The authors discuss work on the development of thin solution-cast high-temperature polyimide (PI) film, made from commercially available soluable thermoplastic polyimide resin. The detailed thermal, structural, and electrical characteristics are considered. Dielectric constant data as a function of temperature indicate that PI contains absorbed species such as water, which are removed during heating. Dissipation factor data show that at temperatures below the glass transition temperature, flexible chain motion related to local reorientation processes occurs. AC and DC electrical breakdown strengths exceed values previously reported by industry, which may be due to differences in morphology and film preparation processes. X-ray diffraction spectra and thermomechanical analysis data indicate that the PI film is amorphous and isotropic, capable of retaining its dimensional stability under load up to 300 degrees C. Overall, PI appears to be an acceptable dielectric for surface mount multilayer film capacitors and also for high temperature leaded DC filter capacitors.<<ETX>>


Cytoplasmic poly(A) + RNA was extracted from the murine thymoma cell line EL4 (b haplotype) and used to construct a library of cloned cDNA in pBR322. Initially, 30,000 colonies were screened with a mixture of eight hexadecanucleotides representing all possible coding sequences for residues 51-56 of H-2K b . The only clone isolated, pH2K01, contains the coding sequence for residues 50 through 91 of H-2K b , followed by a Glu codon and a termination codon. It is speculated that the mRNA from which pH2K01 was derived and H-2K b mRNA have a common precursor but differ in the manner of post-transcriptional splicing. A 133-nucleotide probe containing most of the coding sequence of pH2K01 was constructed and used to screen the remainder of the library. Two clones were isolated. pH202 encodes H-2K b from residue 66 through the carboxy-terminus and includes 386 nucleotides of 3'-untranslated sequence. pH203 codes for H-2D b , from residue 82 through the carboxy-terminus, together with 476 nucleotides of 3'-untranslated sequence. H-2K b and H-2D b share sequence homologies of 83% and 91% at the protein and nucleotide levels, respectively. The cytoplasmic region of the molecule proximal to the membrane is identical in both antigens. The next most conserved region is the third external domain. The H-2K b molecule is 10 amino acid residues longer than the H-2D b molecule. Analysis of 3'-end coding sequences of pH202, pH203 and other H-2 clones reported in the literature suggests that the difference in length could be the result of different splicing patterns of the mRNAs.


Under the current economic situation, the "10 years golden period" of coal enterprises is over, and the percentage of lossincurring enterprises is increasing. How to reduce human cost is the issue that coal enterprise leaders must think about. Zhangshuanglou Mine actively promotes human resource optimization through a series of measures to deal with coal market winter.


BACKGROUND
This study examined whether aspects of diet and nutrition risk explain variance in physical capacity and general health, after controlling for covariates, in Canadian adults with osteoarthritis (OA).

METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study of baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Data from 1404 participants with hand, hip and/or knee OA were included. A series of regression analyses were conducted with independent variables of food intake (fibre and high calorie snack intake) and nutrition risk; and dependent variables of physical capacity and general health. Physical capacity was characterized through grip strength and a pooled index of four mobility tests. General health was characterized through an index of self-reported general health, mental health and healthy aging.

RESULTS
Higher fibre intake was related to greater mobility (p=0.01). Food intake was not related to any other outcome. Nutrition risk was significantly associated with mobility (p<0.001) and general health (p<0.001); those with a high nutrition risk classification had poorer general health (p<0.001, d=0.65) than those at low nutrition risk. As well, those with moderate nutrition risk had poorer general health than those with low nutrition risk (p=0.001, d=0.31).

CONCLUSIONS
Nutrition risk screening for older adults with OA provides insight into behavioural characteristics associated with reduced mobility and poorer general health. Also, those consuming greater amounts of fibre demonstrated better mobility. Thus, this research suggests that quality of diet and nutritional behaviours can impact both physical and mental aspects of health in those with OA.


This study employed a multivariate, multidimensional approach to understanding psychosocial and personality variables associated with institutional maladjustment and recidivism among youthful offenders. Participants included nine hundred serious and chronic male youthful offenders incarcerated in the Texas Youth Commission (TYC); sample sizes varied by analysis. Empirically-validated psychosocial factors (e.g., intelligence, home approval status), past criminal history variables, and two self-report personality measures of empathy and hostility were entered into hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses to predict institutional behavior and recidivism at one- and three-year intervals after release from the TYC. Confirmatory factor analysis of the personality measures revealed one underlying factor indicative of their theoretical constructs of empathy and hostility. Some differences were noted between youth in the specialized treatment programs; however, effect sizes were small to moderate. Overall, regression and SEM results indicated the variables accounted for a meaningful proportion of the variance in the outcomes. Specifically, although length of stay in the TYC was associated with institutional behavior, younger age of onset, higher hostility, and greater home disapproval also contributed significantly. Past criminal behavior was predictive of future reoffending, but lower empathy, greater home disapproval, and younger age of onset accounted for a substantial portion of the variance in recidivism. Institutional maladjustment served as a mediator between the psychosocial and personality variables and the recidivism outcomes. Treatment implications are provided, including a discussion of the tenuous association between length of sentence and recidivism and an emphasis on the importance of evaluating dynamic personality and psychosocial variables beyond static measures of past behavior.


The purpose of this study was to examine the antecedent and consequent analysis of career development. This study is hypothesis testing survey method. The population in this study were all employees of PT PLN APJ Surakarta. The samples taken are 64 employees. The analytical tool used to test the suitability of the proposed model and hypotheses is to use a regression method with the help of SPSS 16. The conclusion is the fourth hypothesis was all supported. This indicates that the effect career planning on career development and career management influence on career development. Career development effect on job satisfaction. Career development effect on career commitment. PT PLN APJ Surakarta should increasingly provide career opportunities so that employees can improve planning and career management that can enhance career development thus expected to create job commitment and job satisfaction is high.


Objective: The current study intends to examine how young children understand intentionality of teaching with the theory of mind development, and how this understanding relates to their understanding of a teaching intention of an actual teaching activity. Methods: The theory of mind of 90 children a...


Proper and effective Software Project Management (SPM) is usually the most important factor in the outcome of a project for almost all the software companies and their project engineers and managers. By using effective project management techniques a project manager can improve the chances of success in software development. Problem is how to analytically combine these techniques into a practical and best effective workable process? For effective solution one need a balanced process that covers the management and development of the entire project from inception to completion. A Project Scheduling Problem consists in deciding who does what during the software project lifetime. This is a capitalissue in the practice of software engineering, since the total budget and human resources involved must be managed optimally in order to end in a successful project.In this work we tackle the problem by using working flow management system (WFMS) to solve many different software project scenarios.Our conclusions show that GAs are quite flexible and accurate for this application, and an important tool for automatic projectmanagement. This paper presents proposed software for project management during project life cycle in organization by studying various project management methodologies.Also the role and critical activities of project manager, project team and hence project management is explored in software projects implementation in organization of different sizes and culture.


The teaching quality is enhanced by the way of improvement in which the PDCA circulation is used continually. This is because the quality of teaching and the teaching process is interaction, also and PDCA of four stages in teaching process. Therefore, this may say that the plan is the premise which the quality of teaching enhances, the implementation and the inspection method is chose is the guarantee, action is the indispensable, which The teaching quality is enhanced.


With the increasing demand and benefits ofcloud computing infrastructure, real time computing can beperformed on cloud infrastructure. A real time system cantake advantage of intensive computing capabilities andscalable virtualized environment of cloud computing toexecute real time tasks. In most of the real time cloudapplications, processing is done on remote cloud computingnodes. So there are more chances of errors, due to theundetermined latency and loose control over computingnode. On the other side, most of the real time systems arealso safety critical and should be highly reliable. So there isan increased requirement for fault tolerance to achievereliability for the real time computing on cloudinfrastructure. In this paper, a fault tolerance model for realtime cloud computing is proposed. In the proposed model,the system tolerates the faults and makes the decision on thebasis of reliability of the processing nodes, i.e. virtualmachines. The reliability of the virtual machines is adaptive,which changes after every computing cycle. If a virtualmachine manages to produce a correct result within the timelimit, its reliability increases. And


Zhuo Wenjun is the only grass-rooted talented woman in Shi Chi.Her outstanding ability,insight,wisdom,courage and personality are related with the advanced economy and culture.Her influence has far surpassed Linqiong and created a new frontier in history.


(2-Aminoethyl)dimethylarsine (edma) and its cobalt(III) complexes, trans(X,X),cis(As,As)-[CoX2(edma)2]+ (X=Cl, Br, and I), trans(As,As)- and trans(As,N)-[Co(acac)(edma)2]2+ (acac=acetylacetonate ion), trans(As,N)-[Co(CO3)(edma)2]+, [Co(acac)2(edma)]+, and fac-[Co(edma)3]3+ were prepared and characterized. From a comparison of the first d–d absorption bands of analogous diamine and (2-aminoethyl)dimethylphosphine (edmp) complexes, the spectrochemical series of Group 5B elements was found to be P>As>N. The fac-[Co(edma)3]3+ complex was resolved and the absolute configuration of the (+)490CD-isomer was assigned to Λ on the basis of the CD spectrum. Racemization of fac-[Co(edma)3]3+ was studied in aqueous solutions in the pH and temperature ranges of 7.88–9.32 and 35.0–50.0 °C, respectively. The racemization obeyed a rate law of the form, R=k[OH−][complex]. The activation enthalpy and entropy values were found to be ΔH\eweq=132±4 kJ mol−1 and ΔS\eweq=171±11 J K−1 mol−1, respectively.


