Rainfall variability is a function of scale, so high spatial and temporal resolution data are preferred to identify extreme events and accurately predict future variability. In this research, satellite-derived rainfall data are used as a basis for undertaking model experiments using a state-of-the-art climate model, run at both high and low spatial resolution. Once the model's ability to reproduce extremes has been assessed, idealised regions of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies are used to force the model, with the overall aim of investigating the ways in which SST anomalies influence rainfall extremes over southern Africa. In this paper, a brief overview is given of the authors' research to date, pertaining to southern African rainfall. This covers (i) a description of present-day rainfall variability over southern Africa; (ii) a comparison of model simulated daily rainfall with the satellite-derived dataset; (iii) results from sensitivity testing of the model's domain size; and (iv) results from the idealised SST experiments.


Abstract Background: While the aetiology for most psychotic disorders is unknown, a strong association has been observed between Toxoplasma gondii infection and psychosis. The proportion of individuals with psychotic disorders who have current or past infection with toxoplasma has been varied. Reports from the African continent have however been scanty. Methods: A case control study of patients with a psychotic disorder presenting for the first time to a regional psychiatric facility was undertaken and compared to age and sex-matched healthy controls. In addition to socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, seroprevalence (IgG and IgM) of T. gondii was undertaken using an immunoassay test kit. Results: IgG seropositivity was significantly higher among cases (30·7% vs 17·85%, OR = 2·04, 95% CI = 1·12–3·74, P<0·02). In contrast, IgM seropositivity was significantly lower among the cases (7·14% vs 8·57%, OR = 0·82, 95% CI = 0·31–2·16, P = 0·82). Cases who were IgG seropositive to T. gondii were more likely to be older (P<0·001) and female (P<0·001). There was no statistically significant difference in terms of T. gondii infection and, eaten poorly cooked meat (0·88), and diagnostic group (P = 0·53). Though there was a trend towards exposure to cats, this failed to reach significance (P = 0·08). Conclusion: T. gondii (IgG) infection is common among individuals with severe mental illness sampled and significantly higher compared to controls.


AT the request of Mr. H. Woods, F.R.S., I have examined a small series of Echinoids belonging to the Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge, collected by the late J. F. Walker from the sand-pits on Shenley Hill, near Leighton Buzzard. Mr. G. W. Lamplugh has sent me four additional specimens from the same locality. The matrix seems to be the same in all the examples except D, and agrees absolutely with a sample of the Limestone-lentides sent for comparison by Dr. F. L. Kitchin. The age of this Limestone is a subject of controversy (see Geol. Mag., January—March, 1920), and a critical analysis of its fauna seems the only means of deciding the issue. Unfortunately, most of the Echinoids are very indifferently preserved so that specific determination is often doubtful, and in some cases impossible.


Your Outlook supplement on fertility includes a Commentary article by J. F. Strauss and M. Kafrissen "Waiting for the second coming" which is either an extraordinarily naive recommendation for developing fundamentally new "safer more effective and more user-friendly" contraceptives or a disingenuous plea for more money. In this field pouring additional funds into research without addressing the underlying problems is as illogical as getting nine women pregnant and expecting a baby in one month. The opening sentence "Even developed countries have a staggeringly high incidence of unplanned pregnancies" leads the authors to conclude that currently available contraceptives "are simply not meeting the needs of society". Yet it is primarily through the use of the Pill intrauterine device (IUD) condom sterilization and abortion that the reproduction rate in every European country except Albania and Malta is now below replacement level. Even in Japan where the Pill was legalized only in 1999 the rate fell below replacement level years ago. (excerpt)


Placenta performs the following functions: protection, nutrition, respiration, hormone production and excretion. As it is a great source of different cells, we are more and more interested to isolate them from the placenta. Cells can be harvested by non-invasive methods and without any ethical concerns. Due to its structure placenta contains Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) of maternal and fetal origin. To make the selection easy, in our experiment we only used placentas from women who gave birth to boys. We used two methods to isolate MSCs (CD collagenase digestion and MC mechanical cut) from different parts of the placenta: amnion, chorion, villi and deciduae basalis. MSCs were of CD73+, CD90+, CD105+, CD 14-, CD19-, CD34-, CD45-, HLA-DRcell surface phenotype, adherent and capable to differentiate into osteocytes, adipocytes, chondrocytes. These data fulfilled minimal characterization criteria of MSCs. We can isolate fetal and maternal MSCs from placenta. The origin of isolated cells was tested with the use of Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH). MSCs isolated from the same placenta from one tissue can show different origins, for example, MSCs from chorion isolated by MC show maternal origin, but MSCs from the same amnion isolated using another method (CD) show fetal origin. A placenta mostly consists of fetal-derived cells. However, close contact between fetal (amnion, chorion and villi) and maternal (decidua basalis) parts is responsible for presence of the maternal cells in the fetal part and fetal cells in the maternal part of a placenta. Isolation of pure: maternal or fetal MSCs from the placental tissue allows better characterization of MSC-based product for clinical purposes. If we are able to produce a pure population of maternal MSCs, we will gain the ability to apply a more personalized therapy for the mother. Isolation and Characteristics of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Different Parts of Placenta Ekaterina Semenova1, Zbigniew R Mrowiec2, Eugeniusz K Machaj1, Magdalena Murzyn1, Katarzyna Borg3, Dariusz Boruczkowski1, Tomasz Ołdak1 1Polish Stem Cell Bank, Famicord Group, Warsaw, Poland 2New Jersey Cord Blood Bank, Montvale, New Jersey, USA 3Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland *Corresponding author: Ekaterina Semenova, Działkowa, Polish Stem Cell Bank, Famicord Group, 85, 02-234 Warsaw, Poland, Tel: +22 436-40-50; Email: email@example.com Received January 20, 2017; Accepted January 30, 2017; Published February 10, 2017 Citation: Semenova E, Mrowiec ZR, Machaj EK, Murzyn M, Borg K, et al. (2017) Isolation and Characteristics of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Different Parts of Placenta. J Stem Cell Res Ther 7: 376. doi: 10.4172/2157-7633.1000376 Copyright: © 2017 Semenova E, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.


