Current trends in refugee protection within the African continent expose the deep-seated manifestations of coloniality. The 20th-century Eurocentric approaches to the management of people of concern continue to guide refugee protection in Africa. The approaches that are arguably a triumph of 'European Universalism' or Eurocentrism in refugee protection, both in theory and praxis, continue to be questioned because of their unmistakable results – the formation of hierarchies between Africans based on nationality and territoriality. This has led to the categorisation of African people and power conflicts, clashes, and intense contests for co-existence. Such a status quo has been normalised to be natural, occasioning deplorable refugee situations in the continent. Against such a background, this article aims to augment and complement the broad swathe of literature in the quest for African Renaissance movements using a Decolonial approach to refugee protection. It departs from untangling the lived experiences of the forcibly displaced, particularly refugees and asylum seekers, to critique the Western-influenced system of refugeehood in Africa. The research argues that the modern approaches to refugeehood rooted in Eurocentrism have eliminated ways of acceptance and co-existence amongst Africans, disregarding some of the traditional ways of incorporation, inclusion and integration. Instead, the refugee regime has been ordering, othering and hierarchizing the forcibly displaced, making them typical subjects of coloniality. It suggests decolonising the asylum system, considering an African-driven refugee regime and the involvement of local communities in the management of migration.


This volume offers a superbly illustrated review of the work of renowned photographer Jo Ann Callis. An artist who has long exploited the emotional power of colour and texture, Jo Ann Callis is widely known for her inventive photographs involving tactile objects and images of people in mysterious, often unsettling narratives. "Jo Ann Callis" is a magnificently illustrated volume that accompanies the exhibition to be held at the J. Paul Getty Museum between March and August 2009, and constitutes the first full-length treatment of Callis' work - from 1974 to 2005 - for nearly twenty years. Featuring both new and familiar works, this volume attests to Callis' singular vision of the delicate boundary between the world within and the world without.


Henry VII, wrote Knowles, 'was not personally interested in religion in its theological or devotional aspects, still less in its spiritual depth, but neither was he a critic or libertine. His actions and policies, as we see them, were earthbound'. However, Storey has written that 'Henry's piety must be emphasised . . . [his] devotions went far beyond those of his contemporaries'. The king's most recent biographer, Chrimes, remarks on his meticulous religious observances, his contemporary reputation as a sound churchman, and his discriminating religious patronage. Chrimes's verdict on Henry's relations with papacy and church is that they were 'in no way remarkable', and on his patronage of learning that it is 'far from clear' whether 'much in the way of humanistic influences were at work in his court'. Speculating on whether the king possessed 'genuine religious feeling' he inclines to Knowles's steely verdict.


Prediction of urban-road average speed is an essential part of an intelligent traffic-information-service system and provides important support for an intelligent traffic-control and -management system. This paper takes an actual urban regional road network as the research object, constructs the road-network spatial weight matrix, and uses the cross-correlation function to analyze the temporal and spatial correlation of the average speed of urban roads. Then, the study builds an average-speed prediction model based on graph convolutional network and convolutional neural network (GCN-CNN). The average speed for every 5 min in the next 5 days is predicted. Finally, the proposed GCN-CNN model is compared against autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), back-propagation neural network, CNN, and CNN with long short-term memory. The root mean square error, mean absolute error, and weighted mean absolute percentage error are used to evaluate the prediction accuracy. The evaluation results confirm the superior prediction accuracy and applicability of the proposed GCN-CNN model. This study provides traffic managers with a decision-making basis for predicting traffic accidents and alleviating traffic congestion. Also, it is a useful supplement to the technology of urban-road traffic-congestion control.


Insurance is a market characterised by often complex products, where a number of information problems and behavioural biases may be at play, limiting the usefulness of insurance contracts and the benefits of competition for consumers. Insurance products are 'credence goods' (the quality of which cannot be fully established at the time of purchase) and because of the way that insurance is supplied, consumers often struggle to purchase the correct coverage.


are situated in the northwestern portion of the Abu-Gharadig sedimentary The is ENE-WSW-oriented, and ranges in age between the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. The presence of sandstone streaks in the Abu Roash "C" Member of the Abu-Roash Formation, which has a relatively high resistivity signature in the electric logs in most wells within these fields, is the primary reason for investigating its petrophysical parameters in order to describe the main characteristics of these sands and to assess their ability for hydrocarbon accumulation as well as production. The aim of this study was completed based on information from well log data from nine boreholes. The petrophysical evaluation of the BED3-8 well reveals approximately 87.4% oil saturation within the reservoir rock, whereas the hydrocarbon saturation of the other wells in BED-15 is estimated to vary between 56.1 and 78.8%.


Introduction : inadequate hospital work conditions and organization constitute psychosocial factors at work (PSFW) that trigger stress and may have negative outcomes for workers, patients and institutions. Objective : to evaluate the prevalence of PSFW and associated personal and occupational conditions among hospital workers. Methods : cross-sectional study with 1,795 workers from a hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. A self-administered form was used to evaluate demographic and occupational features and PSFW (questionnaires based on the Demand-Control and Effort-Reward models). Descriptive analysis and ordinal logistic regression of partial proportional odds were performed. Results : prevalence rates of conditions related to job strain were: 13.6% low risk, 73.0% intermediate risk and 13.4% high risk. Effort-reward imbalance prevalence rates were: 33.1% low imbalance, 31.3% moderate imbalance, 30.8% high imbalance and 4.8% non-answer. Individual and occupational features were associated with the occurrence of PSFW. Conclusion : the two models evaluate different aspects of the work activities and social insertion of individuals at work, and individual and occupational conditions were associated with PSFW. The results show that different issues should be considered when planning intervention to improve the psychosocial environment at work.


Grassmann average (GA) can coincide with Ll- norm principal component (PC) and is scalable for millions of samples. However, it is unclear whether there exists and how much further speed improvement can be gained by revising the fixed-point optimization-based GA. In this paper, I analyze such optimization process in an intuitive way and propose its improvement, i.e., an online algorithm without any iterations. I show that it can be most efficient in the sense that it only visits each sample once per PC, with minimal memory requirement, unlike GA or MATLAB svds. It is proved to be convergent for big data.


In the global development of new international commercial dispute resolution centers, the China International Commercial Court (CICC) represents a genuine innovation in China's legal history. The CICC aims to become a dispute resolution "one stop shop" (combining litigation, arbitration, and mediation) for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) related disputes. Despite its name and ambition, however, the CICC operates more like a domestic court. The CICC's stringent jurisdictional requirements and conservative institutional design show that the CICC cannot serve its stated objective of attracting new investment opportunities or foreign parties to the Chinese forum. These defects are not fatal but will have to be addressed for the CICC to reach its full potential of hybridization of litigation and arbitration both in and beyond China.


Increase and decrease connection of urban and rural construction land had great significance on intensively and economically utilizing construction land,balancing the urban and rural development,and reasonably distributing the construction land.In order to make this work more scientific and reasonable,and exert its effect,this paper summarized and studied this work from the aspects of policy system,land consolidation potential and land consolidation pattern,and put forward the relevant views and suggestions for promoting the development of the increase and decrease connection of urban and rural construction land according to the existent problems in its implementation.


Abstract. The peat fires disaster occurrences can be mitigated and distinguished by spraying abundant water which is extracted from the groundwater resources under beneath peat soil layers. The potential of groundwater can be identified by the pumping test. The pumping test may determine the aquifer characteristics in the form of storage capacity (storativity), transmissivity coefficient, and the level of groundwater depletion rates in the observation well. This article identified and calculated the potential groundwater resources in Desa Rimbo Panjang, Kampar District, Riau Province, Indonesia. Based on the Cooper and Jacob method it was calculated that the potential availability of groundwater (by the method trial and error) in this location was 1066.17 m3/day which is enough to extinguish approximately 5 hectares of peatland fires.


Those who have read the article of the late Dr. H. H. Mitchell (edited by Dr. Frazier) and published in Pediatrics, June, 1965, cannot help but be grateful for his long and determinded efforts in the cause of quality school health services to children. His efforts deserve far greater recognition than was given during his lifetime.
 His review of the progress of school health services, as they have developed, is clear and definitive for authoritative reference, and reflects commendation on the Academy for its part during its short consideration of this most important national problem.