A vapor-phase deposition apparatus (1), comprising: a deposition chamber (4), for a deposited film on a substrate; a source gas pipe (21) and (31), for supplying a source gas; conveying unit (5) , for transferring the substrate within the deposition chamber (4), while from the source such that the gas pipe (21) and (31) any one of the vent gas supply source, the substrate alternately in two states: region of the deposition substrate facing the exhaust port for supplying the source gas and the substrate in a state located in the state of the other areas in addition to the deposition zone; and a supply pipe (7), for the other areas located supplying the substrate S in a gas containing a group V element.


The field experiment was conducted in 2006 to research the difference of characteristics of dry matter accumulation and nitrogen uptake and utilization between five super rice cultivars and the control—Shanyou 63. The dry matter production of middle-season indica super hybrid rice was started from the beginning of elongation stage, and with the rice growing, the com- parative advantage of dry matter accumulation was gradually speeded up. The middle-season indica super hybrid rice had appar- ent advantage in biomass accumulation after heading. Total amount of nitrogen absorption was 196.5 (184.3–200.8) kg ha-1 in super rice cultivar, which was 20.0 kg ha-1 higher than that of control. The amount of nitrogen absorption of middle-season indica super hybrid rice cultivar corresponded to that of control before jointing stage, however, increased 9.2 kg ha-1 more than that of CK from jointing stage to heading stage, 4.9 kg ha-1 more than that of CK at 25 days after heading stage, and 4.3 kg ha-1 more than that of CK from 25 days after heading stage to maturity. The Nitrogen uptake rate reached its peak at booting stage, and the middle-season indica super hybrid rice was 3.68 (3.44–3.96) kg N ha-1 d-1 while the control was 3.55 kg N ha-1 d-1. And then, the nitrogen uptake was slower and slower after booting stage, and at 25 days after heading and at maturing stage, the N-uptake rate was 0.36 kg N ha-1 d-1 in super rice, whereas it was almost zero in the control. It can be seen that middle-season indica super hy- brid rice held high N rate in the leaf blade after heading stage, which was beneficial to chlorophyll contents stability and photo- synthate accumulation so that the super high yield of the rice could become true. The result also showed that the super hybrid rice should absorb about 1.83 kg N per hundred kilogram grain when its yielding level was 10.5 t ha-1.


Tests on steel beams with adhesively bonded elastic reinforcing strips are used to deduce the mechanics of stress build up in the steel-to-strip interface up to failure. The solely elastic nature of the strips is a key concept in this study, as this elasticity leads to high interface stresses due either to nonlinear stiffness disparities between the steel and the reinforcing material when the steel yields, or to nonlinear geometric effects which are parasitic on this elasticity, including buckling of the strips and sharp section changes along the reinforced beam. Four features have been used in the tests to study these nonlinear effects, namely, multi-layer multi-length strips, imperfections in the adhesive, strips in both compression and tension, and tapering of the strip. The test results suggest that interface stresses may be sensitive to through-thickness variations of axial strain in the strips and to local variations of interface quality. Data from a nonlinear finite-element analysis, based on a novel two-layer interface element, are given for further insight into interface stress profiles. Conclusions are drawn on interface performance in the tests. Improved measurement strategies are suggested for shedding further light on the stress-transfer mechanics of this interface. The term connection is used synonymously with interface in this paper.


This article introduces a new technique of measuring elements of centring of GPS origin points, analyses the accuracy and origin of the error of the method, and compares with the technique of the specifications related.


The quantum rotor is shown to be supersymmetric. The supercharge $Q$, whose square equals the Hamiltonian, is constructed with reflection operators. The conserved quantities that commute with $Q$ form the algebra $so(3)_{-1}$, an anticommutator version of $so(3)$. The subduced representation of $so(3)_{-1}$ on the space of spherical harmonics with total angular momentum $j$ is constructed and found to decompose into two irreducible components. Two natural bases for the irreducible representation spaces of $so(3)_{-1}$ are introduced and their overlap coefficients prove expressible in terms of orthogonal polynomials of a discrete variable called anti-Krawtchouk polynomials.


75 Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial 4.0 License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-Commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). Understanding Social Marketing and Wellbeing: A Review of Selective Databases


The automatic space plasma experiment with a rotating analyzer (ASPERA) onboard the Phobos 2 spacecraft has recently revealed the presence of planetary He+ ions at Mars (Barabash and Norberg, 1994). In the present work the analysis is continued in order to estimate the total outflow of the He+ ions which are swept away by the solar wind. For the Phobos epoch the total He+ outflow rate was found to be (1.2±0.6)×1024 ions/s. The escape occurs mainly near the Martian magnetopause. Considering extreme errors in the measurements, the maximum helium outflow could range up to 2.4×1024s−1. From a scaling of the helium profile suggested by Moroz et al. (1990) to obtain the measured loss rate, one can deduce the helium abundance in the Martian upper atmosphere. It turns out that helium is a dominant gas in the Martian exosphere at altitudes between 500 and 1250 km. However, recently reported observations of the weak EUV emissions (108 photons) from the Martian He I suggest an abundance that is 18.5 times lower (Krasnopolsky et al., 1994). Possible reasons for this disagreement are discussed. The helium production rate near Mars can, in turn, be roughly estimated from the production rate for the Earth by using a scaling argument, since the only source of helium in the atmospheres of the terrestrial planets is radioactive decay of certain isotopes of uranium and thorium. Present estimates suggest a degassing rate of 8×1022 atoms/s only (Krasnopolsky et al., 1993). However, under steady state conditions one would expect the production and loss rates to be equal. The discrepancy leads us to the conclusion that either the helium degassing rate should be corrected (or the amount of uranium is higher on Mars than anticipated) or helium may also be delivered on Mars by other sources, for example, as solar wind α particles. The observed high total outflow of ions which are 4 times heavier than protons may result in an effective mass loading. Thus helium may play an important role in the solar wind-Mars interaction.


The success of the yellow fever vaccine is linked to the amino acid starvation pathway, which promotes adaptive immunity. Antigen-specific CD8÷ T cells play a central role in the adaptive immune response to viral infections and to cancer. Ravindran et al. studied the successful yellow fever virus vaccine YF-17D to gain insight into its mechanism of action. The vaccine activated the nutrient deprivation sensor, GCN2 kinase, in dendritic cells. In transgenic mouse models, GCN2 activation promoted autophagy and antigen cross-presentation, enhancing the virus-specific CD8÷ T cell response. The findings suggest an important role for nutrient availability and autophagy in vaccine efficacy, which could aid more successful vaccine development. R. Ravindran, N. Khan, H. I. Nakaya, S. Li, J. Loebbermann, M. S. Maddur, Y. Park, D. P. Jones, P. Chappert, J. Davoust, D. S. Weiss, H. W. Virgin, D. Ron, B. Pulendran, Vaccine activation of the nutrient sensor GCN2 in dendritic cells enhances antigen presentation. Science 343, 313–317 (2014). [Abstract] [Full Text]


type="main" xml:id="joca12028-abs-0001"> Despite a substantial body of research in direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs, what is missing from the existing discussion on the risk disclosure in DTCA is a focus on the roles of individual motivation and ability to process risk information. Guided by the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and the Motivation-Ability-Opportunity framework, the current study examines the roles of the consumer's optimism bias and subjective health literacy in responding to the risk disclosure in DTCA. By analyzing survey data ( N = 404), the study reveals that: (1) consumers who show a tendency to believe that they are at less risk of experiencing adverse reactions to prescription drugs than their peers are less likely to pay attention to the risk disclosure or intend to seek further information about the health risks of drugs, (2) the relationship between optimism bias and information-seeking intentions is stronger for consumers with high subjective health literacy than for those with low health literacy. Implications and recommendations are provided .


Meditation is similar to exercise – people know it would be good for them, but it's difficult to be motivated to do it regularly. Also similarly, many technological supports exist to help people have good experiences. Over 400 college students were randomly assigned to one of four


In this paper, an approach for automated material mapping based on neural networks for terahertz images is proposed. The classification method is applied on focused transmission measurements of a terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) system for 13 different 3-D printed polymers. With our approach, a classification accuracy of around 95 % was achieved.


The purposes of this study were to develop and to evaluate a workshop to assist graduating nursing students to prepare for the registration examination. The workshop consisted of a presentation, guidelines for self-study and a practise test. Based on Das, Kirby and Jarman's model of information integration, this workshop addressed motivating students, promoting the coding of information spatially or sequentially, and enhancing planning and decision making. The workshop included information about the registration examination and encouraged self-study based an a variety of cognitive strategies that were described. A practise test gave students opportunities to apply strategies to multiple-choice questions and provided feedback regarding strengths and weaknesses in various


Austenitic alloys have been extensively used in the nuclear industry as structural components due to their combination of excellent mechanical properties and high corrosion resistance. Although these alloys have a good service record, many can become susceptible to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) under pressurized water reactor (PWR) primary water conditions. After several decades of study, a considerable number of factors have been revealed that affect SCC susceptibility, such as material composition, pre-existent cold-work, temperature or water chemistry. Although the effects of these factors on SCC have been extensively studied, a better mechanistic understanding is still needed. High-resolution characterization techniques can reveal key processes involved in SCC crack propagation. For this reason, analytical transmission electron microscopy (ATEM) and transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) have been used to characterize the crack tip region. Several SCC precursors have been identified: intergranular oxidation zone (IOZ) ahead of the crack tip, Cr-Fe depletion ahead of the IOZ, grain boundary migration along the crack and ahead of the crack tip, and localized deformation around the crack tip. The first objective of this thesis was to understand the underlying connections between these precursors and SCC propagation. Intergranular carbides and grain boundary migration were observed to be able to restrain SCC propagation. In addition, two mechanisms were confirmed to play important roles in the SCC propagation: one being a diffusion-based and the other one mechanical deformation-based. The second objective of this thesis was to obtain a better mechanistic understanding of the temperature dependence of crack growth rate (CGR) in 316SS and Alloy 600 in the temperature range of 320-360oC. It was found that the two proposed mechanisms seem to have different weights on each alloy at "low" and "high" temperatures. The third objective was to explain the effect of Ni content on SCC CGR, also known as the "Coriou effect". Four alloys with different content of Ni, including 316SS, Alloy 16Ni, Alloy 60Ni, and Alloy 600 were characterized. The results showed that although the elemental diffusion increased with the increase of Ni content in the Fe-based alloys (316SS and Alloy 16Ni), the mechanical deformation-based mechanism appeared to play a dominant role, leading to the CGR decrease with the increase of Ni content in the Fe-based alloys. Both the diffusion-based mechanism and the mechanical deformation-based mechanism increased the CGR in Ni-based alloys (Alloy 60Ni and Alloy 600) with the increase of Ni content. The excellent SCC resistance of the alloys in the range of 20-45%wt. Ni was mainly contributed by the low extent of localized deformation around the crack tip, although the elemental diffusion in these alloys was not very low.


