A trend that has marked Latin American documentary cinema since at least the early 2000s is a disdain for the omniscient narrator. The recent films of João Moreira Salles, Andrés Di Tella, and Nicolás Prividera follow this trend. Rather than focusing on collective memory or grand narratives and taking the approach of more traditional, mainstream documentaries, these three films focus instead on the ruptures, interstices, and fragments of such totalizing accounts of history and memory. In a distinctly postmodern fashion, the repudiation of a totalizing history is at the center of these three intimate and markedly melancholic explorations of how the task of memorializing and defining the past takes shape. All three documentary films feature personal, familial artifacts as their centerpiece. While Salles's No intenso agora showcases the video footage from his mother's trip to Maoist China during the Cultural Revolution, Prividera's Adiós a la memoria inspects home movies and family photos shot by his father before the latter's memory deteriorated in the years following the forced disappearance of his wife, the director's mother. Di Tella's Ficción privada focuses on the letters written between his Indian immigrant mother and Argentine father and dramatizes these epistolary exchanges using a pair of hired actors who are also in a romantic relationship. It is important to note that while Prividera's and Di Tella's documentaries revolve almost entirely around these familial artifacts and dynamics, Salles's production does not limit itself to the family story but goes beyond it to examine often anonymous archival footage of other revolutionary conflicts of the 1960s, namely the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the Paris uprisings in May 1968. Although all three documentary films explore political events, what unifies them is their exploration of this past through a heavily depoliticized lens. Rather than focusing


A 75-year-old woman underwent a follow-up colonoscopy after polypectomy of colorectal adenomas. A 20-mm polyp with submucosal invasion was diagnosed endoscopically in the lower rectum, marked with tattoo, and the patient was then referred to our institute for surgery. Colonoscopy revealed a 20-mm reddish protruding lesion with tattooing laterally on both sides of the lesion (▶Fig. 1). The macroscopic type was 0-Is, the Japanese Narrow-Band Imaging Expert Team classification was type 3, and the pit pattern was VN, suggesting submucosal invasion. As the patient did not wish a stoma to be made, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) was attempted, and she was enrolled in a clinical trial (JCOG1612) investigating the efficacy of chemoradiation after local resection of rectal cancer [1]. After injecting the anal side, where the effect of the prior tattooing was minimal, we made a mucosal incision and a flap (▶Fig. 2), revealing black submucosa together with severe fibrosis (▶Video 1). A clip with line (▶Fig. 3) [2] enabled good visibility of the cutting layer. We finally managed to complete resection in 62 minutes. Black tissue was spread almost all over the submucosa (▶Fig. 4) on the vertical side. The pathological diagnosis was 16×15mm, tub1> tub2, pT1b (SM: 4000μm), INFb, Ly0 (D2–40), V1 (EVG) (SM), BD1, Pn0, HM0, VM0. Severe fibrosis with black staining was identified pathologically (▶Fig. 5). Endoscopic resection is sometimes performed after tattooing, because the preoperative diagnosis of the invasion depth is different from that at the previous hospital, or for submucosal invasive cancer together with subsequent chemoradiotherapy [1]. Although severe fibrosis and black submucosa have led to difficulty in finding the appropriate cutting plane and achieving en bloc resection [3], successful ESD by conventional [4] or tissue retractor system-assisted methods [5] have been reported. By using the clip with line, which is an easy and inexpensive method, successful ESD was achieved in the present case.


Within the context of HIV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa there is a growing move away from information-based health education towards the development of community-based participatory interventions. This progress has not been matched by the development of conceptual tools and indicators for evaluating the psycho-social and community-level changes which such programmes seek to bring about. Programme evaluators still rely overwhelmingly on individual behavioural and biomedical outcome measures, paying less attention to the processes underlying such outcomes. This paper outlines the rationale and conceptual framework underlying the planned evaluation strategy of a recently implemented three-year HIV-prevention project in the gold mining district of Carletonville. This evaluation seeks not only to measure the extent to which the programme succeeds or fails in having an impact (on levels of HIV and STDs as well as levels of perceived risk and condom use), but also to document the psycho-social and community-level dynamics underlying project outcomes.


The time dependent Maxwell system is supplemented with the constitutive relations of linear bianisotropc media and is treated as a neutral integro-differential equation in a Hilbert space. By using the theory of abstract Volterra equations and strongly continuous semigroups we obtain general well-posedness results for the corresponding mathematical problem.


The thermal degradation behavior of banana fiber and polypropylene/banana fiber composites has been studied by
thermogravimetric analysis. Banana fiber was found to be decomposing in two stages, first one around 320 degrees C and the second one around 450 degrees C. For chemically treated banana fiber, the decomposition process has been at a higher temperature, indicating thermal stability
for the treated fiber. Activation energies for thermal degradation were estimated using Coats and Redfern method. Calorific value of the banana fiber was measured using a constant volume isothermal bomb calorimeter. rystallization studies exhibited an increase in the crystallization
temperature and crystallinity of polypropylene upon the addition of banana fiber. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:1113-1123, 2010. (C) 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers.


The behavior and reactions to the toxicity of the animals were observed, and the number of dead mice were collected by intragastric administering 10,8,6,4,5.12,4.1g.kg(body weight) separately. Then the LD_(50) were calculated by comprehensive methods. The results suggested that LD_(50) of the sulfation pachymaran(sp) was 7.358g.kg~(-1),and 95% average incredible range of LD_(50) was 7.358+-0.894g.kg~(-1).These data showed that sulfated pachymaran was low toxicity.


In 1945, "we the peoples" of the United Nations pledged "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind". Integral to this commitment was the premise that disarmament, including the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction and the regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces, was a necessary step towards achieving the ambitious international peace and security goals of the United Nations. This article critically examines the statutory basis, as well as the past, present and future roles, of the primary United Nations institutions responsible for disarmament—namely, the General Assembly and the Security Council. Finally, it considers how they can be better utilized in the name of this ambitious goal and in fulfilment of the United Nations Charter.


It was a landmark in Hawai'i's history—that summer of 1898. It was a time of endings and beginnings, of exuberant rejoicing and quiet sadness, of new hope and confidence and of reluctant relinquishing of old loyalties. It was the year of annexation. Five summers had passed since the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, and three since the valiant but futile attempt to restore Lili'uokalani as queen. Yet in early 1898 the annexation treaty, eagerly ratified by the officials of the Republic of Hawaii, was quite unable to command a two-thirds vote of approval in the United States Senate. The joint resolution which took its place before Congress likewise languished, until many wondered what the final outcome would be. But when America went to war with Spain in April, 1898, and hostilities quickly spread to the Pacific, it was evident that Hawai'i's future was bound irrevocably to that of the United States. The May Day entrance of Admiral Dewey into Manila Bay pushed the battle front almost five thousand miles to the west of the Islands. Coal piles along Honolulu's esplanade became worth their weight in gold. Hawai'i must choose between neutrality and alliance with the nation it long had hoped to join. The decision was prompt and positive. The Spanish minister's protests went unheeded. Telegrams to Washington followed one another as fast as steamers could carry them to San Francisco. (There was no cable then between Honolulu and the West Coast.) On April 12 Hawai'i offered to grant four extra coal-storage lots at the harbor's edge. On April 30 the Republic of Hawai'i proposed to deploy one hundred volunteers from the Hawai'i National Guard to fight in Cuba. On May 10 Hawai'i sent instructions to its representative in Washington to ascertain from the United States "what it wishes this Government to do in the way of assistance and special privileges," together with authority to "negotiate a treaty of alliance between the two governments."


3,5-Dinitro-salicylaldehyde(m.p. 57℃-59℃),5-bromo-salicylaldehyde(m.p. 104℃-105℃), 3-nitro-5-bromo-salicylaldehyde (m.P.124℃-127℃) and 3-bromo-5-nitro-salicylaldehyde (m.p. 148℃-149℃) were synthesized from salicylaldehyde via either nitration or bromination. The yields were 76.0%, 81.8%, 63.0% and 80.5% respectively. Eleven schiff-bases were prepared via condensation of ethylenediamine with salicylaldehyde derivatives. The structures of these schiff-bases were characterized by ~1H-NMR. The relationships between the substituted groups on the rings and their (λ_(max)) were investigated by UV-Visible Spectra.


3D high-aspect-ratio (HAR) microstructures for biomedical applications are microfabricated using multidirectional ultraviolet (UV) lithography, which includes a combination of inclined, rotational, and reverse-side exposure processes. The inclined and rotational UV exposure processes are intended to fabricate axisymmetric HAR microstructures; the reverse-side UV exposure process is designed to sharpen an end tip of the microstructures by minimizing UV reflection on a substrate which is inevitable in conventional UV lithography. Our multidirectional UV lithography is characterized using an epoxy-based negative photoresist, SU-8, together with a customized UV exposure system. The effect of multidirectional UV lithography on the geometry of the 3D HAR microstructures (e.g., inclined angle, height, curvature of end tip, etc.) is quantitatively discussed.


The importance of gross dimensions on the design and operation of hydrodynamic journal bearing system are widely understood, however, the effects of manufacturing tolerances have only been macroscopically analysed. Building on previous theoretical analyses, an experimental investigation on the effect of dimensional manufacturing tolerances is presented. Importantly, the study looks at individual effects and combined effects. The experimental data suggested that the error created by manufacturing tolerances in estimating the onset of oil film instability can be as much as ±20 per cent, depending on the steady state operating position. This finding shows that in order to minimize the effect of manufacturing tolerances on system stability, the hydrodynamic journal bearing system should be designed to operate at a modified Sommerfeld number greater than 0.1, where the effects of manufacturing tolerances on system stability are negligible.


