrix elements are periodically modulated in a stripe-like pattern, with important (if suggestive) implications concerning the mechanism of unconventional superconductivity. Unidirectional ("stripe") charge density wave order has now been established as a ubiquitous feature in the phase diagram of the cuprate high-temperature superconductors, where it generally competes with superconductivity. Nonetheless, on theoretical grounds it has been conjectured that stripe order (or other forms of "optimal" inhomogeneity) may play an essential positive role in the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. Here, we report density matrix renormalization group studies of the Hubbard model on long four- and six-leg cylinders, where the hopping matrix elements transverse to the long direction are periodically modulated—mimicking the effect of putative period 2 stripe order. We find that even modest amplitude modulations can enhance the long-distance superconducting correlations by many orders of magnitude and drive the system into a phase with a substantial spin gap and superconducting quasi–long-range order with a Luttinger exponent, Ksc∼1.


The aim of this study is to clarify the usefulness and limitations of balloon‐occluded transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (B‐TACE) using miriplatin for patients with four or fewer hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nodules.


The manometric method for the estimation of cocarboxylase was first divised by Lohmann and Schuster (1) using alkaline-washed brewers' yeast (etiozymase) as apoenzyme preparation. Ochoa and Peters (2) prepared etio zymase from dried bakers' yeast. Since then, extensive studies have been carried out on manometric estimation of this coenzyme by various authors, and many additional findings and improvements have been reported. Nevertheless, there has been less agreement on the specificity and sensitivity of this deter mination method. Akabori and Uehara (3) recently used etiozymase from brewers' yeast in their research on decarboxylation of pyruvate, and found that cysteine stimulated the carbon dioxide production. On the other hand, Yamamura, Hayashi and Watanabe (4) applied to cocarboxylase determination the apocarboxylase extracted from bakers' yeast in partially purified state. For the investigations on thiaminokinase in our laboratory, a simple and


The microstructure of a NiAl-based multiphase alloy with a composition of Ni-25Al-25Cr has been investigated, which consists of NiAl matrix surrounded by a eutectic of α-Cr, β-Ni(Al,Cr) and γ'-Ni3(Al,Cr), and a large amount of α-Cr precipitates distributed uniformly in NiAl matrix. This alloy exihibits superplasticity elongation as high as up to 480% at 1123-1223 K and strain rates of 2.2×10-4 -3.3×10-2 s-1. The fracture after superplasticity deformation results from cavities generated by grain boundary sliding and cleavage in the grains, the mechanism for superplasticity has also been discussed.


In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of the cool roof products through solar reflectance, thermal emission and SRI of the cool roof products registered in foreign countries. Based on them, we measured solar reflectance and thermal emission of the stainless steel's roof panels and the domestic roof panels. And we compared them with major cool roof performance standards and analyzed them to figure out where the level of cool roof performance of them is at. Futhermore, we analyzed the required performance of the stainless steel's roof panels and the domestic roof panels for domestic application of Cool Roof.


We present coupled textural observations and trace element and geochronological data from metasomatic monazite and zircon, to constrain the timing of high-grade Na-metasomatism (albitization) of an Archean orthogneiss in southwest Montana, USA. Field, mineral textures, and geochemical evidence indicate albitization occurred as a rind along the margin of a ~3.2 Ga granodioritic orthogneiss (Pl + Hbl + Kfs + Qz + Bt + Zrn) exposed in the Northern Madison range. The metasomatic product is a weakly deformed albitite (Ab + Bt + OAm + Zrn + Mnz + Ap + Rt). Orthoamphibole and biotite grew synkinematically with the regional foliation fabric, which developed during metamorphism that locally peaked at upper amphibolite-facies during the 1800–1710 Ma Big Sky orogeny. Metasomatism resulted in an increase in Na, a decrease in Ca, K, Ba, Fe, and Sr, a complete transformation of plagioclase and K-feldspar into albite, and loss of quartz. In situ geochronology on zoned monazite and zircon indicate growth by dissolution–precipitation in both phases at ~1750–1735 Ma. Trace element geochemistry of rim domains in these phases are best explained by dissolution–reprecipitation in equilibrium with Na-rich fluid. Together, these data temporally and mechanistically link metasomatism with high-grade tectonism and prograde metamorphism during the Big Sky orogeny.


