The Apalachicola Bay, Florida, eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) industry has annually produced about 10% of the U.S. oyster harvest. Today's simple individual-operator, hand-tonging, small-vessel fishery is remarkably similar to the one that began in the 1800s. Unprecedented attention is currently being given to the status of oyster resources in Apalachicola Bay because this fishery has become central to the decision making related to multistate water disputes in the southeastern United States, as well as millions of dollars in funding for restoration programs related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The oyster fishery collapsed in 2012, leading to large economic losses and community concerns over the current and future status of oyster resources, ecosystem health, and local economic opportunities. We used best available data to assess what mechanism(s) may have led to the collapse of the Apalachicola Bay oyster fishery. We then assessed the efficacy of alternative management strategies (e.g., restoration, fishery closure) to accelerate oyster population recovery. Our results suggest that the Apalachicola Bay oyster population is not overfished in the sense that recruitment has been limited by harvest, but that the 2012 collapse was driven by lower-than-average numbers and/or poor survival of juvenile oysters in the years preceding the collapse. This reduction in recruitment not only reduced the biomass of oysters available to harvest, but from a population resilience perspective, likely reduced the amount of dead shell material available as larval settlement area. Although the Apalachicola Bay oyster fishery has proven resilient over its >150-year history to periods of instability, this fishery now seems to be at a crossroads in terms of continued existence and possibly risks an irreversible collapse. How to use the restoration funds available, and which restoration and management practices to follow, are choices that will determine the long-term viability of the Apalachicola Bay oyster fishery.


Abstract TN International currently uses burn-up credit methodology for the design of casks dedicated to the transport of pressurised water reactor uranium oxide spent fuel assemblies. As long as the fuel enrichment of the pressurised water reactor fuel assemblies was sufficiently low, a burn-up credit methodology based on the sole consideration of actinides and the use of a partial burn-up was satisfactory to cover the needs without necessity to design new casks. Nevertheless, the continuous increase in the fuel enrichment during the last decade has led TN International to continue the investigations on the burn-up credit methodology to limit both the increase in the neutron poison content in the new basket designs and the burn-up constraints attached to the acceptability of the fuel assemblies for transport. The strategy of TN International was then to take benefit of the large negative reactivity reserves, which might be gained by the consideration of the fission products coming from the fuel irradiation. A big step forward has recently been reached by TN International on this field with the definition of an advanced burn-up credit methodology based on the consideration of relevant fission products recommended by OECD. In the meantime, TN International has taken the opportunity to use such burn-up credit approach in the design of the TN 24 E transport and storage cask developed for the German nuclear power plants. The relevant task has been carried out according to the German standard DIN 25712 for burn-up credit application. The present paper will describe the basic principles of the burn-up credit methodology implemented by TN International such as: (i) the current state of the art concerning the burn-up credit application in the criticality assessment (ii) the basic approach used for the implementation of the advanced burn-up credit methodology (bounding axial burn-up profiles, fuel irradiation parameters, fission products, etc.) (iii) the area of validity of the TN International burn-up credit approach with fission products (iv) example of application of the burn-up credit methodology for the design of the TN 24 E transport and storage cask under licensing in Germany (v) the perspectives of development of the burn-up credit methodology.


Teachers and students at Stockholm university quickly had to adjust to online course delivery in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Despite the challenging circumstances, the spring term 2020 provided an opportunity to collect data on how both students and teachers experienced an emergency transition to online teaching. This report provides a summary of findings and recommendations of the "Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis on teaching and learning" project delivered by researchers at the Department of Education, Stockholm University. The questionnaire originated from Stanford university, and was translated and adapted to Stockholm University conditions. The findings suggest course teachers and leaders devoting particular attention to issues regarding student participation, both in the formal context of the course and informally, in connection with the course.


Apply computer simulation to the distribution pattern of airflow without considering the cold condition of the combustion and compare the flow patterns under different designed circumstances.And the effect of the design of the partition in the air way of the burner on the flow and mixture of gas and air is especially studied.The result shows that the design of partition plays a very important role in strengthening the mixture of gas and air ,but increases the loss of the resistance in the air way and the total pressure of the air way in same working conditions needs increasing.


The temper embrittlement tendency of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel after long term service at 427 ℃ was investigated based on charpy impact test.In order to analsyse the effect of hydrogen content on ductile-brittle transition of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel,specimens with temper embrittlement were electrochemically hydrogen charged.The hydrogen content in the specimen was controlled at 2 × 10-6 and 4 × 10-6,respectively.Charpy impact test and tensile test were conducted on the specimens with different hydrogen contents.The fracture surface of the specimens was examined.The results indicate that 2.25Cr-1Mo steel after long term service at 427 ℃ has large susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement,the ductile-brittle transition temperature is increased by the hydrogen charged,and some intergranular fracture is observed on the fracture surface of these speciments.The ductile-brittle transition temperature continues to rise and the percentage of intergranular fracture increases with the increase of hydrogen content.The mechanism of ductile-brittle transition of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel under the interaction of temper embrittlement and hydrogen embrittlement was discussed as well.


Introduction The closure of forensic psychiatric hospitals and the conversion to a residential model of care based on secure residential units in the community (REMS) has made Italy the first and only country in the world to have followed the principles of the deinstitutionalization movement. Following the reform, several management issues have emerged, such as the creation of long waiting lists for admission to REMS. Improper hospitalization in Acute Psychiatric Units (SPDC) has often been used to address this issue. In addition, the handover of inmates' care to Mental Health Departments (DSMD's) has posed further challenges. To date, the field has received little attention from international literature. Objectives Description and analysis of a sample of offender inpatients hospitalized in an acute psychiatric unit. Methods We conducted a retrospective study including male offenders admitted to the SPDC of San Gerardo Hospital (ASST Monza), between January 2007 and September 2022. Data analysis was performed by using SPSS. Results 120 male offenders were included for a total of 204 admissions. 98 offenders (81.7%) were hospitalized once. We observed an absolute (N=1; N=30) and percentage (0.2%;12%) increase in the number of hospitalized offenders per year during the time period under study. Jail was the main provenance in the sample (46.6%), followed by residential care facilities (27%) and the psychiatric observation unit (ROP) of Monza's jail (10.8%). The two most prevalent diagnoses were personality disorders (37.5%) and psychosis (39.2%). In addition, 66 subjects (55%) had a history of substance abuse. The average duration of hospitalization was 19.45 days; it increased to 77 days for inpatients waiting to be transferred to REMS. Hetero-aggressive behavior as the reason for admission was associated with longer hospitalization (p=0.031), while attempted suicide correlated to shorter hospital stay (p=0.032). Out of the 55 offenders who attempted suicide, 41 came from jail (74.5%). Finally, longer hospitalizations were associated with an increased number of adverse events (p=0.001). Conclusions Psychiatric hospitalizations of offenders have increased over the last years. This population tends to require longer hospital stays (regional average of SPDC hospitalization in Lombardy: 14 days), which are even lengthier for inpatients destined to REMS. Longer hospitalizations exert a large burden on DSMD's and impact the general health of patients, exposing them to a higher risk of adverse events. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings and to develop better strategies for the management and care of offender patients. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


This study examined substance abuse treatment providers' perceptions of the gender-specific service needs of women in treatment as well as the obstacles that impede the delivery of services to meet those needs. Surveys were administered to more than 100 staff members of five treatment agencies that were participating in the Chicago Practice Improvement Collaborative. These surveys were followed up with focus group discussions. Most participants reported that their treatment agencies delivered gender-specific services but also described the numerous barriers to addressing women's specific needs, such as limited resources and the psychosocial challenges experienced by women in treatment (e.g., depression, child care, and family responsibilities). We discuss these findings in light of previous studies, the strengths and limitations of our research design, and the value of collaborations between researchers and practitioners.


One‐center‐expansion, self‐consistent‐field calculations are carried out for BeH3−, BH3, CH3+, NH3++, and OH33+ systems. Using a limited basis set, all of these molecules are found to be planar (θZAH=90°), except the OH33+ system which is found to be unstable. The extended‐basis‐set calculations are carried out only for BeH3−, BH3, CH3+, and NH3++. These calculations give the internuclear distances to be 2.500, 2.191, 2.032 and 2.074 bohrs, respectively, the total energies −16.144047, −26.235841, −39.117795, and −54.980821 hartrees, respectively, and the first ionization potential (—e1e′) 0.1402, 0.4802, 0.9293, and 1.4329 hartrees, respectively. Estimated values of the Hartree—Fock energy and the total nonrelativistic energy are also given for these four molecules.


The area of the New Forest protected for the purposes of nature conservation covers over 29,000 hectares (ha). There are a number of different types of conservation designation applied to the New Forest, ranging from national-scale legislation (e.g. Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), designated under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000), through European designations (e.g. Special Protection Area (SPA) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC) designated under the Birds and Habitats Directives 79/ 409/EEC and 92/43/EEC), to global-scale designations (e.g. Ramsar Site under The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, Ramsar, Iran, 1971) (Figure 1). This chapter provides an overview of the current condition of New Forest habitats, with a specific focus on those occurring within the New Forest SSSI and the New Forest SAC. The New Forest SSSI embraces the largest area of semi-natural vegetation in lowland England, and 12 The condition of the New Forest habitats: an overview


The research of growth properties and water-holding capacities of Gleditsia sinensis Lam.under salt and drought stress is meant to provide theoretic basis for the cultivation of G.sinensis Lam.under various soil conditions.The survival of the seedlings,the symptoms were investigated and the height of the seedlings,the biomass,the water-holding capacities were measured by potted experiments.The results showed that the survival,height of the seedlings,the biomass and root weight ratio all kept at a high level under drought,light salt and their intercross stresses;the water-holding capacities was higher than that of the control under all the stresses.Under salt and drought intercross stresses,the more water,the better for growth of G.sinensis Lam.under salt stress.