Summary353 in-patients suffering from rheumatic diseases have been examined for digital ischemic lesions, nail fold lesions and splinter hemorrhages, during a 4-week period. 233 of these had definite or classical rheumatoid arthritis and 50 had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.An incidence of 36.5 % in males and 32.4 % in females suffering from definite or classical rheumatoid arthritis have been observed. The incidence varied in proportion to the number of times the patients were examined. The incidence rose from 4.2 % at the first examination to 33.9 % at the fourth examination.A distinction has to be made between nail fold lesions and splinter hemorrhages. Splinter hemorrhages occurred in the same proportion in both sexes and were observed in other conditions as well as in the control group. Nail fold lesions, however, occurred only in adult rheumatoid arthritis patients and these patients differed from the cases without lesions. Their mean duration of the disease was one third longer and a markedly highe...


Abstract A microbial-FET alcohol sensor was developed using immobilized acetic acid bacteria, a gas permeable membrane and an Ion Sensitive Field Effect Transistor (ISFET). The acetic acid bacteria were immobilized on the gate of the ISFET in calcium alginate gel. Both ISFET-immobilized microorganisms and Ag/AgCl reference electrode were set into a small shell which was filled with inner buffer (5 mM tris-HC1 buffer containing 0.1 M CaC12, pH 7.0). The side wall of the shell was equipped with a gas permeable membrane to allow the passage of alcohol into the inner buffer. The alcohol sensor responded to 0.1 mM ethanol and a linear relationship was obtained between the initial rate of response (dVg/dt) and the logarithmic ethanol concentration in the range between 3 – 70 mM. The alcohol sensor specifically responded to ethanol, 1-propanol and 1-butanol but did not respond to methanol, secondary alcohols and other nutrients (sugars and organic acids). The alcohol sensor was stable at pH 2 – 12 and at 15 – 25...


Advertising is a financial expense that companies spend on because advertisements led to an increased demand of a product which causes an overall increase in revenue (Schuman, Wangenheim, & Groene, 2014). During the increase of social movements in the year 2016 spiked by large influencers such as Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem in support of racial equity, the researcher analyzed whether or not large companies would begin to use social values such as women empowerment, racial equity, etc. in their advertisements in order to appeal to a larger audience. Thus, in this research paper, the researcher performed a content analysis of a series of advertisements released through the 2016-2019 Super Bowls using a mixed qualitative and quantitative method of coding to determine which variable was most often found in Super Bowl advertisements: conventional marketing strategies or social value


Submitted for the MAR09 Meeting of The American Physical Society Semifluorinated Polymers Confined at the Solid-Air Interface UMESH SHRESTHA, Clemson University, STEPHEN CLARSON, University of Cincinnati, DVORA PERAHIA, Clemson University — Effective responsive layers should exhibit stability while retaining a dynamic mode that will allow reaction of the interface to external stimuli. Semifluorinated polymers have a potential for forming energy controlled responsive interfaces. Because of the high segregation between the fluorinated and protonated segments, well defined structures are induced at relatively short chains, retaining the capability to rearrange on short time scales. Fluorinated segments affect the interfacial energies as well as enhance thermal stability and controls the refractive index and dielectric properties. The present study investigates the interfacial response of poly trifluoro propylmethyl siloxane-polystyrene diblock copolymer (PTFPMS-PS) at volume fractions varying from 0.003 to 0.5 of fluorinated block, at the interface of oxidized silicon wafers. In all volume fractions we found that the air interface is fluorine rich and the solid surface in proton rich. Layering is detected across the films for all volume fractions. Upon annealing the layering is retained, however the interfacial compositions changes. Dvora Perahia Clemson University Date submitted: 22 Nov 2008 Electronic form version 1.4


Model neutron star atmospheres are calculated for typical cooling stars with a strong magnetic field and effective temperatures of 10 exp 5 to 10 exp 6 K. The effect of anisotropic photon diffusion in two normal modes are examined under the assumption that the opacity is due solely to the bremsstrahlung and Thomson scattering processes under conditions of LTE that are expected to prevail at the temperatures and densities obtained. The main aspects of anisotropic photon diffusion, and an original procedure for calculating model atmospheres and emitted spectra are discussed. Representative calculated spectra are given, and it is found that the hard spectral excess characterizing the nonmagnetic case, while still present, becomes less prominent in the presence of magnetic fields in the range of 10 exp 11 to 10 exp 13 G.


Asymmetry of unsteady cavities can be formed when the body moves with a high speed and small attack angle, which is the main design basis of hydrodynamics and hydroballistics. Theoretical model is established based on Logvinovich independence principle, considering the influence of crossflow effect. A typical case is simulated to get cavity length of the face flow surface and the back flow surface, as well as cavity pressure. Finally, the comparison is performed between the results of the theoretical model and the experiment, which confirms the theoretical approach in this study.


The organization of economic education of schoolboys demands development of the uniform approach of an optimum combination of an independent course of economy with others обществоведческими courses, combinations of theoretical forms of carrying out of employment with practical, etc. maintenance of standard bases of transition of educational institutions on profile training.


Investigated resonant tunneling through defect levels in h-BN barrier van der Waals heterostructures. The effect of multiplication of tunnel resonances through these levels was found, due to the influence of a high degree of defectiveness of the structure of the neighboring layer of graphene, created by intentionally processing in plasma. Various mechanisms of such influence are discussed.


Expansion properties of the reaction products of alkali and opal after imbibing water were investigated by a sol - gel expansion method. It is showed that there is a remarkable osmotic pressure in the products, which is the major destroy force of alkali - silica reaction( ASR) , while the expansion value of the products caused by swell is tiny. The pessimum effect of alkali -silica reaction(ASR) is correlated with the limited alkali in solution. At a certain mole ratio of SiO2/ Na2O, for the dissolved silica from opal to alkali in solution, quantity and grains numbers of the dissolved SiO2 will reach to maximum values, resulting in the maximum osmotic pressure, and causing the maximum expansion stress. It is also indicated that ASR can be controlled feasibly by adjusting both the aggregate proportion and the soluble alkali in concrete.


In 1990s, both development of internet and digital economy would make new products such as digital goods. Recently, digital goods composed of softwares, digital contents, and digital services have grown up rapidly in the world market. Characteristics of goods and transaction forms in the international trade of digital goods is different from those of traditional goods. Thus, this difference would appear a new risk that did not exist in the international trade of traditional goods. Identification and confirmation about unique export risks of digital goods would be necessary to the increase of export of digital goods needs; however, in spite of the importance, very few studies have been based on the export risks of digital goods particularly in research on the relationships between export risk management and export performance. This study classifies the types of export risks based on the previous studies, and examines the relationship between both management and identification of export risks.


Abstract INTRODUCTION In leprosy, immune system mediators that regulate the infectious process act in a complex manner and can lead to several clinical outcomes. To understand the behavior of these mediators we quantified the expression of annexin-A1 (ANXA1) in the peripheral blood and plasma as well as tissue leukocytes in all clinical forms of leprosy and compared with healthy controls. METHODS Seventy healthy controls and 70 patients with leprosy, tuberculoid (TT) (n = 13), borderline tuberculoid (BT) (n = 15), borderline borderline (BB) (n = 13), borderline lepromatous (BL) (n = 15), and lepromatous leprosy (LL) (n = 14), were selected. Phenotyping of the lymphocyte cells and the intracellular expression of ANXA1 in leukocytes was performed by immunofluorescence. Plasma protein levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS Histiocytes and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the skin of BL and LL patients had higher ANXA1 expression. ANXA1 expression was also high in circulating polymorphonuclear, monocytes, and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the blood of LL patients compared to those of TT, BT, BB, and BL patients, and these levels were similar to those in healthy controls. Plasma ANXA1 levels indicate an increase in paracrine release in patients with LL. CONCLUSIONS The data indicate that ANXA1 expression is enhanced in the leukocytes and plasma of patients with LL, and may contribute to the inhibition of leukocyte action, leading to inadequate functioning of the immune system and thus contributing to the spread of M. leprae infection.