A site was prepared with 2 distinctly different soil depths and a vineyard of 'Concord' grapes (Vitis labrusca L.) was established with in-row spacings of 1.52, 1.83, 2.13, 2.44, and 3.05 m. Wider in-row vine spacings resulted in increased vine yields on deeper soils to the point that yields per meter of cordon and per hectare were not reduced; but yield per meter of cordon and per hectare was reduced on the shallow soil when in row vine spacings exceeded 2.44 m. There were few effects on juice quality from either soil depths or in-row vine spacings.


The loop network configuration and high-fiber-count, single-mode optical fiber ribbon cable and jointing technologies which enable a quick response to service demand and offer high reliability in the subscriber network are described. Fiber parameters were chosen for 1.3/1.55- mu m wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) transmission, and a 1000-fiber cable composed of 8-fiber ribbons was developed. A mass-fusion splicing technique and a multifiber connector were developed for the fiber ribbon. These techniques were evaluated by constructing an experimental line. It was found that they are highly suitable for midspan access, which is indispensable for the high-fiber-count loop network. >


There are many social conflicts in the West with the development of capitalist society,which has been affecting every aspect of the society.Lukacs and Al Du Jose are representatives of the Western Marxism,whose general theory of social history and social structure provide a developing direction and also a an inspiration for current practice of constructing socialistic harmonious society.


This paper selects the display or the application of the Expo ecological city concept and practice highlights,integrates and evaluates,proposes the construction of ecological city both in hardware and software,including green building,basic services,urban management system and the design of continuation context and other content,to promote the ecological construction in other cities.


This study was conducted to determine the level of contamination of naira notes in Dutsin-ma metropolis. A total of 216 naira notes of all denominations (N5, N10, N20, N50, N100, N200, N500 and N 1000) were randomly collected from students, butchers, food vendors, Commercial motorcycle riders, Bus conductors and beggars and analyzed in Biology laboratory using rinse method. The eggs of some the parasites identified with various prevalence rates from the naira notes were Ascarislumbricoides (4.63%), hookworm (3.24%), Trichuris trichuira (2.31%) and Entamoeba histolytica (1.85%). The very dirty/mutilated notes were more contaminated (26.38%) then the dirty ones. One hundred naira (₦100) notes had the highest contamination of 33.33% followed by the ₦200 with 25.73% and ₦500 (22.22%) and ₦1000 was the least with (14.81%). Contamination was highest on naira notes collected from butchers (19.4%) and food vendors (16.7%) followed by commercial motorcycle riders (11.1%) while notes from students, beggars and bus conductors record the least prevalence rates of 8.3% each. There was a statistically significant association between parasitic eggs contamination and physical condition of the currency (p ≤ 0.05) while the association between the prevalence of parasitic eggs contamination of the naira notes and the source was found not statistically significant (p ≥ 0.05). The result of this study shows that currency notes in circulation within Dutsin-ma metropolis could serve as a vehicle for the transmission of diseases. Good personal hygiene practices such as washing of hands after handling currency is recommended. Keyword: Microbes, Contamination, parasitic eggs


ABSTRACT
Due to the great neglect of people and lack of ecological culture, a problem that is affecting
our environment and the global world is presented. We refer to environmental pollution. This
is why the present work deals with the architectural design of a Recycling and Composting
Center, with two variables that are: Environmental Quality Criteria and Green Roofs, which
are relevant to the research topic.
The work will be developed in a descriptive way, starting from case analysis relevant to the
subject and then determine conclusions that serve the research. A number of tools for data
and information collection were also used.
Having as a result the following design guidelines: Presence of gardens, verandas and
vertical landscaped ramps; Use of skylights; Presence of large windows with transparent
crystals, translucent polycarbonate and curtain wall; Use of central atria; Presence of crossinduced
and induced ventilation; Adequate solid waste management, through separate
treatment plants according to function; Use of concrete retaining walls, drywall and bolted
structure system; Use of vegetation on roofs; Presence of slope in roofs; Rainwater
harvesting system, with adequate treatment so that the water is recycled; Use of open
spaces; Vertical vegetation; Use of materials of the area and design of urban spaces.


【Objective】The effects of different compound fertilizers on cassava biology properties, yield and starch content were studied to provide references for producing compound fertilizer suitable for cassava field. 【Method】Randomized block design was used for field experiment. Plant height,stem diameter, fresh root yield and starch content were tested in 7 treatments including 6 kinds of compound fertilizers and the control(no fertilizer application). 【Result】Compared to the control, Hezhongwang root expansion compound fertilizer markedly increased stem diameter at the later growth stage(P0.05,the same below), while other fertilizers had no obvious effects on plant height or stem diameter. Fresh root yield was increased after fertilizer application with Luxianji and Guilu cassava fertilizer being the best. The starch content was decreased after 6 kinds of compound fertilizer application,and starch content of Hezhongwang root expansion compound fertilizer was most significantly decreased. The starch yield of 6 kinds of fertilizer application was increased except Hezhongwang root expansion compound fertilizer. The income of cassava planting was increased after fertilizer application except Nanfeng cassava fertilizer. Guilu cassava fertilizer followed by Luxianji brought most income. Generally speaking,the effects of Guilu cassava fertilizer were the best with fresh root increment of 6310 kg/ha(25.2%), starch yield increment of 16.7%, and income increment of 2735 yuan/ha. The second best was Luxianji cassava fertilizer with fresh root increment of 5533 kg/ha(22.1%), starch yield increment of 13.6%, and income increment of 1873 yuan/ha. 【Conclusion】All compound fertilizers are beneficial for cassava growing and yield increase. Guilu and Luxianji were the top two best.


Silicon isconsidered asoneofthemostsuitable material forvacuummicro- andnanoelectronics (VM)based onfield emitter array (FEA)conceptUl. Silicon, though hasorders of magnitude fewerconduction bandelectrons thanmetals, hasemitting characteristics comparable tometals, andhighly developed silicon batch technology canbeapplied tomake various VM devices, including transistor-like structures (see, e.g.,121). However field emission fromsemiconductors haspeculiar features 3'41 vital forsuccessful development ofVM devices. Highelectric fieldpenetrates deepenoughintothe semiconductor andresults inintense electron heating neartheemitting surfacet4"5,. Since the tunneling coefficient exponentially depends onenergy, this drastically affects theemission characteristics andheatdissipation. Thustheelectron transport insemiconductor field emitter isinfact highly non-equilibrium hotelectron process andisanactual physical andpractical problem. We report ona theoretical investigation andnumenrcal simulation ofhotelectron transport inawedgen-type silicon field microemitter withanano-edge. We consider the single diodeFEA cellofrealgeometry anduse2D quasi-hydrodynamic self-consistent approach based oncontinuity equation, energy balance equation andPoisson's equation added bythematerial equations asamodel. Relaxation timeapproximation isadmitted andimpact ionization istaken into account whenmodeling thehotelectron transport insemiconductor cathode. Thequasi-electrostatic problem inavacuummicrocel's space outside thecathode is solved self-consistentl y toobtain current -voltage characteristics. We haveelaborated therelevant numerical method tocopewithstrong non-linearity and complex geometry oftheproblem. Original finite difference schemewithalternating triangle gridhasbeenworkedandparallel processing hasbeenusedtorealize effectively the numerical scheme. We havecalculated 2D steady-state distributions oftheelectric field inthecell, and charge carriers density andelectron temperature distributions inthesemiconductor cathode. We haveshownthathotelectrons dominate theemission inactual fields andimpact


It is a great privilege to take over the role of President of the Society for Radiological Protection. Having just returned from the Annual Meeting in Edinburgh, where some 250 delegates participated in a three day workshop and conference, it is clear that the Society continues to achieve one of its aims, which is the communication of developments in radiological protection to professionals working in the area. The traditional scientific meeting remains an important forum for this and we can look forward to a varied programme of such meetings in the year ahead, covering topics ranging from social issues and the communication of risk, to the environmental distribution and toxicological significance of depleted uranium. The topics selected for these meetings remind us, if we needed reminding, that radiological protection can be, on occasion, of considerable interest to the media. In the past, the Society has maintained a low profile in this area. However, as a professional and learned society with the objective of disseminating, to the public advantage, information and knowledge of the science and art of radiological protection, it seems to me that we have a responsibility to comment on radiological protection issues of public interest. Recently, Council has agreed that provision should be made for this, and has vested authority in the President and Honorary Secretary to identify individuals to act as spokespersons. Council recognises that there will not be a consensus Society view on many of the topics that are of media interest. Nevertheless, it seems better to offer responsible spokespersons providing one or more soundly based views than to make no comment. If a story is newsworthy, it will be told, and by actively involving ourselves we can attempt to ensure that it is told accurately, or, at least, more accurately than would otherwise have been the case. Communication is not just through our meetings and with the media. Over the last few years, the Society's Journal has developed into a substantial and prestigious publication that, I believe, will become increasingly recognised as a major international journal in the field. However, we should remember that it is our journal, and I would encourage members of the Society to continue to contribute papers, notes, letters, news and information. In particular, it is important to remember that both papers and notes on operational health physics are of interest, and are an important complement to the research and regulatory related material that has been more characteristic of the Journal to date. More general access to the Society's activities is available through the website. Unlike many websites, it is regularly maintained and updated, and provides a wealth of material to both members and non-members. In the future, I believe that we shall make more and more use of electronic communications, both for technical and more informal material. This will undoubtedly have implications for our more traditional approaches to communication through meetings and the printed page. For example, an electronic archive of PowerPoint slides and presentations, perhaps based on material presented at our meetings, would be a valuable resource to members. My theme has been communication and has concentrated on the provision of information. However, we need also to communicate with each other on potential future directions for the Society. Opportunities exist for all members to influence future developments. This could be through participation in Council, or one of the Society's committees or working groups. However, I would also strongly encourage individual members to come forward with innovative ideas. As John Hunt commented three years ago in his President's message: `A little help never goes amiss; bright ideas are always welcome.' May I take this opportunity of wishing you a stimulating and challenging year as a member of the Society. Your support is appreciated and your ideas are welcomed. It gives me much pleasure to be able to serve you as President.