Product Description The essential reader on fabrication in architecture for practitioners and producers alike An original and informative reader on the subject of translating architectural ideas from conceptual propositions to physical manifestations, Manufacturing the Bespoke is an essential resource for students and practitioners of architecture, as well as producers and suppliers of architectural products. At a time where roles, methods and capabilities within the disciplines of building production are in unprecedented flux, this book: Provides a unique and highly current treatment on the subject of fabrication in architecture with its emphasis on contemporary technology, cultural history and theory A key source book for students and professionals engaged in manufacturing/fabrication projects Includes extended articles by internationally renowned critics, theorists, educators and designers, such as Mathias Kohler, Nevi Oxman, and Michael Stacey Articles will examine and refer to key portfolios of the 20th and 21st Century including works by Pierre Charreau, Peter Salter and Rural Studio Featuring essays from pioneering architects, engineers, academics and designers from around the world on both existing and yet–to–be–built projects, the book covers architecture across the ages. From the Back Cover Never have roles, methods and capabilities within disciplines of building production been in such unprecedented flux.Manufacturing the Bespokebrings clarity to this subject by featuring new essays from pioneering architects, engineers, academics and designers from around the world on new and unbuilt structures. It is an original and informative reader that focuses on the translation of architectural ideas from conceptual stage to their final physical realisation. Contributing contemporary architects include: Charles Walker at Zaha Hadid Architects; Mark Burry on the completion of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona; and Philip Beesley. The book encompasses a number of extended articles by internationally renowned critics, theorists, educators and designers, such as Matthias Kohler, Neri Oxman, Peter Salter and Michael Stacey. This AD Reader provides a definitive reference for every ambitious student, designer, critic, historian or engineer, looking to fathom the multitude of strands that influence the manufacture of man's most prolific occupation in the 21st century. It covers an extensive territory of intellectual pursuit through the relentless acts of design, manufacture and construction, and aims to contextualise and define new meanings for architectural production in the post–digital age. Leading lights, exploring alternate meanings for practice, research, theory and innovation, are placed side by side in a volume of vibrant and visual discourse. Contributors include: Philip Beesley, Mark Burry, Xavier De Kestelier, Matthias Kohler and Peter Salter. Articles examine and refer to key portfolios of the 20th and 21st century including works by Pierre Chareau, Adolf Loos, Rural Studio and sixteen∗(makers). Topics range from analogue and digital craft, to the bespoke as a tactical approach to how architecture is made, understood and experienced.


Since 1789, the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) has provided federal court jurisdiction for tort suits by aliens for violations of the law of nations. Though debate certainly exists about the method by which ATS-appropriate torts are identified, the Supreme Court has acknowledged that the substantive content of ATS causes of action is derived from the law of nations. In Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., the SupremeCourt justices addressed not the substance of ATS cases but the reach of that statute.


New word and phrase discovery is basic research in fields of NLP, IR and MT. The paper gives the method based on probabilistic techniques and rules for new word discovery via analyzing the current techniques of phrase extraction and combining the specialties of Chinese. This method includes the "bi-gram" probabilistic model, the statistical algorithm, the rich rules and rule-based algorithm for word filtering. Experiments show that this technique is fit for automatically and effectually extracting new words/phrases from large corpora.


Purpose – Given the emergent nature of i‐branding as an academic field of study and a lack of applied research output, the aim of this paper is to explain how businesses manage i‐branding to create brand equity.Design/methodology/approach – Within a case‐study approach, seven cases were developed from an initial sample of 20 food businesses. Additionally, utilising secondary data, the analysis of findings introduces relevant case examples from other industrial sectors.Findings – Specific internet tools and their application are discussed within opportunities to create brand equity for products classified by experience, credence and search characteristics. An understanding of target customers will be critical in underpinning the selection and deployment of relevant i‐branding tools. Tools facilitating interactivity – machine and personal – are particularly significant.Research limitations/implications – Future research positioned within classification of goods constructs could provide further contributions...


The pigeonpea was infested with the number of insect pests at various stage of crop growth. Out of which the incidence pattern of C. gibbosa was studied. The result of the investigation pertaining to the "Screening of pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] against Tur Pod bug, Clavigralla gibbosa (Spinola) in long duration Pigeonpea genotypes" was carried out in 2018-19 at the Agricultural Research Farm, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. This insect was studied during reproductive phase of the crop during 2018-19. The very first presence of pod bug, [C. gibbosa (spinola)] was reported in all genotypes with a maximum population of (1.13 bug/plant) in the MAL-13 (AVT1) genotype in the 4th standard week pursued in the first week by AVT1-706 (1.06 bug/plant), AVT1-705 (1.03 bug/plant) in first week. Pod Bug population continued between the 4th standard Week of 2018-19. Throughout all genotypes, that 12th standard week Pod bug populations had been reported to also be especially high mostly during 12th standard week for nearly every genotypes. MAL-13 (AVT1) genotypes, accompanied by AVT1-704, would have the highest percentage of 10.55 bugs/plant, as well as 9.62 bugs/plant populations. In genotypes AVT1-707 (4.96 bug/plant), the lowest population of pod bugs was found. AVT2 - 903 (5.02 bug/plant), and AVT1-703 (5.17 bugs/plant) during the 10th standard week. The mean pod bug population was substantially different in different genotypes and ranged from AVT1-708 (1.72 bugs/plant) to MAL 13(AVT1) (3.77 bugs/plant). . Its degree of damage in cultivar AVT2-904 ranged from 27.33% to 51.00% in cultivar AVT1-703. The grain loss in genotype AVT2-904 ranged from 12.68% to 30.52% in genotype AVT2-907.


The current study focuses on the life cycle assessment and an economic valuation of a natural convection solar greenhouse dryer in Western Maharashtra, India. The Solar Greenhouse Dryer is an active device that gains solar radiation incident on to the surface of the dryer and along with wind energy, it removes moisture from agricultural yield. The combination of solar energy and wind energy removes moisture from agricultural yield. The Solar Greenhouse Dryer is primarily used in rural settings; hence, it is very important to analyse the environmental and economic aspects associated with the dryer to obtain the maximum benefit from the dryer with less investment possible. The experiment involving a natural convection solar dryer was conducted at Bahe, Borgaon, Tal-Walwa, Dist- Sangli, Maharashtra, India located at 17.115o N and 74.33o E. The environmental parameters taken into considerations during the analysis covered energy, energy payback time and CO2 emissions, mitigation and carbon credits earned by the dryer. The economic analysis of the solar dryer consists of the annual cost of the dryer, the salvage value, the annual saving obtained and the payback period respectively.


This paper describes a new approach to the synthesis of fixed-structure and fixed-order controllers. Such controllers are required in many practical applications. A broad class of fixed-structure controller synthesis problems can be reduced to the determination of a real controller parameter vector (or simply, a controller) K=(k 1, k 2, ... , k t), so that a given set of real or complex polynomials of the form P(s,K):=Po(s)+k 1 P 1(s)+... +k t P t(s) is Hurwitz. The stability of the closed-loop system requires a real characteristic polynomial to be Hurwitz, while several performance criteria can be satisfied by ensuring that a family of complex polynomials is Hurwitz. A novel feature of this paper is the exploitation of the interlacing property (IP) of Hurwitz polynomials to construct arbitrarily tight approximations of the set of stabilizing controllers. This is done by systematically constructing sets of linear inequalities in K. The union of the feasible sets of linear inequalities provides an approximation of the set of all controllers K, which render P(s, K) Hurwitz. As the number of sets of linear inequalities increases and approaches infinity, we show that the union of the feasible sets approaches the set of all stabilizing controllers of the desired structure. The main tools that are used in the construction of the sets of linear inequalities are the Hermite-Biehler theorem, Descartes' rule of signs, and its generalization. We provide examples of the applicability of the proposed methodology to the synthesis of fixed-order stabilizing controllers.


Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases is a major cause of health care burden worldwide and the only leading cause of death that is increasing in prevalence. The common risk factors are tobacco smoke, occupational dusts, indoor air pollution, poorly vented dwellings and outdoor air pollution. Materials and Methods: A descriptive case series study was conducted in a tertiary care centre to study the risk factors associated with COPD. Results: A total of 50 patients with COPD attending pulmonology clinic were included in the study. All the patients were smokers with a maximum of 60 pack years and minimum of 20 pack years. Conclusion: Smoking was found to be the most common associated factors, thus interventions towards creating awareness regarding smoking tobacco and its ill effects on health is essential. © 2020 Published by Innovative Publication. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)


Biochar, derived from the pyrolysis of plant materials has the potential to enhance plant growth in soilless media. Howevetar, little is known about the impact of biochar amendments to soilless growth media, microbial community composition, and fate of chemical constituents in the media. In this study, different concentrations of biochar were added to soilless media and microbial composition, and chemical constituents were analyzed using metagenomics and gamma spectroscopy techniques, respectively. Across treatments, carboxyl-C, phenolic-C, and aromatic-C were the main carbon sources that influenced microbial community composition. Flavobacterium (39.7%), was the predominantly bacteria genus, followed by Acidibacter (12.2%), Terrimonas (10.1%), Cytophaga (7.5%), Ferruginibacter (6.0%), Lacunisphaera (5.9%), Cellvibrio (5.8%), Opitutus (4.8%), Mucilaginibacter (4.0%) and Bryobacter (4.0%). Negative relationships were found between Cytophaga and 226Ra (r = −0.84, p = 0.0047), 40K (r = −0.82, p = 0.0069) and 137Cs (r = −0.93, p = 0.0002). Similarly, Mucilaginibacter was negatively correlated with 226Ra (r = −0.83, p = 0.0054) and 137Cs (r = −0.87, p = 0.0021). Overall, the data suggest that high % biochar amended samples have high radioactivity concentration levels. Some microorganisms have less presence in high radioactivity concentration levels.