C5a and IL6 are small proteins that are already industrially produced for pharmaceutical purposes by microbial fermentation. It was shown that producing them in stably transformed tobacco plants was possible as well. Going further, a new construct genetic construct addressing those proteins to the apoplast to bind and store them in the cell wall was made. This system was achieved using a fusion protein which included the TLRP (Tyrosine- and Lysine- Rich Protein). The purpose of this construct was to ease the purification process and reduce its cost. The yields and the actual localizations of the recombinant proteins that this technique could produce were then investigated in order to know if this system was working efficiently. Different lines, tissues and cellular localizations were investigated to find out the best that could be achieved out of this system. Some of the recombinant protein could, as expected, be recovered from the cell wall but no more than 50% of the whole production as most of the collected recombinant proteins remained free in the apoplast. The overall production of those plants was anyway low. The maximum yield of IL6 extracted from the cell wall being around 1 pg/mg of fresh weight for young leaves, which is the most promising tissue analyzed. A new construct using EGFP was as well prepared in order to further analyze this system


Background: Up to date, there have been some studies indicating positive effects of stem cells on treating the liver cirrhosis. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of two methods in which mesenchymal stem cells harvested from umbilical cord blood (UCB-MSCs) were transfused either via portal or tail veins to the mouse models of liver cirrhosis.
 Methods: Liver cirrhosis was induced by CCl4 (1 ml/kg) on male Swiss mice within 11 weeks, followed by administration of 106 UCB-MSCs via the portal or tail vein. After 21 days, blood samples were collected for measuring transaminase, bilirubin and albumin activities. The expression of fibrosis-associated genes, specifically procollagen – alpha 1 and integrin – beta1, were assessed using qRT-PCR. The histopathology was also evaluated using hematoxylin/eosin, Masson trichrome staining and immunohistochemistry with collagen type 1 and alpha-SMA antibody.
 Results: UCB-MSCs transplantation significantly improved post-21 days of treatment in the liver fibrosis mice as compared with placebo group. Notably, UCB-MSCs transferred through portal veins revealed a more positive effect than via tail veins as indicated by the improvement in the biochemical indexes, fibrosis-related genes expression, and liver histopathology.
 Conclusion: The UCB-MSCs therapy proved to be a promising method for treating the liver cirrhosis. The method of delivering stem cells through portal vein was more effective than through tail vein


Principal components analysis (PCA) was employed to process the diatoms of 152 sedimentary samples from the top part (0—398 cm) in deep sea core MD05-2904 from the northern South China Sea (SCS). According to the results of PCA analysis, the history of surface sea water salinity (SSS) variation as well as its main causes was discussed. Similarity between stepwise changes in the monsoonal precipitation record and in the SSS record indicates that fluctuation of the intensity of monsoonal precipitation had been acting as the primary factor for the variation of the SSS since the last deglaciation. Influence of freshwater from the Pearl River was another important factor for the variation of the SSS, but it declined during the middle to late Holocene. The short-term Younger Dryas cold event was also imprinted on our SSS record which was characterized by a pronounced increase of SSS possibly due to the remarkable decrease of monsoonal precipitation. Although our SSS records is comparable to that of core 17940, some disparities do remain possibly due to their distinct meanings. One reflects the local salinity variability while the other represents a comprehensive salinity change due to various causes.


Passive acoustic monitoring has been widely applied to observe the presence, movement and behavior of the target species. For quantitative analysis, the acoustic cue production rate of the target animals must be observed in advance. We examined the detailed pattern of biosonar and swimming behaviors of 10 Yangtze finless porpoises (1 female and 9 males) obtained by electronic tags attached to the animals. The click trains produced by the tagged animal were identified out of other animals' vocalizations using bearing angles calculated by the time-of- arrival differences of the sounds between the two hydrophones in the acoustic tag. The number of click trains produced in 10 min did not relate to the body size or sex and varied from 0 to 290. Although deeper the animals dive, faster they swam, the speed or maximum depth of the animals had no correlation with the number of click trains produced or body size. All parameters we examined had no diurnal rhythm but had independent aperiodic variation. The sound pr...


The statistics obtained for the 716 inpatients and 550 operations at our clinic between January 1981 and December 1985 were reviewed. The patients were most frequently in their sixties, and there was a predominance in males. The most frequent diseases of the inpatients were benign prostatic hypertrophies and bladder tumors. The most performed operations were also those for urological tumors.


The purpose of this research was to compare the competence of bovine oocytes of different breed predominance (Bos taurus v. Bos indicus) to mature and to be fertilized. This was done through the collection, selection, maturation, and fertilization of oocytes from slaughtered cows, predominantly either B. taurus or B. indicus. Only cows that were at least 5/8 B. taurus or 5/8 B. indicus, according to a series of phenotypic characteristics, such as the presence of a hump, dewlap, length of the ears, and others, were selected. To obtain cumulus–oocyte complexes, ovarian follicles (3 to 10 mm in diameter) were aspirated, and only oocytes with 2 or more layers of cumulus cells, an intact zona pellucida, and a homogeneous granular cytoplasm were selected. After selection, oocyte maturation [in vitro maturation (IVM)] and IVF were done. Frozen–thawed semen was used from one Brahman bull (B. indicus). For the evaluation of IVM as for IVF, oocytes were fixed for approximately 24 h at 4°C in a solution of ethanol : acetic acid (3 : 1). They were then stained with 1% acetic orcein. A chi-squared test was performed for all reported rates. The rate of maturation of oocytes from cows with a predominant B. indicus phenotype was 66.93%, whereas cows with a B. taurus phenotype reached 43.10% (P < 0.001). Regarding the fertilization rate, predominantly B. indicus females had 43.68% of oocytes normally fertilized and 41.74% of oocytes were abnormally penetrated. This category included polyspermic and asynchronic (abnormally developed pronucleus) oocytes. In cows with B. taurus predominance, 31.96% of oocytes were normally penetrated and 46.39% were abnormally penetrated by spermatozoa (no significant differences were found). The rate of non-fertilized oocytes was significantly different (P < 0.05) among B. indicus and B. taurus oocytes (6.79 and 17.52%, respectively). A small and nonsignificant proportion of degenerated oocytes resulted in both groups (7.79% for B. indicus and 4.14% for B. taurus). The cleavage rate was not different among phenotypic groups (36.12 and 32.30%, respectively, for B. indicus and B. taurus). In conclusion, the present results indicate that oocytes from predominantly B. indicus cows were more competent than oocytes from cows with a predominance of the B. taurus breed. Nonetheless, this superiority was not evident in terms of cleavage rates. Semen from other B. indicus and B. taurus breeds must be tested to clarify any breed interactions.


Information security is constantly facing new challenges in no small part due to readily available devices for gaining unauthorized access to information, namely intelligence drones. The article discusses major problems of addressing this threat and measures necessary for its mitigation.


The evaluation of science and technology achievements is directly related to its transformation, and the construction of a third-party evaluation index system for its achievements is an important prerequisite for its evaluation. The third party refers to a service organization with high business capabilities and evaluation qualifications, which is relatively more objective, independent and fair. The authors explore and analyzes the problems existing in the evaluation of science and technology achievements, and puts forward an effective strategy for the construction of a third-party evaluation index system for science and technology achievements, hoping to help the smooth development of its third-party evaluation.


This paper describes an effort to optimize liquid-fueled space launch vehicles for minimum cost. The entire launch vehicle is modeled to achieve a low-Earth (circular) orbit using multiple stages. The optimization scheme employs a genetic algorithm (GA) with the goals of minimizing both vehicle weight and vehicle cost per launch. Two and three-stage liquid propellant launch vehicles have been analyzed. In addition, results from an air-launched, two-stage liquid propellant launch vehicle are presented. The vehicle performance modeling requires that analysis from four separate disciplines be integrated into the design optimization process. Modeling of propulsion systems, aerodynamics, mass properties and flight dynamics have been integrated to produce a high fidelity system model of the entire vehicle. An existing, two-stage liquid propellant launch vehicle has been used to validate the two-stage liquid propellant system model. The cost model is mass-based and uses extensive historical data to produce a cost estimating relationship for a liquid propellant vehicle. For the design optimization, the primary goal is for the GA to minimize the differences between the desired and actual orbital parameters. This ensures the payload achieves the desired orbit. The third goal is to minimize total launch vehicle mass and system cost per launch.


It is demonstrated that in an underdense plasma the process of three-dimensional evolution of the short and strong laser pulse with duration about several plasma periods leads to the compression and self-modulation of the pulse, so that during a fairly long period of time the beats of pulse amplitude generate resonantly a strong and stable plasma wakefield. The intensity of the wake-field is so high that it can provide a new promising outlook for the plasma based accelerator concept.


Background and Objectives: Traffic accidents are the most important cause of trauma and mortality in communities. Due to the limited information in this field about Isfahan, a metropolitan in the center of Iran, this study investigates and identifies the epidemiological characteristics of fatal traffic accidents in this city. Methods: This is a case–control study conducted on hospitalized patients due to traffic accidents in 2016-2017. Lethal accidents (n = 189) were considered cases, and a group of survivors (n=189) was the control. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the population were gathered, and compared between the cases and controls. Logistic regression assessment was applied to determine the factors associated with death. Results: Logistic regression assessments revealed that facial and head trauma, chest trauma, abdominal trauma, pelvic trauma, lower extremity trauma, surgical procedure requirement within 12 hours after the accident and intubation were the prognostic factors associated with fatality. Conclusions: According to the findings of this study, mortality due to accidents was independently associated with facial and head, chest, abdominal, pelvic and lower extremity traumas, intubation requirement, and surgery within the first 12 h after the accident. Besides, aging was inversely associated with the chance of survival following a road accident.