This article is a re-examination of the Great Exhibition through the lens of World History; it reflects upon the neglected displays of raw materials and considers their mobility rather than status as static exhibits.


The strength of ceramic was improved by lamination by suppressing the propagation of cracks with compressive residual stress in the face layer of the laminate. Hot pressed SiAlON+SiC/SiC/SiAlON+SiC laminate discs were fabricated for tailored residual stress. The residual stress in this laminate was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD). There was considerable compressive residual stress in the face layer. A Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was performed to support the measured XRD results and to determine the stress field in the laminate. The residual stress measured by XRD had satisfactory agreement with the analytically calculated and FEA values. The measured value by XRD was ?385±20 MPa over most of the face layer. The calculated and FEA values were ?386MPa and ?371MPa, respectively. FEA also showed significantly modified stresses and the maximum tensile stress near the edge region which are possible crack generators in the presence of flaws or contact damage.


Unlike most nation-states, the EU faces the challenge of actively creating and sustaining myths about its polity. In this article we explore if and under what conditions the story of a 'Green Europe' represents a successful new myth on the European project, which is appealing to present and future generations and capable of generating legitimacy for EU politics. Exploring the narratives of policy leaders (storytellers) we trace the functional role of environmental policy for the EU polity as a whole, establish the legitimating role of environmental policy for the EU and search the extent to which the environmental narrative is constructed as an identity-building story. We argue that, while the actual performance of the EU in environmental policy might raise some doubts about the credibility and hence sustainability of the Green Europe myth, 'green' has become a brand attribute of the EU to the European public and carries a high level of legitimacy and potential for identification.


There are two techniques of nonstationary holographic recording which are widely used for PRCs with long drift lengths of photocarriers. These are recording of a moving interference pattern in an external DC electric field [1] and recording of a fixed pattern in an AC field [21. Both of them allow the efficiency of the drift mechanism of recording in the external electric field to be increased and the recorded hologram to be transformed into a shifted one. The theory [3] predicts equal efficiencies of two-wave energy exchange for these two techniques. In practice, the "moving grating" technique is traditionally employed for Bi12SiO20 (BSO), but for Bi12TiO20 (BTO), recording in an AC field is in common use. Recent investigations of holographic recording in semi-insulating GaAs:Cr (λ=1.06 μm) [4,5] have demonstrated remarkable superiority of the moving grating mechanism.


Underground mining and oil and gas drilling have increasingly encroached on public water reservoirs and dams because of the overwhelming demand for energy combined with the growing population. Cases of surface water reservoirs and mine waste impoundments being drained, as well as dam infrastructure being damaged, due to accidents have been documented. The methods used by regulators and industry for determining mining or drilling offset distances are based primarily on three approaches and studies performed in the early 1970s. The former US Bureau of Mines Information Curricular 8741 was the culmination of these studies and continues in use for determining offset distances for underground mining with respect to dams and reservoirs. This study used analytical and empirical methods based on subsidence effects to recommend offset distance extents specifically for miners' safety. A major limitation of the previous studies is that they did not detail the affect mining operations have on changes in groundwater flow due to soil and overburden permeability changes triggered by vertical ground surface subsidence that could lead to increased risk hazards for a reservoir or dam infrastructure. This paper presents a review of international literature related to mining under surface bodies of water (reservoirs) and presents a risk-based event tree analysis quantifying the probability of changes in subsurface permeability due to overburden strain changes. A sensitivity analysis quantifying probabilities of increased subsurface permeability in terms of offset distances from a reservoir is presented and discussed. Empirical results indicate the probability of permeability changes at a 350 ft (107 m) deep mine located at offsets of: 200, 400, and 600 ft (61, 122, and 183 m) were at 41, 0.66, and 0.0067%, respectively.


One of the main objectives of transaction level modeling is to create models at high level of abstractions in order to obtain acceptable simulation performance. However, the use of simulation engines based on event driven simulation and communication through complex channels wipe out this advantage. In this paper we show how to regain this advantage by internally transforming the model while keeping the user friendly semantics of event driven computation models and communication channels for the designer to use.


The integer labeling method is one of the simplicial-type homotopy methods for solving systems of nonlinear equations. In this method, matrix operations are not necessary and an approximate solution can be generated only by function evaluations. Thus, the algorithm becomes quite simple and can easily be programmed.

However, since the integer labeling method uses simplicial subdivision, the amount of computations grows exponentially with the system size.

For the vector labeling method, which is another type of homotopy methods, an efficient algorithm using a rectangular subdivision has been proposed.

For the integer labeling method, however, such an efficient technique has not been proposed because integer labeling on rectangles is essentially impossible.

This paper proposes an efficient integer labeling method for solving systems of nonlinear equations with separable mappings. Similarly to the conventional method, the proposed method labels integers on simplices. However, by making use of the separability and the concept of the rectangular subdivision, the number of function evaluations is reduced significantly.

In the proposed method, function evaluations are not necessary as long as the labeled simplex is moving in the identical rectangle, and when it moves into another rectangle, only one component of the function in that direction needs to be computed. Hence, with the increase of the system size, considerable improvements of the computational efficiency can be achieved.


iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES 4 LIST OF SYMBOLS 6 CHAPTER 1 8 Introduction Overview 9 Asthma 10 Importance of Interleukin-13 (IL-13) in Allergic Inflammation 11 Contribution of Environmental Factors (DEP, ETS, and Mold) to Asthma 15 Gene-Environment Interactions 17 Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) In the Lung 17 Glutathione S-transferase Pi (GSTPi) 19 Nuclear Factor-erythroid 2 Related Factor 2 (Nrf2) 21 Experimental Rationale 23


The authors studied luminescence polarization of individual NN centers in GaP:N and discussed the atomic configurations. In addition to the widely known green luminescence centers, NN1∼NN10, new luminescence centers were observed in the infrared spectral region, which may be due to the true nearest‐neighbor NN pair.


14 Natural Areas Journal ABSTRACT: I investigated the roles of in situ survival and recolonization in the postfire recovery of firesensitive insect species within isolated tallgrass prairie remnants in lllinois, northwest Indiana, and southeast Wisconsin, USA. I examined the extent to which commonly encountered habitat gaps suppress recovery among several taxa and tested the pivotal assumption that small populations are readily extirpated when their requisite habitats are completely burned. Both in situ survival and recolonization were found to contribute appreciably to postfire recovery within the spatial and temporal scales exaruined. Combined recovery times for 22 species separated from unburned units by roads or other barriers were not greater than those for populations in bum units abutting unburned tracts. The flightless leafhopper Aflexia rubranura (DeLong) and the sedentary moth Papaipema eryngii Bird readily crossed habitat gaps as large as 36 m and 25 m, respectively. When 6-m gaps were covered with tar paper in the Aflexia experiment, colonization of outlying patches was reduced, but not stopped. I conclude that bum unit designs that provide adjacent or nearby refugia, coupled with procedures that promote patchiness within burned units, can be expected to contribute appreciably to the rapid recovery of fire-sensitive species.


The ocean wave energy resource is a real alternative to supply part of the energy demand in various countries, since some locations have a remarkable capacity to generate electricity. The objective of this study is to evaluate the energy resource of ocean waves in the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, the southern state of Brazil. This note presents the first results. The wave data used were collected in the sea area near the Port of Rio Grande during the years 1996 to 1999, amounting to sixteen months of monitoring. The data set was treated and grouped resulting information monthly, seasonal and annual basis. The annual average was found to be 8.6 kW per meter of wave front, reaching 14.0 kW per meter for the month of May and 4.0 kW per meter for the month of January. The results indicate good perspectives in obtaining power supplies. Copyright © 2014 International Energy and Environment Foundation All rights reserved.


Cypermethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide. It is known for its wide toxic manifestations. The present experiment pertains to the protective role of piperine against haematological toxicity induced by cypermethrin during 28 days exposure. The rats were divided into five groups of six each; the first group served as control and second group was used as vehicle control. While, groups III, IV and V were orally treated with piperine (50 mg/kg body weight), cypermethrin (25 mg/kg body weight) and cypermethrin plus piperine, respectively for 28 days. Exposure of rats to cypermethrin caused significant changes of some haematological parameters like red blood cells, haemoglobin, haematocrit and white blood cells in treated rats compared to controls. Co-administration of piperine with cypermethrin restored some of the parameters cited above to near-normal values. Therefore, our investigation revealed that piperine given partial protection against cypermethrin-induced toxicity.