This paper gives a brief introduction to the Geograp- hic Information Systems (GIS) and its applications to the field of Environmental Health (EH). It starts with a con- ceptual exposition in order to show the potential of GIS's as an space temporal analysers, and as an aids to take de- cisions. Some specific cases are analysed, these cases re- present success applications of new technology to EH. A brief survey of the more popular software for GIS, free and commercial, is presented. It is also shown the conne- xion of this software with statistical software and other kind of specialize software in order to build computer to- ols for working in EH. Finally, some strategies are given for a deepen involvement of GIS in EH.


Sharing waters in a transboundary river basin is challenging, especially when there is no tradition of cooperation between riparian countries in other, non water-related, issues such as trade. Moreover, as water resources are being developed and climate change is a new source of risk, the lack of shared information on hydrological flows and human/institutional decisions on resources management implies that it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic factors affecting a flow regime. Attempts to retrieve hydrological data in hardly accessible areas have successfully been made using remote sensing. But the use of this technique for water systems modeling efforts, and particularly for characterizing infrastructure or understand water user behaviors, remains challenging as it requires extensive on-the-ground observations and interactions with water resources managers. The scope of most modeling techniques is also limited by their inability to handle the multiplicity of institutions dealing with water, or the impact of their specific and often competing interests on water resources. For decades, this lack of detailed data and suitable modeling techniques has led many studies on non-cooperatively managed international river basins to remain qualitative or conceptual, and has therefore frustrated policy makers for not being able to independently understand and quantify the causes of hydrological changes. In the Yarmouk River basin, for example, which is shared between Syria, Jordan and Israel, the annual outflow now corresponds to less than 15% of that of pre-development era, despite the signature of bilateral agreements between Syria and Jordan (1987), and between Jordan and Israel (1994). This state of affairs has led riparian countries to develop their own, contested, narratives regarding the collapse of the Yarmouk flow. Taking the Yarmouk basin as a case-study, this Ph.D. thesis consequently aims at quantitatively analyzing past hydrological changes in non-cooperatively managed, institutionally complex, over-built, transboundary river basins. This objective goes through two main research activities: (i) the monitoring of small reservoirs' storage in inaccessible areas, as a start to characterize a multi-reservoir system; and (ii) the simulation and analysis of scenarios to quantitatively study changes in a river basin. Results reveal that the contributions of natural and anthropogenic factors to explain the decline of the Yarmouk flows can be identified and then assessed using remote sensing, multi-agent simulation, and scenario analysis.


In the process of deformation measurement,the coordinate differences between two terms do not always mean deformation for sometimes they are caused by error of measurement.In order to investigate what is the reason of the differences,the significance analysis of displacement should be carried out.A method of using the error ellipsoid to analyze the significance of displacement of points is presented based on the error ellipse method which is used to analyze plane points deformation.This method can be applied to the problem of three-dimensional deformation analysis.A calculation example is given.


Sporting activities apply several mult-criteria (and mult-decision maker) methods in their championship regulations. Very often, the organizers are not aware that they are using them and indeed often apply them incorrectly. Variations of the Borda voting and Lexicographic methods are between the most worn-out. In case of the world-wide championship of Formula 1 a variation of the Borda method conjugated with the Lexicographic method are used. This article shows that some of the problems that occurred during recent seasons are a result of the use of this method with consequent aggravation of the inherent distortions. Furthermore, the use of the Condorcet method is suggested as an alternative. Its limitations are shown, as well as how to overcome them by employing the Copeland method. Lastly, an analysis of the results of the 2006 championship is conducted.


In this work, it is shown that a novel tubular-shaped, passive Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) can produce up to 2 times the instantaneous volumetric power density of a planar DMFC. First a numerical model was developed to determine the benefits of a tubular geometry and design characteristics for a passive tubular-shaped DMFC. Secondly, a tubular-shaped DMFC frame was designed, built, and tested to improve upon existing tubular DMFC literature and compare against an identical planar-shaped DMFC. From the numerical model, it was determined that increasing the ambient temperature from 20 to 40 °C increases the peak power density produced by the fuel cell during operation with 1 and 2 M methanol solutions. During operation with 3 M methanol the increased methanol crossover and oxygen depletion along the Cathode Transport Layer (CTL) reduce the power from the tubular DMFC. It was also determined that the thickness of the CTL must be greater than 1 mm for 1 M operation, greater than 5 mm for 2 M operation, and greater than 10 mm for 3 M methanol operation to prevent oxygen limitations along the CTL. From the experimental work, a tubular-shaped DMFC was built that presented an 870% improvement in power density from the previous best, passive, tubular-shaped DMFC found in the literature. The tubular DMFC produced 24.9 mW cm−2 while the planar DMFC produced 23.0 mW cm−2 with a Nafion® 115 membrane and 3 M methanol. The tubular DMFC experienced slightly higher methanol crossover than the planar DMFC, potentially due to a higher static fluid pressure in the Anode Fuel Reservoir (AFR), which is caused by the vertical orientation of the tubular fuel reservoir.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


Introduction It is generally understood that Angora Goats are highly prolific but that kids are susceptible to cold and wet conditions at birth. The high percentage of multiple births probably increases the incidence of difficult births from tangled kids and raises the issue of potential mismothering. While it is not generally discussed, there are a number of congenital conditions (ie conditions "seen at birth"), some of which are lethal, and others detrimental to either mohair quality or acceptability as stud stock. Observations on births over a long time period is required to quantify these problems and define the potential for survival under intensive conditions. Such observations provide a benchmark for an analysis on the economics of intensive kidding systems compared to the results which might be obtained from extensive kidding systems.


This article explores the styles as used in Ungu's lyrics of several love songs. This is a discourse analysis since the writer views each song within a particular discourse. Unlike other types of discourse analysis, this article employs analytical framework from the point of view of styles. Thus it can be said that this is the study of styles in order to identify and classify for the listeners to further understand the songs. Key words : discourse analysis, styles, stylistics, lyrics


This paper addresses the availability of statistical data for international trade in banking services. Such data are required for WTO negotiations and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). Following a discussion of areas of work for which data on international trade in banking services are required and of the outcome so far of international initiatives directed at the development of statistics for international trade in services, the availability of statistics relevant to the different GATS Modes of Supply of banking services of the GATS is reviewed. None of the currently available statistics under these headings provides a satisfactory measure of trade in banking services under Modes of Delivery 1 and 3 of the GATS. Thus the paper focuses on two other more promising categories of information, namely the income statements of banks, which depend on data already generated by private-sector entities, and data on trading in financial markets. In particular, the paper shows how information in the income statements can be approximately matched to the activities specified in the definition of financial services in the Annex on Financial Services of the GATS, exemplifying the argument with recent income statements of Jordanian banks.


Ann Intern Med 2000;132:810–9

Commissioned by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, this meta-analysis reviewed articles comparing Pap testing with a reference standards, such as histology, colposcopy, repeat cytology, or combinations these techniques. These data were used to complete 2 × 2 tables to calculate indices of accuracy. Many studies were derived from colposcopy clinics; patients without prior abnormal smears have a lower prevalence of abnormality. In the 12 studies with least biased estimates, Pap test sensitivity ranged from 30–87% and specificity from 86–100%. Results varied depending on the threshold designation of abnormality for cytology (ASCUS vs. LGSIL vs. HGSIL) and for comparison test (CIN1 vs. CIN2–3).

Comment: As the authors point out, the utility of cytologic screening in cervical cancer prevention lies not in the accuracy of a single smear, since sensitivity is less than ideal, but in the accuracy of lifetime screening. A single smear should not be relied on to determine the presence or absence of disease. (LSM)


Just as the name of Wu Ge(Songs of Wu) suggests,Wu Ge originates from the Wu region,roughly the present areas of Suzhou,Wuxi and Changzhou in Jiangsu Province,part of Huzhou and Jiaxing in Zhejiang Province and part of Shanghai.Consequently,the Wu dialect,a significant representation of the Wu Ge's regional features,has a direct influence upon it.The features of Wu Ge in music form or pattern are as follows: its melody is mainly of pentatonic scale and the modal register doesn't range widely.Naturally,Wu Ge,which takes the life of the water country as its singing objects,has strikingly regional features.As a result,many cultural symbols rich with regional features enter the songs.


Tripura Fold Belt of Assam & Assam Arakan Basin is in news for a number of recent discoveries like Sundalbari, Kunjaban, Khubal, Tulamura, Gojalia, Baramura etc. These discoveries have also guided us to think a bit unconventional and adopt different strategies to understand the Hydrocarbon plays in the structures of Tripura Fold belt. Synclinal Exploration, Exploration in Plunge parts of the structures, Determination of axial region of the structures, Identifying the stress direct ions and pressure regimes, Challenges in petrophysical evaluation and overcoming drilling problems are some of the challenges. Success in tapping gas from sands belonging to a relict feature of Upper Bhuban formation in synclinal area of Sundalbari structure, discovery of gas in a lower Bhuban sand in Khubal structure in synclinal area has rekindled the hope to find out similar ones in other synclinal areas between the structures. The gas discovery in Kunjaban structure which is the northern plunge part of Agartala Dome has proved the potential of the plunge parts of different structures particularly the northern plunge parts. Identification of fault cuts from log motifs in Baramura structure has helped in understanding compartmentalization of structures where seismic coverage is poor. It is also observed that particularly in Baramura structure, finding out the axial region is a challenge and slightly away from the axial region, the wells fall to water beari ng sands. The super charged aquifers present in the structures pose serious problem while drilling with water blow outs like what happened in Gojalia Structure. Interpretation of Hydrocarbon bearing sands where resistivity contrast is poor with high resistivity shales is also a problem in exploration.