This paper reports on a study of overhead bridge highway sign structures supported by two vertical trusses. Recent changes in the sign support specification show an increase in design wind pressure affecting the serviceability of the vertical trusses. When the Connecticut DOT reviewed existing sign structures using the revised wind pressures, many were found to be inadequate, even though they have performed acceptably over the years. As a result of the new design provisions, a program was begun to reinforce the sign supports, which involved adding stiffeners to the vertical truss chords. An initial review of the, then, current design procedures, using estimated effective length factors, indicated that use of a more rigorous stability analysis could show that many of the existing vertical trusses had sufficient strength to meet the new wind loading without the expensive field modifications. This was achieved through more accurate calculations of the effective lengths for the truss chords. The study reported herein was undertaken to develop the software needed for the more rigorous stability analysis, review alternative approaches for strengthening the trusses when the improved stability analysis is not sufficient, and revise the overall design approach and design software used by the DOT. The results presented in this study can be used in both the review of existing signs and the design of new signs. INTRODUCTION As a result of recent changes in the AASHTO Sign Provisions for wind loads (1), some existing signs that have performed satisfactorily, no longer meet the revised requirements. The State of Connecticut has found that this has been a major problem for trusses supporting overhead signs. These supports are primarily loaded by wind, and as a consequence of the new, higher wind load requirements, the State has found that many of these sign supports have required modifications. A typical truss support for signs in Connecticut is shown in Figure 1. The trusses are normally made from round tubular elements. One of the connections of the diagonals to the truss chord is shown in Figure 2. One option that has been used to upgrade older truss supports in order to meet the new specification wind requirements is to use plate elements to stiffen the vertical chords, as shown in Figure 3. This has required considerable expense, and as a result, researchers at the University Of Connecticut were asked to review the design process and the typical details to see if there is a way to reduce, or eliminate, the need for this expensive modification. A review of the literature has produced similar studies of sign supports. Cook, Bloomquist and Agosta (2), Gray, Wang, Hamilton and Puckett (3), Hartnagel and Baker (4) and Kashar, Nester, Jones, Hairi and Friezner (5) have reported on signs that have collapsed. Alampali (6) has reviewed design loads on signs. Cook, Bloomquist and Agosta (1), Johns and Dexter (7) and Cook, Bloomquist and Kalagian (8) have looked as the influence of truck induced wind loads. Kaczinski, Dexter and Van Dien (9), Cook, Bloomquist and Kalajian (8) and Gray, Wang, Hamilton and Puckett (3) looked at fatigue problems. Fouad, Calvert and Nunez (10) have noted that the behavior and strengths of steel tubes used in sign supports is one of the many areas in need of research. The authors are unaware of any studies addressing stability problems for truss supported signs under wind loading. Since there has been an increase in the specification TRB 2003 Annual Meeting CD-ROM Paper revised from original submittal. requirements for wind loads (1), efforts that will provide more accurate, less conservative designs are felt to be especially worthwhile. This paper reviews the work conducted at the University of Connecticut to improve the design process and make recommendations for improvements as required to the signs now in place in Connecticut. The results from this study have been used to show that many signs do not require stiffening. Additionally, where there are needs for modifications, there is often a less expensive alternative than the use of stiffeners. PROBLEM DESCRIPTION In this section, the changes in the wind loading requirements from the applicable specification and the general design approach are first discussed. This is followed with a discussion of the stability behavior. As will be shown, changes in the stability analysis, and as necessary, improvements in the sign support connections can be used to increase the stability strength. The result is that many existing signs meet the new AASHTO design provisions without the need for expensive stiffeners.


Research purposes: The continuous elastic double deck beam model for the track structure is established for analyzing the impacts of different train speeds,track irregularity,and rail pad rigidity and sleeper pad rigidity on track vibrations to provide the technical data for the construction works.Research conclusions:The studies show the train speed has a significant impact on track structure vibrations.The sleeper vibration speed and the peak value of the reaction of monolithic track bed increase with the increase of the train speed.The track irregularity also has significant impacts on track vibrations.So the routine maintenances of rail wheels tread and rail surface are very important to reduce the track structure vibrations.In addition,the rigidity of rubber pad between sleeper and monolithic track bed has significant impact on track vibrations.The sleeper vibration speed decrease and the reaction of monolithic track bed increase with the increase of the rigidity of rubber pad,but the corresponding spectrum does not change.For the tunnel structure security,the rigidity of rubber pad should be decreased.