SUMMARY The study examined the functioning of families with a schizophrenic member along the six dimensions proposed in the McMaster model of family functioning. It also investigated whether social support to families is related to healthy family functioning. The sample include 61 families with an unremitting schizophrenic member, 59 families with a remitting member, a non-clinical control group of 89 subjects. The Family Assessment Device is the major measurement used to evaluate family functioning. The study found that families with remitting members had family functioning similar to the non-clinical control whereas those with unremitting members functioned poorly. Social support was strongly related to various dimensions of family functioning. Satisfaction with relatives' support was the most significant factor. This underscores the importance of a family perspective in providing treatment and the significance of social support in strengthening the families. Key words. Schizophrenia, family functioning, McMaster model, social support INTRODUCTION Schizophrenia is a serious and disabling illness which is characterized by abnormalities of thinking, feeling and behavior. Almost 1% of people worldwide develop this illness during their lifetime, and in the United States, about 2 million persons are affected (Tomb, 1995). Most schizophrenics spend many years in a residual phase when they may be withdrawn and isolated, suffer from peculiar, unsatisfactory social skills, living skills and social performance, and display minor features of the illness (Gerhart, 1990; Hegarty et al., 1994; Straube & Hahlweg, 1990). In Hong Kong, it is estimated that some 13,000 people are suffering from the disorder (Hong Kong Government, 1996). Just like the situation elsewhere, some 30% of ex-patients may still be symptomatic at their follow-up assessments, and their work experience and heterosexual relationships are far from satisfactory (Lea et al., 1991). Thanks to the innovation of new treatment techniques and the deinstitutionalization movement, most of the schizophrenics are able to return to their family after only a brief stay in a mental hospital (Goldman, 1982; Lamb & Oliphant, 1978). The family has thus become an important agent affecting the patients' mental conditions and the course of recovery. Conversely, the patients also create enormous hardship for their family. Identifying aspects of family functioning contributing to the rehabilitation or relapse of the patients and the support required to strengthen the families is therefore of great concern to mental health practitioners. THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY AND THE McMASTER MODEL In the last two decades, increasing research studies have been conducted on the role of the family in the course of schizophrenia. Though the family as a causal factor of schizophrenia has been disputed (Hatfield, 1987), researchers still recognize the importance of the family environment as a contributing factor to the relapse or rehabilitation of the patient. The major concern has been shifted to the post-hospital adjustment of discharged patients and the role of the family as a rehabilitation agent for schizophrenia. In particular, the concept of expressed emotion (EE), which refers to the attitudes of the family members towards the patient (critical comments, hostility, emotional over-involvement, warmth and positive remarks) are found to significantly and reliably predict the relapse of schizophrenics (Leff & Vaughn, 1985). This concept has laid the ground for the family interventions aiming at reducing the negative impacts of the relatives on the patients' further rehabilitation and recovery (e.g., Leff, Kuipers, Berkowitz, & Sturgeon, 1982; Tarrier et al., 1988). However, the concept of EE is not without its problem. Hardesty and McGill (1985) commented that EE studies seem to emphasize too much on the prevention of the patients' relapse and do not pay enough attention to helping the family as a whole to function healthily. …


Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been synthesized by a surface decomposition method on 6H-SiC(0001) substrate with in-situ introduction of molecular hydrogen into a vacuum chamber. It has been found that very thin single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with a diameter around 1 nm are formed, which was proved to be caused by addition of molecular hydrogen by comparing the experimental results with and without introduction of molecular hydrogen. The result indicate the modified surface decomposition method by addition of molecular hydrogen may serve as an efficient way by which very thin SWNTs can be synthesized.


Three convenient display schemes for setting parameters in hydraulic stamping press have been introduced with details in analysis of hardware,parameters setting mode and characteristics of the three as well as demonstration of the advantage of application of PLC operation display in setting parameters.


Safety and efficacy of vortioxetine (5–20 mg/day) in Japanese patients with major depressive disorder were evaluated in two phase 3 studies consisting of a short‐term, 8‐week, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind study followed by a long‐term, 52‐week, open‐label extension study.


This paper reports on three species of the genus Holostaspis (Laelapidae) associated with ants in Russia: Holostaspis ambigua Babaeian, Mašán and Halliday were collected from nest of Formica polyctena Förster (Formicidae), Holostaspis intermedia Joharchi n. sp. were collected from nest of Formica exsecta Nylander (Formicidae) and Holostaspis macrodactyla Joharchi n. sp. were collected from nest of Formica gagatoides Ruzsky (Formicidae). Two new species are described and illustrated from adults. In addition, an identification key to all known Russian species of the genus is presented.


Most binarization algorithms are suitable for scanned text documents and do not work adequately with complex documents that encompass photos, charts and text simultaneously. This paper presents a new binarization algorithm that works on complex documents. Each of the elements in the image is processed depending on its nature, thus their binarization takes that into account to preserve the original content.


Post breeding endometritis (PBE) is one of the major causes of fertility reduction in mares. Recent reports have been demonstrating the importance of immunomodulation of inflammation after mating. The aim of this study was to verify semen's stimulus on inflammatory response in mares resistant and susceptible to PBE, and to propose a new treatment to quell the exacerbated uterine inflammatory response against semen, using platelet rich plasma (PRP), which has been widely used due to its anti-inflammatory properties. 15 mares susceptible to PBE and 8 mares resistant to PBE were selected based on their reproductive index, ultrasonographic and cytological examination. The concentration of neutrophils and nitric oxide (NO) in the uterine fluid, exfoliative cytology of the uterus and uterine fluid accumulation observed by ultrasonography were analyzed in both group of animals (1) 24 hours before artificial insemination (AI) and (2) 24 hours after AI with fresh semen. In the first cycle, there was no drug intervention, and in the second cycle mares were treated with 20 mL of platelet rich plasma, infused in uterus 4 hours after AI. NO dosage were performed by colorimetric reaction of Griess with spectrophotometer, neutrophils in uterine fluid were quantified by the use of Neubauer chamber and the lecture of endometrial cytology samples were analyzed by optical microscopy using immersion, considering the percentage of neutrophils/100 cells in an alleatory form. The results showed that semen can stimulate a major inflammatory response inside the uterine environment in susceptible mares, and that the local treatment with PRP was clinically effective in reduction of inflammation on mares susceptible to PBE, by the reduction of uterine fluid examined by ultrasonography, decrease in percentual of neutrophils on endometrial exfoliative cytology, and reduction of NO concentration in uterine fluid. These results showed that the anti-inflammatory properties of PRP can be promising to modulate exacerbated uterine response against semen.


The patient was a 24-year-old man with persistent vegetative state following severe traumatic brain injury due to a car accident, who was referred to the emergency department with a generalized tonic-clonic seizure due to severe hypoglycemia. The patient was treated with phenytoin, levetiracetam, bromocriptine and enoxaparine. The patient was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for accurate monitoring. The patient in the ICU was treated with 100 cc/h of Dextrose 10% plus Intravenous antibiotic to treat urinary tract infection induced sepsis. The previous prescribed medications were also prescribed. Despite proper feeding through PEG tube and receiving 100 cc/h of Dextrose 10%, the patient's blood glucose was dropped frequently below 50 mg/dl and hypertonic glucose infusion was several times required for treatment of hypoglycemia. Administration of bromocriptine as antidiabetic agent was eliminated after consultation with a neurologist surgeon. After bromocriptine discontinuation, hypoglycemia was resolved. In this non-diabetic patient, severe hypoglycemia occurred after administration of bromocriptine, which was an unusual complication in the non-diabetic patient treated with bromocriptine. A B S T R A C T Running Title: Hypoglycemia Due To the Administration of Bromocriptine Use your device to scan and read the article online


This article uses the historical data verification,the logical analytic method,the comprehensive methodology and so on,and takes the Opium War,the armor noon the Sino-Japanese war and the Eight Power Expeditionary Force armed forces aggressive war against China as the historical background,to focus on the study of politicians,thinkers,historians and educators such as Fu Yan,Youwei Kang,Zhongshan Sun,Yuanpei Cai,Qichao Liang,E Cai and so on,who advocated the "esteems martial arts" and "martial spirit".Studies suggest that: to scrubbing "Sick Man of East Asia" is only "esteem martial arts",and "strong the people and strong the nation" must also be "esteem martial arts".


Abstract In this study, the powder hardness and substrate surface hardness on the coating formation in the cold spray process was investigated. The AA6082 aluminum alloy hardened by the shot-peening process was used as the base material. Two different metallic powders and a ceramic particle powder were used as powder materials with different hardness. Thus, the powder particles from different materials were sprayed onto the surface under the same spraying process conditions. In order to obtain a workpiece surface with different hardness values, shot-peening treatment was applied to the substrate material at different treatment times. According to the microstructural examination, the harder metallic coating powder has accumulated more and the lower hardness metallic coating powder has accumulated less when the substrate material hardness increases. Al2O3 particles in the layer formed were distributed close to homogeneous. Furthermore, the size of Al2O3 particles near the contact surface has become much finer especially in the long-term shot peened samples due to their higher hardness. From the indentation experiments, the elastic behavior and recovery amount of the composite coating layer increased due to the increase of the substrate surface hardness, and the stress distributions were performed less after the load was removed.


Background: The hypothesis that the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) would be related to connectivity dysfunctions between the site of stimulation and other brain regions is growing. Objective: To investigate how the subthalamic nucleus (STN), the most frequently used DBS target for PD, is functionally linked to other brain regions in PD patients according to DBS eligibility. Methods: Clinical data and resting-state functional MRI were acquired from 60 PD patients and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects within an ongoing longitudinal project. PD patients were divided into 19 patients eligible for DBS and 41 non-candidates. Bilateral STN were selected as regions of interest and a seed-based functional MRI connectivity analysis was performed. Results: A decreased functional connectivity between STN and sensorimotor cortex in both PD patient groups compared to controls was found. Whereas an increased functional connectivity between STN and thalamus was found in PD patient groups relative to controls. Candidates for DBS showed a decreased functional connectivity between bilateral STN and bilateral sensorimotor areas relative to non-candidates. In patients eligible for DBS, a weaker STN functional connectivity with left supramarginal and angular gyri was related with a more severe rigidity and bradykinesia whereas a higher connectivity between STN and cerebellum/pons was related to poorer tremor score. Conclusion: Our results suggest that functional connectivity of STN varies among PD patients eligible or not for DBS. Future studies would confirm whether DBS modulates and restores functional connectivity between STN and sensorimotor areas in treated patients.