Abstract This paper investigates the influence of different types of steel fibers on the engineering properties of ambient cured alkali-activated slag-fly ash concrete. The engineering properties investigated include workability, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, direct tensile strength, and stress-strain response under axial compression. Three types of steel fibers, i.e., straight micro steel fiber, deformed macro steel fiber and hybrid steel fiber, were added to the alkali-activated slag-fly ash mixes. It was found that the workability of the alkali-activated slag-fly ash concrete mixes decreased with the increase in the volume fraction of steel fibers. It was also found that the compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and direct tensile strength of alkali-activated slag-fly ash concrete mixes increased with the addition of steel fibers. The stress-strain response of alkali-activated slag-fly ash concrete mixes changed from brittle to ductile by the addition of steel fibers. Significant improvements in the mechanical properties of alkali-activated slag-fly ash concrete were observed for the addition of 2% by volume of all three types of steel fiber. The addition of hybrid steel fiber (1% straight micro steel fiber plus 1% deformed macro steel fibers) showed the highest improvement in the mechanical properties of ambient cured alkali-activated slag-fly ash concrete. Abstract 14 This paper investigates the influence of different types of steel fibers on the engineering 15 properties of ambient cured alkali-activated slag-fly ash concrete. The engineering properties 16 investigated include workability, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural 17 strength, direct tensile strength and stress-strain response under axial compression. Three 18 types of steel fibers i.e., straight micro steel fiber, deformed macro steel fiber and hybrid steel 19 fiber were added to the alkali-activated slag-fly ash mixes. It was found that the workability 20 of the alkali-activated slag-fly ash concrete mixes decreased with the increase in the volume 21 fraction of steel fibers. It was also found that the compressive strength, splitting tensile 22 strength, flexural strength and direct tensile strength of alkali-activated slag-fly ash concrete 23 mixes increased with the addition of steel fibers. The stress-strain response of alkali-activated 24 slag-fly ash concrete mixes changed from brittle to ductile by the addition of steel fibers. 25 Significant improvements in the mechanical properties of alkali-activated slag-fly ash concrete were observed for the addition of 2% by volume of all three types of steel fiber. The 27 addition of hybrid steel fiber (1% straight micro steel fiber plus 1% deformed macro steel 28 fibers) showed the highest improvement in the mechanical properties of ambient cured alkali- 29 activated slag-fly ash concrete. 30


Objective To find out the outbreak regularity and the distribution character of the occupational hazard risk factors which are raised during the manufacturing process of IC,and to provide scientific evidence for constituting measures of prevention and cure of the related occupational diseases.Methods Occupational hazard evaluation of 11 IC projects completed during 2003-2007 were collected and summarized,the outbreak regularity and the distribution character of the occupational hazard risk factors were analyzed.Results There were 14 kinds of chemical substances,which were all in line with national standards,except that valuse of arsine of individual monitoring points in air shop of ion implanter exceeded the national allowable limit;8 kinds of physical factors accorded with national standards,except that intensity of noise exceeded national limit in production area.Conclusion IC manufacturing projects are all serious occupational hazard items.Management of occupational health should be strengthened,especially to formulate the emergency rescue preplans,fulfill the daily check,and enhance the staff training,which are the three most important measures to control the related occupational hazard efficiently.


To meet the increasing demand on wireless networks, there has been intense eifort in the past decade on developing multi-user receiver structures which mitigate interference between users in spread-spectrum systems. While much of this research is performed at the physical layer, the appropriate power control and choice of signature sequences in conjunction with multiuser receivers and the resulting network capacity is not well understood. In this paper we will focus on a single cell and consider both the uplink and downlink scenarios and assume a synchronous CDMA (S-CDMA) system. We characterize the capacityof a single cell with both the optimal linear receiver (MMSE receiver) and matched filter receiver structures. The capacity of the system is the maximum number of users per unit processing gain admissible in the system such that each user has its quality-of-service (QoS) requirement (expressed in terms of its desired signal-to-interference ratio) met. We also identify the "optimal" signature sequences and power control strategies so that the users meet their QoS requirement. We propose a simple construction scheme for the "optimal" signature sequences that we identify. We also characterize the effect of transmit power constraints on the capacity.


Ablation of dentin and tartar was studied under carbon dioxide-laser irradiation in cw and pulse mode with pulse length down to 150 microseconds. The specimens had been cut by a diamant blade to slices of thicknesses between 0.8 and 2.8 mm. The laser induced temperature rise was measured by an infrared camera monitoring the backside of the samples. The specimens shape and structure at the laser spot was analyzed by electron microscopy. Of special interest was the testing of the SwiftLaseTM to reducing the heat. The experimental results show the necessity of a water cooling in all application modes. The origin of the cracks which had been observed in many of the samples, is currently under investigation.


Severity of work is strongly influenced by the type of physical activity and the
work environment. The pulse is one of the body's physiological variables that can
be used to determine the severity of the workload. The work environment can
affect the body's system that could lead to an increase in pulse rate, spend a lot of
perspiration, loss of balance and fatigue. This research aims to determine the
relationship between the burden of cardiovascular dehydration and knowing the
relationship between the burden of cardiovascular fatigue. This research was an
observational study with cross sectional design with using total sampling methods
as the sampling technique. Based on %cvl measurement as much as 75% were in
the middle category and as much as 25% were in the heavy category. The
measurement reserach of dehydration as much as 3,1% in the category of mild
dehydration, 84,4% medium category, and 12,5% category of severe dehydration
and exhaustion obtained for as much as 15,6% had mild fatigue, tired of being
50%, 31,3% tired weight, and 3,1% heavy tired. Bivariate analisys used the
Pearson Product Moment, with significance 0.05, got result (P = 0.016) or (P
<0.05) which meaned had the relations between %CVL with dehydration in a low
score r = 0,423 wich meaned the relations between 2 variables weremoderate and
the obtained reserach (p = 0,018) or (p < 0,05), which meaned had the releations
between %CVL with fatigue in a low score r = 0,415 wich meaned the relations
between 2 variables were moderate.
Key Words: %CVL, Dehydration, Fatigue


This study examined inflammatory cell and cytokine production in brain tissue from a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treated rat model that mimics many of the neuropathologic changes associated with neurodegenerative diseases. We monitored the appearance of glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and circulating nitric oxide (NO) levels, as well as immune system associated cells in a selected area of the brain, the olfactory lobe. Our hypothesis was that LPS treatment stimulates temporal changes within the brain and these responses included immune cell recruitment, increased tissue levels of immune modulating cytokines and NO, as well as greater glial cell activation resulting in increased production of GDNF. Our animal model of systemic LPS treatment lead to an increase in the concentrations of circulating cytokines including TNF‐α, IL‐Iβ and IL‐6, with a maximum response 6 hours post LPS. Concomitant with cytokine elevations, circulating NO levels were elevated for several hours post LPS. Brain content of GDNF was also elevated over a similar time frame. Lymphocytes, neutrophils, macrophages, plasma cells and cytokines were all seen in various areas of LPS treated brains. Our results suggest an involvement of both the peripheral and the central nervous system immune components in response to inflammation and inflammatory episodes.


Solvent-free catalytic hydrogenation of pinene over Pd on carbon, alumina, and silica supports were compared. Despite the absence of solvent, Pd catalyst on all three supports yields to a quantitative conversion of pinene to pinanes and a higher selectivity for the cis isomer (72-89%). The temperature affected similarly the selectivity of the reaction for all three catalysts in favor of the cis-pinane isomer. However, recycling of the Pd on the three tested supports varied greatly. If Pd/C and Pd/alumina were successfully recycled 13 and 14 times, respectively, Pd/silica could be used only once to convert pinenes into pinanes. Remaining very effective during all 13 cycles, Pd/C was the best catalyst/support of the three tested ones for the solvent-free hydrogenation of pinene. The influence of H-2 pressure on pinene conversion rates were investigated for Pd/C catalyst. An extremely low leaching rate of palladium in pinenes and pinanes determined by ICP/MS confirmed the heterogeneous nature of this catalytic solvent-free reaction. The hydrogenation reaction presented in this paper is an alternate environmentally friendly pathway for pinane synthesis.


Background and objective : Morphine hydrochloride, a major analgesic drug, is being increasingly administered using portable disposable infusion devices. The objective of this study was to investigate the stability of morphine in such a system at two concentrations (2·50 and 5·00 mg/ml) over a 30‐day period.Method: High‐performance liquid chromatography of stored morphine solutions.Results: The best stability was observed with disposable infusion devices filled with a morphine solution containing sodium metabisulphite as a preservative. No breakdown products were detected after 1 month of storage at room temperature, in light or darkness.


The behaviour of permittivity and loss tangent in the temperature range between 80 to 300 K of several alumina grades is presented. The data are obtained using a resonant cavity technique. The results show smaller temperature dependence for the polycristalline grades, in contrast with the observed behaviour of monocrystalline ones.


Composition of wastes obtained as a by-product of benzol refining was determined by means of chemical methods as well as chromatographic and spectrometric analysis. Additionally standarized tests of biological activity were presented


The composition of detrital minerals with grades of 0.063~0.25 mm in the surfrace sediments in the South Yellow Sea was studied. The research result shows that the mineral species can be dividea into more than fifty types. The light minerals are mainly feldspar, quartz and mica etc. The heavy minerals are mainly amphibole, epidote, mica, autogeny pyrite, magnetite, hematite, garnet, and zircon etc, which are mainly distributed in the sediments of silty clay and lutaceous silt. According to the features of content and distribution of the main minerals, the research area is divided into five mineral combination provinces, which are controlled by hydrodynamic conditions and sedimentary environment. However, the detrital materials in the sedimentary areas are mainly derived from the rivers, bedrock weathering, and reworking sediment in the drainage areas.