The authors present the results of a small survey conducted within NHS Kernow CCG to determine GPs' awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial stewardship and how this influences their prescribing decisions, as well as their suggestions on how antibiotic prescribing practices could be improved.


FIELD: radio engineering, communication. SUBSTANCE: in a ground-based small-size transport system consisting of a ground-based vehicle, a radar station, an optical-electronic system and an electrical power supply system, the radar station is in the form of a pulsed non-coherent station, wherein a transceiver, antenna and antenna rotary drive are combined into a single antenna-transceiver unit, a radar information processing unit is a radar processor which performs digital processing of radar echo signals; the radar processor is connected through a switch by an Ethernet channel to a computer which stores and processes electronic map information, integrates said information with a radar image and outputs to a video monitor. EFFECT: high noise-immunity, including noise-immunity of separate units of the system, enabling mounting of units of the system on a single hoisting-mast device, faster and easier deployment of the system, providing stealth movement thereof at night. 7 cl, 8 dwg


International reference pricing (IRP) has become a popular policy instrument in Europe. As government seeks to curb healthcare costs and notably reduce expenditure on medicines, the use of IRP has arguably prompted price convergence. Reference pricing may reduce drug prices and promote generic market entry in the short term. In the long run however, IRP risks causing negative dynamic effects. This is due to the fact that the operation of the price mechanism is set out of play. The IRP as an instrument is not designed to improve productivity and efficiency in the pharmaceutical market. Instead of basing prices on an assessment of the added therapeutic value of a new medicine, IRP focuses solely on cutting costs. As pharmaceutical companies react to policy incentives, launch delays have been observed as well as higher prices on branded drugs as firms try to compensate for foregone sales. Ultimately, by dampening the price competition and by discouraging incremental innovation, IRP may in the long run defeat its purpose and lead to increased medical expenses for the public healthcare sector. SUMMARY Piggy banks around Europe are operating on an empty stomach these days, especially the ones belonging to the public healthcare sector. In times of austerity, the healthcare sector has been subject to significant budget cuts or measures that have stopped expenditure from increasing. But at the same time, policymakers seem cautious about prescribing too harsh medicine to a sector that is, admittedly, not in rude health. Tempted by the idea of quickly reducing healthcare costs with minimal efforts, politicians are currently kicking major incremental healthcare reforms down the road. Instead, the attention is drawn to reducing the amount of money spent on external expenditure items, notably medicines.


Queueing networks are systems of theoretical interest that give rise to complex families of stochastic processes, and find widespread use in the performance evaluation of interconnected resources. Yet, despite their importance within applications, and in comparison to their counterpart stochastic models in genetics or mathematical biology, there exist few relevant approaches for transient inference and uncertainty quantification tasks in these systems. This is a consequence of strong computational impediments and distinctive properties of the Markov jump processes induced by queueing networks. In this paper, we offer a comprehensive overview of the inferential challenge and its comparison to analogue tasks within related mathematical domains. We then discuss a model augmentation over an approximating network system, and present a flexible and scalable variational Bayesian framework, which is targeted at general-form open and closed queueing systems, with varied service disciplines and priorities. The inferential procedure is finally validated in a couple of uncertainty quantification tasks for network service rates.


Summary In controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) methods, the researchers usually focus on the study of electromagnetic waves in air and the Earth, and do not consider the effect of the ionosphere. But for a long bipole source and large transmitter-receiver separation (several thousand kilometers), effects of the ionosphere on electromagnetic field should not be neglected. However, there are only a few publications related to the study which includes the ionosphere, the atmosphere and the earth (called the "earthionosphere" case). This paper presents the "layer-matrix method", which can calculate electromagnetic fields of random position for random stratified model, especially for large scale earth-ionosphere model. After some reliability confirmations of layer-matrix method, we use it for calculation of earth-ionosphere media, and get some valuable results.