Customer demand for electricity supply is vastly increasing due to urbanization and changing needs. Thus electrical utilities need to accurately determine load profiles for different sectors of the supply area, so that new customers can be seamlessly added. To obtain such information a customer connectivity model needs to be developed and implemented such that historical customer data from various systems can be consolidated and validated. eThekwini Municipality's Electricity Unit has created such a model that uses information from billing systems, asset management system, spatial systems, etc. to create a data warehouse where customers are uniquely identified. The results showed that, on average, 85% of customer data was correctly captured. This prompted the need for the utility to rectify the remaining customer data and maintain it.


["This paper is a benchmark work that identified a new source of intragroup conflict caused by the "means" in solving team tasks and proposed dimensions for all three types of conflicts."]


This research is a quantitative research with cross-sectional design that aims to examine the association between students 'mathematical analogy abilities with students' mathematical communication abilities. The subject of this research is 33 students of class VII in one of Junior High School of Kampar Regency of Riau Province. The instrument used is a essay test about the problem of mathematical analogy and mathematical communication. Data analysis techniques to test the association of both capabilities based on the category of contingency association test (Pearson Chi Square test and contingency coefficient). The results showed that this study was an association between students' mathematical analogy abilities with students' mathematical communication abilities. The degree of association between students 'mathematical analogy abilities with students 'mathematical communication abilities is high.


Considering the wide class of CP-INARCH models, introduced in [6], the main goal of this paper is to develop and compare parametric estimation procedures for order one models, applicable without specifying the conditional distribution of the process. Therefore, two-step estimation procedures, combining either the conditional least square (CLS) or the Poisson quasi-maximum likelihood (PQML) methods with that of the moment's estimation, are introduced and discussed. Specifying the process conditional distribution, we develop also within this class of models the conditional maximum likelihood (CML) methodology. A simulation study illustrates, particularly, the competitive performance of the two-step approaches regarding the more classical CML one which requires the conditional distribution knowledge. A final real-data example shows the relevance of this wide class of models, as it will be clear the better performance in the data fitting of some new models emerging in such class.


In carrying out experimental research in performance between silicon solar panel and dye-sensitive solar panel, we have been developing a device and a system. This system has been developed consisting of controllers, hardware and software. This system is capable to get most of the input sources. If only need to change the main circuit and coding for a different source input value. This device is able to get the ambient temperature, surface temperature, surrounding humidity, voltage with load, current with load, voltage without load and current without load and save the data into external memory. This device is able to withstand the heat and rain as it was fabricated in a waterproof box. This experiment was conducted to examine the performance of both the solar panels which are capable to maintain their stability and performance. A conclusion based on data populated, the distribution of data for dye-sensitized solar panel is much better than silicon solar panel as dye-sensitized solar panel is very sensitive to heat and not depend only on midday where is that is the maximum ambient temperature for both solar panel as silicon solar panel only can give maximum and high output only when midday.In carrying out experimental research in performance between silicon solar panel and dye-sensitive solar panel, we have been developing a device and a system. This system has been developed consisting of controllers, hardware and software. This system is capable to get most of the input sources. If only need to change the main circuit and coding for a different source input value. This device is able to get the ambient temperature, surface temperature, surrounding humidity, voltage with load, current with load, voltage without load and current without load and save the data into external memory. This device is able to withstand the heat and rain as it was fabricated in a waterproof box. This experiment was conducted to examine the performance of both the solar panels which are capable to maintain their stability and performance. A conclusion based on data populated, the distribution of data for dye-sensitized solar panel is much better than silicon solar panel as dye-sensitized solar panel is very sensiti...


Objective To approach the treatment effectiveness of Shengxue Pellets on leucopenia induced by chemoradiation. Methods 40 cases of leucopenia induced by chemoradiation were treated with Shengxue Pellets in clinic,and 40 cases were treated by Compound Donkey- hide Gelatin as control group. Results 12 cases were cured in treatment group,18 cases were excellence,7 cases were effective and 3 cases were ineffective. The recovery rate in clinic was 30. 0%,the total effective rate was 92. 5%. Compared with control group,the effect of treatment group was better( P 0. 05),and treatment group can obvious against and lessen the toxic and side- effect,improve the clinical symptoms of patients,increase the completion rate of chemoradiation. Conclusion Shengxue Pellets can effective heighten WBC and neutrophil of patients,obviously improve the clinical symptoms of patients,increase the completion rate of chemoradiation,and had no obvious side- effects in clinic.


Model based energy scenarios are if-then statements that are based on a multiplicity of ex- plicit as well as implicit framework assumptions on political, social, economic and technological de- velopments. These assumptions on 'social contexts' have a significant influence on the results of mod- el based energy scenarios. Dealing with contingency, complexity and uncertainty of social contexts is rarely understood as an analytical task itself in the construction of energy scenarios. They are only rarely dealt with systematically or with comparable analytical depth as the model calculations. Be- cause of the imbalance between framework assumptions that are analyzed only in a non-systematic way and highly developed model calculations, often, the framework assumptions have to be consi- dered a the Archilles' heel of model based energy scenarios. In this essay we argue how the scenario concept can be applied to the problem of framework assump- tions itself and how the construction of social context scenarios can provide a solid base for the model based development of energy scenarios. To construct social context scenarios, methods are available that allow a qualitative but systematic analysis of causal relations between the different dimensions of social contexts.


In this work, we propose a structured approach to compare common and distinct features of two multidimensional datasets using a combination of canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and independent component analysis (ICA). We develop formulations of information theoretic criteria to determine the dimension of the subspaces for common and distinct features of the two datasets. We apply the proposed method to a simulated dataset to demonstrate that it improves the estimation of both common and distinct features when compared to performing ICA on the concatenation of two datasets. We also apply the method to compare brain activation in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquired during a simulated driving experiment and observe distinctions between the driving and watching conditions revealed in relevant brain function studies.


In the early 1990s, there was very little awareness of the risks posed to the health of human populations by global climate change. In part this reflected epidemiologists' limited conventional approach to environmental health. The environment was viewed predominantly as a repository for specific human-made pollutants: in air, water, soil and food, each of which was suspected of posing particular risks to human communities and individual consumers. This was compounded by a general lack of understanding of how the disruption of biophysical and ecological systems might pose threats to the longer-term health of populations. There was also little awareness among physical and natural scientists that changes in their particular objects of study—climatic conditions, biodiversity stocks, ecosystem productivity, and so on—were of potential importance to human health. Indeed, this was clearly reflected in the content of the first major report of the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published in 1991. That report devoted just several paragraphs to the possibility that global climate change might affect human health. Things have changed. The Second Assessment Report of the IPCC (1996) contained a full chapter assessing the potential risks to human population health. The Third Assessment Report (1) did likewise, including discussion of the emergence of actual health impacts as well as the larger issue of potential health effects. The Third Assessment Report also included a review of health impacts in regional populations around the world.


Hexagonal GaN films have been grown on Si(100) substrates by employing a sputtered AlN buffer layer followed by another high-temperature metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) grown AlN buffer layer. The highly oriented structure of sputtered AlN provides a hexagonal template for subsequent AlN and GaN growth. The GaN films are evaluated by transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, x-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence and exhibit a purely hexagonal columnar structure. The orientation of the GaN columns depends on the thickness of both the sputtered AlN buffer layer and the MOCVD grown AlN buffer layer. The surface of GaN films is shiny and crack free up to a thickness of 2 μm studied in this work.


In this paper, the writer elaborates the relation between owner as one of main body of building market and benefit, useful life of constructional projects, puts forward that management personnel of owner must grasp basic construction rules and professional management knowledge, can manage efficiently engineering constructional projects. The writer analyses and discusses concretely that the owner is how to manage engineering constructional projects from management of first-phase construction, selection of design plan, constructional preparations, management and so on, and suggests that government should create necessary condition and good environment for owner management.


Children with developmental disorders may present with listening and/or speech discrimination difficulties. This study explores whether teachers can identify these difficulties, using a questionnaire that rates children's listening, speech discrimination and comprehension abilities. The questionnaire was given to class-teachers of 52 pupils, aged four to five years, who had failed at least one of two formal assessments of comprehension and speech discrimination. Results showed significant correlation between teacher ratings of verbal comprehension and attentive listening and test scores for verbal comprehension. There was no significant correlation between ratings and test scores for speech discrimination skills. The questionnaire's internal consistency was found to be reliable overall, but validity in measuring speech discrimination was poor.


[1] The moisture of surface sediments is one of the most significant factors governing the initiation of particle movement by the wind and hence the aeolian transport rate. This paper develops an equation for the threshold shear velocity of moistened sediments based more soundly on physics by means of the moment balance method, taking account of the interparticle cohesive forces produced by moisture. The equation relates threshold shear velocity directly to moisture content and contains three simple coefficients that need be determined from experiments. The threshold equation for moistened sediments basically follows Bagnold's threshold equation for loose, dry sediments but with a proportionality coefficient that accounts for the effect of moisture. Previously published data on the threshold shear velocities of moistened sediments from wind tunnel tests are used to determine the coefficients contained in the threshold equation, and it proves that the new equation describes the threshold velocities of moistened sediments reasonably well. Comparing the threshold shear velocity predicted using the new equation with the results of Belly's and Hotta et al.'s empirical equations reveals that the predicted results differed greatly. These differences can be attributed to differences in the definition of threshold velocity and moisture content in the physical and chemical properties of the sediment samples and in the experimental methods. Further theoretical and experimental investigation is required to fully understand the effects of sediment moisture content on threshold wind velocity. We also suggest that methodological improvement itself is also a topic of future research.