This article examines equity theory using examples from the sports world. The publicity that surrounds contract negotiations in sports provides real-life examples of equity theory in action. Examples from football, baseball, and basketball are used. An in-depth discussion of Eric Dickerson's negotiations with the Los Angeles Rams is used to illustrate the role of equity theory in salary issues. The application of these examples for use in the classroom is discussed. Additionally, managerial implications of equity theory are addressed.


ABSTRACT To assess the role of land snails as the monitor for heavy metal pollution and to determine the species-specific accumulation of metals in Eobania vermiculata and Monacha obstructa. A field survey of heavy metals was carried out in two different areas in Ismailia city, Egypt. The study was conducted to evaluate the essential and non-essential heavy metals in the tissue of land snails and compared them with their levels in shell and soil to find out which can accumulate more biotic or abiotic?. The heavy metals concentrations of essential and non-essential heavy metals of soft tissues of two snail species and sediment collected from Ring Road, Ismailia, in Egypt had the highest levels of heavy metals as compared to another site in most seasons except in spring season levels of essential (Cu, Mn, Zn, Co, Mo, Ca and Mg) and non-essential metals (Cd, Pb, Al, and B) were higher in El-Balah Road than Ring Road. Therefore, El Balah Road was less polluted as compared with Ring Road which was more crowded with cars. The ranges of essential metals in samples of the soft tissue of E. vermiculata along with the two sites, Ring Road and El Balah Road, were higher for Ca and Mg than other essential metals. However, Al as a non-essential metal in soft tissue samples of E. vermiculata for the two sites was the most common metal. Moreover, the levels of the same metals were elevated in M. obstructa along with the two sites. The results indicated that E. vermiculata and M. obstructa soft tissues do not reflect the environmental bioavailability of heavy metals as the shells do. Therefore, the shells of E. vermiculata and M. obstructa could be considered as a more useful bioindicator for Co, Cu, Mn, Zn, Mo, Ca, Mg, and Pb.


The concept of Euclidean fuzzy relation is defined,by using the classical representations of fuzzy relations,the relationships of the Euclidean fuzzy relation among other well-known fuzzy relations are examined.


Voluntary Environmental Programs (VEPs) have become increasingly popular in addressing environmental risks that are too complex to solve through traditional direct regulatory interventions. Whilst VEPs have attracted much scholarly attention, little is known about how they cause their outcomes. This article seeks to better understand whether and how the roles of governments in VEPs affect their outcomes in terms of (i) attracting participants, and (ii) their contribution to a desired collective end. Using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) this article addresses a series of 31 VEPs in the building sectors of Australia, the Netherlands, and the United States. It is particularly interested to better understand what configurations of five specific governmental roles in VEPs are sufficient to attract participants and contribute to a desired collective end. It uncovers three ideal type roles for governments in VEPs that are positively related to the two outcomes under scrutiny.


In this comprehensive review article,the historical and techno-economical aspects of developing and applying water-plugging technologies in petroleum industry of P.R. of China are introduced.The general principles of main technologies for chemical wa- ter-shutoff in producing wells and for profile control in water-injecting wells and the results (the oil production increase) from applying these technologies in Chinese oil fields are outlined.The most effective and promiting ones are pointed out and commen- tated,these are of:profile controlbyusing TP-910,PIA-601 series,particulated solid, triphase foam,and xanthan;water-shutoff in producing wells by using PAM gels and gelling water glasses.


This paper applies flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry to determine the content of metallic element in 24 kinds of TMC. Chemo-metric approaches, including Hierarchical Clustering Analysis (HCA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) are used to carry out classified analysis on TCM efficacy, and the results show that this research on TCM efficacy using the approach combined FAAS with chemometrics has a scientific reference value for the further TCM efficacy analysis.


The relationship between law and economics in European competition law has always been important, but it has received increasing attention during recent years. Much of this attention has focused on doctrinal aspects of the relationship and on the European Commission's use of economic analysis in its decisions. In contrast, the role of economic analysis in judicial decisionmaking has received comparatively little attention. This essay looks at that issue more closely.Three much-discussed opinions of the Court of First Instance ("CFI" or "the Court") in 2002 suggest the need for more thorough discussion of the issue (the "Merger Trio decisions").My objective in this brief essay is to explore the role of the CFI as an "economic expert" and to suggest potential implications of increased prominence for that role. I use examples from the Merger Trio decisions in discussing the central issue, which is "To what extent, if at all, should Community courts function as economic experts in competition law cases, particularly merger cases?"


The objectives of this study were to observe the effect of overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on the proliferation of the malignant melanoma (MM) cell line A375, and to study the role of nitric oxide (NO) in this process and the mechanism of VEGF induced‐A375 cell proliferation. The VEGF165 cDNA was transfected into A375 cells by electroporation. VEGF mRNA and protein in A375 cells were detected by RT‐PCR and ELISA. The proliferation of A375 cells was assessed by cell counting and MTT assay. Protein expression of iNOS, eNOS and nNOS was detected by Western blotting. NO production in A375 cell supernatant was measured by the nitrate reductase method. VEGF mRNA in A375 cells was significantly increased 72 h and 96 h after transfection of VEGF165 cDNA, as were VEGF protein, NO and iNOS levels. However, protein expression of eNOS and nNOS was not detected in either transfected or untransfected cells. Proliferation of A375 cells transfected with VEGF165 cDNA was enhanced. The nitric oxide synthase inhibitor l‐NAME could dose‐dependently inhibit the proliferation of A375 cells evoked by VEGF. These results indicate that VEGF enhances the expression of iNOS in A375 cells and results in an increase in NO formation, which may be important in the process of VEGF‐induced proliferation of A375 cells.


Abstract The liquid profiling approach is currently at the threshold of translation from research application in various clinical trials to introduction into the management of cancer patients in the context of clinical care. Routine application has focused primarily on the analysis of single blood-based biomarkers for companion diagnostics. However, liquid profiling promises much broader diagnostic potential, which is discussed and illustrated in this manuscript through several case reports. These clinical cases range from identification of druggable targets to the detection of subclonal resistance mechanisms. In addition, liquid profiling can be used in clinical practice to identify complex molecular patterns or as a personalized tumor marker for patient-specific monitoring of response to treatment. These examples highlight both the value and limitations of liquid profiling in various clinical settings, which could be overcome by an integrative diagnostic approach with imaging techniques. The complementary advantages of both diagnostics approaches will allow combining high sensitivity with genetic tumor profiling and topologic assignment. Therefore, we advocate interdisciplinary integrated collaboration between laboratory and imaging experts to unravel the potentials of precision diagnostics in cancer care.


Macrophage foam cells are a defining pathologic feature of atherosclerotic lesions. Classically, scavenger receptor-mediated uptake of oxidized or enzyme-modified LDL is cited as a mechanism for foam cell formation. Recent studies have demonstrated that at high concentrations, native LDL can also induce macrophage lipid accumulation. LDL particles are taken up by macrophages as part of bulk fluid pinocytosis. However, the uptake and metabolism of cholesterol derived from native LDL during macrophage foam cell formation has not been clearly defined. Previous studies suggested that selective CE uptake might contribute to cholesterol uptake independently of LDL endocytosis. In this study we demonstrate that the majority of cholesterol taken up from LDL is acquired by selective CE uptake and not by pinocytosis and LDL degradation. CE uptake does not saturate at high LDL concentrations and is not down-regulated during cholesterol accumulation. LDL modification and scavenger receptors do not appear to play a major role in macrophage selective CE uptake. Following uptake from LDL, CE is rapidly hydrolyzed in macrophages by a novel chloroquine- and temperature-sensitive pathway. Our findings suggest that selective CE uptake plays a major role in macrophage cholesterol homeostasis during foam cell formation.


Abstract Aim: Assess vascular indices of 7–10 week embryos using three-dimensional power Doppler (3DPD) and correlate them with the crown-rump length (CRL). Methods: This cross-sectional study included 65 healthy pregnancies between 7 and 10 weeks. The three-dimensional volume of the embryo was obtained using an endocavitary volumetric transducer and the VOCAL (Virtual Organ Computer-aided Analysis) method, with a 12° rotation angle and 15 sequential planes. The vascularization (VI), flow (FI) and the vascular and flow (VFI) indices were obtained using 3DPD and the mean, median, standard deviation, maximum and minimum values were calculated for each gestational age. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was used to evaluate the correlation between vascular indices and CRL. Results: The VI ranged from 0.77 to 41.67, mean 14.68 (±8.60), the FI went from 25.71 to 139.50, mean 90.61 (±21.51) and the VFI from 0.20 to 81.57, mean 15.69 (±12.42). The correlation between CRL and all 3D power Doppler vascular indices was low (VI – r=−0.073, P=0.566; FI – r=0.173, P=0.168 and VFI – r=−0.004, P=0.974). Conclusion: 3D power Doppler vascular indices in 7–10 week embryos do not correlate with CRL.