In this study, we introduce a new type curve in 3-dimensional space which called B-lift curve and we obtain the Frenet operators of the B-lift curve. Moreover, we consider the correpondence of Frenet operators between the Blift curve and the natural lift curve. Finally, we investigate the B-lift curve according to the main curve is slant helix or darboux helix.


Optimize of the conditions of high density fermentation for the engineering bacterial strain pNSR-16/BL21(DE3) pLysS by orthogonal experiment.Factors such as pH,cultivation temperature,inducer,and the concentration of Gly /Ala were selected and tested at three levels,respectively.The optimum conditions of the parameters were 0.5% Gly/Ala,0.4 mmol/L IPTG,pH 7.0 and 37℃. The optical density of OD600 nm and the target protein could be achieved at 53.1 and 24.3%,respectively,and target protein feeded 410 mg per litre medium.


The population of limited English proficient students is growing. Some of these students also lack core academic skills and knowledge in their first language. To assist recent immigrant students, newcomer programs have been implemented. This article describes the rationale for such programs, types of programs available, and their various features.


This Noragric Report should be regarded as an Annex to Noragric Report No. 14-A, which is entitled "Biotechnology in developing countries: Needs and modes of competence building". The Report was commissioned by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) to Noragric. Dr. Aregay Waktola and Ms. Bayush Tsegaye were commissioned by Noragric to fulfil the study in Noragric Report No. 14-B. The coordinator of the project is Trygve Berg, Noragric.


Screening for ovarian cancer It has been speculated that screening for ovarian cancer in postmenopausal women with cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) and transvaginal ultrasound could be a useful way of reducing mortality from one of the five leading causes of cancer death in women. There was hope that annual testing with biochemical and biophysical methods could create a stage shift, which is a decrease in the absolute number of women diagnosed with late-stage disease identified by screening compared with usual care. Now a report from the authoritative 'Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Randomized Controlled Trial' has been published by Buys et al. (JAMA 2011;305:2295–303). A group of nearly 80 000 women in the USA between the ages of 55 and 75 years were allocated to annual CA-125 plus transvaginal ultrasound screening or 'usual care', which was in essence only reaction to signs or symptoms. The entire cohort was followed up for 13 years. They found that although slightly more (8 versus 6%) women in the intervention group had surgical procedures, the cause-specific and allcause mortality rates were no different. There was no stage shift with the screening mostly (75%) picking up late-stage disease. There were false positives in the 40 000 participants screened, in total about 3000 women, all of whom required further diagnostic procedures including laparotomy in a third of women, which carries its own costs and morbidity. The conclusion was that annual screening 'does not reduce disease-specific mortality in women of average risk for ovarian cancer but does increase invasive medical procedures and associated harms'. The results show that, in its present form, ovarian cancer screening does more harm than good and should not be carried out on a routine basis. This has direct implications for 'Well Woman' surveillance. Our task as doctors is to know the evidence and advise women accordingly. Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy at hysterectomy or not? New evidence is available about the advantages or disadvantages of removing the ovaries in older women at the time of hysterectomy for benign disease. Current wisdom suggests that even after the age of 50 years the ovaries play some protective role in providing hormones preventing cardiovascular disease, making the case for their preservation. Now a large study has found that bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) at hysterectomy may not have an adverse effect on cardiovascular health or indeed hip fracture, cancer or total mortality compared with ovarian conservation (Jacoby et al. Arch Int Med 2011;171:760–8). The researchers followed up over 25 000 women between 50 and 80 years old for 8 years, 56% of whom had BSO and 46% who had their ovaries preserved, and they found no increased risk one way or the other—except for ovarian cancer risk. This was 0.02% in the BSO group and 0.33% in the conservation group with the number needed to treat 323. Although rare, this increased risk may be sufficient to swing the pendulum back towards BSO in the face of equipoise in cardiovascular risk. A woman's life-time risk of ovarian cancer is 1.2%.


Multi stage investment is usually adopted in venture project investment,which creates an opportunity to add investment for the project.The article quotes option theory and uses B S option pricing model to evaluate the opportunity, which overcomes the limit of tradional NPV method and promotes the reasonableness and scientiness of the decision making of venture project investment.


Powder metallurgy (PM) is an important production route of alloys and is also important in terms of its properties and economy. This method is suitable for the production of complex and versatile shapes and structures. In this study, it was tried to improve the microstructure and mechanical properties of CuAlNi and CuAlNi-SiC alloys sintered at constant pressing and constant temperature. Composite samples were manufactured by the PM method by supplementing the CuAlNi powder mixture with SiC powders at different weight ratios (2.5%, 5, 7.5 and 10%) at the micron level. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical microscope were used to determine the microstructures of the manufatured samples, and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction method (XRD) analyzes were used to determine the phases formed in their internal structures. Micro hardness (HV5) was taken to determine the hardness effect. According to the micro structure results, SiC particles were homogeneously dispersed in the structure. Depending on the increasing SiC reinforcement, an increase in hardness values was observed.


Little
information is available for Central America regarding methane and carbon
dioxide mixing ratios in urban areas. This work reports a representative
spatial and seasonal study of near surface carbon dioxide and methane, carried
out between July 2014 and January 2015 (27 weeks) in the Central Valley of Costa
Rica, and other urban and rural sites across the country and covering three
distinct seasons: Mid-summer drought (July-August), wet season
(September-November) and transition period (December-January). The mixing
ratios of both gases are clearly influenced by the metropolitan area, and by
the prevailing atmospheric conditions during the wet season months. Average
carbon dioxide concentration (629 ± 80 ppm) and average methane concentration
(2192 ± 110 ppb) were up to 8% and up to 10%, respectively, higher during the wet
season than the values recorded outside this period. HYSPLIT back air mass
trajectories analysis, and weather data available for the Central Valley,
suggest that these differences arise as result of a reduction in the mixing
layer of depth (~425 m) and the wind speed (~1.5 m/s) across the valley,
favoring the accumulation of polluted air masses in the metropolitan area.
Other natural and anthropogenic sources, like the volcanic emissions of the
Turrialba Volcano and the livestock activities at rural sites, apparently
influence the mixing ratios of both gases across Costa Rica. Although the scope
of this study is limited to representative seasonal conditions of the Central
Valley in 2014 and 2015, it is possible considering the information presented
in this work that the "dome" phenomenon can be assumed to exist.


We present an approach to propositional satisfiability as a Finite State Automata automata construction problem. From a theo- retical point of view it has consequences for languages beyond context free power. There are no consequences on complexity issues due to Au- tomata construction (using intersection) is PSPACE-complete. From a practical point of view it was shown that this approach is competitive with ALL-SAT approaches and even with state of the art SAT solvers on traditional hard problems. Here, we show that techniques used in DPLL can be used in an automata approach. This kind of approach opens a new path of research on propositional satisfiability.


Hemorheological and microcirculatory alterations play an important role in the pathophysiology of sepsis. In severe sepsis blood and plasma viscosity increases, red blood cell deformability is impaired, erythrocyte aggregation is enhanced, and the microcirculation is damaged. For studying pathophysiology and novel treatment possibilities for sepsis, various animal models are known. Using a porcine model of fulminant sepsis, we found that skin microcirculatory distortion appears during the bacteremia and the early phase of sepsis, earlier than the alterations in hemodynamic parameters. Red blood cell deformability and mechanical stability impairment, and decreasing erythrocyte aggregation were observed. Consumption in fibrinogen, effect of nitric oxide, direct effect of bacteria on red blood cells, changes in surface glycocalyx ultrastructure might be the possible explanation of this phenomenon. It is suggested that the fulminant sepsis and the slowly developed severe sepsis differ rheologically.


A manifestly Lorentz-covariant local quantum field theory for dyons is shown to be possible by representing certain degrees of freedom of matter in dual form, viz., the phase by an antisymmetric tensor. For each magnetic matter field there is a {ital Z}{sup 4} local gauge invariance. This implies Dirac quantization conditions. The transformation to the dual representation also reverses the roles of matter and gauge fields, and of Noether and and topological currents.


Traders' expected utilities in fully revealing rational expectations equilibrium (REE) are shown to decrease as the number of informed traders is increased for an asset market model with diverse information as in Grossman (1976). It follows that no trader has any incentive to acquire information even if no other traders do. Consequently, when information acquisition is endogenous, there exists unique overall equilibrium with no trader acquiring information that has the fully revealing REE as an integral part, so that prices would fully reveal private information were it to be acquired by traders. This result provides a strengthening of the fundamental conflict between the efficiency with which markets spread information through the prices and the incentive to acquire information. Both the existence and the no information acquisition feature of the overall equilibrium do not depend on whether traders are endowed with the risky asset or not.


Improved approach to development of expert-system computer programs increases speed of execution on parallel processors; that is, on multiple coordinated computers operating simultaneously, each on different part of problem. Based on detection and analysis of hidden parallelism in knowledge bases (collections of "if...then..." rules) and exploitation of this parallelism to maximize speed of execution on parallel processors connected to each other in hypercube configuration.


The nonlinear absorption (NLA) properties of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) acetone solution were investigated by femtosecond open-aperture (OA) Z-scan technique. The reverse saturable absorption (RSA) was observed, and it was found that the RSA effect was origin from three-photon absorption. Moreover, the influences of concentration and excitation laser power on the NLA of CuPc solution are studied. Results show that the RSA effect increases with the increase of sample concentration and excitation laser power. It indicates that the CuPc could be a promising candidate for optical limiting material.