The invention discloses instant oyster mushrooms and a preparation method of the instant oyster mushrooms. The preparation method disclosed by the invention comprises the following steps of: preparing a soup base: preparing the soup base by matching salt, monosodium glutamate, ginger powder, garlic powder, onion powder, maltose, chopped green onion, white vinegar, soy, pepper and water, boiling the soup base, dividing the soup base into two parts, taking one part as the oyster mushroom blanching solution, and taking the other part as the cooling solution after cooling; blanching: after stewing oyster mushrooms in the blanching solution for one minute, putting in the cooling solution to cool for 3-5 min, and draining water in the cooled oyster mushrooms; mixing materials: mixing the blanched and cooled oyster mushrooms with palm oil, maltose and a food additive; quickly freezing oyster mushrooms below minus 15 DEG C; drying in vacuum: drying the quickly frozen oyster mushrooms at 40 DEG C in vacuum with the vacuum degree of being less than 100 Pa, then, taking out, and packaging in a preservative manner. The instant oyster mushrooms prepared by the invention is long in preservation period, easy for transportation, convenient to use, fresh and delicious in taste and high in nutritional value.


The embodiment of the invention provides a complementary wireless power supply transmitter. N same-frequency signals with the phase difference of 360 degrees/N are generated by the same signal source in the complementary wireless power supply transmitter. N resonant transmitters are driven by the N signals respectively, and an included angle of a plane where resonant transmitting coils in the N resonant transmitters is a preset angle; due to the fact that the phase difference of the N signals is 360 degrees/N, namely the N signals are complementary in the aspects of phase, magnetic fields generated by the N resonant transmitting coils do not interfere with each other, and magnetic fields in the common areas of the N resonant transmitting coils are also complementary, namely the strength of the magnetic fields is geometric integration of the magnetic fields generated by the N resonant transmitting coils, and the directions of the magnetic fields comprise N normal directions vertical to the resonant transmitting coils, namely a three-dimensional magnetic field is formed, and energy can be received by a receiving coil in N directions. Compared with the prior art, the electricity taking effect of the receiving coil is improved.


An inventory of profile distribution of heavy metals in the farmland in which swine manure was applied is presented.The swine manure can increase the organic matter and pH in the soil and the increase of pH is in right proportion to the increase of soil depth(P0.01).There is a wave crest in profile of concentration of Cd and Zn.Concentration distribution of Cu is top enrichment in profile.The transfer abilities of Cu,Cd and Zn are in the following sequence: CdZnCu.From the correlative analysis of depth,pH,organic matter and the concentration of heavy metals we can conclude that the transfer mechanism of heavy metals is complicated.


This research was supported in part by a Contract extended to Harvard University by the Office of Naval Research, Nonr-1866(14). Raymond G. Azrak is a NIH Predoctoral Fellow.


Right-of-way prioritization at unsignalized intersections has been largely unexplored. Drivers do not always use consistent methods to determine who has the right-of-way to enter the intersection at unsignalized intersections. Problems with right-of-way assumptions include that not all drivers engage in one set algorithm to assess intersections priority, and issues of yielding can occur when drivers arrive at an intersection simultaneously or near-simultaneously. A discrete event simulation model was built to emulate a 4-way stop-signed intersection; and different prioritization rules were instated to determine which lane has right-of way. First-in-first-out and yield-to-right prioritization methods were found to differ in terms of time spent waiting and traveling through the intersection, as well as intersection throughput for different intervals of high traffic volume. The first-in-first-out prioritization algorithm provided superior service to drivers arriving at an intersection, compared to the traditional yield-to-right approach, in both low-and high-traffic volume conditions.


Aureobasidium pullulans produced three kinds of extracellular polyols e.g. glycerol, mannitol, and sorbitol from either sucrose, glucose, fructose or mannose. Sorbitol was selectively produced when urea was used as a sole nitrogen source, and the amounts of sorbitol produced rapidly reached a plateau after 50 h where its maximum quantity was about 20 g/l with sucrose.


The latest report finds that total Medicare costs will grow rapidly over the next two decades as the large baby-boom generation ages into the program, leading to long-term financial shortfalls.


Presents rules to suit the needs of science students who have a working knowledge of the use of Briggsian logarithms and how to derive the characteristic of the logarithm of a number.


Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) decreases pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and increases pulmonary blood flow (PBF) without changing systemic arterial pressure (SAP) in fetal and newborn lambs. PGD2 increases PAP and decreases PBF In older animals. This suggested a role for PGD2 in the decrease in PAP at birth and in the treatment of infants with PPHN. The effects of PGD2 were studied in 6 infants (age 1-2d; BW 3277±345g) with a descending aortic PaO2<100mmHg during mechanical hyperventilation with an FiO2 of 1.0. Tolazoline and dopamine were used in four of the patients. No patient had congenital heart disease or sepsis. Informed consent was obtained. Catheters were placed to measure PAP and SAP. PGD2 was infused intravenously at doses of 1-25 mcg/kg/min. PAP, SAP, heart rate and arterial blood gases were measured prior to each dose change.Two patients had a transient increase iwn PaO2. All had HR increases. Two had an increase in PAP. No deleterious effects occurred during the infusion. Four patients subsequently died. Though PGD2 is a specific pulmonary vasodilator in fetal and newborn animals, it does not lower PAP in infants with PPHN.


The use of the gyromele in the diagnosis and treatment of intestinal diseases is now so well known by the profession that it would seem hardly necessary to describe the method, but as more work is being accomplished and new facts learned it is destined to add to our knowledge of the physiology and pathology of the gastro-intestinal tube. The gyromele as made for diagnosis, and treatment of the esophagus, stomach and intestines is modified for each part of the alimentary tube to which it is applicable, and also for the various kinds of uses in both diagnosis and treatment. The gyromele as is well known is composed of three essential parts. The cable with a spiral attached to one end and to the other end is attached an instrument for producing revolutions of the cable and spiral. To the end of the spiral is attached a sponge or bulb


Methods Flexible electrogoniometers were used for measuring positions and movements of the wrists, with a sampling rate of 20 Hz. The 10, 50 and 90 percentiles of the angular distribution, and the 50 and 90 percentiles of the absolute angular velocity distributions, were used to characterize positions and movements, respectively. In addition, the mean angular velocity, fraction of time with an angular velocity < 1 °/s, and the mean power frequency, were used as measures of movements. Surface EMG, with a sampling rate of 1024 Hz, was used for recording the muscular activity of the forearm extensor muscles. The RMS value, calculated for epochs of 1/8 s, was used to describe the muscular activity, which was normalized to maximal voluntary contraction (MVE). Muscular rest, i.e. fraction of time with an activity < 0.5 % MVE, and the 10, 50, 90 and 99 percentiles of the amplitude distributions were used to describe the muscular activity. For both the goniometer and EMG recordings, dataloggers, today updated and comprising 512 Mbyte memory cards, enabling whole-day continues ambulatory recordings, were used. Forty-three types of "office", "industrial" and "non-office non-industrial" work, both "varied and/or mobile" and "repetitive and/or constrained", as well as "pauses" were recorded. In total about 700 subjects were involved, and the recording durations ranged from 20 to 340 minutes. The same methods and algorithms have been used for the analysis of all recordings. The mean value, for the subjects performing the same type of work, and the corresponding standard deviation (SD), were used to characterize the load (group mean exposure), and the within-group variation, respectively.


Education of either inter-disciplinary talents or feature specialty lays great importance on training of students' practical and innovative ability.In practice,however,most studies in this respect are conducted from the perspective of teachers,while few researches are done from the students' point of view.Based on a survey feedback from a number of college students,this article makes an analysis on the current situation of students' ability in practice and innovation and the bottleneck restricting cultivation of creative ability.Some measures to promote training of inter-disciplinary talents are suggested from the angle of students in hopes of giving some impetus to transformation of China's higher education.


Gmelina arborea Roxb. it is one of the most widely used species in reforestation projects. It is commonly propagated by seeds and cuttings. Besides, it has been micropropagated in semisolid culture medium. The use of Temporary Immersion Systems (TIS) could help to increase multiplication coefficients. The aim of this paper was to in vitro multiply of G. arborea in TIS. Five explants per 100 ml of culture medium and one immersion per day for a period of one minute were used in each TIS. The complete cycle consisted of 30 days. As a control, the same numbers of explants were established in a semi-solid culture medium with similar bottles of TIS. Results indicated an increase in the multiplication coefficient (5.01), a greater length (1.49 cm) and vigor in sprouts grown in TIS compared with control. It was demonstrated the utility of TIS for the in vitro culture of this tree species. Keywords : automation, in vitro culture forest species, multiplication coefficient


A major problem in the production, storage and marketing of nuts is the infestation of insect pests such as codling moth, naval orangeworm and Indian meal moth. Present and potential quarantine treatments for both domestic and international nut markets include chemical fumigation, ionizing radiation, controlled atmosphere, cold treatment, conventional hot air or water heating and dielectric heating using radio frequency (RF) and microwave (MW) energy. Based on the brief review of the above six methods, a comparison about their properties was carried out. An innovative technique using RF and MW heating treatments was proposed as an alternative quarantine treatment in nuts. The practical future application in industry should be possible after solving their problems of high cost, non-uniform heating and quality damage.