Forming a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image while suppressing an airborne broadband jammer can potentially destroy large regions of the image. In addition to this, multipath reflections from the ground, known as hotclutter (HC) or terrain scattered interference will add a nonstationary interference component to the image. Using mult iple antennas on a SAR provides spatial degrees of freedom and allows for adaptive beamforming to suppress the jammer sign als. This paper presents a summary of constrained sub-optimal fa sttime Space Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) techniques whic h reduce the interference level with minimal distortion to the SAR image. I. I NTRODUCTION The goal of interference suppression for SAR is to successfully suppress the undesired signals while not signific a tly effecting the image quality by blurring, reducing the resol uti n or raising the sidelobe level. This can be hard to achieve in practice, especially if the interference is non-stationar y nd the training statistics change from pulse to pulse, causing traditional slow-time STAP techniques be ineffective, [1] . Therefore adapting within each pulse is required by exploit ing fast-time STAP. This offers the advantage of exploiting the coherency between the direct-path jammer and other HC signals to provide improved interference rejection. It will ho wever cause secondary modulations during image formation, simil ar to that shown by [2]. In previous work, the use of derivative constraints to reduce potential signal suppression has sho wn to be an effective compromise to reduce the interference witho ut compromising the target's range profile, [3]. The first algorithm presented in this paper is a sub-optimal constrained Generalised Sidelobe Canceller (GSC) suitabl e for reducing the secondary modulations without damaging the desired image. Fully adaptive processing however can be very computationally intensive and not suitable for real ti me operation. Moreover, if the interference is non-stationar y, the eigenvalues of the covariance matrix will spread, increasi ng the interference rank and therefore the degrees of freedom required to effectively cancel it. This problem is also anal ogous to the Moving Target Indication application where the groun d clutter returns may not be stationary due to real world effec ts, such as aircraft crabbing, non-linear array geometry, intr insic clutter motion, and scattering from near-field obstacles. T wo modified GSC algorithms are therefore presented using techniques to reduce the rank associated with the interference p lus noise covariance matrix. These approaches provide equival ent performance to the full rank version but with reduced sample support and computation. II. SYSTEM MODELS AND GEOMETRY A. SAR Signal Model Consider a SAR platform travelling along the y-axis at vp m/s, imaging a point in the slant-plane x ∈ [Xc−X0, Xc+X0], y ∈ [−Y0, Y0]. The radar transmits a broadband chirp and the received signal xn(t, u), is base-banded and sampled for each of theN channels of a linear antenna array with equispaced receivers along the azimuth direction. The variable s (t, u) represent (fast-time) samples within a pulse and the SAR platform position (slow-time) respectively. As the SAR bandwidth,B (Hz) is much smaller than the carrier frequency, ωc (rad/s), the SAR signal model can be split into temporal and spatial components. The spatial reference signal is given by the time difference between the phase centre of the antenna array and the n channel and can be approximated as a function of the SAR positionu or equivalently, an angular offset θ(u), i.e.,


Nuclear orientation in ferromagnetic dilute alloys was developed with a thermal eqilibrium method. A sample of small iron plate containing the dilute radioisotopes was cooled to 0.014°K indirectly by adiabatic demagnetization. Temperature of the sample was determined from anisotropy of gamma-rays of Co60. Details of design consideration and performance were discussed.


Our objective was to explore the relation between patient age and postoperative opioid use up to 24 hours following pelvic organ prolapse (POP) surgery.


Renewable resources are often touted as the route to a carbon-free economy. In today's climate of low oil prices, the economics of biofuels and biochemicals production need consideration. Production of ethanol and the conversion of ethanol into ethylene are a useful basis for discussion.


This essay argues that prehistory in Vietnam has been powerfully shaped by the contemporary social and political circumstances in which it has been produced, both during the French colonial period and in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. It argues that in both periods the degree of professionalism in the field and the prevailing political ideology shaped the kind of prehistory produced. The discussion focuses particularly on the Bronze Age culture of Đong Sỏn and its link to the Hung kings and their kingdom of Văn Lang.


The locked echo is the result of the application, to an inhomogeneously-broadened system, of a pulse sequence consisting of a short π/2 pulse, a free evolution period of length r and a long pulse with high turning angle (HTA). In this paper the nature and features of the signal detected after such a pulse sequence are reported upon by analysing the underlying physical mechanisms in the framework of the density operator formalism. It is found that the total signal does not contain any contribution from Free Induction Decay (FID)-like or anti-echo signals but comprises a group of several distinct echoes: the true simultaneous locked echo, arising from locked magnetization, and two or three non-simultaneous, oscillatory echoes similar to those observed in the single-pulse experiment. Properties of these echoes are deduced from the structure of the density operator at the end of the experiment. Extensive numerical simulations provide independent evidence of the correctness of the developed theory, display the variety of patterns shown by the locked echo when experimental conditions are changed, and also permit one to investigate the locked echo shape beyond the approximations introduced in the theory.


: Ocular barotrauma is a condition where there is damage to the ocular and periorbital soft tissues due to pressure differences with the surrounding environment. In divers, ocular barotrauma is triggered by wearing an incorrect eye mask or googles. As a result, there are complaints of red eyes, subconjunctival hemorrhage, ecchymosis and even orbital bleeding or orbital emphysema. During a dive, the pressure will increase on the outside of the goggles or diving mask but the pressure inside remains at atmospheric values so that it can produce negative pressure compared to the surroundings. Most cases of mild barotrauma do not require special treatment. Treatment that can be done depends on the severity of the tissue damage caused. In minor injuries to the skin such as bruises, the swelling will heal within one to two weeks with supportive care. This article aims to increase insight related to the incidence of ocular barotrauma in divers in coastal communities.