The purpose of this study was to find out the effects of participation in small group exercise activity programs(22 weeks) on the development of physical fitness and the social adaptive behavior of mentally retarded students. The subjects were 5 mentally retarded students of high school for special education. KISE Developmental Scale(1996) by Korean Institute for Special Education were administered by specialized teachers of the students. The statistical procedures used to analyze the hypotheses were paired t-test. The major findings were as followings; 1) After the small group exercise, grip strength, back muscle strength and agility were increased, and then the whole body reaction time, rest heart rate and percent body fat were decreased. 2) After the small group exercise, the level of the development of self-support ability, social-emotional behavior, speech ability, cognitive ability, gross & fine motor skill were improved. 3) With respect to correlation of the physical fitness level and social adaptive behavior, percent body fat showed significant positive correlation with gross motor skill, and the flexibility showed significant positive correlation with self-support ability and cognitive ability, but negative correlation with gross motor skill. And agility showed significant positive correlation with cognitive ability, fine motor skill, but negative correlation with social-emotional behavior and speech ability. It could be concluded in this study that participation in small group exercise activity had significant effects on the development of the physical fitness and the social adaptive behaviors of mentally retarded adolescents. Considering the above positive effects, exercise therapy for mentally retarded persons was very effective in improving their fitness, leading to mental rest and increasing social ability, so it could be considered as one of effective ways for the rehabilitation and the treatment of mentally retarded persons.


Mobile phone operations using human eyes only is proposed together with its applications for cooking with referring to recipes and manufacturing with referring to manuals, production procedure, so on. It is found that most of mobile phone operations can be done without touching the screen of the mobile phone. Also, mobile phone operation success rate based on the proposed method is evaluated for the environmental illumination conditions, visible or near infrared (NIR) cameras, the distance between user and mobile phone, as well as pupil size detection accuracy against the environmental illumination changes. Meanwhile, the functionality of two typical applications of the proposed method is confirmed successfully.


Malnutrition is directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of children younger than 5 years in many countries. Identification of malnourished children will help to prevent the risk of death and can reduce physical and health issues by taking necessary measures or treatment. The proposed system uses a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a Deep Learning algorithm that takes input, analyzes the images, and differentiates one from the other. The architecture we used here is AlexNet for the training process and Transfer Learning. The system takes the image of a child as the input and classifies the image into a malnourished or normal child by comparing the image with the trained model. The objective of the system is to detect malnutrition in children that can help people and healthcare providers to reduce the effects caused by malnutrition by automation implementation instead of a manual process.


One of the most common reasons why financial fraud occurs is due to credit card fraud. Unfortunately, traditional methods of detecting this issue have not been able to effectively prevent it. This has prompted the need for more sophisticated and efficient fraud detection techniques. Artificial intelligence has emerged as a promising tool for this problem. The paper looks into the use of AI methods to detect credit card fraud in the financial services industry. We analyze the performance of different algorithms, such as the Random Forest, the Neural Network, and the Naive Bayes. We also perform various preprocessing steps in order to get the data ready for analysis. The paper presents an evaluation of the four AI techniques in terms of their precision, recall, accuracy, and F1 score. It indicates that the Neural Network is the best performer when it comes to detecting credit card fraud. The study emphasizes the importance of utilizing AI-based methods for detecting financial fraud. It also highlights the potential of the Neural Network algorithm. The findings of the study have important implications for the advancement of financial fraud detection systems, and it can serve as a guide for future research. The study's findings provide valuable insight into the use of AI in identifying credit card fraud in the financial services industry. It also shows the potential of this technology to help combat this issue.


The quality of planting media affects plant growth because it contains nutrients that support growth. Differences in the composition of the planting media may also have different effects on plant growth. This study aims to identify the growth response of red jabon seedlings on various compositions of planting media. The research design used was Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with different treatments on the planting media composition (M1: soil; M2: soil and sand; M3: soil, sand and compost; and M4: soil, sand and manure). Seedling growth variables observed were seedling height, seedling diameter, number of leaves and leaf area. The parameters were Shoot-Root Ratio (SRR) and the Seedling Quality Index (SQI). The results showed that M4 media gave greater growth in seedling height, seedling diameter, number of leaves and leaf area. Meanwhile, M3 provides higher SRR and SQI scores. Differences in the composition of the planting media had a significant effect on the leaf area.


Abstrast Objective:To explore the nursing method for AIDS patients complicated with perianorectal abscess. Methods:Retrospectively analyzed the nursing methods used during the perioperative period in 8 AIDS patients complicated with perianorectal abscess. Result:All 8 patients' wound healed good,no other new opportunity infection. Conclution:Apropriate perioperative nursing methods,can help AIDS patients complicated with perianorectal get satisfactory recovery.