Abstract : One potential scenario regarding the future of North Korea is state collapse and unification with South Korea. Effectively isolated from the international community and the world economy, bereft of the great power patronage that it once enjoyed from the Soviet Union and China, and enduring economic shortages and distress, Pyongyang faces challenges that may cumulatively lead to its dissolution. Were collapse to occur, many surmise, unification with the South seems a plausible consequence. However, unification of the Korean peninsula by the South's absorption of the North faces numerous obstacles. There are many possible legal and institutional issues that would be raised by collapse of North Korea and that would in turn figure into prospects for unification with the South. These include the following: (1) South and North Korea's membership as sovereign states in the United Nations; (2) Historical issues stemming from the Korean War, including the continuing relevance of the United Nations and Combined Forces Commands; and (3) Legal stipulations incorporated into past North-South agreements, such as the "Inter-Korean Basic Agreement." Adding to the complexity of these issues is the geopolitical context in which their resolution must be addressed. In addition to the goals and policies of Seoul and Washington in dealing with state collapse in North Korea, the concerns and approaches of Beijing, Moscow, and Tokyo will also have an impact on how these legal and institutional questions are solved. Given these complex issues, it is not a foregone conclusion that North Korea, following collapse, may easily be incorporated into a unified Korean state under Seoul's direction. Therefore, the author suggests that the South Korean government should prepare for a North Korean collapse that could possibly lead to a unified Korea. The suggestions for preparation can be categorized into three areas: political/diplomatic, military, and social/economic.


Although prior studies in psychology, management, and marketing have explored the association between salesperson performance and managerially controllable factors, an assumption of these investigations is that the relationship between performance and such antecedents is applicable to salespersons viewed only as individuals without regard for their work group. In the present study, relationships between variables from three categories of managerially controllable factors (reported by salespersons) and salesperson performance (assessed by supervisors) were investigated in terms of individuals and work groups using Within and Between Analysis procedures. Results from two samples suggest that though several relationships between managerially controllable factors and salesperson performance are individually based, some relationships are relevantfor the work group as a whole. Implications of the results for management practice are discussed.


The study of using deep learning for detection of various thoracic diseases has been an active and challenging research area. Chest X-rays are currently the most common and globally used radiology practices for detecting thoracic diseases. Patients suffering from thoracic diseases need to take Chest X-Rays which are read by radiologists and a report is generated by them. However, today with the increase in the number of thoracic patients, a quick method to classify the disease and generate the report has become necessary. Also, patient history has to be considered for diagnosis. This paper offers a comparative study on the various deep learning techniques that can process chest x-rays and are capable of detecting the different thoracic diseases. Also, a technique has been proposed to classify 14 diseases namely Atelectasis, Cardiomegaly, Consolidation, Edema, Effusion, Emphysema, Fibrosis, Hernia, Infiltration, Mass, Nodule, Pneumonia, Pneumothorax, Pleural thickening based on the given X-rays using Residual Neural Network.


We investigate the spatial distribution of highly conductive layer using the one-dimensional inversions of the new magnetotelluric (MT) measurements obtained at the mid-mountain (400 ~ 900 m in elevation) western area of Jeju Island and the previous MT data over Jeju Island, Korea. The conductive layer indicates the sedimentary layer comprised of Seoguipo Fomation and U Formation. There is a definite positive correlation between the top of conductive layer and the earth surface in elevation. On the contrary, the bottom of conductive layer has a negative correlation with the surface elevation. In other words, the conductive layer has a shape of convex lens, which is thickest in the central part. The basement beneath the conductive layer could be concave in the central part of Jeju Island. A kriging considering the correlation between the layer boundary and the surface elevation provides a reliable geoelectric structure model of Jeju Island. However, further studies, i.e. three-dimensional modeling and interpretation integrated with other geophysical or logging data, are required to reveal the possible presence of three-dimensional conductive body near the subsurface vent of Mt. Halla and the causes of the bias in the depths of layer estimated from MT and core log data.


rT ZaiHE QUESTION of the relationship of the hermeneutics of texts and the hermeneutics of actions is primarily a question of what both have in common. What common output, what common structure, fits the interpretation of texts and the interpretation (i.e., the systematic understanding) of actions, either those of others or my own? The question seems burdened from the start with a special difficulty. This difficulty results from the fact that, in light of the extreme variability of texts, the express or tacit difference of their intentions, their form of expression, etc., it is not at all easy to say in general what it means "to interpret a text." What is there in common between the interpretation of a poetic art object and that of a chapter from the Critique of Pure Reason? Even more, a general difficulty is added to this special one. Within its own tradition, "hermeneutics" is almost exclusively identified with text interpretation, so that the question of the relationship of the hermeneutics of texts and that of actions appears from the start in the light of a false anticipation. The hermeneutics of actions appears possible only insofar as action is at least linked to a verbal manifestation, i.e., either verbally presented with respect to intention, choice of means, accompanying circumstances, etc., or else entirely subsumed in a verbal manifestation. Otherwise, the maxim holds that while all speech is action, not all action is verbally manifested. How should action be interpreted when it is not presented through language? That speech is a possible paradigm for action has as little force against this as that there is a type of hermeneutics of actions, namely, biography and autobiography, that has repeatedly served as a paradigm for hermeneutic practice ever since Dilthey. Thus the verdict seems to be spoken about the possibility of a hermeneutics of actions and hence too the verdict about the relationship of the hermeneutics of actions to text hermeneutics. Indeed, actions cannot be interpreted so long as they neither represent themselves in some fashion nor can be preserved and passed


Direct reuse of scrap copper and saving copper by aluminium in the wire and cable industry is not an expedient measure but a long term planning with the object of steady and standardized production of high quality products and rational use of scrap copper with good techno-economic results.The inclusion of scrap copper in the standard GB 3952-2008 will result in standardized production,which is beneficial to standardizing the market order,achieving high quality with cheap price and making the best use of limited copper resources.The introduction of the manufacturing technique of fire-refining of high conductivity copper(FRHC) will promote to raise the technological level of direct reuse of scrap copper in China.The wire and cable industry is suggested to investigate the possibility of establishing a system to assess the quality of copper rod and electrolytic copper.


In this paper,the operation status of AC and DC filter capacitor in domestic DC converter station is introduced,and through comprehensive analysis and comparison of internal structure of AC and DC filter capacitor as well as fault in recent years,the three reasons leading to high fault rate of capacitor is summarized: Internal insulation aging,unstable performance of internal fuse and unreasonable design of connector.Four optimization suggestions are proposed,which provide a definite reference value in optimizing design of capacitor and improving operation reliability of AC and DC filter capacitor of DC converter station.


Aiming at the disadvantages of the traditional power supply performance testing methods, testing on production line, we designed this Automatic Test System for Switch Power Supply.To facilitate the upgrading and maintenance, the hardware of system is designed in modularization.Based on Virtual Instrument Technology, it achieves real-time control of some instrument and data acquisition, and developed the software of system.The software not only has many conventional functions such as auto-testing, data storage and query, reporting generation, but also has the intelligent functions of analysis on poor projects and process capability index and drawing metering control chart.The application has confirmed that this system which runs reliability and stability and has good generality has value to promote.


The process of binding update for the routing optimization in MIPv6 can make the involved MN (Mobile Node) and CN(Correspondent Node) vulnerable to various attacks. Therefore, securing binding update process becomes an important research issue in the MIPv6, and several secure binding update protocols have been proposed. In this paper, we compare several existing binding update protocols, and analyze the vulnerability of MNs and CNs to the possible attacks and the management overhead of the SUCV(Statistic Uniqueness and Cryptographic Verifiability) which is considered to be superior to other protocols. Then, we propose an advanced protocol to resolve above drawbacks. Through the detailed analysis, we show that our protocol can reduce the computational overhead of MN, enable better management, and achieve a higher level of security against the redirect attacks, DoS(Denial of Service) attacks and brute force attacks, compared to SUCV.


The transformation of the myth of Apollo and Daphne in literary treatments from Ovid through the Spanish Golden Age are studied in theme and variation, showing how the protean figures of the myth meant different things to different ages, each age fashioning the lovers in its own image. "The Myth of Apollo and Daphne" focuses on the themes of love, agon, and the grotesque and their transformations as the writers, through a kind of artificial mythopoeia, invent variants for the tale, altering the ancient model to create their new, distinctive visions.


The research aimed at determining a potential use of domestic sewage treatment plants based on activated sludge for the disposal of wastes drained from schools in rural areas. Selected pollutant indicators, such as: BOD5, COD, total suspended solids, total nitrogen and phosphates were the basis for determining the composition of raw sewage discharged by public utility objects and the quality of treated sewage considering the days when lessons were taking place at school and days free from classes. The analysis of the results revealed that household sewage treatment plants based on activated sludge may be used for waste disposal from public facilities, such as schools.