In some textbooks, a simple experiment is often presented about a jet of fluid streaming out of holes made in a vessel full of water. In this paper, we have chosen to discuss this topic partly because of erroneous assumptions that are prevalent is such treatments. Textbooks commonly ignore that the range of a water jet depends not only on the exit velocity but also on the time of flight until the jet reaches a horizontal surface. In addition, the connections made between this experiment and the dependence of hydrostatic pressure on depth often lead to erroneous explanations in both words and drawings. These errors seem to recur over extensive periods of time possibly through copying from one textbook to another. The authors' intention seems to be to illustrate that, in a fluid at rest, pressure increases with depth, whereas in this case the fluid is clearly not at rest. We clarify crucial aspects of this situation by applying the Bernoulli theorem in the case of water as an almost non viscous liquid and calculating the predicted trajectory of the jet as a projectile. Emphasis is placed on the fact that, in order to calculate the range of a given jet, the exit velocity is only one of the relevant factors. The duration of the free fall outside the recipient also needs to be taken into account. We also note that this analysis leads to the equivalence with water free fall and not with the hydrostatic situation. Our presentation here is restricted to the case of non-viscous incompressible fluids, jet streams from a container with a stationary free surface and geometrically perfect exit holes. For instance, hot and cold water behave differently due to the corresponding change in viscosity. All of these parameters present additional complexities some of which will be analyzed in a future paper.


On behalf of the Organizing Committee, it is my pleasure to welcome all our distinguished speakers and authors to 2020 4th International Conference on Robotics and Automation Sciences (ICRAS 2020) during June 12-14, 2020 in Wuhan, China. The idea of the conference is for scientists, scholars, engineers and students from the universities and those who from the industry all around the world to present ongoing research activities, and hence to foster research relations between the universities and the industry. This conference provides opportunities for the delegates to exchange new ideas and application experiences face to face, to establish business or research relations and to find global partners for future collaboration.


The article contains the analysis of the information community idea and the description of informational educational technologies. The author also considers the model of development of a teacher"s information culture, distinguishes the levels of information culture development and proves the modular principle of construction of educational programmes.


Due to wild habitat destruction, Cypripedium is among the most endangered groups in China. Determining how Cypripedium respond to environmental changes is curial to their conservation. However, less is known about the effect of deforestation on the growth of Cypripedium. In this study, we selected four Cypripedium species in Northeast China, and conducted conservation-based transplantation simulating deforestation to explore the impact of increased light intensity on the growth of Cypripedium. After three years, the maximum net photosynthetic rate was decreased by 15.9%, 11.5%, 13.6% and 5.3% for C. calceolus L., C. guttatum Sw., C. macranthos Sw. and C.×ventricosum Sw., respectively, resulting in poor viability, manifesting as shorter and thinner shoots, and smaller leaves. Unexpectedly, no significant traits shifts were found in the roots across four species, which may be related to the long root lifespan and conservation. Our research confirmed that increased light intensity caused by deforestation would lead to an increase in respirate cost and a decrease in photosynthate accumulation, and consequently the recession of plant growth. Except for habitat loss, individual plant reduction caused by deforestation could be responsible for the population decline of Cypripedium.


Substation automation systems (SAS) consist of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) and the communication networks between them, for implementing control, protection and monitoring tasks in power system. Rectitude of this system depends on integrity and interoperability of its components, especially in the case of applying various IEDs from different manufacturer of substation automation system and it is possible by flexible and common protocol in various manufacturers IEDs. For this purpose and in order to interoperability between different manufacturers IEDs, international standard IEC 61850 has been prepared. In this paper the advantages and effects of applying IEC 61850 on SAS performance have been studied and the future modern SAS have been compared to conventional substation automation system.


93.0%. Overall there were 11.7% minor, 0.7% major, and 0.7% very major interpretative category errors observed. The results of antibiotic susceptibility testing by Etest were similar to those obtained by the MicroScan MICroSTREP plus panel. Conclusion: The MicroScan MICroSTREP plus panel, a commercial broth microdilution method, has a comparable accuracy to CLSI broth microdilution method for the resistance testing of S. pneumonia. This panel can be used for determining susceptibilities of S. pneumoniae to a wide variety of antimicrobial agents in clinical microbiology laboratories. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2008;11:18-22)


One of the major challenges in biodiversity informatics is the generation of machine-readable data that is interoperable between different biodiversity-related data infrastructures. Producers of such data have to comply with existing standards and to be resourceful enough to enable efficient data generation, management and availability. Conversely, nanopublications offer a decentralised approach (Kuhn et al. 2016) towards achieving data interoperability in a robust and standarized way. A nanopublication is a named RDF graph, which serves to communicate a single fact and its original source (provenance) through the use of identifiers and linked data (Groth et al. 2010). It is composed of three constituent graphs (assertion, provenance, and publication info), which are linked to one another in the nanopublication header (Kuhn et al. 2016). For instance, a nanopublication has been published to assert a species interaction in which a hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus) ate a beetle (genus Ips), along with the license and related bibliographic citation*1. In biodiversity, nanopublications can be used to exchange information between infrastructures in a standardised way (Fig. 1) and to enable curation and correction of knowledge. They can be implemented within different workflows to formalise biodiversity knowledge in self-enclosed graphs. We have developed several nanopublication models*2 for different biodiversity use cases: species occurrences, new species descriptions, biotic interactions, and links between taxonomy, sequences and institutions. Nanopublications can be generated by various means:

 semi-automatic extraction from the published literature with a consequent human curation and publication;

 generation during the publication process by the authors via dedicated formalisation tool and published together with the article;

 de novo generation of a nanopublication through decentralised networks such as Nanobench (Kuhn et al. 2021).

 semi-automatic extraction from the published literature with a consequent human curation and publication;
 generation during the publication process by the authors via dedicated formalisation tool and published together with the article;
 de novo generation of a nanopublication through decentralised networks such as Nanobench (Kuhn et al. 2021).
 One of the possible uses of nanopublications in biodiversity is communicating new information in a standardised way so that it can be accessed and interpreted by multiple infrastructures that have a common agreement on how information is expressed through the use of particular ontologies, vocabularies and sets of identifiers. In addition, we envision nanopublications to be useful for curation or peer-review of published knowledge by enabling any researcher to publish a nanopublication containing a comment of an assertion made in a previously published nanopublication. With this talk, we aim to showcase several nanopublication formats for biodiversity and to discuss the possible applications of nanopublications in the biodiversity domain.


Thanks to the success in the design of a simple sharing function, the introduction of a novel fitness assignment strategy, and the development of a new local search procedure, this paper proposes an improved evolutionary algorithm for optimal problems involving several, often conflicting objectives. The simulation results on solving a mathematical function and a prototype problem reveal that the proposed method is effective in sampling the entire Pareto-optimal front and in distributing the generated solutions over the trade-off surface.


ObjectivesThis study examined the effect of shift work on developing the metabolic syndrome by comparing groups of exposed and unexposed Iranian drivers.MethodsWe considered as night-shift drivers those drivers whose shifts included at least 15 h per week between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Daytime drivers were defined as drivers working regularly without shift work. 3039 shift work drivers were selected. These were matched with non-shift workers. The differences in baseline characteristics and the prevalence of the components of the metabolic syndrome were assessed with Student's t test, and chi-square tests.ResultsWe found central adiposity in 52.0% of the shift workers versus 42.6% of the day workers (p < 0.0001). The hypertension component was not significantly related to shift work (p > 0.05); but there were significant differences as regards other components of the metabolic syndrome (p < 0.0001). Among the shift workers, the odds ratios of the increased FBS, low HDL-C, higher TG levels, as well as higher waist circumference were 1.992 (95% CI: 1.697–2.337), 1.973 (95% CI: 1.759–2.213), 1.692 (95% CI: 1.527–1.874), and 1.460 (95% CI: 1.320–1.616), respectively. The metabolic syndrome was more common among the shift workers (OR = 1.495; 95% CI: 1.349–1.657).ConclusionIn evaluating such results, further consideration is needed to find pathophysiological clarification; in turn, stress linked to shift work must be considered to likely have had a relevant influence on the outcome. In our opinion, shift work acts as an occupational factor for the metabolic syndrome.


Abstract Exponential stability of linear systems with time-varying piecewise-continuous delays is studied. It is assumed that the delay function has a form of a sawtooth with a constant delay derivative ≠ 0. In the recent paper (Fridman, 2009) piecewise-continuous (in time) Lyapunov-Krasovskii Functionals (LKFs) have been suggested for the stability analysis of sampled-data systems (with ≠ = 1) in the framework of input delay approach. Differently from the existing time-independent LKFs for systems with time-varying delays, the discontinuous ones can guarantee the stability under the sampling which may be greater than the analytical upper bound on the constant delay that preserves the stability. The objective of the present paper is to extend the piecewise-continuous LKF method to systems with a general sawtooth delay. The discontinuous terms of LKFs improve the results for all values of, though the most essential improvement corresponds to = 1.


Next generation wireless networks are widely based on the multi-radio multi-channel (MR-MC) networking model. While many existing works focus on network capacity and have shown that the capacity can be dramatically improved by using the MR-MC technique, the problem of delay-aware multi-hop routing in MR-MC networks has not been fully addressed. The problem mainly lies in the coupling between path selection and channel assignment. In this paper, we solve this problem by proposing a joint channel assignment and routing protocol based on end-to-end delay (JCEED) for MR-MC networks, where both transmission delay and queuing delay are taken into account. The protocol runs iteratively and in each iteration the channel assignment and path selection are updated based on previous iteration's performance in terms of end-to-end delay (EED). It finally finds the path which is both feasible and has minimum delay. Simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed JCEED protocol.


Mobile-edge computing (MEC) and intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) are envisioned as two promising technologies that enable massive connectivity in the future Internet of Things (IoT) networks. MEC allows IoT devices (IDs) to offload their computation intensive tasks and, thus, can prolong their lifespan. In contrast, the IRS can enhance the channel condition between IDs and the access points (APs), which are co-located with the MEC server. Wireless power transfer technique enabling energy harvesting for IDs helps realizing sustainable IoT network. This article applies IRS in a multi-ID MEC system for better latency performance. We first propose a multiple access scheme with hybrid frequency-division and nonorthogonal access technologies and then design a timing protocol for the IDs. Based on the above design, we study the latency optimization problem with the joint optimization of power allocation, the IRS phase shift matrix, and uplink and downlink beamformer under maximum power constraint for the IDs and AP. To tackle the formulated multivariable nonconvex problem, we split the target problem into several subproblems and provide a near-optimal low-complexity ID clustering scheme. Afterward, we derive optimal solutions to these subproblems, and a low-complexity fast-convergence alternating algorithm is proposed to minimize the overall latency. Presented simulation results verify the convergence of the alternating algorithm, and its superiority over the benchmarks.