Metal-on-metal bearing surfaces have been reintroduced for use in total hip replacement, despite concerns regarding the potential risks posed by metallic by-products. We have compared periprosthetic tissues from metal-on-metal and metal-on-polyethylene hip replacements at revision surgery with control tissues at primary arthroplasty. Tissues were obtained from 9 control, 25 contemporary metal-on-metal, 9 CoCr-on-polyethylene and 10 titanium-on-polyethylene hip replacement arthroplasties. Each was processed for routine histology with Haematoxylin and Eosin. Quantitative stereological analysis was performed at the light microscopic level. Metal-on-metal sections showed more surface ulceration and this was correlated with the density of inflammation in the deeper tissues layers. Metal-on-metal tissues displayed a pattern of well-demarcated tissue layers, which were rarely seen in metal-on-polyethylene cases. In metal-on-polyethylene cases, the inflammation was predominantly histiocytic. Metal-on-metal cases by contrast showed a lymphocytic infiltrate with abundant plasma cells. Metal-on-metal tissues showed a striking pattern of peri-vascular inflammation with prominent lymphocytic cuffs especially deep to areas of surface ulceration. Levels of inflammation were higher in cases revised for failure than in those retrieved at autopsy or exploratory surgery. Total replacement and surface replacement designs of metal-on-metal arthroplasty showed similar histological changes. Plasma cells were not seen in any of the metal-on-polyethylene cases. The differences between the patterns of inflammation and cellular infiltration seen in metal-on-metal and metal-on-polyethylene tissues were highly statistically significant. The pattern and type of inflammation in periprosthetic tissues from metal-on-metal and metal-on-poly-ethylene arthroplasties is very different. Our findings support the conclusion that metal-on-metal articulations are capable of generating a form of immunological response to metallic wear debris that has not been described previously. The incidence and clinical implications of these immunological responses in failed metal-on-metal joints are unknown.


Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of fuel cells and introduces materials challenges in fuel cells. A fuel cell is an energy conversion device that theoretically has the capability of producing electrical energy for as long as fuel and oxidant are supplied to the electrodes. The efficiency of a fuel cell, besides absence of moving parts, noise, and less emissions, has been the most attractive feature since their invention; unlike a heat engine, the fuel cell does not need to achieve the large temperature differential to achieve the same Carnot cycle efficiency as the heat engine. A variety of different fuel cell types exist classified by use of diverse categories, depending on the combination of type of fuel and oxidant, whether the fuel is processed outside (external reforming) or inside (internal reforming) the fuel cell, the type of electrolyte, the temperature of operation, whether the reactants are fed to the cell by internal or external manifolds, etc. The most common classification of fuel cells is by the type of electrolyte used. It includes: (1) Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell (PEFC), also known as Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell, (2) Alkaline Fuel Cell (AFC), (3) Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC), (4) Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC), and (5) Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC). The success of fuel cells is mainly based on the ability of industry to offer cheaper and better materials: catalysts without noble metals, new carbon materials, novel electrolytes and membranes, reliable interconnect materials, etc. Materials challenges for fuel cells are very demanding.


KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER IN THE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES: COMPARATIVE NOTES FROM REGIONS OF THE ATLANTIC AREA. In the late XXth century, the importance of the "third mission" of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) – their socioeconomic engagement with the social tissue – saw the need to promote several mechanisms of knowledge transfer on a political and institutional level. Nonetheless, many of these mechanisms were designed for industries that share little of the Cultural and Creative Activities (CCA) sector's specificities. This work stems from a transnational project – 4H-CREAT – that seeks to analyse the way in which cultural and creative activities can be engaged with the remaining political and social actors (HEI, Political Instances and Civil Society). In this article, we seek to explore the ways in which knowledge transfer and valuation can be done within the Cultural and Creative sector, in relation to HEI, narrowing on the regions participating in project 4H-CREAT (Area Metropolitana de Lisboa, Andaluzia, Aviles, Bretagne, Pays de la Loire Southern and Eastern Ireland, Southwest Scotland). We sought thus to do a literature review, in order to emphasise the above stated specificities, as well as a statistical analysis, focusing on the period of 2012 to 2015, and a policy analysis, with a focus on the period of 2000 to 2017, of the various regions from Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland and the UK involved. We then discuss specific pathways that can be undertaken by HEI to that effect – promoting collaboration in the development of curricula, fomenting spaces of discussion, as well as directing cultural education to the needs of CCA, amongst others. Despite the level of generality of these measures, we argue they can serve to further an important debate on multiple forms of value generated within the CCA and the forms of involvement of agents with HEI.


Last spring I approached a well known insurance company to arrange an endowment policy to cover the cost of my children's higher education. The proposal asked the now standard question, "Have you ever been tested forHIV (AIDS)?" I replied that I had, adding that the test was negative and was one of a series of multiple tests to identify a suspected tropical illness after my visit to South East Asia in 1987. I had arranged this test myself as neither my general practitioner.nor the consultant to whom I was referred suggested the possibility of testing for AIDS. Neither had asked about my sexual behaviour or other likely sources ofHIV infection. In my general practitioner's opinion the possibility was too remote to consider seriously in my case. I had no specific reason to suppose a test would prove positive, but my symptoms-progressive weight loss, recurrent fevers, persistent dry cough, and partial loss of sensation in my fingers and toes-suggested symptomatic, if not circumstantial, reasons for requesting a test. As the results of other investigations over the previous year had been negative I felt an unequivocal assurance was needed on this point. No reference was made to this test in my general practitioner's personal medical report to the insurance company. My symptoms had remitted spontaneously some months before, but there was an apparent discrepancy between the information I had volunteered on the proposal form and my general practitioner's report. I was subsequently asked to attend a medical examination with an independent practitioner, which I was advised by the insurance company would include a test for HIV. The examination was arranged by an agency on behalf of the insurance company. The letter telling me of an appointment with a local general practice enclosed a printed information sheet on AIDS. This claimed that tests for HIV were now routinely required by insurance companies considering life risks. I was assured that I would be counselled by an experienced practitioner before being asked to consent in writing to the test and that the results would be sent to my general practitioner at my request. It was also implied that my proposal would not be considered unless I agreed to the test. On the day of the appointment the general practitioner said that he had not been told of the examination and asked me to come back at another time. I suggested that there must have been some communication from the agency, and eventually he telephoned their office. After speaking to someone who seemed to know about my case he located a package, which contained a prepaid envelope addressed to a London laboratory, printed instructions, and a syringe. The instructions explained how the syringe should be assembled and the sample dispatched. It contained no other advice or information. As the general practitioner prepared to take a sample I said that the advice sheet I had received mentioned counselling before I consented to the test. He glanced at the sheet and remarked that it was not necessary to go through all that, adding, "Anyway, you know about AIDS, don't you? It's a bloody


This issue is written and edited by Mark Schulman< firstname.lastname@example.com>. The Editor for this issue is Nabiha Megateli <firstname.lastname@example.com>. The Managing Editor of Sustainable Developments is Langston James "Kimo" Goree VI <firstname.lastname@example.com>. Funding for coverage of this meeting has been provided by The World Bank. The authors can be contacted at their electronic mail addresses and at tel: +1-212-644-0204 and by fax: +1-212-644-0206. IISD can be contacted at 161 Portage Avenue East, 6th Floor, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0Y4, Canada; tel: +1-204-958-7700. The opinions expressed in the Sustainable Developments are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IISD and other funders. Excerpts from Sustainable Developments may be used in other publications with appropriate academic citation. Electronic versions of Sustainable Developments are sent to e-mail distribution lists (ASCII and PDF format) and can be found on the Linkages WWW-server at <http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/>. For further information on Sustainable Developments, including requests to provide reporting services, contact the Managing Editor at <email@example.com>. Volume 29, Number 1 26 August 1999


To test Bell's inequality, measurements of spin correlations between two protons in the spin singlet state have been performed. Proton pairs in the singlet state were produced by the 1H(d,2He)n reaction at Ed = 270 MeV.


The magnetic properties, structure and recording characteristics of CoCrTa and CoCrPt single-layered perpendicular magnetic recording media have been investigated. Multilayered magnetic film media with Ti interlayer have smaller crystal grains and lower medium noise than single-layered magnetic film media. Non-magnetic CoCr-alloy underlayers also have an effect on decreasing the medium noise.


We report the first example of a Ni0 precursor that provides a contamination-free (<1%) nickel film by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) using N2 as the carrier gas. The structure and...


A study was under taken to evaluate the effect of nutrients and fungicides on incidence of powdery mildew (Erysiphe cruciferarum Opiz.) of mustard (Brassica juncea). Three sprays of dinocap (0.1%) or triademorph (0.1%) significantly reduced the disease severity and thereby increased the yield of mustard. However, the incidence of powdery mildew was significantly increased by application of chemical fertilizers than FYM.


This study contains the figurative language found in the novel Tempting Curse and the explanations of the meaning of these figurative languages. The researchers chose this study because the researchers felt that the figurative language in many novels sometimes made the readers cannot understand about figurative languages they read. So that this research is expected to help the readers understand the meaning of the figurative languages. For this study, the researchers used the theory from Montgomery et al (2007) as the basis for researching the types of figurative language studied. The research method used was qualitative research methodology and use semantic analysis to analyze the data. The results of this figurative language analysis research are found five types of the seven types of figurative language according to the theory of Montgomery et al (2007), namely metaphor, metonymy, simile, apostrophe, and irony. From the analysis, the researchers concludes that figurative language is used by the author only to beautify her writing and provide additional information on the phenomena that occur or the feelings experienced by the characters in detail.


Background:  Potentially resectable periampullary tumours may not be treated appropriately due to lack of local expertise in both assessment of resectability and resection in referring centres. Tata Memorial Hospital is a major referral centre for oncology and these patients are finally referred to this institution. In carefully selected patients, resection can be accomplished. The purpose of the present paper was to determine the perioperative morbidity and mortality for patients undergoing reoperative pancreaticoduodenectomy at a major comprehensive cancer centre.


At the end of his entertaining biography, Mr. Percy Fitzgerald scouts the vogue alleged by Sterne of his Tristram Shandy in France. "Such men as D'Holbach and Diderot might have it on their tables and affect to read a few pages, but to the mass of even educated foreigners, it must have been a book of cabalistics." "It is very different," resumes Mr. Fitzgerald, "with the Sentimental Journey. It has been received with delight by all Europe. The French have openly made it their own, and translated it over and over again."