Three-dimensional Miiller-Lyer figures were used in three experiments to test a perspective theory of geometrical illusions. The real depth cues were in one of two orientations, designed either to support or to oppose the action of the perspective depth cues hypothesized by the perspective theory. If any illusion is obtained with these three-dimensional figures, the theory implies, its magnitude should be different in the two orientations. In fact, a substantial illusion was obtained, but the difference between the two orientations was small and opposite to the prediction of perspective theory. Perspective explanations of geometrical illusions have a long history,' but only recently has this approach received the conceptual clarification needed to open it to experimental analysis. Gregory's formulation of perspective theory rests on two main assumptions.2 First, geometrical-illusion figures such as the MiillerLyer ones in Figure lab are considered two-dimensional projections of three-dimensional figures; thus, they contain perspective cues for depth. Second, these cues are assumed to trigger a constancy-scaling mechanism that corrects for decrease in the retinal image with increasing distance. Those parts of the figure that would be more distant in the three-dimensional representation are enlarged and those that would be closer are diminished, in accord with size constancy. This version of perspective theory has been applied especially to Received for publication April 27, 1970. The first author, who is now at the University of Wisconsin, was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship, MH39369-02, from the National Institute of Mental Health. Support was also provided by a National Science Foundation grant, GB-6666, to the second author. The authors thank Susan Keeve for her help. 1 R. S. Woodworth, Experimental Psychology, 1938, 644-645; R. L. Gregory, Eye and Brain, 1966, 141-156. 2R. L. Gregory, Distortion of visual space as inappropriate constancy scaling, Nature, 199, 1963, 678-680; R. L. Gregory. Seeing in depth, Nature, 207, 1965, 16-19.


The collision of low-flux vapor-generated Mg atoms with a methoxy-terminated self-assembled monolayer (SAM) at room temperature results primarily in nonreactive scattering from the surface. Those atoms that adsorb undergo reaction via O-C bond insertion to form Mg-O-R products, with an estimated activation energy of 38 ± 9 kJ mol -1 . These products, in turn, provide nucleation sites for the subsequent formation of Mg clusters. As growth continues, a nonuniform Mg overlayer eventually forms. These behaviors contrast with that of vapor-deposited Al (which shows a high sticking probability and low chemical reactivity under the same experimental conditions). This behavior is consistent with quantum chemical predictions of differences in the ability of the -OCH 3 group to stabilize these metal atoms. Overall, these results highlight the importance of dynamic processes in controlling the interfacial chemistry and metal overlayer morphology in vapor-deposited films on organic surfaces.


We study here schedulers for a class of rules that naturally arise in the context of rule-based constraint programming. We systematically derive a scheduler for them from a generic iteration algorithm of Apt [4]. We apply this study to so-called membership rules of Apt and Monfroy [5]. This leads to an implementation that yields for these rules a considerably better performance than their execution as standard CHR rules.


— Composite materials have important assets compared to traditional materials. They bring many functional advantages: lightness, mechanical resistance and chemical, etc. In the present study we examine the effect of a circular central notch and a precrack on the tensile fracture of two woven composite materials. The tensile tests were applied to a standardized specimen, notched and a precarcked (orientation of the crack 0°, 45° and 90°). These tensile tests were elaborated according to an experimental planning design of the type 23.31 requiring 24 experiments with three repetitions. By the analysis of regression, we obtained a mathematical model describing the maximum load according to the influential parameters (hole diameter, precrack length, angle of a precrack orientation). The specimens precracked at 90° have a better behavior than those having a precrack at 45° and still better than those having of the precracks oriented at 0°. In addition the maximum load is inversely proportional to the notch size. tabs were stuck on both sides of the specimens using 3M adhesive. The dimensions of the specimens were 125 x 20 x 2mm. Circular central holes with 2, and 4mm diameters were drilled. For each diameter, artificial precracks with length 1, 2 and 3mm were realized. The precracks orientation angles were 0°, 45° and 90° for each length and diameter. The precracks were perpendicular to the loading axis and carried out on one side of the circumference.


This study presented an evaluation of tropical cyclone (TC) intensity forecasts from five global ensemble prediction systems (EPSs) during 2015-2019 in the western North Pacific region. Notable error features include the underestimation of the TC intensity by ensemble mean forecast and the under-dispersion of the probability forecasts.The root mean square errors (brier scores) of the ensemble mean(probability forecasts) generally decrease consecutively at long lead times during the five years, but fluctuate between certain values at short lead times.Positive forecast skill appeared in the most recent two years (2018-2019) at 120 h or later as compared with the climatology forecasts. However, there is no obvious improvement for the intensity change forecasts during the 5-year period, with abrupt intensity change remaining a big challenge. The probability forecasts show no skill for strong TCs at all the lead times. Among the five EPSs, ECMWF-EPS ranks the best for the intensity forecast, while NCEPGEFS ranks the best for the intensity change forecast, according to the evaluation of ensemble mean and dispersion.As for the other probability forecast evaluation, ECMWF-EPS ranks the best at lead times shorter than 72 h, while NCEP-GEFS ranks the best later on.


Mainly introduces the weaving methods of three dimensional fabrics on the ordinary plate loom.The structure,designing and the drawing method of looming drafts of 3D woven fabrics are discussed.A few examples of woven tubular 3D fabrics are also given in this research.


In his comprehensive account of the pre-invasion period, Yates effectively explores many of the problems encountered by US military leaders in the field. He details, for example, inter-service friction in a joint command, especially operational and tactical disputes between the Army and the Marine Corps. Moreover, he also documents the failure of leaders to establish an effective command and control relationship between special operations and conventional forces. While even-handed in his critiques of US military and political officials during the two-year crisis, Yates has noticeable sympathy for General Frederick F. Woerner Jr, the commander of US Southern Command based in Quarry Heights, Panama. It fell to Woerner to protect US rights and citizens and also prevent an outbreak of hostilities with the Panamanian military. As Yates documents well, it was Woerner who 'was persistent in pushing for a multifaceted approach that would combine international, political, economic, and military pressure on Panama's regime and armed forces in such a way as to compel a "Panamanian solution" to the crisis, but his entreaties could never overcome the entrenched positions of the various U.S. agencies involved' (p. 280). In the end, Woerner was ousted by the White House and replaced by a more aggressive general, Maxwell R. Thurman. A first-rate history, this book is highly recommended for interested scholars and active duty officers. It provides a clear, thoughtful case study of day-to-day leadership decisionmaking during a complex, extended crisis. For those disappointed by the text's anticlimactic end, they can look forward to Yates's forthcoming companion volume which promises to detail the operational history of Just Cause.