A method for depositing a buffer layer on a flexible substrate is provided to prevent the warpage of the flexible substrate by depositing alternately the buffer layer and a stress controlling layer on the flexible substrate. A buffer layer(20) and a stress controlling layer(30) are alternately deposited on a flexible substrate(10). The stress controlling layer is made of an SiON thin film, wherein the SiON thin film is formed by using SiH4, NH3, N2 and N2O gases. The SiON thin film is capable of preventing the warpage of the flexible substrate due to a compressive stress or a tenser stress by changing the amount of the N2O gas. When the warpage of the flexible substrate is generated due to the compressive stress, the amount of the N2O gas is increased.


The mycotrophy of Siberian pines young growth in south taiga subzone of Tomsk oblast is studied. The main morphotypes of ectomycorrhiza are shown, Tomentella laterita, Suillus granulatus and Suillus sibiricus are identified. Disperse analysis of parameters «mycorrhiza number, mycorrhization index» and age of Pinus sibirica Du Tour young growth revealed doubtful influence of the organized factors.


Cotton fields in two states were treated with the entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema riobravis Cabanillas, Poinar and Raulston, for the control of pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders). Pima S-7 cotton, Gossypium barbadense L., situated in Queen Creek, Arizona was treated at a rate of 2.5 billion nematodes per ha. Nematodes were applied using a spray rig with drop nozzles, and immediately after application the field was irrigated. Another long staple cultivar, Pima S-6, cotton, situated at the Texas A & M research center, El Paso, Texas was treated at a rate of 3.2 billion nematodes per ha. Nematodes were applied directly into the irrigation channel during field irrigation. Nematode extraction from soil samples demonstrated that both application methods resulted in uniform distribution of nematodes over the treated areas. Nematodes applied in Arizona persisted for 19 days in high numbers (greater than 50% of insect baits infected), and were detectable in furrows after 75 days. P. gossypiella infested cotton bolls were significantly reduced by the application of S. riobravis (p=0.005), and seed cotton yields from treated plots were 19% higher than from untreated plots. In El Paso, Texas, nematodes persisted for 16 days in high numbers, and were recovered from row and furrow bases after 50 days. The nematodes moved from the furrow base into the cotton beds. Ten days after application, nematode distribution was even, although the number of nematodes recovered from furrows was consistently greater than bed tops. Mortality of P. gossypiella larvae caged in biopsy cassettes peaked 17 days after nematode application, when the nematodes had redistributed themselves within the rows and furrows. At this point, 100% of caged P. gossypiella larvae were killed by S. riobravis. A third field trial site was used to study the affect of entomopathogenic nematodes on over-wintering larvae in diapause, pink bollworm populations. At pre-plant irrigation (mid-March), cotton fields were treated with two entomopathogenic nematode species; S. riobravis and Steinernema carpocapsae (Weiser). Pima S-6 cotton fields situated near Fort Hancock, Texas, were treated at a rate of 2.5 billion nematodes per ha. Caged, diapausing larvae were buried at a depth of 2.5 cm, in row tops and furrow bases. Nematodes were applied by either spray rig, fixed wing aircraft, or in-furrow irrigation from a constant flow box. Fields were irrigated after spray rig application, prior to aerial spraying or during furrow application. Caged larvae were recovered 48 hours post nematode application. Caged larval mortality indicated that all application methods resulted in uniform nematode distribution throughout the treated fields. No significant differences in mortality between nematode species or application method were observed. Larval mortality in furrow bases was however, consistently greater than in row tops (p=0.131). Larval mortality ranged from 53.3% from S. carpocapsae applied in-furrow to 79.1%, from S. riobravis applied by aircraft. Both nematode species were recovered using live insect baits, 50 days post application. At pinhead square, Frustrates PBW pheromone bands (biosys, Inc.) were applied at 250 bands per ha placement rate (39.5 g AI per ha), giving a target release of 284.2 mg gossyplure per ha per day. Capillary gas chromatography was used to analyze bands throughout the growing season.