I want to take this opportunity to thank the Computer Personnel Research Group for inviting me to speak to its meeting today. Judging by the audience composition, however, one would think that I were at the American Psychological Association, instead of CPRG, though today I did find a <u>few</u> good fellows who are in favor of computers.


The article presents the architecture of communication protocol for modern industrial processes and business based on cyber-physical systems — Industry 4.0. The main attention is paid to one of the key trends of this concept — to economical autonomous agents i.e. to robots or smart things, which are able to make decisions independently about their economic actions. Agents begin to fully participate in business processes, so it is important to automate the processes and ensure formal and secure communication between multiple heterogeneous agents, taking into account the economic component of the industry. The article shows how to organize economic interaction between agents using a peer-to-peer network based on decentralized Blockchain technology and smart contracts. The general concept of protocol work is described and the experience of its implementation on ROS and Ethereum Blockchain is presented in the form of universal software for different agents. As a result, the experience of applying this solution in various projects is described: a business project with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and an educational project of "smart city".


Underground insect and pests are the main tobacco pests during tobacco seedling stage.Because of the diverse tobacco species and planting environments in tobacco-planting areas of Hubei province,a systematic investigation on the tobacco underground insect and pests was carried out during April and August,2011 for detecting the dominant species and their occurring pattern in Xianfeng,Wufeng,Baokang and Yunxi county of Hubei province.The results indicated that the population structure of underground pests in four tobacco areas of Hubei province was significantly different.In Enshi,wireworms were the dominant species and then grubs and mole crickets sub-dominated;In Xiangyang,cutworms,grubs and wireworms were often observed;In Yichang,cutworms and grubs predominated;In Shiyan,wireworms and cutworms occurred frequently.The damage caused by underground pests was more serious in Flue-cured tobacco,Maryland tobacco and Oriental tobacco than that in Burley tobacco and Sun-cured tobacco.The pest population during the tobacco seedling stage was also distinct from that at tobacco harvest time,when the density of grubs and wireworms increased greatly.The severity caused by underground pests was correlated with the altitude of tobacco field,and the underground insect pest had higher population density at 1200 m altitude tobacco fields.


Blind Pass, a heavily structured wave-dominated tidal inlet on the west central coast of Florida, has undergone substantial morphologic changes in the past 150 years. Initially Blind Pass was a mixed-energy inlet. In 1848 a hurricane opened a new inlet to the north called John's Pass, which captured a large portion of the tidal prism of Blind Pass. Since then Blind Pass migrated southward until it was structurally stabilized in 1937. The decreasing tidal prism resulted in significant inlet channel filling. The channel has been dredged 12 times since 1937. The present inlet is stabilized by two jetties and a series of seawalls. Detailed time-series field measurements of bathymetry and tidal flows were conducted between 2001 and 2004, after the last channel dredging in the summer of 2000. The measured depositional rate in the inlet channel approximately equals the net southward longshore transport rate. This suggests that the inlet has served as a trap for the southward longshore transport allowing negligible bypassing to the eroding downdrift beach. Most of the active


A numerical study of soliton switching characteristics and output coupling by the relative phase change of a control pulse is carried out for input powers using nonlinear coefficient of cores, coupled coefficient and input soliton width. It is shown that input powers ratio, nonlinear coefficient of cores, coupled coefficient and input soliton width play important roles in this mode of soliton switching and that these effects may lead to useful soliton switching if the relative phase of the control pulse is monitored judiciously. Keywordsphase-induced; fiber nonlinear coupler; switching characteristics


rary anthropological study of folklore with an additional consideration of others. Space considerations and intellectual saliency limit the total number of works we consider representative of these trajectories. Our title and primary focus come from our examination of the scholarly shape of the field as it has developed since the marked intervention in the early and mid 1970s of a new conceptual approach in the study of folklore. We refer to the clear emergence of performance and contextually centered understandings of folklore as social behavioral process and as situated communicative interaction (23, 122). Our essay primarily focuses on the achievements and limitations of this central trajectory in folklore studies since 1972. In his most recent formulation of the concept of performance, Bauman (15) usefully identifies three related definitions and uses of "performance" in contemporary sociocultural analysis: performance as situated, ordinary cultural practice, an approach indebted to the Marxian concept of praxis; performance as cultural displays or, to use Abrahams' term, "enactments" (3), an approach closely identified with a particular wing of symbolic anthropology (Singer, Geertz, V. Turner, and Peacock among others) which while closely allied to folklore we nonetheless exclude from this space-limited review; finally, performance as the situated interactional practice of verbal art-oral poetics. It is this third sense of performance that Bauman identifies as his own, and it is also the central concern of anthropological performance


This paper describes a integrated data model and formulates adaptive mechanism forCAPP System. Process resources include different kinds of primitive data. Specification,couple-linking and composition provide connections among primitive data,which depict product,process methodand other process resources. Relations among different resources express extension of processresources and create general integrated interface. During adaptive time,CAPP system absorbs newdata objects,resource body and it's extension revolve simulateously. During learning time,reflectedobjects and weights of rule of integrated interface change and organize automatically. Processknowledge are expressed by hierarchical data-class and generalized product rules. Hierarchical class iseffective for reuse and evolution. Product rules are the driving and inductive kernel part for CAPP.The model is implemented in GS-CAPP and it improves the system's valuability,dynamicity andadaptability.


Ordering and topological defects in solids with quenched randomness by Thomas Chapman Proctor Adviser: Professor Eugene M. Chudnovsky We explore multiple different examples of quenched randomness in systems with a continuous order parameter. In all these systems, it is shown that understanding the effects of topology is critical to the understanding of the effects of quenched randomness. We consider n-component fixed-length order parameter interacting with a weak random field in d = 1, 2, 3 dimensions. Relaxation from the initially ordered state and spin-spin correlation functions have been studied on lattices containing hundreds of millions sites. At n − 1 < d presence of topological structures leads to metastability, with the final state depending on the initial condition. At n − 1 > d, when topological objects are absent, the final, lowest-energy, state is independent of the initial condition. It is characterized by the exponential decay of correlations that agrees quantitatively with the theory based upon the Imry-Ma argument. In the borderline case of n − 1 = d, when topological structures are non-singular, the system possesses a weak metastability with the Imry-Ma state likely to be the global energy minimum. We study random-field xy spin model at T = 0 numerically on lattices of up to 1000 × 1000 × 1000 spins with the accent on the weak random field. Our numerical method is physically equivalent to slow cooling in which the system is gradually losing the energy and relaxing to an energy minimum. The system shows glass properties, the resulting spin states depending strongly on the initial conditions. Random initial condition for the spins leads to the vortex glass (VG) state with short-range spin-spin correlations defined by the average


X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) generally deals with measurement of absorption coefficient, as a function of X-ray photon energy, around an X-ray absorption edge of an element, in a material. X-ray absorption spectrum consists of two parts: (i) The spectrum near the absorption edge (viz., the X-ray near edge structure or the XANES part) gives information about the external perturbations in the valence states to which electrons make transitions from core levels, upon absorption of X-ray photon energy and hence can yield information regarding hybridization of orbitals in case of molecule or long range order existing in a crystalline sample, apart from the oxidation states of the absorbing atom in the material. (ii) The second part of the spectrum which extends from 50 eV to ~700 eV above the absorption edge, is generally called the Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) part, which is generally characterized by the presence of fine structure, oscillations and can give precise information regarding the short range order and local structure around the particular atomic species in the material. This determination is confined to a distance given by the mean free path of the photoelectron in the condensed matter, which is between 5-7 A radius from the element. The above charatersistic along with the fact that EXAFS is an element specific tool, makes EXAFS a powerful structural local probe. With the advent of modern bright Synchrotron radiation sources, this technique has emerged to be the most powerful local structure determination technique, which can be applied to any type of material viz. amorphous, polycrystalline, polymers, surfaces and solutions. Furthermore, EXAFS does not require any particular experimental conditions, such as high vacuum and hence, samples of various physical forms can be adapted for measurements in the experimental stations [1-5].


The invention discloses a laser tracker target ball positioning system based on inertia detection. The laser tracker target ball positioning system is characterized in that a laser tracker is connected with a main control module, a target ball initial position and attitude detection module is connected with the main control module, a target ball relative position and attitude detection module is connected with a wireless receiving module in a wireless mode, the wireless receiving module is connected with the main control module, a fixed target ball base is fixedly mounted on a tracking base, relatively-fixed position and attitude information between the fixed target ball base and the tracking base is inputted into the main control module, the target ball relative position and attitude detection module is fixedly mounted inside a target ball, the target ball is initially mounted on the fixed target ball base, and when a motion track is detected, the target ball base is mounted on a flange at the tail end of a robot main body through movement. The laser tracker target ball positioning system has the benefits that the defect of artificial light guide can be overcome, an off light continuous reception function can be realized, and the measurement on difficult-to-detect points or blocking positions can also be realized, so that the light guide efficiency and the measurement automation degree of the laser tracker are improved; meanwhile, the problem of serious drifting caused by error accumulation due to no long-time calibration of pure inertia measurement is solved.


The present work describes a new simple, precise and selective stabilityindicating high performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method for estimation of Sitagliptin Phosphate as bulk drug and in tablet dosage form. The chromatographic development was carried out on precoated silica gel 60 F254 aluminium plates using mixture of Toluene: Methanol (8:2, v/v) as mobile phase. Densitometric evaluation of band was carried out at 265 nm. The retention factor for Sitagliptin Phosphate was found to be 0.38 ± 0.006. The drug was subjected to stress condition of hydrolysis (acid, base), oxidation, photolysis and thermal degradation. The accuracy and reliability of the proposed method was ascertained by evaluating various validation parameters like linearity (2000-12000 ng band -1. ), precision (intra-day RSD 0.76-1.19 %, inter-day RSD 1.34-1.82 %), accuracy (99.54±0.58) and specificity according to ICH guidelines. The method has been successfully applied for the analysis of drug in pharmaceutical formulation. The % assay (Mean ± S.D.) was found to be 98.99 ± 1.48. The developed method can be used for checking the stability of Sitagliptin Phosphate in bulk drug and pharmaceutical dosage form.