Attention is focussed on the degree of substitutability between capacity or capital, the input shared by the different periods over a demand cycle, and variable inputs, the inputs specific to each period. A general expression is obtained for the proportion of price in each period attributable to the shared input. Only in the extreme case of no substitutability should peak user pay the entire capacity costs. Increasing return to scale of the production function type and of the pipeline type are investigated as well as pricing constraints and comparative statics shifts.


We present a case of xantograbulomatous pynelonephritis at a Peruvian general hospital and emphasize the differential diagnosis, histopathology and medical treatment, use of computarized tomography and appropiate antibiotic therapy.


A 56-year-old woman with a history of remote T11 traumatic spinal transection and residual paraplegia presented with subacute left arm pain, weakness, and sensory loss. MRI spine showed C4-7 patchy T2 cord signal and an eccentric enhancing focus with subpial involvement (figure 1). CSF studies were unremarkable, including negative oligoclonal bands. An extensive immunologic and infectious evaluation for subacute myelitis was unrevealing. However, given the subpial and intramedullary involvement in the spine,1,2 a systemic search for sarcoidosis was initiated. Asymptomatic hilar lymphadenopathy was diagnosed with CT chest, and a subsequent lymph node biopsy confirmed the clinical suspicion (figure 2). She was diagnosed with probable neurosarcoidosis1,2 and started on immunosuppresion.


The knapsack problem (KP) and its multidimensional version are basic problems in combinatorial optimisation. In this paper, we consider the bi-objective multidimensional integer knapsack problem (BOMIKP), for which the aim is to approximate the set of non-dominated solutions using an evolutionary algorithm named non-dominated sorting particle swarm optimisation (NSPSO). The proposed methodology is based on a new variant of particle swarm optimisation (PSO) specialised in multi-objective optimisation. To aid the decision maker choosing the best compromise solution from the Pareto front, the fuzzy-based mechanism is employed for this purpose. For ensuring the robustness of the proposed method, the computational results are compared with those obtained by non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-I) and multi-objective particle swarm optimisation (MOPSO) algorithm. Results show the advantages and effectiveness of the used procedures in reporting the optimal Pareto front. In addition, the results indicate that while MOPSO is able to generate Pareto solutions in significantly less amount of time, NSPSO and NSGA-II are capable of providing better quality results and better distribution of solutions in the trade-off surface.


Teaching environmental law and climate change issues one may open a number of questions on relations between environmental protection, governmental duties and public rights, starting with: has a government duty to care and maintain a dissent environment and stable climate conditions?; what is a ground for governmental decision-making on actions threatening sustainability of the climate conditions?; where is the beginning and the end of the responsibility of an individual or of an country? The article outlines the elements that provide the criteria under which one may discus on whether it should be the court to force the government to act or should it be a parliament to set laws initiating actions to protect citizens and their human rights from irreversible climate change? The article points out the recent cases State of the Netherlands v. Urgenda Foundation (court decision from December 2019) and Kelsey Cascadia Rose Juliana v. USA (court decision from January 2020). In Urgenda, the court concerned questions: whether the Netherlands is obliged to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from its soil by at least 25% by the end of 2020 compared to 1990, whether the court can order the State to do so and whether the government is bound to protect human rights in climate crisis? In Juliana, a group of children between the ages of eight and nineteen filed suit against the federal government, claiming that the government violated their constitutional rights by causing dangerous carbon dioxide concentrations. Although the court had found the injury and evidence on causation between government's actions and climate crisis, it found a lack of redressability. The aim of the article is to examine if the concepts of European Green Deal presented on January 2019 by the Von der Leyen Commission to enshrine the 2050 climate neutrality target into life are in line with conclusions from analysed cases and lessons learned from COVID-19 crisis.


The invention provides a working point jump control method and system of a wide-range SQUID magnetic sensor. The method comprises, when an output voltage amplitude of the FLL of the wide-range SQUID magnetic sensor reaches an upper-limit voltage amplitude, outputting a control signal to a reset control end of an FLL so that the FLL starts to reset, and, when the output voltage amplitude of the FLL of the wide-range SQUID magnetic sensor reaches a lower-limit voltage amplitude, releasing the control signal so that the FLL naturally enters a locked state. Through two threshold voltage judgment and state control methods, optimal reset control is achieved, accurate switching of working points is ensured, a reset failure is prevented from generating a miscount, reset and relocking processes are also optimized, the shortest time of a switching process is achieved, and the overshoot transient problem generated in traditional reset zero crossing and re-locking processes are prevented.


Despite advising on thousands of important decisions, who serves on presidential transition teams in the United States is largely unknown. The secretive and transient nature of transition planning explains why this is the case, but also reinforces why it is important to have a better understanding of who a president‐elect might choose at this critical moment of the transfer of power. This article develops a theory of the transition team as well as a typology based on two factors: expertise and status. Original interviews with members of the 2020–2021 Biden–Harris transition team then demonstrate the utility of this typology for better understanding the transition period.