Wireless systems have recently received a great deal of interest because of their usage. Low noise amplifiers are the most important components of the receiver front end. It has been commonly used in microwave communication, radar, electronic warfare, and a variety of high precision microwave measurement system. LNA performance directly affects the receiving system, so it is indispensable to develop excellent low noise amplifier. Also because of usage in military services as spcecrafts, air planes, radars, satellite communication, guided missile and easy production, patch antennas has been taken part in antenna designing in recent years. Contacless ECG monitoring is important because it is used for determining alive people in earthquake, finding people in antiterorism operations, babies and adults who has sensitive or damaged skin. Improvement must be done in doppler radar ECG monitoring by increasing the measurement distance. In our study importance of the ECG and the studies don before is reviewed.


Parameter estimation problems in image based systems biology face problems such as partial observations, high noise levels and parameter indeterminacy combined with the computational complexity of PDE models. This work develops a novel fast method for uncertainty quantification for PDE constrained inverse problems with a special focus on the requirements of systems biology. The merits of the method are evaluated on two biological applications, which yielded new biological insights.


Progress in the microscopic theory of electron degradation in gases by Platzman, Fano, and co-workers is outlined. The theory consists of (1) the cataloging of all major inelastic-collision cross sections for electrons (including secondary-electron energy distribution in a single ionizing collision) and (2) the evaluation of cumulative consequences of individual electron collisions for the electrons themselves as well as for target molecules. For assessing the data consistency and reliability and extrapolating the data to the unexplored ranges of variables (such as electron energy), a series of plots devised by Platzman are very powerful. Electron degradation spectra were obtained through numerical solution of the Spencer--Fano equation for all electron energies down to the first ionization thresholds for a few examples such as He and Ne. The systematics of the solutions resulted in the recognition of approximate scaling properties of the degradation spectra for different initial electron energies and pointed to new methods of more efficient treatment. Systematics of the ionization yields and their energy dependence on the initial electron energy were also recognized. Finally, the Spencer--Fano equation for the degradation spectra and the Fowler equation for the ionization and other yields are tightly linked with each other by a set ofmore » variational principles. (52 references, 7 figures) (DLC)« less


Histogram equalization is the simplest method of image enhancement. Mean brightness and contrast are important parameters of an image. Artifacts are generated if the original mean brightness of an image is not preserved. A high contrast provides good visual quality. Contrast can be increased by increasing entropy of the image. Entropy can be maximized by making the image histogram as flat as possible. In this paper, the trade-off between mean brightness and maximum entropy performed to achieve high contrast image with conserved mean brightness.


This paper presents an analytically-derived method of combining non-identical solar cell parameters into an array parameter. The derivation of the array parameters is based on the assumption that the array V-I equation is of the same form as that of the single cell. It was shown that the array contains two photocurrents, one at the open circuit voltage and the other depends on load. Aggregation of non-identical solar cells into modules or arrays results in mismatch losses. These losses increase with a larger dispersion in the cell parameters. Therefore, a measure of the array quality is important for the design of photovoltaic systems. In this study three quality factors for the array were derived analytically. They are Array Matching Factor (AMF), Relative Power Loss (RPL), and Array Curve Fill Factor (CFFa).


ABSTRACT: Colorectal carcinomas are rare in children. Between 1993 and 1998 only 2 cases were treated in our institute. Hospital records and world literature were reviewed. Laparatomy was performed in both the cases. The primary tumor site was in the hepatic flexure in the first case and in the rectum in the second. Right Hemicolectomy was done in the first case and low anterior resection in the second. In both the cases chemotherapy was given (5FU).


The technique of Test pattern generation plays a key role in Built-In-Self-Test(BIST) architecture implementation. Main problem with any test pattern generator is to produce extended, random path succession which is applied to Circuit Under Test(CUT) for detecting faults. As real long numbers can be acquired as a part of physical developments only, these are complex to be employed inactual applications. Therefore, pseudorandom numbers are generated by artificial design patterns. In this paper we present a variation on a built-in-self-test (BIST) technique, which is based upon a pseudo random number generator derived from a onedimensional linear hybrid cellular automata (LHCA) array. Certain types of circuit faults are undetectable using the correlated bit streams produced by linear-feedback-shift-register (LFSR). In addition it is noted that CA implementations exhibit data compression properties similar to the LFSR. It is also possible that some of the analysis of pseudorandom testing may be more directly applicable to LHCA-based pseudorandom testing than to LFSR-based schemes. In the last two decades, researchers devoted many efforts to reduce the average power consumption in VLSI systems during normal operation mode, while power consumption during test operation mode was usually neglected. However, during test application circuits are subject to an activity level higher than the normal one: the extra power consumption due to test application may thus rise severe hazards to the circuit reliability. Moreover, it can dramatically shorten battery life when periodic testing of battery-powered systems is considered. In this paper we propose an algorithm to design a Test Pattern Generator based on Hybrid Cellular Automata for testing combinational circuits that effectively reduces power consumption.


PART 4 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION 4.1 Applications—approved form 4.2 Applications—requirements for filing 4.3 Representation of trade marks 4.4 Specification of goods and/or services 4.5 Period for claiming priority for an application 4.6 How to claim priority 4.7 Publication of particulars of application 4.8 Examination of application—report to applicant 4.9 Examination—applicant's response to report 4.10 Examination—further report to applicant 4.12 Periods after which applications lapse 4.13 Deferment of acceptance 4.14 Period for which acceptance is deferred 4.15 Trade marks containing etc. certain signs 4.16 Divisional applications relating to part of trade mark—period for application 4.17 Divisional applications relating to excluded goods and/or services—prescribed periods 4.18 Request for expedited examination of application 4.19 Expedited examinations


Summary Apposite assay to create an evidence for homeopathic system of medicine assembles basic, preclinical as well as clinical research. In foundation of all these studies the only clue which remained is to search for mechanism of action of medicines. Ultra molecular dilutions of homeopathically potentised drugs proved clinical efficacy in number of disease conditions. But same potencies fail to reproduce standard tests in conventional medicine. UV spectrophotometric analysis carried in different experiments proved logical. Detection of drug substance cannot be appeased in homeopathic potencies but altered physicochemical dimensions and properties could be relevant to the issue. In conventional medicine concentration of drug substance is according to Beer's law, on the contrary homeopathic potencies shows nonlinear phenomena at 210nm when compared to serial dilutions of same drugs and dispensing alcohol as a standard control.


This review describes experimental designs (users, search tasks, measures, etc.) used by 31 controlled user studies of information visualization (IV) tools for textual information retrieval (IR) and a meta-analysis of the reported statistical effects. Comparable experimental designs allow research designers to compare their results with other reports, and support the development of experimentally verified design guidelines concerning which IV techniques are better suited to which types of IR tasks. The studies generally use a within-subject design with 15 or more undergraduate students performing browsing to known-item tasks on sets of at least 1,000 full-text articles or Web pages on topics of general interest-news. Results of the meta-analysis (N = 8) showed no significant effects of the IV tool as compared with a text-only equivalent, but the set shows great variability suggesting an inadequate basis of comparison. Experimental design recommendations are provided which would support comparison of existing IV tools for IR usability testing. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Minimal intervention dentistry is a modern dental practice designed around the principal aim of preservation of as much of the natural tooth structure as possible. The concept includes the use of all available information and techniques ranging from accurate diagnosis of caries, caries risk assessment and preservation to technical procedures in repairing restoration. The article discusses the advances in techniques and materials that have led to change and attempts to put them into perspective. The ultimate goal of minimal intervention is to extend the lifetime of the restored tooth with as little intervention as possible.


Based on analyzing the domestic current situation and problems of heat treatment industry,this paper proposes several suggestions for improving managing capability in the field of heat treatment based on continuous improvement as the goal,supporting by multi-level knowledge base,emphasizing visible management,lean-control of process,and information platform of performance evaluation and improving.According to the guiding idea of "facing equipment,facing workshop,facing enterprise and facing industry",a full range of programs and proposals for the heat treatment to enhance the professional capacity of the integrated management are provied in this paper.Finally,the validity and practicability of the project are examined by the background for the application of Dalian Haiwei Corp.


&NA; This study was to investigate the effect of resveratrol on intestinal morphology, microfloras, and barrier integrity of broilers subjected to heat stress. Two‐hundred‐seventy 21‐day‐old Cobb male broilers were randomly allocated to 3 treatment groups, each of which included 6 replicates with 15 birds per replicate. The 3 treatment groups were as follows: the control group, in which birds were exposed to thermoneutral condition (22 ± 1°C), and the heat stress group and heat stress + resveratrol (400 mg/kg) group, in which birds were exposed to cyclic heat stress (33 ± 1°C for 10 h/d from 0800 to 1800 h and 22 ± 1°C for the remaining time. Compared with birds in the control group, birds in the heat stress group exhibited decreased (P < 0.05) final body weight, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, villus height, villus height to crypt depth ratio, goblet cells numbers, populations of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and mRNA levels of mucin‐2, claudin‐1, occludin, zona occludens‐1, and E‐cadherin, and increased (P < 0.05) crypt depth, serum D‐lactic acid and fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran contents and diamine oxidase activity, and populations of Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and Clostridium. Compared with birds in the heat stress group, birds in the heat stress + resveratrol group exhibited decreased (P < 0.05) crypt depth, serum D‐lactic acid and fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran contents, and populations of Escherichia coli, and increased (P < 0.05) final body weight, villus height, villus height to crypt depth ratio, goblet cells numbers, populations of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and mRNA levels of mucin‐2, claudin‐1, occludin, and E‐cadherin. Taken together, these results indicated for the first time that dietary addition of resveratrol was effective in partially ameliorating the adverse effects of heat stress on intestinal barrier function in broilers by restoring the impaired villus‐crypt structure, modifying the profiles of intestinal microfloras, and altering the mRNA expression of intestinal tight junctions‐ and adherence junctions‐related genes.