The objective of the research is to study the characters of Al-Munafiqeen (Hypocrite) in Surah Al-Munafiqeen by focusing on their natures and dangers to the Muslim society. The study is based on documentary research which its data were collected from surah Al-Munafiqeen of Al-Quran in which the characters of hypocrite and their danger to the Muslim society are clarified. It is apparently appeared from the study that the hypocrite has specific characters and dangers. Among of their natures is tricky and unreliable behavior as their exterior and interior behavior is inconsistent. Their speeches do not come from their thought and their faith. In reality, they are unbeliever but they are tricky. Allah has explained the characters of hypocrite in Surah                     Al-Munafiqun with regard to their lie, their obstruction on the Allah' s path, their deceive, their arrogance, their overconfidence, their stingy, their elusion, their haughty, their suspicion on faith, their negligence, their strong hope and their ignorance to conduct goodness. Their characters are totally harming and effecting Muslim society. The study also shows that the hypocrite never satisfies with Islam but they do not clearly disclose such their satisfactions. Basically, they are uncertain between believer and unbeliever. Moreover, they extremely abominate Muslim but they are the server of unbeliever. They absolutely refuse providing assistance to the Muslim in fighting for the cause of Allah. Whenever they are together with Muslim, they pretend to be cordial and submissive to them. At the same time, they attempt to create disunity among Muslims. In addition, they try to find a chance for accusing Islam in any way. Whenever they receive a facts relating to Islam, they try to substitute them with artificial facts. They also secretly and deceivingly oppose Islam. The study clearly shows that the hypocrites are the group of people who create calamity to all nations of every period. Therefore, the continuous protection of believer and the remedy of the victims of the hypocrite are necessary in order to avoid them from such evil behavior.


Technology today is such that the user, or customer, is not able to specify how a product should be developed. The responsibility of developing a reliable product must be placed on the supplier, instead of the customer. This idea should not be new. Military contractors have been saying that the government imposes too many requirements that inhibit innovative design, and often adds cost, with the result being an inferior product. This paper outlines the framework for a next-generation, reliability program standard based on a "code of practice". In this framework, the customer specifies the performance of the product, without stipulating how the supplier must develop, engineer and test the product. The supplier, however, must show that they understand the needs of the customer, can determine the appropriate processes to meet those needs, and can assure the customer that those needs are met. This approach allows the supplier to be flexible and innovative, as long as the customer's needs are met. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has initiated an effort to develop a reliability program standard which incorporates these concepts.


Quaternary ammonium salts are known to possess consid erable potentiality to find application as reagents for detection and determination of a number of metal ions in solution for a very long periodMost of the physical properties of these com pounds are expected to be of the nature of ionic salts; these are crystalline solids, soluble in water to give conducting solutions and are insoluble in etherQuaternary ammonium salts, especially those with long carbon chains, are capable of forming ion-pair with large anionsLot of evidences have been observed in which the ion-association formed between a quaternary ammonium ion and a complex anion, becomes extractable into an immiscible organic solvent although the complex anion by itself is not always ex tractable.


The invention relates to a motor vehicle, in particular an SUV or a pickup with a sub-protective device (2) comprising a baffle plate (16) which is attached to the underside of the vehicle. In order to provide an improved sub-protection device, the baffle plate (16) between a retracted position and an extended position is movable mounted at the bottom.


In this paper, the finite-element method (FEM) is employed to investigate the steady state and the transient temperature distribution of a gas-insulated transmission line (GIL). Eddy current field is calculated and coupled to fluid and thermal model by means of element mapping. Temperature-dependent characteristics of materials constituting GIL are considered. As two different fluid species, insulating gas and ambient air are included in the model. Hence, unlike the generalized methodology, constant temperature boundary condition at the outer boundary of ambient air is substituted for heat transfer coefficient at the interface of surrounding air and the GIL enclosure. The concordance between the predicted temperature values and experimental results in the literature validates the accuracy of the model.


Energy harvesting wearable sensor nodes offer low maintenance and high mobility, but suffer from unstable power supply and insufficient energy. Featuring low standby power and instant backup and restore operations, nonvolatile processors have emerged as one of the most promising technologies for the improvement of energy harvesting wearable devices. However, device quality of service (QoS) is still limited by lack of sufficient energy. To address this problem, this paper attempts to maximize QoS by optimizing task scheduling for DVFS-enabled nonvolatile processor-based embedded devices. First, we model the task scheduling problem as an optimization problem to maximize the total value (which represents QoS) given available harvested energy and time. We then prove the problem to be NP-hard. In addition, we propose a pseudopolynomial-time optimal algorithm based on dynamic programming, as well as an approximation algorithm that allows for a trade-off between running time and total value. We evaluate algorithm performance on an ultra-lowpower platform produced by Texas Instruments, and conduct extensive simulations with different system models and task sets. The results demonstrate that the platform can execute optimal sequences derived by the dynamic-programming algorithm, with differences between simulation results and real traces of less than 1%. Also, our approximate algorithm executes approximately 10 5 times faster than the dynamic-programming algorithm at a value degradation cost of less than 3%.


Background  Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is an autoimmune blistering disease of unknown aetiology, which is endemic in Brazil. Although the pathogenesis of PF is still unknown, proteins of the contact system have been implicated.


Temperature has a significant effect on the performance of elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL), and this topic has been extensively covered in many studies. These studies are focused on how temperature affects lubrication performance, without considering the effect of temperature on the deformation and the subsurface stress of the contact bodies. However, there will be a significant rise in temperature in the contact area under such conditions as high speeds, heavy loads, and high slide-roll ratios. This will generate significant thermal stress inside the solid, thus inhibiting the elastic deformation of the contact surface and impairing the lubrication performance in the contact area. In such cases, it is essential to consider the effects of solid thermal stress and thermal expansion on thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication (TEHL). In this paper, a TEHL model that consider solid thermal expansion and thermal stress to solve point contact problems is developed. The effects of solid thermal expansion and thermal stress on pressure, film thickness, temperature, and subsurface stress are investigated. The results show that solid thermal expansion partially inhibits the elastic deformation of the contact surface, resulting in a decrease in film thickness and an increase in pressure. It is also found that solid thermal stress causes the subsurface von Mises stress of the upper contact body to increase and that of the lower contact body to decrease.


The newly revised company law will encourage investments,develop the good aspects and eliminate the bad ones,and protect the security of trading.The new company law has three characteristics: first,it will decrease the criteria which are set to the company to make the company suitable for the spirits of self-sales;second,the company will have more free space in self-operating,which can better reflect the spirits of company self-operating;and third,it sets a system of corporation denial which will prevent the partners from evading their legal responsibilities in the company.


A model for self charge-regulated interfacial systems for studying rock-fluid electrokinetic phenomena is introduced. Multivalent anions and cations on aqueous solution in contact with an electrically charged ion-penetrable coating or membrane, may be considered. This coating holds certain functional groups, of acidic or basic nature, that relinquish or accept an arbitrary number of hidronium ions, as well as, undergoes ion interchange with the electrolytic solution. Amphoteric and zwitterionic surfaces are considered on a detailed chemical multiequilibria basis while non-ideal ionic behavior is introduced using activity coefficients under the Debye-Huckel approximation. The DLVO theory of colloid stability may be used for the resulting disjoining pressure. Its electrostatic part was deduced while empirical equations may add the remaining structural and Van der Waals parts. Important physical magnitudes in the description of porous media, are among the model features.


Recently, Data Centre (DC) infrastructures have been growing rapidly to support a wide range of emerging services, and provide the underlying connectivity and compute resources that facilitate the "*-as-a-Service" model. This has led to the deployment of a multitude of services multiplexed over few, very large-scale centralised infrastructures. In order to cope with the ebb and flow of users, services and traffic, infrastructures have been provisioned for peak-demand resulting in the average utilisation of resources to be low. This overprovisionning has been further motivated by the complexity in predicting traffic demands over diverse timescales and the stringent economic impact of outages. At the same time, the emergence of Software Defined Networking (SDN), is offering new means to monitor and manage the network infrastructure to address this underutilisation.

This dissertation aims to show how measurement-based resource management can improve performance and resource utilisation by adaptively tuning the infrastructure to the changing operating conditions. To achieve this dynamicity, the infrastructure must be able to centrally monitor, notify and react based on the current operating state, from per-packet dynamics to longstanding traffic trends and topological changes. However, the management and orchestration abilities of current SDN realisations is too limiting and must evolve for next generation networks. The current focus has been on logically centralising the routing and forwarding decisions. However, in order to achieve the necessary fine-grained insight, the data plane of the individual device must be programmable to collect and disseminate the metrics of interest.

The results of this work demonstrates that a logically centralised controller can dynamically collect and measure network operating metrics to subsequently compute and disseminate fine-tuned environment-specific settings. They show how this approach can prevent TCP throughput incast collapse and improve TCP performance by an order of magnitude for partition-aggregate traffic patterns. Futhermore, the paradigm is generalised to show the benefits for other services widely used in DCs such as, e.g, routing, telemetry, and security.


Abstract Kerr nonlinearity, combined with feedback and diffraction, can be used to suppress phase distortions of laser beams and improve their collimation. No reference beam is required, nor need the beam re-traverse the distorting medium.


The deposition kinetics for MOCVD film growth of Al2O3 was investigated in a range of common process parameters during laminar flow in horizontal hot wall tubular reactor. Particular attention was paid to the relationship between growth rate and reactor dimensions as well as process temperature. The development of the modeling procedure permitted to predict growth rates and precursor concentrations at different experimental conditions.


The second-order invariant modeling technique for turbulent flows as developed by Donaldson is applied to axisymmetric wakes. All empirical model parameters are chosen from data on jets and shear layers leaving the wake completely determined as a function of initial conditions. Model predictions for the mean velocity distribution and the distributions of the four components of the second-order stress tensor are verified by comparison with the experimental observations of Chevray for a wake with significant mean momentum and Naudascher for the wake behind a self-propelled body. Nomenclature a, b = model constants defined in Eq. (12) D = diameter of the generating body M = normalized momentum defect in the wake, see Eq. (15) p = pressure q = square root of twice the turbulent kinetic energy per unit mass r = radial coordinate r* = radius at which 1/2 reaches one half its maximum


This is the Editorial for issue 5 of the Journal of Stevenson Studies for which Linda Dryden is co-General Editor with Professor Rory Watson


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate, from the perspective of a retailer, which of two philanthropy programs (pay-what-you-want [PWYW] with charitable giving or mere donation) results in more positive impressions of, and behavioral intentions toward, the retailer sponsoring the program.