Sir, In ''Voluntary fortification of breakfast cereals with folic acid: contribution to dietary intake in Australia,'' (Japar et al. 2016) the authors call for exploration of the potential detrimental effects of voluntary folic acid fortification of food in light of the large doses young children (ages 2–3) are receiving in breakfast cereal. This is a timely call, for recent research gives reason to suspect connections between folic acid – a substance that hardly existed in human bodies or diets before the mid-twentieth century – and increased prevalence of inattentive-type attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD-I) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These possible links stem from folic acid's inhibition of the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), a chemotherapy target which is essential to folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism in that it catalyzes the conversion of dihydrofolate (DHF) to tetrahydrofolate (THF). Why do sufferers of post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment often have the same symptoms as those with ADHD-I? A clue comes from the discovery that DHFR, which is required to reduce folic acid to usable folate, has a crucial, non-folate-related role in converting 7,8-dihydrobiopterin (BH2) to tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) (Crabtree et al. 2009). The inhibition of DHFR causes both (1) a decrease in BH4, which is an essential element of the biosynthesis of dopamine and other important neurotransmitters, and (2) a decrease in the BH4:BH2 ratio, which increases endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) uncoupling and reduces the production of nitric oxide (NO). These latter effects are even greater when levels of BH4 are initially low (Crabtree et al. 2011). Dopamine and NO play critical roles in learning and executive functions that are impaired in individuals with ADHD-I and are being examined as possible contributors in its pathogenesis (Volkow et al. 2011; Gao & Heldt 2015). The common chemotherapy drug methotrexate inhibits DHFR almost completely; folic acid also inhibits DHFR to a lesser but significant degree. DHFR activity is already very low and variable in humans and should not be casually inhibited (Bailey & Ayling 2009). Yet residents of the United States, where there is both mandatory and much voluntary fortification of food with folic acid, exhibit a high level of folic acid saturation with studies finding unmetabolized folic acid in up to 95% of study participants (Pfeiffer et al. 2015). This unmetabolized folic acid easily moves through the choroid plexus into the brain via folate receptor alpha, which has a higher affinity for folic acid than for reduced folate (Kelemen 2006). The United States has coincidentally experienced dramatic increases in its ADHD burden (Visser et al. 2014) during the past 18 years since it mandated folic acid fortification of enriched grain products. Research should be undertaken to examine whether folic acid negatively impacts NO and attention-related neurotransmitters in the brain in such a way as to induce ADHD-I symptoms. In the meantime, it seems prudent to consider the use of levomefolic acid or folinic acid – forms of folate that do not inhibit DHFR activity – in place of folic acid. Moreover, ASD prevalence has also risen roughly in step with folic acid fortification and supplementation initiatives (Rogers 2008). Due to folic acid's known ability to inhibit DHFR's recycling of DHF to THF, more DHF remains available to bind to the enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and so inhibits MTHFR in turn (Matthews & Daubner 1982). Folic acid appears to have the recently-uncovered effect of inducing pseudoMTHFR deficiencies when given in high doses to mice (Christensen et al. 2015). ASD has repeatedly been found connected to folate in ways that are as of yet unclear (DeVilbiss et al. 2015), and MTHFR gene polymorphisms are associated with increased ASD risk (Pu et al. 2013). There is a promising field for more research investigating whether excessive folic acid supplementation and food fortification have inadvertently contributed to a rise in ASD. This is not as controversial a hypothesis as it might sound, for some recent studies support it (Barua et al. 2015; Barua et al. 2016; Bloomberg School of Public Health 2016).


This research investigates the impact of the financial crisis on conservatism for Dutch companies. Financial data from companies listed on the AEX, AMX and AScX has been used to compare the level of conservatism in the pre-crisis period with the level of conservatism during the financial crisis period. I expect earnings to be more conservative during the crisis period compared with the precrisis period. Surprisingly, the results show that Dutch listed companies are not conservative at all. In contrast, the earnings are rather non-conservative. After splitting the sample in the pre-crisis period and the crisis period the results show that Dutch listed companies were not asymmetrically sensitive to losses and gains within the pre-crisis period. For the crisis period, companies became nonconservative. This indicates that earnings became more sensitive to gains than losses during the financial crisis.


The signaling system is the key technology to secure safety and punctuality. In Korea, each urban transit organization currently operate their own signaling system which is different from one another, from ATS (Automatic Train Stop) first introduced in 1970s, which apply a basic wayside analogue scheme, to ATP(Automatic Train Protection)/ATO(Automatic Train Operation) put in Busan and Incheon subway lines in 1999, which are from different countries. The lack consistency in the system makes the time extended and delayed for identifying causes of failures, and for recovering them, and the quality of train operation and public services degraded. In addition, even in the case of dealing with same functions, the above mentioned difference adds problems in terms of cross compatibility, operation, maintenance, and training, which result in excessive expenses for. The standardization of signaling system corresponding to the technical advances is required to prepare and make help the continuous expansion of domestic urban transit lines, and the improvement of its existing signaling systems. From the need to improve domestic technologies, to secure compatibility across products, Korea started studies for establishing the standard specification to make possible the urban transit signaling system standardization. In this paper the structure of the standard specification of signaling system of urban transit lines is represented.