The final brightness of coated paper depends on a large number of interacting variables, including top- and bottom-coat formulation and coater settings. This paper reports the use and adjustments of neural networks to predict the brightness of a double-coated paper product based on a historical database. The trained neural network was integrated with a genetic algorithm to achieve a desired brightness at minimum cost. The neural network predicted brightness to within 3% of the true value. The optimum solution proposed by the genetic algorithm was 14% cheaper than the best solution in the database and appeared technically feasible and consistent with conventional understanding of the coating process. The accuracy of both the neural network and genetic algorithm was substantially improved by factorial experiments to maximize performance. For this complex optimization, the capabilities of the genetic algorithm appeared to be limited by computer hardware and software resources. To our knowledge, this represents the first use of an integrated neural network and genetic algorithm in the paper industry.


Avocado root rot caused by the soil fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi is common in New Zealand avocado orchards but can be controlled through the use of fungicides. The most common treatment is labour intensive as an injection into the trunk, via a plastic syringe, a concentrated solution of phosphorous acid. An alternative to injecting with syringes that is less labour intensive would be of benefit to avocado growers. For better delivery of phosphorous acid a high pressure injecting system has been developed where the phosphorous acid normally applied with dozens of syringes can be delivered in a single injection. This study examined injecting mature Hass avocado trees with Stemex Stemshot AV1TM compared to syringes using HiPKTM. Other chemicals have been proposed for control of phytophthora root rot that may be less expensive or more effective than phosphorous acid. Stemex Stemshot AV2TM, a proprietary mixture of nutrients, and soluble forms of silicon soil drenches were evaluated against phosphorous acid. Hass avocado trees located in a severely Phytophthora infected site were treated and the health of the canopy and proportion of diseased roots followed for 13 months. The untreated control trees Phytophthora symptoms got worse during the trial. Injection of HiPKTM or Stemshot AV1TM showed a consistent trend to an improved canopy health after 13 months. The Stemshot AV2TM and silicon soil drench treatments ABSTRACT New Zealand Avocado Growers' Association Annual Research Report Vol 8: 71 76


We recently presented a multicenter positron emission tomography (PET) study on the glia biomarker translocator protein (TSPO) in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) and Parkinson's disease (PD). We found a distinct TSPO pattern for MSA with an elevated signal in the striatum (lentiform nucleus in particular) and cerebellar white matter (with 96% sensitivity and 100% specificity against a clinical MSA diagnosis). However, in the imaging data analysis, we observed a single patient with MSA who deviated in glia pattern across both visual and machine-learning assessment approaches. Following this observation, we now review this case in detail. The patient is a 50-year-old woman (Fig. 1B, patient 9) diagnosed with possible MSA based on clinical symptoms of bradykinesia, stiffness, dysautonomia (segmental left-sided hyperhidrosis), and collapse attacks (thought to be attributed to orthostatism). At that time, single-photon emission computed tomography showed reduced dopamine transporter in the right striatum, especially in the posterior putamen. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) did not show any remarkable findings. Levodopa treatment was started, and she has had good and sustained response and the dysautonomic features have diminished. She has had no cerebellar or pyramidal signs. At 8 years after the diagnosis, she was included in a clinical trial as a patient with MSA. A two-level diagnostic procedure was undertaken: MSA diagnosis was established by an investigator at a specialized movement disorders clinic, and the assurance of diagnostic accuracy was performed by blinded independent expert review. The patient is a mixedaffinity binder by TSPO genotype. However, at the baseline PET examination, the glia pattern (Fig. 1A) did not resemble that of other patients in the MSA group (Fig. 1C), and she was the only patient identified as misclassified compared with the clinical diagnosis. At follow-up 11 years after the initial diagnosis, the patient was rediagnosed with PD. Based on the clinical course, that is, good levodopa response 15 years after the diagnosis, ability to walk well, diminished dysautonomic features, no pyramidal or cerebellar signs, no antecollis or stridor, and life longevity, this patient with MSA is now confirmed as PD.


WE observe that the same error is being made concerning the real causes of the fall of the late Coalition as was made concerning the origin of the war. People who had never before thought of foreign affairs, or who imagined that foreign affairs were the exclusive preserve of diplomatists, came naturally to the conclusion that only within the events of the few days that preceded the declarations of war need the explanation of the war itself be looked for. More careful students, however, were aware that in actual fact the causes of the war were to be sought in a series of acts extending over a long period of years, and arising from a single policy pursued by Germany which in itself involved war as a condition of its fulfilment. The events of the twelve days that immediately preceded the outbreak of the war were thus rather the consequences and manifestations of the causes of the war than the causes of the war themselves. Similarly we may say that except for their determination of the moment of the fall of the Coalition, the events of the last few days have been in no real sense the cause of it. The Coalition, indeed, was doomed from its birth; and it required only some accident or unusual jar to bring it tumbling down. As long ago as June, 1915, we predicted in these columns exactly what has now come to pass. Mr. Asquith, we said, had come to the end of his ideas long before the war had ceased to make demands for fresh ideas. And the next Ministry, we went on to say, would not have Mr. Asquith for its chief, but Mr. Lloyd George. This, it may be remarked, was eighteen months ago; before, that is, many of the military and other events had occurred to which people are now disposed to attribute the unpopularity of the late Coalition . . But if what has now happened to the late Coalition might have been, and, in fact, was, foreseen over a year ago, none of 'the events subsequent to that date can be regarded as its true cause. We therefore acquit both Mr, Lloyd George and Lord Northcliffe of any worse crime than that of being instruments of the fall of the Coalition. It would have fallen by other, perhaps cleaner, hands if not by theirs. READERS AND WRITERS. By R. H. C. . ON POWER AND THINGS. By Ramiro de Maeztu LETTERS FROM IRELAND. By C. E. Bechhofer . We MODERNS. By Edward Moore . A DEFENCE OF FREE TRADE By Henry J. Northbrook