Design/methodology/approach
Two studies investigate the influence of donation format (PWYW with charitable giving versus mere donation) on attitude and behavioral intentions toward the retailer, the second of which also explores equity as the mediating mechanism that produces the more favorable attitudes and intentions.

Findings
Results indicate that PWYW with charitable giving is effective at enhancing purchase intentions and attitudes toward the retailer. Specifically, results suggest that the implementation of a PWYW with charitable giving format leads to higher perceptions of equity, ultimately leading to more positive attitudes and higher purchase intentions toward the retailer as compared with a mere donation format. Alternative explanations are examined and ruled out.

Originality/value
To date, research predominantly examines PWYW with charitable giving from a pricing perspective and has yet to explore how it compares with other donation campaigns in terms of the impact on consumers' attitudes and intentions toward the sponsoring retailer. This research fills that gap and contributes to the literature by broadening the perspective by which PWYW with charitable giving is examined. Managerially, the research is important, as it suggests that consumers consider the equity of various donation formats and think more favorably of retailers using more equitable donation campaigns.


Nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxies are ideal targets in the search for indirect dark matter (DM) signals. In this work, we analyze MUSE spectroscopic observations of a sample of five galaxies, composed of both classical and ultra-faint dwarf spheroidals. The goal is to search for radiative decays of axion-like particles (ALPs) in the mass range of 2.7-5.3 eV. After taking into account the uncertainties associated with the DM spatial distribution in the galaxies, we derive robust bounds on the effective ALP-two-photon coupling. They lie well below the QCD axion band and are significantly more constraining than limits from other probes, in the relevant mass range. We also test the possible presence of a positive signal, concluding that none of the channels selected for this analysis, i.e., not affected by large background contamination, is exhibiting such evidence.


Today, corporations play an important role in the global, national and local economy. Regardless of the business profile, degree of internationalisation or size, they participate in numerous economic processes, which is why they are the subject of research in geography of industry, especially in geography of enterprises. The main goal of the article is to review research related to corporations in Polish literature on the subject in the field of geography of industry. The author also aims at organising the concept of corporations, presenting closer their classifications, as well as indicating the place of research on corporations in geography. The preparation of the article began with a literature query, as well as an analysis of the existing data (desk research). As a result, the analysis of the concept of a corporation, various types of classifications and divisions of corporations, as well as a literature review of the subject in terms of the corporation's research issues were made. As the research carried out indicates, in Polish literature on the issues of geography of industry, the researchers who concentrate on corporations look at the concentration of their head offices, theory and location factors, shaping processes and location of production, service and various branches, network connections, strategies implemented by corporations and their organisational forms, processes of corporation influence on international conditions for the development of domestic and regional systems and industrial enterprises, stimulation of inflow of foreign direct investment, the influence of corporations on the shaping of various industrial sectors, export relations, the role of cities in globalisation processes and the location of the corporation and their effects, as well as on corporate CSR activities.


When the German Army invaded Poland in September 1939, it was closely followed by special police units: the Einsatzgruppen of the Sicherheitspolizei. It is well known that both formations committed horrendous crimes against the civilian population, killing tens of thousands of people during the barely two months of military administration alone. But one group of perpetrators has remained shrouded in obscurity to this day: the first chiefs of civil administration (CdZ) who entered Poland in the first half of September 1939. This article elucidates not only how this group facilitated frictionless cooperation between the army and the police, but also how they often actively induced mass violence against Poles and Jews in the occupied areas. The CdZ were no ordinary clerks, as their own postwar narratives would have it, but rather 'willing executioners' of the Third Reich's extermination program. Unlike their successors – Hans Frank, Arthur Greiser, Alber Forster, and Erich Koch – the first CdZ were not highly ideologized party barons; it thus follows that the opportunity to demonstrate their 'work ethic' in the service of the Third Reich was sufficient to make them well-functioning cogs in the wheel of mass murder and the Holocaust. Nevertheless, in the new dispensation of the Cold War, none of these 'first wave' CdZ had to stand trial for their dark deeds at the very beginning of the war.


A novel two-dimensional near-field optical system has been studied to realize more effective and simple optical disk of the high memory capacity and fast data transfer rate. This parallel optical memoryis based on a multi-beam recording/reading head and a small spot size using the vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) microprobe array as an evanescent light source. In this research, we have simulated the optical efficiency and spot size of near-field optical heads using the FDTD method and understood the best structuraldesign of pyramidal microprobes having an asymmetric metal coating. The microprobe array head has been also realized using the micro-fabrication processes of Si and GaP wafer with a newly developed apertureformation technique. The research will continue to complete the parallel near-field optical disk of 1000Gbit/in2 data capacity and 10 Gbps transfer rate with the integration of the VCSEL array and microprobe array having high optical efficiency.


Abstract : This report summarizes ARI's efforts to develop training guidelines for improved acquisition, retention, and transfer of vehicle maintenance skills. The need for such guidelines has been documented in 10 major studies since 1964, including 4 by ARI. The results of these studies are also summarized. The studies show that performance failure rates for diagnostic, remove/replace, and adjustment tasks are very high for both novice and experienced vehicle repairers. For example, the false removal rate (good parts mistakenly removed) is about 42% of all removals. The results of the Training Technology Field Activity (TTFA) projects summarized include various recommendations and guidelines for improving the training of vehicle repairers. One set of recommendations, for example, suggested ways to immediately improve the 63W10 course at the Ordnance School. The recommendations emerged from an onsite review of the entire 16-week course given to 63W10s at Aberdeen. One set of guidelines dealt with how to produce effective vugraphs for classroom instruction. Another set derived from a review of scientific literature on training provided general principles on how to develop effective instruction principles. These results can provide a partial springboard for future research, development, and training technology transfer under a continuing TTFA program at the Ordnance school. Keywords: Skill retention; Training cost effectiveness; Forgetting; Training effectiveness; Skill decay.


Objective To deepen the understanding of the essence of moyamoya disease. Methods Collect the MSCTA pictures(including the original axial images and VR、MIP、MPR after treatment images)of our hospital's 30 patients with moyamoya disease,combine cerebral angiography result,documents and materials to analyze. Results All 30 patients showed stenosis and obstruction of internal carotid artery system,including 10 cases with single and 20 cases with bilateral lateral,11 cases with stenosis and obstruction of posterior cerebral artery,20 cases with collateral circulation of posterior cerebral artery and external carotid artery system,11 cases with aneurysm;All cases can observe the abnormal vascular network,Part of the patients examined by DSA,and the results are consistent. Conclusions Moyamoya disease is stenosis and occlusion of cerebral artery,with extensive collateral circulation,it involves not only internal carotid artery system,but also involving the vertebral-basilar artery system and external carotid artery system.MSCTA can replace DSA as moyamoya disease first examination method.


The study evaluated the performance of selected Nifty 50 ETFs tracking Nifty 50 Index listed in National Stock Exchange in India during a period of six years starting from 1st April, 2014 to 31st March, 2020. The performance of ETFs is measured using Average Daily Returns, CAGR, HPR, Standard Deviation, Tracking Error, R squared and Beta. It is found that there is difference in the risk-return pattern of Nifty 50 ETFs and its index Nifty 50. Aditya Birla Nifty ETF is the performing fund among the selected ETFs.


After the "Declaration of Heavy and Chemical Industrialization" in 1973, Korean government implemented a variety of policy instruments for nurturing designated industries and as a result, Korea has achieved world-leading positions in those industries. Many studies, accordingly, were conducted from various perspectives, including the development, execution, and performance evaluation of the heavy chemical industry policy as well as the role of actors in the process of policy implementation. Nevertheless, scholars have provided only a limited discussion on the 'Research on the Foundation of Heavy Industry Development', which served as the cornerstone of the policy. In this study, we implemented an in-depth content analysis of the 'Research on the Foundation of Heavy Industry Development' and re-examined the role of the research in the sectoral policy development. As a result, we found that the research provided a very detailed sub-sectoral policy development through close investigation on the sub-sectoral characteristics in the Korean context, and thus, contributed to the global competitiveness of the sub-sectors. Based on the analysis on the contents of'Research on the Foundation of Heavy Industry Development' and its impact on the industry growth, we suggest the guidelines for the policy development on heavy industries in the least developing countries. We hope that this study extends the discussion on catch-up by shedding light on the Korean expereince in the initiation stage of industrialization.


Online social networks (OSN) have become a part of our daily lives whether they are used for socialization and communication or to promote business interests. OSN have become an important tool for businesses to advertise, create brand awareness, and promote their products and services. Business use of OSN for advertising purposes is highly reliant on targeted ads which display advertisements to OSN users based on their demographics and use of OSN, apps, and websites. Thus, one of the most valuable commodities of OSN is the population of users and the information they share. To investigate the relationship between OSN site use, use of privacy settings, and how they relate to profile disclosure, a model is built based on the theory of reasoned action and the privacy calculus model. To validate the model, a survey is conducted and the results are analyzed with partial least squares. Risk and benefit were both shown to be significant antecedents of attitude. Both attitude and subjective norm, from the theory of reasoned action model, significantly affected OSN site use, while omitting intentions. OSN site use was significantly related to both profile disclosure and use of privacy settings. Last, use of privacy settings significantly affected profile disclosure. These results imply that use of privacy settings does not decrease the rate of disclosure. Giving users tools to protect their private information is important in protecting the privacy of OSN users, and it will lead to increases in safe disclosure of information helping OSN target ads effectively.