Anon-LTEmodelforstellarwindsfromYoungStel- lar Objects(YSOs) was established. This paper presents the re- sults of an extensive set of calculations. Our basic assumptions in the model are: (a) the central sources are early B-type stars with steady mass loss rates and luminosities in the range of 10 3 � 10 4 solar luminosity; (b) wind has a spherical symmetric geometry and a pure hydrogen composition; (c) the wind has a constantvelocityandconstantelectrontemperature.Weadopted theSobolevapproximationtotreatthelinetransferproblem.Our calculations indicate that the matter in stellar wind from YSOs deviates strongly from LTE. We have computed the hydrogen line fluxes and line ratios for a set of model parameters. We find a clear correlation be- tween the lineflux ratios of Pf/Brand Br/Br�,Pa�/Brand Br/Br�,whichareonlyweaklydependentonthephysicalcon- ditions of stellar winds and central sources. These relationships can be applied to estimate the foreground extinction of YSOs.


Purpose of study: Evaluate our surgical site infection (SSI) rate in scoliosis surgery against nationally agreed standards, examine local practices to limit SSI and compare metalwork survivorship in the presence of infection. Methods and Results : Retrospective analysis of patients undergoing instrumented correction of scoliosis with or without fusion between September 2003 and January 2009. Clinical and laboratory records of 134 patients (age range 10 months to 22 years) were examined for any evidence of SSI. There were 14 (10.4%) SSI cases, of which 8 (5.9%) were clinically significant deep SSIs, which is slightly higher than a pooled SSI rate of 2.2% from a meta-analysis of infection in spinal surgery (range 1.2 to 8.5%)1. Half of our deep SSIs occurred in neuromuscular scoliosis corrections with the most prevalent pathogen being E. Coli (28%) overall. All deep SSI patients underwent surgical debridement and iv antibiotics and we were able to retain the metalwork in all early (within 21 days) SSIs (6 of 8) but in neither late SSI (588 and 814 days). No single common variable was identified from our data-set as a risk factor for SSI although high staff numbers in theatre was noted. Infection rate increased toward the end of our series which coincided with a change in antibiotic prophylaxis protocol and paradoxically with a move to a laminar flow theatre. Conclusion : Our SSI rate in scoliosis surgery was not significantly higher than previously published pooled rates. No single common variable was identified as risk factor for SSI. An empirical return to previous antibiotic prophylaxis could be recommended along with limiting staff numbers and movements within the operating theatre. Ethics approval: Audit/service standard in trust Conflict of Interest Statement: None


The achieving to being credited by high quality for an educational institution is a priority, that quality is measured from different factors where one of the most important is updating the curriculum in the current trends in this own science. The bibliographies exposed in each subject of a academic program become to measure and understand the trends in which a program is focusing and also if they are updated, the bibliometrics as a scientific field, is the tool to measure these factors. Therefore, this research aims to comparatively analyze one of the subjects of the career of Information Science and Librarianship of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in relation to current trends in the area exposed in the database ISI Web of Science (WoS).


An efficient and effective support vector machine for online seizures detection is presented. The kernel designed is based on features generated from bivariate histograms of EEG half-wave attributes. The training is online using a simple heuristic known as chunking. The case study presented illustrates the performance of the method on typical neonatal seizures


In Decembmber of 2006, I traveled to Pakistan, where my classmate John Hellmann and I conducted interviews with teachers and staff of Developments in Literacy (DIL) schools. Our work and research in Pakistan were components of a Master's in Public Policy client project, and involved a seven-month organizational assessment to aid Developments in Literacy in its efforts to bring education to the disadvantaged girls and boys of Pakistan. I n Pakistan, only 53% of population is literate—where literacy is defined as the ability to write a simple letter and read a newspaper. As in many countries where women's basic human rights are still emerging in the political and public spheres, literacy rates reflect entrenched cultural inequities. In some regions of Pakistan the An Assessment of the Nonprofit Organization, Developments in Literacy G irls' Education in Rural Pakistanliteracy gap between men and women can be as large as 45 percentage points. Take for example the North West Frontier Province that borders with Afghanistan. There the male literacy rate is 61%, while the female literacy rate is an abysmal 22%. In some rural areas of the country such as Kalat in the Province of Balochistan, only 9% of women are literate


The exhaustion of fossil energy and the severe pollution induced by using plastics has forced people to embark on the road to sustainable development. The high value of the recycling of plastics has become an important part of energy conservation. Microwave treatment, owning specific interactions between the electric field and the molecules of treated materials, presents potential advantages in the application of plastic pyrolysis. Therefore, the research status of the microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) of plastics to produce high-value-added liquid oil, gas, and solid carbon was reviewed in this paper. The effects of plastic properties, microwave treatment parameters, microwave absorbers, co-pyrolysis, catalysts, and reactor devices on the process and the products were analyzed. It is essential to optimize the experimental design by studying microwave-assisted co-pyrolysis technology and the application of catalysts, understanding the mechanism of co-pyrolysis to improve product selectivity. At the same time, the continuous MAP device for large-scale plastics treatment still needs to be developed. In addition, developing a large-scale simulation computing research platform for screening catalysts, optimizing processes, and commercial production is required to make the process more efficient.


Presents stratigraphic and paleontologic evidence which supports the claim that three, not four, oolitic iron ore beds are present in the Aalenian (Jurassic) deposits of the Nancy basin and other parts of Lorraine, France.


Based on the analysis of the layout of domestic electric energy metering and billing system and its data transmission modes, and considering modern computer network security technology, it is put forward to use the digital signature technique to ensure the integrity of remote data, at the same time, the security of electric energy metering and billing system can be further enhanced by using firewall and physical isolation gateway device to the data in the master station of the system. The electric energy metering and billing systems which use these techniques are applied in many domestic regional power networks.


A metal-free and completely regioselective three-component synthesis of highly functionalized pyridines from 1,3-dicarbonyl derivatives and Michael acceptors has been achieved. Activated Michael acceptors, that is, β,γ-unsaturated α-oxo carbonyl derivatives, were utilized, allowing substitution at the 4-position and remarkable functional diversity at the 2-position of the pyridine ring. The scope and limitations of this environmentally friendly domino reaction are disclosed, with full experimental data, and the results of mechanistic investigations are discussed.


Based on CMOS 0. 18um process,a two- stage Fully Differential Operational Amplifier used in Pipelined ADC was put forward. The operational amplifier( opamp) was composed of telescopic cascade input stage and a common- source output gain stage. A Miller compensation circuit and clock feed through frequency compensation( CFFC) circuit were used for the sake of phase margin and settling time. Above all,a steady common mode feedback( CMFB) circuit was adopted. Simulation results show that,under 1.8V supply power with 2 pF capacitive load,the proposed opamp has a 81. 09 dB DC gain,a 792. 1MHz unity gain bandwidth,a 47. 98° phase margin,and a39. 12ns settling time. The opamp has high gain,sufficient phase margin and low settling time which is applicable for stage gain circuit and sample and hold circuit of high resolution pipelined ADC.


There are many differences between the anti-seismic behaviors of space frames and those of traditional buildings.In fact,there is still a lack of anti-seismic code for space frames until now.So how to perform the effective anti-seismic design of such structures has been the critical question in practice.According to performance-based anti-seismic design idea and significant research achievement obtained recently,the paper presents a new method for anti-seismic design of space frames that can provide reference for enacting new code in future.


In order to satisfy the needs of constant economic growth, the pressure to exploit natural resources has been increasing rapidly in China. Particularly with the implementation of the National Western Development Strategies since 1999, more and more mining activities and related infrastructure constructions have been conducted on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Mining activities are known to have substantial impacts on plant dynamics and hence the water and energy cycles. Identifying mining activities and quantifying their effects on vegetation cover are critical to the monitoring and protection of the pristine TP environment. Thus, this study aims to develop an automated approach that detects the timing of initial mining development and assess the spatial distribution of mining-ruined vegetation. The Breaks for Additive Seasonal and Trend (BFAST) algorithm was used to decompose the signal in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series derived from high-frequency MODIS images, and to detect abrupt changes of surface vegetation. Results show that the BFAST algorithm is able to effectively identify abrupt changes in vegetation cover as a result of open-mining development on the studied alpine grassland. The testing study in Muli Town of Qinghai Province shows that the mining development began in 2003 and massive destructions of vegetation cover followed between 2008 and 2012. The integrated use of Landsat imagery and multi-temporal DEMs further reveals detailed areal and volumetric changes in the mining site. This study demonstrates the potential of applying multi-mission satellite datasets to assess large-scale environmental influences from mining development, and will be beneficial to environmental conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in remote regions.


Industrial structure,the framework of economic structure,greatly affects the changes of the economic structure and the rate of economic growth.To help Zhuzhou achieve better and faster economic development,we should take modern industrialization as driving force,look on cyclical economy as a direction,stick to the road of industrialization with Zhuzhou's characterisitics supported by the "two types of industries";we should further adjust and optimize Zhuzhou's industrial structure,see clearly the strategic objectives and priorities of the adjustment and the optimization;We should handle correctly the relations between basic industries and pillar industries,adjust rationally three industrial structures;We should use high technology to transform traditional industries,and take the resource-saving and environment-friendly road of industrialization;We should build better park economy to promote the Leapfrog development of Zhuzhou's high-tech industry and make good use of information technology to drive industry optimization.


Dr Alice Gorman is a space archaeologist, and Zoe Boccabella has written the story of her family's migration to Australia. They are both preserving recent history.