We investigate trend-following market behaviour around the 4pm London time BFIX and WMR fixing windows to reduce trading costs for trend and counter-trend flows


The objective of the research was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Diabetes Distress Scale in patients with type 2 diabetes in Turkey.
Materials and Methods. Our study was conducted between September 2016 and January 2017 and included 170 patients with type 2 diabetes. The Personal Information Form and Diabetes Distress Scale were used as a data collection tool. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0 and SAS package program.
Results. According to the results of the research, Cronbach's alpha reliability for the total scale was 0.91. The model fit indices for the revised confirmatory factor analysis model failed to meet the criteria for acceptability: the GFI was 0.8185, the CFI was 0.9316, the Bentler - Bonett (1980) NFI was 0.9005, and the RMSEA was 0.1067. In our study, exploratory factor analysis provided support for the three-factor model: [I] emotional and regimen-related distress, [II] health professional-related distress, [III] diabetes-related interpersonal distress.
Conclusions. When the translation and cultural adaptation process have been considered, the Diabetes Distress Scale is a valid and reliable tool for the Turkish community. It is recommended to be used in the studies and clinical trials.


Transportation, automobile, information technology service provider businesses are developing at rocket pace. Accordingly energy requirement for this industries is also increasing vertically. Petro-fuels are having limited reserves and can not fulfill the requirement of all. There is a need to search for alternative. Biodiesel is one of the most preferred alternative of fossil fuels. This work is a compilation of the information collected from various sources giving due credits to all. It explains the need of alternative fuels, details of biodiesel, different approaches to produce the same, feed stock available world wide for the production of Biodiesel, policies, initiatives taken by the government and private organizations in development and commercialization of biodiesel and its production scenario in different parts of the world. The author expresses gratitude and acknowledge all the resources used in the compilation of this book. The book is very much useful to all those who are intended to work in the area of biodiesel.


Public‒private partnerships have become one of the preferred routes for governments to develop infrastructure, in view of the budgetary constraints faced by them and the efficiency gains provided by the private sector. Since the private sector is driven by profit-generation motives to enter a PPP arrangement, there are criticisms against PPPs for focusing on economic goals and financial targets while giving less emphasis to attainment of social objectives. As a result, infrastructure development through PPP will fail to promote sustainable development goals. The paper discusses the findings from a detailed review of Indian PPP procurement focusing on the shortcomings of infrastructure development through PPP in promoting sustainable development. A qualitative content analysis method was used to answer the research question 'Why have the key deliverables of the PPP procurement process failed to promote sustainable development goals?' The policy-makers and advisors of PPP projects could incorporate the key findings from the analysis in formulating new strategies for developing more sustainable PPP projects.


intraand intermolecular cross-linking produces fibrils and fibers, a process called aggregation. The most recently synthesized extracellular collagen can be extracted from the tissues with weak salt solutions (1 1). Increasing concentrations of salt extract older , 1.e. , increas ingly cross-linked, material. Eventually, only old, highly cross-linked collagen remains which can be removed from the tissues only by acid hydrolysis. Collagen breakdown occurs in vivo via a direct degradation from the various fractions. Disaggregation, which can be induced experimentally in vitro, has not been shown to occur naturally in vivo. This study represents an effort to explain the alterations in dermal collagen during carcinogenesis. Since histological changes in collagen could result from alterations in synthesis, aggregation, or breakdown, each of these aspects was studied.


The reasonability of single dose ceftriaxone for the prevention of postopevetive infection in abdominal surgery was studied in 20 patients recieving radical total gastnectomy. After a single dose of ceftriaxone or gentamycin prior to the surgery, blood and tissue concentrations of antibiotics were monitored. The results indicated that the half life of ceftriaxone was much longer than that of gentamycin; its tissue concentration was well above its MIC90. Whereas the tissue concentration of gentamycin was well below its MIC90. The authors concluded that as for operations with major trauma and contamination, single dose on ceftriaxone is reasonable for the prevention of postoperative infection, for those less traumatic or with short duration, gentamycin and other antibiotics with short half life can also meet the demands.


Although the experiments reported here were conducted on relatively few specimens, the results are important. They definitely indicate that significant advances have been made in the maximum temperature of operation and in the forward-to-reverse resistance ratio of titanium dioxide rectifiers.


In the paper,the definition and partial character of fractional ambiguity is introduced.Based on the introduction the LFM-delay characteristic of fractional ambiguity is investigated for the echo that has high polynomial.Based on the characteristic a new method based on the difference of LFM-delay fractional ambiguity model for moving weak target detection in sea clutter is proposed.The method can difference partial clutter effectively and can not difference the fractional ambiguity model of signal at the same time when difference the fractional ambiguity model of the signal and the fractional ambiguity model of the LFM-delay signal.The signal to clutter ratio and the detection performance can be increased by the method in the paper.At last the method is Experiment using the IPIX radar data shows that the method of the paper has remarkably advantage in increasing the difference of the peak value of the signal in the domain of fractional ambiguity and the peak value of the clutter in the same domain,and increasing the signal to clutter ratio compared with fractional ambiguity.Biparametric constant false alarm rate is introduced in the paper.Setting right CFAR detection threshold,the target can be better detected by the method of the paper.