Agricultural and environmental policies are increasingly important for the development of agricultural systems that are sustainable and can contribute to a sustainable development at large. The effectiveness and efficiency of policy development in realizing desired contributions can be significantly improved through sophisticated ex-ante assessments. The SEAMLESS integrated project (System for Environmental and Agricultural Modelling; Linking European Science and Society) develops a computerized and integrated framework (SEAMLESS-IF). SEAMLESS-IF aims to facilitate translation of policy options and their interaction with technological innovation into alternative scenarios that can be assessed through a set of indicators that capture the key economic, environmental, social and institutional issues and are derived at specific levels of agricultural systems, i.e., point or field scale, farmtype, region, EU and world. The project aims at facilitating a breakthrough in integrated use of models by creating an open source software architecture that allows use and re-uses models, databases and scenarios in the domain of agricultural systems.


OBJECTIVE To observe the clinical effect of Baofukang in treatment with candidiasis during pregnancy.METHODS From Jan 2008 to Dec 2010,306 cases of pregnant women infected with candida were randomly classified into two groups.The control group(153 cases) was treated with normal therapy and observation group(153 cases) was treated with Baofukang at the basis of normal therapy.The clinical effect and symptoms were observed and compared.RESULTS The curative rate and total effective rate in observation group(36.6%,90.8%) were significantly higher than those in control group(19.0%,82.4%)(P0.05).Compared with pre-treatment,scores of itching,pain,congestion and edema,and discharge were significantly decreased(P0.05)in both two groups.Moreover,The scores of itching,pain,congestion and edema,and discharge in observation group were significantly lower than those in control group(P0.05).CONCLUSION The effect of baofukang in treatment with vulvovaginal candida infections during pregnancy is significant,and can improve clinical curative effect and release the symptoms,which is worthy of being promoted in clinics.


Taking Wuerxun River for an example,phase space reconstruction theory is adopted to calculate the delay time,embedded dimension,G-P saturated correlation dimension and Laypunov exponent of the observed monthly rainfall.And it proves that the monthly rainfall time series exist chaotic phenomena.Then the model of least squares support vector machine(LS-SVM) is used to predict the monthly rainfall chaotic time series of Wuerxun River and the cross validation method is applied to obtain optimal combination of two important parameters.Compared with radial basis function(RBF) neural network model,the results show that the prediction accuracy of LS-SVM is higher than that of RBF for prediction of chaotic time series.


In the case of Jaftha v Schoeman & Others; Van Rooyen v Stoltz & Others, the Constitutional Court set aside the sale in execution, at the instance of their creditors, of the immovable property of each of the two appellants on the basis that, in the circumstances, it amounted to an unjustifiable infringement of their right to have access to adequate housing, protected by section 26 of the Constitution. Following upon this, a number of reported cases have dealt with the issue whether the sale in execution of immovable property which has been mortgaged in favour of a creditor may constitute an infringement of the debtor's section 26 rights and, if so, whether such infringement is justifiable in terms of section 36 of the Constitution.


Abstract : In 1996, RAND and the AFLMA initiated a joint study, Leveraging Logistics to Enhance the Effectiveness of Rapid Air Expeditionary Forces (AEF). Over the course of this study, the AFLMA's focus was on deploying unit preparations. The AFLMA looked at three scheduled maintenance activities for the F-15D/E's: the number of phase inspections accomplished, the number of engines changed, and the number of egress time change items (TCI) replaced in preparation for a deployment. An area of concern was the significant spike in the number of egress TCIs that were being replaced on the aircraft scheduled for deployment Three alternatives were looked at for the replacement of egress TCIs: a 36-month maintenance cycle which consolidates egress TCIs with the 36-month seat inspection, a 30-month maintenance cycle which requires the 36-month seat inspection to be done early, but is In sync with a 15-month AEF concept of operations, and a 12-month "look-out" policy which affords units more flexibility when scheduling/replacing egress TCIs. Both the 36-month and 30-month maintenance cycles result in increased parts cost due to an increase in the frequency of part replacements, a decrease in maintenance man-hours due to a decrease in the frequency of seat removals, and a possible decrease in aircraft downtime by eliminating any downtime specifically for egress TCI maintenance. The 12-month "look-out" policy is an extension of current procedures, allowing schedulers to look out further for any maintenance coming due. This policy will cause parts to be replaced ahead of schedule, resulting in an increased parts cost, though the increase is much less than a 30-month or a 36-month maintenance cycle. Under this policy there is no reduction in the number of seat removals, however, there is the possibility for a decrease in egress TCI maintenance events and aircraft downtime.


In this paper, We proposed electronic ballast that applys Buck Converter operation principle to Full-Bridge inverter. The proposed ballast consists of an EMI Filter, a full-bridge rectifier, a passive power factor correction (PFC) circuit and a full-bridge inverter. The passive PFC is used and a Full-Bridge inverter operation by two frequency. High Side and Low Side switch was driven by high frequency and low frequency and realized buck Converter`s operation. The lamp is driven by Low Frequency square wave to avoid Acoustic Resonance. Also, bulk of inductor is reduced by high frequency switching. Performance of the proposed ballast was validated through computer simulation using Pspice, experimentation and by applying it to an electronic ballast for a prototype 700W MHL.


Air filter (1) for direct attachment to a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, wherein the air filter (1) in a modular manner formed from a for attachment of the air filter (1) to the combustion engine connecting shell (5) with a plurality of air outlet openings (6), a lid (2) and a between the connecting shell (5) and cover (2) arranged framelike intermediate element (3) is constructed with a received therein filter insert (4), wherein between the cover (2) and filter cartridge (4) a first air space (17) and between the filter insert (4) and the connecting shell (5), a second airspace is formed (18, 18 '), wherein the first air space (17) having a Rohluftanschluss (7) of the air filter (1) is connected and wherein the second air space (18, 18 ') with the first air space (17) via the filter insert (4), said sealing surfaces within the connector shell (5) (23) is so mounted (20, 21) are provided to which a partition wall that from the second air space (18 '), a third air space (25) in a gastight manner can be separated, which with the air outlet openings ...


The Kondo lattice model introduced in 1977 describes a lattice of localized magnetic moments interacting with a sea of conduction electrons. It is one of the most important canonical models in the study of a class of rare earth compounds, called heavy fermion systems, and as such has been studied intensively by a wide variety of techniques for more than a quarter of a century. This review focuses on the one-dimensional case at partial band filling, in which the number of conduction electrons is less than the number of localized moments. The theoretical understanding, based on the bosonized solution, of the conventional Kondo lattice model is presented in great detail. This review divides naturally into two parts, the first relating to the description of the formalism, and the second to its application. After an all-inclusive description of the bosonization technique, the bosonized form of the Kondo lattice Hamiltonian is constructed in detail. Next the double-exchange ordering, Kondo singlet formation, the RKKY interaction and spin polaron formation are described comprehensively. An in-depth analysis of the phase diagram follows, with special emphasis on the destruction of the ferromagnetic phase by spin-flip disorder scattering, and of recent numerical results. The results are shown to hold for both antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic Kondo lattice. The general exposition is pedagogic in tone.


Motivation: Complex diseases such as cancers often involve multiple types of genomic and/or epigenomic abnormalities. Rapid accumulation of multiple types of omics data demands methods for integrating the multidimensional data in order to elucidate complex relationships among different types of genomic and epigenomic abnormalities. Results: In the present study, we propose a tightly integrated approach based on tensor decomposition. Multiple types of data, including mRNA, methylation, copy number variations and somatic mutations, are merged into a high‐order tensor which is used to develop predictive models for overall survival. The weight tensors of the models are constrained using CANDECOMP/PARAFAC (CP) tensor decomposition and learned using support tensor machine regression (STR) and ridge tensor regression (RTR). The results demonstrate that the tensor decomposition based approaches can achieve better performance than the models based individual data type and the concatenation approach. Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


We describe a method for measuring the catalytic activity of a-amylase (EC 22.214.171.124) in serum and urine, by use of a defined substrate: 1,4-a,D-4-nitrophenyl maltoheptaoside. We use a phosphate buffer of pH 7.10, containing chloride as activator and a-glucosidase (EC 22.214.171.124) as the auxiliary enzyme. After a lag phase of 4 mm at 25 #{176}C or 30 #{176}C, or 3 mm at 37 #{176}C, the increase of absorption of 4-nitrophenol is measured at 410 nm or 405 nm. The pH value of the assay mixture is a compromise between optimum pH for the aamylase reaction, shortest possible lag phase, and an acceptable absorptivity of 4-nitrophenol. Because the dissociation of 4-nitrophenol depends strongly on pH and temperature, we determined its absorptivity with various combinations of these variables in the assay. Heparmntreated plasma can be used, but not EDTA, fluoride, or citrate. Lipemia, hemoglobin 35 mol/L, bilirubin 170 moI/L, glucose 100 mmol/L, and ascorbic acid 1 mmol/L of sample do not interfere in the assay.