The geophysical investigations of the Western Ohio and Indiana regions include the maintenance of a precision seismograph network to monitor earthquake activity. Data generated by this network, supplemented with other information, are used to analyze regional seismicity and to interpret the local geologic and seismotectonic structure. Four array stations in Indiana were added to the nine stations near Anna, Ohio, and the Ohio stations were upgraded by replacing seismometers and installing more stable electronic systems. A new digital computer with analog-to-digital convertors was obtained for direct digital recording and other digital analysis. Ten small earthquakes in the Anna region were recorded, six in a very tight cluster near the village of Anna. Only one of the earthquakes was felt. P-wave studies show an azimuthally dependent difference in residuals between stations within the Western Ohio array--a difference which can only be caused by significant variation in local structure. Aftershocks were recorded, public responses obtained and classified, and intensity contours drawn for the 5.1 magnitude earthquake on July 27, 1980, in Sharpsburg, Kentucky.


In this paper, aiming at the heat resistance and thermal deformation process of titanium matrix composites 0 vol.%, 2.5.vol.%, 5.vol.%. Thermal simulation experiment of titanium matrix composites with different (TiB+TiC) strengthening phase content. The measurement accuracy of material displacement is 0.01 mm. The compression is 70%, and the strain rate is 0.1 mm/s and 0.01 mm/s respectively. Compression tests at different strain rates and temperatures were carried out. The experimental results show that when the (TiB+TiC) 5vol% titanium composite is deformed at 0.01mm/s low strain rate, the peak stresses corresponding to 25°C, 250°C,350 °C and 500°C are increased to 1096MPa, 835MPa, 646MPa and 416MPa respectively. Under the condition of high strain rate of 0.1mm/s, the peak stresses corresponding to 25 °C, 250 °C, 350 °C and 500 °C are increased to 1230 MPa, 896 MPa, 723 MPa and 471 MPa respectively. The deformation law of stress rheological curve is roughly the same, and the high temperature zone has good plastic deformation ability. The titanium matrix composite has high compression rheological mechanical properties and good high-temperature plastic deformation ability. It is the preferred material component for the preparation of titanium matrix composite and powder forging.


Abstract Allylthiourea crystals grown from water and from ethanol have been found to belong to the space groupP21/c and P21/m or related, respectively. The corresponding unit cell parameters are a = 13.45 A, b = 17.33 A,c = 14.38 A, β = 96.6°, and d = 1.18g/cm3 for water-grown crystals, and a = 14.65 A, b = 17.18 A, c = 13.15 A, β = 95.5°, and 1.17 g/cm3 for ethanol-grown crystals.


Abstract Narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies are a sub-class of active galactic nuclei (AGN) with relatively low-mass black holes, accreting near the Eddington rate. A small fraction of them is radio-loud and harbors relativistic jets. As a class, these provide us with new insights into the cause(s) of radio-loudness, the blazar phenomenon at low black hole masses, and the operation of radio-mode feedback. The NLS1 galaxy RXJ2314.9+2243 is remarkable for its multi-wavelength properties. We present new radio observations taken at Effelsberg, and a summary of the recent results from our multi-wavelength study. RXJ2314.9+2243 is radio-loud, luminous in the infrared, has a flat X-ray spectrum and peculiar UV spectrum, and hosts an exceptionally broad and blueshifted [OIII]λ5007 emission line, indicating the presence of a strong outflow. RXJ2314.9+2243 likely represents an extreme case of AGN induced feedback in the local universe.


Background.- Liver disease is rare in pregnancy, occurring in less than 0.1% of pregnancies. Liver disease in pregnancy generally falls into two categories. The first are liver diseases unique to pregnancy consisting of hyperemesis gravidarum, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, acute fatty liver of pregnancy, toxemia of pregnancy and HELLP syndrome. The second are liver diseases that occur during pregnancy such as acute viral hepatitis or pregnancy in patients with preexisting liver disease such as chronic hepatitis or liver cirrhosis. When a pregnant woman presents with liver disease, whether the condition is unique to pregnancy must be investigated first. This article briefly examines liver diseases in pregnancy. *Anahtar Kelimeler: Gebelik, Karaciger Hastaligi *Key Words: Pregnancy, Liver Disease


Tungsten oxide thin films with one-dimensional (1D) nanostructure (e.g. nanorod (NR)) show enhanced performances for gas sensing, catalysis and photocatalysis due to a large surface-to-volume ratio, high crystallinity, reduction of light reflection and relative high collection efficiency of charge carriers. This thesis details the use of aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) to deposit tungsten oxide NR array thin films via optimising the deposition conditions (e.g temperature, solvent, precursor and substrate). The tungsten oxide NR array thin films were able to be grown directly on glass, quartz, silica and alumina substrates. Based on observation of the change of tungsten oxide morphologies from planar to NR on traversing from the inlet to outlet of an AACVD reactor, where the actual substrate temperature changed from 339 to 358 °C, a 'kinetic competition' mechanism was proposed to describe the relation between deposition parameters and the morphology formed during AACVD. In this mechanism the formation of planar and wave-like morphologies is due to the competition between rperp (perpendicular growth rate) and ri (parallel growth rate contributed by nucleation rate). When rperp is around 7 times faster than ri, the formation of tungsten oxide NR is favoured. The difference between rperp and ri is attributed to planar defects which appear in the direction perpendicular to the NR growth suppressing ri. These planar defects induced by oxygen vacancy may also be responsible for the observed dislocation loops with size (~0.4 to 1.5 nm) providing with the associated strain field generated leading to a quantum-spatial-confinement effect which modifies the band structure of WO3 NR array thin films. During photodegradation of stearic acid (SA) WO3 NR with length around 1200 nm (deposited for 5 mins) gave the highest photocatalytic activity, and the WO3 NR were more than 2 μm in length reduced tungsten states (W4+) were observed via NIR and in XPS spectra which lead to lower photocatalytic activity. In order to improve photocatalytic activity of plain WO3 NR arrays, AACVD was used to grow noble metal (Au, Pt, Pd and Ru) and metal oxide (PdO, RuO2, Co2O3, CuOx and TiO2) 4 NPs supported on 1D WO3 nanorod arrays with size of the NPs (1.9 to 7.3 nm) is directly controlled by the deposition time (0.5 to 36 minutes). Hybrid nanostructures of Au/WO3 (1 min, with particle mean size 3.0 nm), Pt/WO3 (10 min, 3.0 nm) and PdO/WO3 (5 min, 5.6 nm) increased photocatalytic activity by 40 to 50% compared to undecorated plain WO3 NR array thin films.


New experiment is designed and build to study reactions of positive and negative ions with atomic hydrogen at low collisional energies. In the experiment the beam of atomic hydrogen is passing through cloud of ions trapped in RF octopole. Basically the experiment consists from four parts: ion source, atomic beam source, ion trap and ion detector. We use the electron bombardment RF storage ion source with quadrupole mass spectrometer. Ions formed in the source are mass selected and injected to octopole, where they are trapped. In test experiments hydrogen gas is used to form anions H. In the atomic beam source H atoms are created from molecular hydrogen in a RF discharge. The decrease of ion density in the trap due to interaction with H atoms is monitored by MCP. In the paper details of experimental setup are given and results of test measurements are discussed.


Adolescence is characterized by tempestuous transformations, both from a physical and from a psychological viewpoint. This stage of life, with its difficult transition from childhood to adulthood is determined by psychological, environmental, social or cultural factors. Choices, desires, plans, vision for future life or decisions are depending on the own personality but also on these factors. This paper turns to a special category of teenagers, those who experience maternity. For many of them, maternity represents a braking factor in their psychosocial development, while for others, it represents a choice profoundly determined by psycho-intellectual, familial, cultural, ethnic or environmental factors. A multidisciplinary approach to young women who become mothers in their teens is a necessity, especially in a context in which health and education policies intervene to coordinate and control a phenomenon which is not new at all, but which has been approached a lot throughout the last decades. Family support and good communication parent-children are important factors for a healthy sexual behavior.


The design proposal of intelligent circuit-breaker measure and control system based on CAN bus and took LPC932A1 as the love.This paper elaborated the design method of electric signals and temperature examination electric circuit and interface module of the CAN bus.It realized intelligent control to circuit-breaker.The software and hardware adopted the modular and open design,which can carry on real-time measurement to the three-phase voltage and current signals,has event record,malfunction alert and track remember to the breakdown profile,analysis monitoring result,simultaneously has the long-distance correspondence connection and the human-machine interaction function.


he purpose of this study is to develop the scoring of Good Public Governance (GPG) in Indonesia in accordance with the GPG principles prepared by The National Committee on Governance Policy (KNKG) and adjusted to the indicators in the Indonesia Governance Index (IGI) as well as the Evaluation of Local Government Performance (EKPPD). Moreover, this study wants to present an overview of GPG implementation in Indonesia's local government (Districts/Cities) for three years since 2013 to 2015 based on the proposed scoring. In this case this study will present an overview of GPG implementation and also the scoring limited to participation principle. This research uses quantitative descriptive analysis method by create mapping of IGI indicators with EKPPD with GPG principles by KNKG and IGI. The analysis drawn based on 508 Local Government during 2013-2015. Overall, GPG implementation especially on participation principles on Local Government shows an increasing trend for three years. Participation/Democracy Principle is characterized by the increasing stakeholder participation that can be seen from the increased cooperation with other local governments.