Objective:To investigate the role of TACE in the mechanism of sciatica due to disc herniation.Methods:Autologous nucleus pulposus was applied to the peripheral of the L4 and L5 nerve roots and DRGs to construst animal model.Then Von Frey filaments and a thermal testing device(RTX-1 type)were used to quantify behavior test.Immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR were used to detect the ex-pression changes of TNF-αand TACE to analyze their correlation with the nerve behavior change.Results:The mRNA expression of TNF-αand TACE increased significantly(P0.05)in DRGs,and nerve roots 4 days after operation,especially 1 week(P0.01)after op-eration.Three weeks after operation,the expression restored gradually to normal.There was a time correlation between the mRNA ex-pression of TNF-αand TACE.Conclusion:TACE causes the shedding of the active TNF-αfrom cell membrane,and it's a new thera-py target to inhibit the action of TNF-α,so the antogonist of TACE may play an important role in the treatment of sciatica.


Electron beam-induced contamination is one of the annoying problems in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) inspection process. When electron beam continuously scans the specimen surface, hydrocarbon molecules (from vacuum pump) in the chamber or on the specimen surface are broken down and adhered to the specimen. This may alter or hidden away the structure of smaller feature in interest and causes it to be invisible. An effective way to confront with this contamination is using plasma cleaner to remove this undesirable residual.


One of my favorite movies is High Noon, starring Gary Cooper as Sheriff Will Kane. The movie starts with Will getting married to his new wife (Grace Kelly) in a small western town in the late 1800s. He retired as a very successful sheriff and was leaving town forever with his new bride, when he found out that a bad guy, Frank Miller, was returning from jail (where Will sent him) on the noon train to meet some of his friends and kill the people who sent him to jail. The movie takes place in "real time:" less than two hours. The clock is regularly shown as Will attempts to get people in the town to help him confront the bad guys. The town people had a lot of respect for Will when he was sheriff, but when he postpones leaving in order to deal with Miller and his gang, Will finds that recruiting volunteers to help him confront the four armed men is impossible. Everyone has various excuses for not helping him, including, "It is not my problem." Will had doubts about his decision and was very scared. At noon, Will goes to meet Miller and his gang all alone. After he kills the gang as the town watches from safety, he throws his sheriff's badge on the ground and rides away with his wife.


The focus of internal combustion engine development for urban vehicles
is shifting towards reducing materials by making them lighter. In order
to maintain thermal and flow levels, a model was developed to study the
thermal behavior of valve seats during periodic contact, which can also
help improve engine performance and fuel efficiency. The model,
composed of two cylindrical bars in periodic contact, takes into account
the evolution and topography of the contact surface. The model's
performance was evaluated through various experimental studies and
showed a maximum difference of 5.05% with experimental values, in
good agreement with previous literature. The results showed that heat
flux increases with increasing contact frequency and thermal diffusivity
affects conductive transfer. This model can be used by manufacturers to
evaluate cylinder head temperature and by the automotive industry to
improve heat transfer in engines.

https://ein.org.pl/pdf-162911-88940?filename=Study of the periodic.pdf


The magnetogravitational instability of compressible streaming superposed fluids pervaded by different transverse magnetic fields is investigated. A perturbed sinusoidal wave is assumed to propagate along the direction of the streaming velocities. The stability criterion has been derived in a general form, and some limiting cases are recovered from it. The influences of different forces and factors are identified. The system under consideration is unstable not only for states with long wavelengths but also for those with short wavelengths.


A low-noise, low-distortion AM wideband CMOS amplifier that matches a capacitive antenna is presented. The amplifier uses a single-ended input stage to realize optimal noise matching with a capacitive source of 75 pF. The equivalent input noise voltage is as low as 0.7 mu V/sub rms/ within 2.5-kHz IF (intermediate frequency) bandwidth. A differential symmetrical class-AB output stage is optimized to large-scale signal distortion performance. With an 8-V single-power supply the amplifier is capable of driving a 7-V/sub pp//1-MHz signal into a 400- Omega load with a total harmonic distortion of 2%. A very high dynamic range of 130 dB has thus been achieved. An intermodulation-free dynamic range up to 96 dB and an IM3 intercept of 18 V/sub pp/ have been measured. The amplifier is fabricated in a standard 3- mu m n-well CMOS technology. Design details concerning noise, distortion, and stability performance are analytically described. >


Observations have shown the need of adequate collaboration among the engineering educators for effective achievement of its goals. Nevertheless, there have been reports of the inadequate relationship among engineering educators. Consequently, it is vital to develop strategies to boost the synergy among the parties. Computational Thinking (CT) could be a dependable approach. This paper presents ways of ensuring synergy among engineering educators through computational thinking. A questionnaire survey that sought information from the respondents on the ways computational thinking: promotes thinking abilities, reduces personal clashes, and improves decision-making process among the engineering educators was administered to 400 respondents. 348 survey answers were returned, found reliable and used in the data analysis. The analysis revealed that computational thinking plays vital roles in the repositioning of engineering education for solving of novel problems, assurance of mutual respect among educators, and intensive research for renown engineering education with relative contribution index above 0.8. The paper recommends the development of a computational thinking based comprehensive engineering educators' synergy framework as a suggestion for future research.


Austin marched out of class last Wednesday to protest the methods used by UT Regents to select the new permanent president of that campus, Lorene Rogers. Rogers, who had been named president ad interim after Stephen Spurr was fired almost exactly a year ago, was named the new president at the Regents' meeting Septem-ber 12 over the objections of a special Faculty-Student Advisory Committee set up to screen applicants. Rogers' name was not among the list of five candidates sent to the Selection Committee (dominated by the Regents and UT administrators) which made the actual choice. In fact, the Advisory Committee voted unanimously on four separate occasions not to include Rogers on that list. The first day of the strike was highlighted by a large noontime rally on the main mall. Between 5000 and 7000 students gathered to hear nine speakers, including state legislators, faculty and students, call for Rogers' resignation. SHAFT (Students Helping Academic Freedom at Texas), the coalition of campus political groups which organized the strike, has urged students to boycott classes until Rogers quits. As of Friday, however, the strike appeared to be waning; class attendance was down only by 5 to 10 percent.. Perhaps a more serious blow to Rogers' presidency came the day before (Tuesday) when the General Faculty demanded her immediate rsignation. Secretary of the General Faculty John Durbin estimated 95% of the 700 faculty in attendance (there are 1700 total faculty) voted against Rogers. Also at its Tuesday meeting, the General Faculty overwhelmingly voted not to work with the standing committees appointed by the president nor to take part in University Council until Rogers resigns. The faculty also passed, by large margins, three other resolutions: one endorsing a statement by the Faculty-Student Advisory Committee denouncing the selection process; another denouncing the Regents for their "departure from sound educational principles"; and a third pledging to inflict no reprisals on students boycotting classes in protest of Rogers' appointment. Last year, after the controversial firing of Stephen Spurr as president, the General Faculty voted not to accept as president any person who had not been approved by the Faculty-Student Advisory Committee. Despite the barrage of criticism, Rogers has insisted she has "no intention of resigning." In a brief speech at the beginning of Tuesday's faculty meeting, she said she made her decision to accept the appointment "in the best interests of the University" since UT "would …


Several well-known equations for estimating the crack length in the SE(B) specimens from the normalized CMOD compliance are evaluated based on two- and three-dimensional finite element analyses. Two-dimensional analyses are carried out first to verify the reported accuracy and applicable ranges for each equation based on the plane strain models with six different crack lengths. Three-dimensional analyses are then carried out to estimate the errors of prediction of the equations that evaluate the crack length from the plane stress- and plane strain-based CMOD compliances. Both plain-sided and side-grooved models are included in the three-dimensional analyses and have seven different thickness-to-width ratios. The error of prediction of a given equation is largely impacted by the thickness-to-width ratio, crack length, presence of side grooves, and use of the plane stress- and plane strain-normalized CMOD compliance. Based on the errors of prediction, the relevance of the plane strain and plane stress conditions to the actual state of stress in the ligament of the SE(B) specimens is inferred. Knowledge of the relevance of the plane stress and plane strain conditions can be used to select either plane stress- or plane strain-based CMOD compliance in the crack length-CMOD equations and improve the accuracy of the prediction.Copyright © 2012 by ASME and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada


ABSTRACT: Anal sac neoplasms are common in companion animals, and the epidemiological profile has been extensively described in international studies; however, national data are still lacking. Data on the Brazilian reality of anal sac carcinoma cases' diagnosis and treatment are also scarce. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate cases of canine anal sac carcinoma and assess the profile of involvement, tumor size, and lymphatic invasion at the time of diagnosis. Information was obtained from Vetpat laboratory database, from 260 cases spanning a 12-year period (2010-2021). In histopathological evaluation at the time of diagnosis, data on sex, age, and race were described, as well as tumor size and lymphatic invasion. The presence of metastasis was also assessed in cases where lymph nodes were sampled. Simple descriptive statistical analysis was used to evaluate the data. Adult and elderly, female, and mixed-breed animals were more involved, indicating differences from international studies that can be attributed to sociocultural factors. In terms of tumor size, it was observed that 93% of the cases had the largest diameter above 2.5cm. Only 7% of the cases had the largest diameter below 2.5cm, demonstrating the often late diagnosis and the importance of rectal palpation examination during the general physical assessment of canine patients, particularly at an advanced age. Regarding lymphatic invasion and affected lymph nodes, 50% of the cases had lymphatic invasion described in the histopathological examination. However, only 5% of the lymph nodes were sent along with the primary tumor, indicating the disease's aggressive behavior but with possible metastases underdiagnosed.