Logistics system construction will provide important support and security for industry economy, personnel training is the core and key of the logistics system.Setting goals for training objectives and vocational education,innovative teaching methods,optimizing teaching resources,researching on logistics personnel training system,to enhance the quality of personnel training and strive to serve the local economy.


Objective:To study the clinical features of mental disorders and physical conditions induced by chronic alcoholism for further treatment and prevention. Method:Ninety-five inpatients who were diagnosed as alcohol dependence according to the CCMD-2-R from1984-1995 were selected through the inpatients index.The relationship of mental disorders,physical conditions and behavioral problems with the duration of alcohol consumption were analysed using Pearson coefficient. Result: There was a positive relationship between the psychiatric symptoms (hallucination, delirium and personality changes)induced by alcoholism and duration of alcohol consumption. The occupation impairment due to alcohol consumption was also correlated with alcohol consumption. The accidents,violent behavior and interrupted marriage were not correlated with the duration of alcohol use. Conclusion:Mental disorders and physical conditions induced by alcoholism are mostly correlated with the duration of alcohol consumption.It is suggested that early intervention will benefit the prognosis.


hat nobody likes is doing all the things that prevent all the exciting hacker stuff. Applying patches and locking down all those fiddly little bits feels like wasting time. In reality, though, best practices save time. The energy you spend applying patches is trivial next to the energy you'll spend trying to scrape an intruder out of your servers. Best system administration practices, like diet and exercise, can feel flat-out tedious. Also, much like diet and exercise, few people can agree on what best practices are. Hackers! Theft! BSP


This paper represents an initial attempt to pull together some parallel strands in argumentation theory, multi-agent systems, and philosophy of language, centering around the notion of commit- ment. A framework for argumentative dialogue is proposed which is inspired by recent work in multi-agent communication, but is also intended to be broadly applicable to human argumentation. The no- tion of "commitment" is elaborated in terms of Brandom's notion of entitlement, which is itself fleshed out using Habermasian validity claims. The appeal to intersubjectively observable deontic statuses in place of mentalistic notions of belief and intention provides a social semantics in Singh's sense, and allows for a plausible account of the emergence of Walton's argumentation schemes as well as rhetorical devices such as RST's Evidence and Justify. 1 Argumentation-based communication This paper represents an initial attempt to pull together some parallel strands in argumentation theory, multi-agent systems, and philoso- phy of language. The speech act theories of Austin (1) and Searle (14) have had unanticipated applications in agent technology, in- spired initially by the demonstration in (4) that Searle's systematic analysis of speech acts such as promising, requesting, asserting in terms of preconditions and outcomes, and the beliefs and intentions of participants, could naturally be formalised in terms of planning op- erators. This has led to important developments in the field of multi- agent and human-computer communication. However, agent design in terms of notions such as belief and in- tention faces the software engineering problem that it is not generally possible to identify data structures corresponding to beliefs and in- tentions in heterogenous agents (18), let alone a "theory of mind" enabling agents to reason about other agents' beliefs. This problem has been addressed by developing alternative semantics based on in- tersubjectively observable notions of commitments (15). This devel- opment is in some ways anticipated by moves in the philosophy of language to eliminate or at least downgrade mentalistic notions in favour of social constructs, including Brandom's inferential seman- tics (2, 3) and Habermas's theory of communicative action (5, 6, 7). A goal of the work reported in this paper is to utilise some of this analysis in order to develop a more fine-grained conceptualisation of notions like commitment and challenge in the context of computa- tional modelling of argumentative dialogue. As autonomous software agents play an increasing role in elec- tronic commerce, with e-science and even e-government on the hori- zon, it will be essential for citizens, consumers and the intelligent agents themselves to be able to judge the trustworthiness and reliabil- ity of agents they encounter in the virtual world. An important recent


An earlier contribution to this Journal addressed itself to the question of how Kwame Nkrumah tried to subordinate his military forces to the civil authority of the Convention People's Party during the Ghanaian First Republic, 1960–6.1 It was argued that the pattern of objective control inherited from the British colonial authorities was cast aside in favour of an entirely new subjective mechanism: 'This involved the orchestration of a programme of military diversification in which new security organisations were formed and existing ones split up'.2 Thisarticle will continue that theme by examining how civilian politicians attempted to confront the same dilemma in the Second and Third Republics during 1969–72 and 1979–81, respectively.


This article examines how family mediation training was used in Minnesota to construct a bridge between cultural and legal norms in an attempt to help heal a community struggling with assimilation challenges.


Determination of FeH/LFe in micrometer scale volumes on individual mineral grains has long been a goal of petrologists and crystallographers. Such measurements can be made using Synchrotron microXANES (SmX) spectroscopy. Comparison of microXANES determinations of the Fe3+ILFe in 50 X 30μm areas on polished amphibole samples, with Mossbauer and wet chemical analyses of the bulk material on which the srnX analyses were made, shows generally good matches. Results presented indicate that the Fe3+ILFe of amphiboles can be calibrated against data from simple oxides and silicates despite the known influence of the crystal structure on the position and intensity of the measured features of XANES spectra. The measurement technique used successfully minimizes crystal chemical influences and permits direct assessment of iron oxidation state. Measurements of the Fe3+ILFe in complex silicate minerals such as amphibole can be made, therefore, with comparable spatial resolution to the microanalysis techniques used for major element abundance. Zoning of Fe3+ILFe in amphibole crystals has been detected and can be quantified. INTRODUCTION surement of Fe+ ILFe at spatial resolutions comparable with those of modem microanalytical techniques (sampling nanogram instead of milligram' masses) is a fundamental technological challenge to geochemists. The use of x-ray spectroscopic techniques that have become possible with the availability of intense synchrotron x-ray sources now permits this challenge to be addressed (CALAS et al., 1984; CHENet al., 1984; BROWNet al., 1988; WAYCHUNAS, 1988). Synchrotron based spectroscopy can be carried out on the K and L absorption edges of iron with sufficient energy resolution to distinguish between ferrous iron and ferric iron (BAIT et al., 1994, CRESSEY et al., 1993). A synchrotron x-ray beam can be focussed and collimated to produce a true microbeam (1-100 micrometers in diameter) permitting the use of petrographic constraints in the selection of the areas to be analyzed. Other techniques for analysis of Fe3+ ILFe in micrometer scale volumes are beginning to be explored by HOFER et at. (1994) and ILTON et at. (1993). HOFER et al. (1994) have developed a refined version of the ALBEE and CHODOS (1970) electron microprobe technique of monitoring Fe La/L,6 x-ray line ratios as an indicator of iron oxidation state. The technique appears to have provided consistent Fe3+ ILFe for a limited suite of samples but is probably limited by the energy resolution (8-20 eV) of wavelength dispersive spectrometers available on current electron microprobes. Uncertainties about changes in soft x-ray 165 ELEMENTSFREQUENTLYoccur in multiple oxidation states in geological and extraterrestrial materials. Fe, Cr, Ti, Mn, V, Eu, Ce and U are all elements whose existence in different oxidation states reflects the conditions under which the host phase crystallized. Of these, the most commonly studied is iron. The variability of Fe3+II:Fe [Fe3+ I(Fe3+ + Fe2+)] in minerals has been recognized almost since the beginning of geochemical research, and its significance as an indicator of oxygen fugacity is widely recognized. However, modern reliance on instrumental microanalytical techniques that are incapable of measuring oxidation state in addition to element abundance has resulted in this fundamental parameter often being ignored. The influence of oxygen fugacity is fundamental in both phase equilibria and geochemical kinetics involving iron (FROST, 1991). Unfortunately, the oxygen fugacity under which a natural rock or assemblage formed is difficult to measure. One possible approach for estimating oxygen fugacity is to establish the oxidation states of multivalent elements such as iron in diagnostic mineral assemblages and compare these results with calibrations of the influence of f02 on those oxidation states. The coexistence of minerals containing an element in different oxidation states strongly constrains the environment in which equilibration occurred. Measurements of the Fe3+ ILFe in minerals have been made using bulk analytical techniques, as no microanalytical technique was available. The mea166 J. S. Delaney et al. line shapes as a function of site coordination have not been addressed in that study (BASTINand HEIJLIGERS,1991). Similarly, ILTONet al. (1993) use xray photoelectron spectroscopy to determine Fe+ / LFe in the near surface region (~5 nm thick) of biotite samples in a 2 X 0.1 mm spot. This technique has potential although the areas analyzed are much larger than those associated with true microbeam techniques. In addition, the strong surface sensitivity of XPS may limit its usefulness in petrographically constrained studies. The energy of the pre-edge peak (1s-3d transition) associated with the Fe-K x-ray absorption edge in amphibole minerals is correlated with the Fe3+/LFe of the amphibole. The pre-edge energy can be determined with good energy resolution (~ 1-1.5 eV) by using synchrotron microXANES spectroscopy (XANES = x-ray absorption nearedge structure.) Early studies on relatively simple minerals show that the energy of the main Kabsorption edge shifts 2-3 eV per valence charge, but high resolution spectra show also that the shape and position, of the main absorption edge, is sensitive to the coordination geometry (WAYCHUNASet al., 1983; SUTTON et al., 1993a). In contrast, preedge peak energies appear to be sensitive mainly to element oxidation states (WAYCHUNASet al., 1983, MANCEAUet al., 1992 a.b) although its intensity is dependent on coordination. The coordination geometry affects the pre-edge energy much less than the main absorption edge. The 3d final states represented by these peaks are more tightly bound and therefore less sensitive to coordination changes in the local environment and solid state effects than the higher energy states associated with the main edges. In the amphibole minerals the potential for complex variation of both composition and structure requires that the features of the absorption edge be studied in great detail to distinguish between oxidation state and coordination related energy shifts. The presence of several crystallographic sites hosting ferric and ferrous iron implies that the interactions that are characteristic of the XANES region will be very complex. This preliminary study will not attempt to provide that level of coverage. The original calibration of the pre-edge energy shifts generated using oxide minerals (BAIT et al., 1994) will be compared here with an independent "calibration" based on the available bulk analyses of these amphiboles by wet chemistry and Mossbauer spectroscopy. WHY MEASURE FE3+/I;FE IN AMPHmOLE? ROBINSONet al. (1982) describe amphibole as "a mineralogical shark in a sea of unsuspecting elements." The amphibole minerals are among the most compositionally complex of the silicate mineral groups and have a variety of sites (MI-M4, A) that can accommodate many different cations. Amphibole is one of the few mineral groups in which there is sufficient 'flexibility' in the structure that it can accommodate ferric and ferrous iron in response to both the crystallization environment and the crystal chemical constraints. Fe2+ is generally located in the MI-M3 sites with Fe3+ often in M2 (HAWTHORNE, 1981) although in oxyamphibole Fe3+ shows a preference for Ml and M3 (PHllLIPS et al., 1988). The responsiveness of amphibole Fe3+/ LFe to external conditions, makes them potentially valuable indicators of system oxygen fugacity. The substitution of Fe3+ and Fe2+ into amphibole may be diagnostic of oxygen and hydrogen fugacities at the time of equilibration. Two major mechanisms for the substitution of Fe3+ into amphibole have been discussed in recent work: (i) Charge balance of the excess charge of Fe3+ by oxidation/ dehydrogenation of amphibole. The end member substitution of ferric iron corresponds to the formation of an oxyamphibole component (by dehydrogenation) (Porr et al., 1990, 1995; DYAR et al., 1993). (ii) Substitution of FeH for A13+ (Porr et al., 1990). The strong anti-correlation of Fe3+ with H+ in a variety of kaersutitic amphibole samples is, however, very suggestive that oxidation/dehydrogenation is the dominant mechanism for stabilizing these Fe3+ bearing amphiboles (DYAR et al., 1993; POPP et al., 1990, 1995). The sensitivity of Fe3+ /LFe in amphibole to fHz and foz' in turn, suggests that the FeH /LFe be dependent on water fugacity of the source region. Thus study of amphibole Fe3+ /LFe in situ provides information on the volatile components extant during crystal growth and/or recrystallization.