In The Curse of Cash, Kenneth Rogoff lists reductions in criminal activity and tax evasion among the primary benefits of eliminating cash. We maintain that, to the extent that individuals are interested in purchasing illicit goods and services or evading taxes, eliminating cash will encourage them to switch to close substitutes. Hence, governments intent on realizing the benefits cited by Rogoff would not merely need to eliminate cash. They would also need to ban alternatives. This is especially relevant given the proliferation of cryptocurrencies, which provide a fair degree of anonymity for users.


Local  policy construction become important if we talk about local green governance. Some of the factors believed to be the principle of the rule that has been administer good environment, namely: (1) Transparency, (2) participation of all stakeholders, (3) responsibility / accountability, and (4) Efficient and effective. The principles mentioned above must be met in order to cause the trust of the people on the one hand, and to realize a conducive environment for the government to hold an authoritative government. The strengthening of this system include mechanisms to ensure that all interested parties can submit a democratic voice, ensuring a transparent and fair procedures in the planning and implementation of the plan, as well as the standards and criteria to assess the implementation of the fair and transparent. The system shows the balance of authority between agencies at the national, provincial and local final results in the form of high-performance and the effectiveness of government, which supported high capacity at the local. Keywords: Construction, local policy, green governance principle


A simple method which uses a one-compartment open model to describe changes of concentration of a drug in blood plasma after rapid i.v. injection is described. Application of this method makes it possible to reduce the number of parameters which are necessary to describe experimental data.


C10HI2C1NsO2.H20, Mr=287.71, monoclinic, C2, a--22.935 (2), b=4-832(1), c-13.772 (1)/~, /3= 125.19(1) °, V = 1247.3/~3, Z = 4 , Dx = 1.532 Mg m -a, ,~.(Cu Ka) = 1.54184/~, /z = 28-825 cm-1, F(000) -300, T = 298 K, final R -0.037 for 1685 observed reflections. Small changes in geometry around ring purine atoms C(2) and N(3) have been found relative to protonated analogues. The sugar rings adopt a C(2')-endo pucker and the glycosidic angle is ant


The construction of an aging index requires the undertaking of two distinct exercises: (i) the identification of the set of old persons in the population and (ii) aggregation of the information available on the ages of the old persons into an indicator that will quantify the extent of oldness....The purpose of this paper is to suggest some additional important properties for an aging index. We also propose a new general index that satisfies all these properties along with continuity and monotonicity....[We present] a numerical illustration of the general index using age data of Indian population for the year 1981.... (EXCERPT)


Since tularemia was first described in man by Edward Francis (1) in 1922, more than 12,000 cases have been reported. On the basis of these reports a great deal has been learned about the geographical distribution, clinical course, and symptoms of the disease. It has been found in every state of the Union and in Canada, the greatest number of cases being reported from mid-western states, especially Illinois and Missouri. The disease is transmitted to man most often by contact with infected rabbits and other rodents, and by fowl and tick bites. It can be conveyed through the unbroken skin and eye by contact with infected material. Cases have also been recorded resulting from eating insufficiently cooked meat from infected animals. In 1933 Winter, Farrand, and Herman (2) reported a group of cases seen in the spring, during the lambing season. All were associated with the handling of sheep and with tick bites. It was thought that the unusually wet spring made handling of the animals more hazardous and that th...


Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides have gained considerable attention from the scientific community for their various applications thanks to their remarkable chemical, physical, optical and electronic properties. In this study, MoS2 nanosheets were synthesized using a kitchen blender with the assistance of a surfactant, Pluronic F-127, through a shear-exfoliation process. The chemical composition, nanostructure and electrochemical properties of the synthesized MoS2–F127 were characterized by different methods. A Pt electrode modified with MoS2–F127 (Pt/MoS2–F127) was used with differential pulse voltammetry for the electrochemical detection of homovanillic acid (HVA) – a breast-cancer biomarker, in the presence of common interferents in urine. This study provides a new approach to discriminate the electrochemical signals of HVA and uric acid, leading to higher selectivity of the sensor.


This study aims to determine the influence of Leadership Style and Organizational Culture on Employee Performance at UPTD Baltekkomdik Education Office of West Sumatra Province. Data collection of this study through the distribution of questionnaires to 26 respondents using total sampling technique, where the entire sample population. Based on the result of research indicate that variable of Leadership Style T count equal to 7,951> T table 1,688 and level of significance T smaller than 0,05 (sig. 0,000 <0,05) hence Ha accepted. While the Organizational Culture variable T count is 0.699 0,05) then H0 is accepted. can be partially inferred leadership style has a significant influence on employee performance, while organizational culture partially no significant effect on employee performance.


structure and function with different biological and disease circum-stances. The final two papers are Brief Communications— shorter focused studies. The first, from Hilgen, analyses the distribution of Connexin45 during development in the plexiform layers of the mouse retina. The final contribution is from Maggi and colleagues. Saffron, the spice, has been found to be effective in treatment of retinal neurodegenerative diseases. In this paper, the authors ex-plained the chemical composition of the natural compounds in saffron to optimise their effectiveness. Collectively, these papers are important as they deal with critical issues in the biology and pathol-ogy of the retina


Redox studies on dense zirconia-doped ceria pellets were carried out by thermogravimetric investigations and dilatometry. Up to 1600 K reduction parameters determined by both methods correspond to each other. At higher temperatures, however, thermogravimetry overestimates the degree of reduction since mass loss is not only due to oxygen exsolution but also to selective evaporation of CeO2 whose vapour pressure is considerably higher than that of ZrO2. As a consequence surface segregation of zirconia occurs in (Ce,Zr)O2−δ pellets leading to a porous surface zone of Ce2Zr2O7 pyrochlore which gradually grows in thickness. Surface enrichment of zirconia is detrimental for splitting CO2 or H2O since re-oxidation temperatures of (Ce,Zr)O2−δ are known to be shifted towards lower temperatures with increasing ZrO2 content. Thus, very harsh reduction conditions should be avoided for the (Ce,Zr)O2−δ redox system. The kinetics investigations comprised the high temperature reduction step (T ≅ 1600 K) and the "low" temperature oxidation reaction with a carbon dioxide atmosphere (T ≅ 1000 K). The reduction kinetics (at around 1600 K and an oxygen activity of 7 × 10−4 in the gas phase) directly yield the (reduction) equilibrium exchange rate of oxygen in the order of 10−7 mol·O/(cm3·s) as the kinetics are surface controlled. The oxidation step at around 1000 K, however, occurs in the mixed control or in the diffusion control regime, respectively. From oxygen isotope exchange in combination with SIMS depth profiling oxygen exchange coefficients, K, and oxygen diffusivities, D, were determined for so-called equilibrium experiments as well as for non-equilibrium measurements. From the obtained values for K and D the (oxidation) equilibrium exchange rates for differently doped ceria samples were determined. Their dependency on the oxygen activity and the nature and the concentrations of a tetravalent dopant (Zr) and trivalent dopants (La, Y, Sm) could be semi-quantitatively rationalised on the basis of a master equation for the equilibrium surface exchange rate.


The permeability and membrane potential of various electrolytes, through parchment supported silver and cadmium ferro- and ferricyanide membranes was investigated. The order of permeability was found to be:Cl−>NO3−>SO4−2>FeCy6−3>FeCy6−4while membrane potential was of the reverese order. The magnitude of permeability and potential values, decreases or increases respectively, with potassium ferro- or ferricyanide treated membranes. The relation y=ax1⁄n where x and y represents permeability and potential respectively, and a and n are constants, proposed earlier has been found to be valid for these membranes also. The energy of activation for the diffusion process for various electrolytes was found to lie between 4 to 10 kcal/mol. The potential values determined at varying concentrations of electrolytes, showed that the values increase with dilution. The electronegative character of the membranes, have got a profound influence on the movement of the anions. When the concentration of the electrolyte within the...


The purpose of this thesis is to exam the causes behind unusually high youth unemployment in Spain, even after the 2007-8 financial crisis has subsided. The primary means of investigating these causes is through constructing a set of empirical models and then using these models to perform several time-series regressions to find whether changes in educational patterns, demographics, and immigration have had any concrete effect on the youth unemployment rate and social capital. Some qualitative work is done; particularly in describing the legal structure surrounding unemployment and in the description of the Spanish welfare state. In my research, I find that a change in educational patterns does not deeply impact youth unemployment, nor do demographic shifts. The collapse of the Spanish economy (in particular the housing market) has had a far more determinative effect than any of these factors named. Levels of immigration do bear a positive relationship with youth unemployment, but only for a period, and have no measurable effect on social capital and may in fact aid social cohesion to a small degree, given enough time. In conclusion, the causes of high Spanish youth unemployment are not being dealt with well by the present government and further research into this area (particularly in to the effects of reforms undertaken in 2010 and 2012) is warranted before any policy prescriptions are formulated.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the accuracy of National Center for Health Statistics cause-specific infant mortality data. The National Center for Health Statistics compiles these data by applying World Health Organization (WHO) selection rules to death certificate data. The WHO rules arrange medical entities into a hierarchical order and select a single underlying cause of death (ULCD).

DESIGN
A comparison was made between ULCD assigned to a cohort of 335 infant death certificates by (1) a neonatologist panel, and (2) application of WHO selection rules by the Florida State Office of Vital Statistics (OVS).