In social media mining, unsupervised machine learning has not been studied extensively. Based on a specific use case in political polarization detection, we contribute an experimental method to find clusters in social media data and to explain the semantics of cluster membership using frequent word mentions. 100 dimensional word2vec word embedding vectors are generated from the raw text data. Based on this, three clustering approaches were tested: K-means, K-Means with Principal Components Analysis (PCA), and Deep Embedded Clustering (DEC). For K-Means, the optimal number of clusters was estimated visually. The performance of the clustering approaches was compared using the Silhouette score. Using PCA to reduce the dimensionality from 100 to only 2 most significant principal components had a significant performance impact, and combined with K-means, provided the best results. To explain the clusters visually, word counts of the most frequent words were plotted for three clusters. It became evident that the most frequent words per cluster explained the semantics of cluster membership in a consistent way. We conclude the following: our method demonstrates it is possible to find and explain meaningful clusters of users in social media data. Dimensionality reduction of text based on Word2Vec and PCA led to semantically coherent, clearly distinct clusters. Based on our understanding of the underlying use case, the clusters generated by the proposed method clearly reflect social phenomena that can be verified by a qualitative interpretation of the cluster visualizations. Thus, the proposed method can provide a basis for studying social behavior using social media data.


The present invention discloses a plug pin mechanism and the cylinder head, and the plug telescopic crane. Wherein the cylinder head plug pin mechanism comprising: a telescopic arm provided with a pin locking cylinder and the unlocking pin pusher arm pusher arm pin plug in the cylinder head on both sides of the pin means; the cylinder head is provided with a push pin guide arm guide rod cylinder pin movement. The present invention eliminates the above cylinder head arm cylinder pin cylinder, and the dovetail structures fork like structure, the cylinder so that the cylinder head structure easier; reducing mechanical failure of the cylinder head portion; pin and the arm cylinder driven by the guide pin mechanism pusher interlock interlock mechanism improves reliability; reduced processing costs and manufacturing difficulty of the cylinder of the cylinder head.


Modulation of Cell Yields and Genetic Responses of Salmonella Fermentation and Colonization in the Gastrointestinal Ecology of Avian Species. (December 2006) Kingsley Delroy Dunkley, B.S., Prairie View A&M University; M.S., Prairie View A&M University Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Steven C. Ricke Dr. David J. Caldwell In these studies we evaluated specific environmental stimuli relevant to Salmonella virulence and physiology in the gastrointestinal tract of chickens. Results from Salmonella growth in steady state, glucose-limiting continuous culture (CC) indicated that the optimal growth condition was observed between 0.05 h and 0.27 h dilution rates (D). Cell protein concentrations increased proportionally with an increase in D at each steady state, but after D 0.27 h there was a reduction in the cell protein concentrations as the D increased. Genetic responses generally indicated that the lowest D exhibited highest hilA relative expression. Relatively higher expression of hilA was largely observed at low D (low glucose) (0.0125 h, 0.025 h, 0.05 h). Salmonella incubated in CC at different pH shifts demonstrated that cell protein concentration, glucose utilization, Yield ATP and Acetate:Propionate ratios were influenced by an increase in pH (6.14 to 7.41). These parameters increased and decreased consistently with a corresponding increase and decrease in pH. Polymerase chain reaction-based denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis showed that the overall amplicon band patterns of microbial similarity have demonstrated that


Large scale tensors, including large scale Hankel tensors, have many applications in science and engineering. In this paper, we propose an inexact curvilinear search optimization method to compute Z- and H-eigenvalues of $m$th order $n$ dimensional Hankel tensors, where $n$ is large. Owing to the fast Fourier transform, the computational cost of each iteration of the new method is about $\mathcal{O}(mn\log(mn))$. Using the Cayley transform, we obtain an effective curvilinear search scheme. Then, we show that every limiting point of iterates generated by the new algorithm is an eigen-pair of Hankel tensors. Without the assumption of a second-order sufficient condition, we analyze the linear convergence rate of iterate sequence by the Kurdyka-{\L}ojasiewicz property. Finally, numerical experiments for Hankel tensors, whose dimension may up to one million, are reported to show the efficiency of the proposed curvilinear search method.


Six Sigma is an important tool that uses a structured method to solve problems as variability reduction, wastes and costs, generating continuous improvement in the products and rendered services and providing financial returns to the companies, hospitals and organizations that use this method. This article aimed to present the main features of the Six Sigma program and its applicability in hospital in order to increase the quality of the rendered service. In the development of this article, a bibliographic research in books, websites and specialized magazines was carried out. Through a detailed historical evaluation, principal stages and potential correlations, this work intended to demonstrate the methodology, applicability and relevance of the program in hospital administration, showing possible gains in assistance and management quality in health area. Palavras-chave Controle de qualidade Qualidade total Reducao de custos Administracao hospitalar Gestao em saude


ABSTRACT The Griffins' Route is a new transboundary tourist project, the idea and theme of which are based on common history and cultural heritage of the Duchy of Pomerania. The studies presented show differences in the perception of the route and particular facilities. These differences depend on the visitors' country of origin, their emotional engagement, identification with the theme, and motives behind their trip. Different priorities in the interpretation of destinations have been observed as well. Moreover, the assessment of particular facilities and their representative role regarding the regional heritage have changed depending on the knowledge about the history of a place as well as its location and distance from the border. Reasons for these differences can be found in the complex history of the region, changes in borders and migration of people, especially after the Second World War. Changes of administrative, social and cultural factors have had their impact on the sense of identity and relations with neighboring countries. This paper concentrates on the perception and interpretation of the shared heritage, as well as shaping the tourist space around transboundary cultural routes.


The significance Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of determination for Meningococci is described and according to the present study a shift in the sensitivity of Meningococcus is occurring, local isolates show higher Minimum Inhibitory Concentration for Chloramphenicol and Azactam. Strains of Meningococcus can successfully be stored in a domestic freezer.


The relevance of copyright and other current forms of intellectual property protection is discussed in the light of current methods of information communication via the Internet and World Wide Web. The issues involved are illustrated with particular reference to the music industry. Recent US legal rulings regarding Web sites set up to allow users to exchange music files, including the Napster (www.napster.com) and MP3 (www.www.mp3.com) cases, have shown the inadequacies of trying to fit the US Copyright Act into a communication model that fails to allow it to function as it has in the past. It is argued that these resources form part of the open source movement, are made freely available on the Internet and are almost impossible to control from the copyright viewpoint. The case both for and against the industry's position is considered. The way in which some artists and publishers, including authors of books, are already turning directly to the Web shows that the new publishing paradigm is likely to become dominant. Concludes that the music and print-based publishing industries must develop a taste for the new markets offered by the Web if they are to survive and prosper. They need to organize themselves to create or buy the infrastructure upon which to offer their products commercially. Although authorities are willing to protect the publishers' interests, the ingenuity of the developers of information and communications technologies (ICT) have clearly illustrated that the legislators will always be one step behind. New business models are arising almost daily and one of them should prove to be viable.