RESULTS
Among the 146 infants with birth weights 1500 to 4649 g, agreement between neonatologists and OVS was 88%, while among the 189 infants with birth weights 0 to 1499 g (very low birth weight), agreement was just 41%. Neonatologists selected short gestation as the underlying cause of death for 82% of very low birth weight infant records, vs 25% by OVS. Due to the application of specific WHO selection rules, OVS frequently selected immediate causes of death, such as "cardiac arrest," as the ULCD, even when the medical certifier had indicated short gestation as the ULCD. In vital statistics reports, many of these immediate causes are reported as "other respiratory conditions of newborn," or "all other perinatal conditions."

CONCLUSION
WHO ULCD selection rules should be modified to allow short gestation to have a higher priority over immediate causes of infant death.


BY KRISTOFOR T. HENNING, THOMAS J. SULLIVAN, AND FRANCO A. CORRADO C orporate general counsel and public company directors rank data security issues among their top concerns. Indeed, news of high-profile data security breaches has grabbed headlines in 2012 and many such cases have made their way through the courts of late. Lawmakers have taken notice as well—legislation aiming to create a national standard for data breach disclosures is meandering its way through the Senate and the calls for Congress to update what many believe to be an antiquated Privacy Act of 1974 have grown louder. The Federal Trade Commission also has been actively prosecuting enforcement actions over data collection and storage practices and the transparency of privacy policies, and issued a report dictating best practices for businesses that possess personal data. The plaintiffs' bar is closely and carefully monitoring these developments and modifying its tactics in response to judicial developments.


One can only wonder that fifty states could be persuaded to apply sanctions at all. Sanctions did not prevent Italy from conquering Ethiopia, but the devastating effect on Italian commerce and finance of even a half-hearted —not to say dishonest—application of sanctions in 1935-36 will encourage the faith of those who still believe in the possibility of joint international action "against an infringement, actual or threatened, of the law." Had Italy been at war with a state of her own strength, says the Report (p. 208), she would have felt the pinch from those sanctions actually applied even more. Aside from technical difficulties of application, however, the fundamental question with reference to future applications of sanctions is whether that "union of wills" called for by Woodrow Wilson can soon again be obtained. It is not merely a question of the absence of the United States from Geneva; the will to use sanctions was weak even in the Geneva states. As Lord Hugh Cecil wrote to The Times of April 16,1936: "We do not like the way the French treat the League as a sort of particular umbrella, valuable for keeping France out of the wet, but when not so needed, to be kept rolled up and used only for gesticulation."


Land availability for agriculture has become scarce in the present technological world. Effective usage of the cultivable land is constrained due to less availability of water and cost-effective land allocation for cultivation has turned out more challenging. Crop planning optimization is termed as a combinatorial optimization problem, in which effective utilization of land plays a major role. The primary objective of this paper is to perform optimal land allocation to improve agricultural income. Ant colony optimization algorithm (ACO), Social Spider Algorithm (SSA), and LINGO global solver are applied for optimizing the agricultural land in this work. The study area chosen for this research is agricultural areas in Coimbatore, situated in Tamilnadu state, India. This research outcome has shown that planned land allocation through optimization algorithms could significantly increase the profit in agriculture to a considerable extent.


Er Hu has become a symbol for traditional Chinese music or traditional culture.As a musical instrument,Er Hu actually acts as a cultural role and even becomes a metaphor of traditional music.However,it is quite late for the appearance of the symbolic meaning.If the so-called "modernity" didn't appear in China,Er Hu would not have the special position in Chinese musical narration.


Through investigated supplies for oneself the power plant to the petrochemistry enterprise the consumption and drain water condition, and refer to the statistical method of the thermoelectric power station, this article proposed the petrochemistry enterprise supplied for oneself the power plant with the statistical method, and used the water condition in view of the petrochemistry enterprise power plant, proposed truly feasible measure of saved water.


Objective To establish a paradigm for routine fMRI scan in patients with brain lesion and to confirm the feasibility of using passive movement instead of active movement in blood oxygenation level dependent functional MRI (BOLD fMRI).Methods Ten healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study.The Philips Achieva 1.5 T MRI scanner was used to perform BOLD fMRI of passive movements and active movements with both right hand and left hand.Data analyses were performed with software in an MRI workstation as well as with SPM software.Results Volunteers finished all the paradigms perfectly.Nakedeye observation found no differences in range and location of the activation area acquired from MRI workstation.Data analyses by SPM showed slightly greater pixel in active movement than that in passive movement.The percentages of activated voxel in the contralateral sensorimotor cortex (SM1) and supplementary motor area (SMA) were respectively 42.7±6.4 and 9.7±2.3 (active movement on left hand),37.4±3.5 and 7.2± 1.3 (passive movement on left hand),39.6±4.7 and 6.3±2.6 (active movement on right hand),32.5 ±4 and 5.2 ±2.8 (passive movement on right hand).Conclusion Passive movement is a feasible paradigm for BOLD-fMRI modality and may be a substitute modality for patients with brain lesion.

Key words:
Motor cortex;  Magnetic resonance imaging;  Blood oxygenation level; Contralateral sensorimotor cortex


The synthetic dyes as photo‐sensitizers have been extensively studied in the photogalvanic cells for solar energy conversion and storage in artificial light. To make photogalvanic cells more environmentally friendly and sustainable, the natural and renewable source like crude extract of the spinach has been studied as sensitizer material in this study. Remarkable steady state power and current generation with simultaneous power storage have been observed. The observed cell performance (charging time 18 min, Open‐circuit potential 1050 millivolt, Short‐circuit current 1750 micro ampere, power 384.0 micro watt, storage capacity as half change time 44 min, efficiency ≈ 9.22%) is very encouraging to photogalvanics. This study shows that the natural resources like crude spinach extract can also sensitize photogalvanics with efficiency as high as for synthetic dye sensitizers with additional advantage of low cost and free from pollution, which is associated with production and disposal of dyes. Natural resources like crude spinach extract‐based PG follow same principles as for synthetic dye sensitizers. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 37: 1800–1807, 2018


In the present study, to reveal the loading rate effect on fracture process in Beishan granite, a series of Brazilian splitting tests under conventionally monotonic loading and stepwise loading conditions were performed to observe the crack propagation process of granites, with the aid of a digital image correlation (DIC) technique. The fracture process zone (FPZ) length and opening displacement ahead of notch tips, and so on were measured, and the loading-rate dependence was acquired correspondingly. The experimental results show that the peak load, axial and lateral deformation of granite gradually increased with the increasing loading rate. With the increase in the loading rate, the stress level for fracture initiation decreased, while the critical opening displacement and FPZ length gradually increased. The granite underwent insignificant deformation during the constant stress loading period when a lower stress was applied. When a larger stress was applied, obvious three-stage creep deformation was observed. The opening displacement ahead of notch tips increased slowly at a constant rate during the primary and secondary creep stages, then exhibited an approximately exponential increase with increasing time during the tertiary creep. Moreover, the FPZ length of granite at the critical state under conventional loading was higher than that under stepwise loading. The inner mechanism is analyzed to explain the rate-dependent fracturing behavior.


3D bioengineered skeletal muscle macrotissues are increasingly important for studies of cell biology and development of therapeutics. Tissues derived from immortalized cells obtained from patient samples or from stem cells can be co-cultured with motor-neurons to create models of human neuromuscular junctions in culture. In this study, we present foundational work on 3D cultured muscle ultrastructure, with and without motor neurons, which is enabled by the development of a new co-culture platform. Our results show that tissues from Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients are poorly organized compared to tissues grown from healthy donor and that the presence of motor neurons invariably improves sarcomere organization. Electron micrographs show that in the presence of motor neurons, filament directionality, banding patterns, z-disc continuity and appearance of presumptive SSR and T-tubule profiles all improve in healthy, DMD and iPSC derived muscle tissue. Further work to identify the underlying defects of DMD tissue disorganization and the trophic mechanisms by which motor neurons support muscle are likely to yield potential new therapeutic approaches for treating patients suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy.


Distributional information is a potential cue for learning syntactic categories. Recent artificial grammar studies demonstrate sophisticated distributional learning by young infants. Here we investigate the possible mechanisms and representations underlying this ability. Does prosody constrain distributional analysis? What specific distributional relations do learners track? Twelve-month-old infants were exposed to an artificial language comprised of 3-word-sentences of the form aXb and cYd, where X and Y words differed in the number of syllables. Subsequently they were tested on novel utterances that were consistent or inconsistent with the training sentences. In Experiment I, infants showed evidence for having learned the relevant relations by successfully discriminating between novel grammatical and ungrammatical sentences. In Experiment II, we asked whether prosody influences infants' distributional analysis. Contrary to our expectations, infants did not show a preference for relations between words that fell within a prosodic unit over those that straddled a prosodic boundary. In Experiment III, we explored whether infants' success in the first experiment arose from their representation of nonadjacent relations or distributional frames. Our results did not support a frames hypothesis. We discuss these results and offer hypotheses regarding the nature of infants' distributional learning abilities.


l'he increasing interest of lanthanides in technological industries has made it necessary to develop fast and sensitive methods for their determination, especially in trace quantities. The main problem encountered in the detection of lanthanides is due to their low absorptivities, which results in a poor sensitivity of conventional spectrophotometric method, such as UV-visible absorption and fluorescence. l'he detection of these elements can he improved both by complexing the ions with highly absorbing organic iigands and by using laser-based spectrophoto~netric methods. l'he high power density and the focusing ability of laser beams can greatly enhance the detection sensitivity of small volume samples. l'his work describes the determin;~tion of lanthanides as their chelates by using flow injection analysis and thermal lens detection. The complexing reagent 4-(2-pyridyl-azo)resorcinol.( PAR ) was used leading to st;~hle complexes with absorptivities about 10' times greater than those of the ions. The complexes formed are non- tluc~rescent and thus can be readily detected by ;I photothermal method, such as thermal lens spectrometry.