The article dwells on the main postulates on Dostoevsky at the meeting point for Russian and Western types of reception of his figure, as they were manifested during a discussion devoted to the writer in the Parisian Franco-Russian Studio in December 1929. Against this background, a specific and typologically indicative case of his deep impact on a European writer — Knut Hamsun whom critics could call "the Norwegian Dostoevsky" — is examined. The author analyzes typical cases of adaptation of the techniques of the Russian writer by this Scandinavian novelist, as well as an assessment of his work by the creator of "Hunger" and "Mysteries".


DDAVP is used effectively to induce a haemostatic response in certain types of haemophilia A and von Willebrands disease, but the accompanying increase in fibrinolytic activity is an unwanted effect. Here we have quantified the extent and time course of changes in t-PA, its physiological inhibitor PAI and factor VIII moieties, using functional and immunometric assays, following i.v. and s.c. injection of DDAVP 0.4 ug kg-1 in 6 normal volunteers in a double blind crossover study. T-PA, factor VIII and vWF values increased after dosing and the area under the response versus time curve was higher after i.v. than s.c. injection. Conversely levels of PAI activity decreased, with lower minimum values for i.v. than s.c. and a correspondingly lower area under the response curve for the former route. In several subjects PAI activity fell to zero during the sampling period. The times to the first occurrence of maximum response were determined. The median values for factor VIII were 40 and 90 min for i.v. and s.c. respectively. For vWF they were 60 and 80 min. For t-PA activity they were 20 and 60 min indicating that the release of factor VIII and vWF was delayed compared with t-PA activity. PAI-1 antigen was assayed by ELISA to investigate clearance of PA inhibitor and was compared with changes in PAI activity during the infusion of DDAVP and after a subsequent venous occlusion. The results indicate that fibrinolytic and haemostatic responses follow different time courses from each other, both after i.v. and s.c. administration of DDAVP, that are reproducible from subject to subject. The use of specific assays has permitted determination of the fibrinolytic response to DDAVP to be assessed in terms of changes in pro and antifibrinolytic components.


In modern historical science the study of leisure activities is important. It expands our understanding of human value orientations, which in turn serve as the basis for decision-making and regulation of human behavior. The purpose of the article is to consider holidays as one of the forms of organizing the leisure of the citizen of the Tobolsk province. The research is based on the modernization approach, which pays considerable attention to the study of the transformation of social practices, forms of interaction and behavior of people. Also, apart from the fundamental principles of historical science - objectivity, historicism, scientific character and consistency, special historical methods have been used: concrete historical and comparative historical ones. On the basis of the archival materials, it has been revealed that in 1870-1917 holidays occupied a significant place in the leisure of the citizen of the Tobolsk province. In addition, it has been found that new types of them appeared in addition to the existing religious and state holidays in the studied period: public holidays, local ones, which significantly expanded the opportunities of citizens for communication and cultural recreation. Among other things, it has been shown that the set of festive events for urban residents was determined by their social status. Local governments, which were often the only organizers of festive events in cities, played an important role in these processes.


The cyclic properties,the fatigue properties and the cyclic stress-strain curves of LZ50 axletree steel have been investigated in this paper.The test results show that the fatigue property curve and the cyclic stress-strain curve of LZ50 axletree steel perfectly conform to double logarithm linear relationship.Its cyclic properties first show cyclic softening,after stabilizing,then cyclic hardening.The state of cyclic softening and cyclic hardening will vary along with strain level.


We propose a scheme to realize a controlled-NOT quantum logic gate in a dimer of exchange coupled single-molecule magnets, [Mn4]2 . We chosen the ground state and the three low-lying excited states of a dimer in a (cid:12)nite longitudinal magnetic (cid:12)eld as the quantum computing bases and introduced a pulsed transverse magnetic (cid:12)eld with a special frequency. The pulsed transverse magnetic (cid:12)eld induces the transitions between the quantum computing bases so as to realize a controlled-NOT quantum logic gate. The transition rates between a pair of the four quantum computing bases and between the quantum computing bases and excited states are evaluated and analysed.


The main structural imperfections produced in ship's hull are firstly discussed. Then some examples of theoretical and experimental background to Japanese shipbuilding quality standard and an example of reliability analysis of compressed plates are introduced. Order from NSFI as No. 16341.


Smart meters (SMs) measure and transmit fine-grained electricity consumption data to the data center at a certain high frequency (such as every 15 minutes). A data aggregation point (DAP) is a relay device between a cluster of SMs and data centers. The placement of DAPs significantly impacts the cost-effectiveness and quality of service (QoS) of the communication system. Nowadays, many newly installed SMs not only can send data to the DAPs but also receive/send data from/to other SMs. This paper proposes a novel approach for the optimal DAP placement in a multi-hop routing scenario, where SMs can serve as small relay devices so that communications among SMs can be leveraged to reduce the overall communication cost. To do so, we formulate a mixed-integer optimization problem that minimizes three types of cost: installation, transmission, and delay cost. Since the optimization problem involves too many binary variables to be efficiently solved to optimality, a heuristic approach is developed to obtain a desirable solution with a low computational burden. The heuristic iteratively implements clustering approximation, pole assignment, and optimal routing until convergence of the total cost value. Both an illustrative example and case studies verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.


The atomic layer deposition of high dielectric constant oxides like HfO2 on III-V substrates such as In0.53Ga0.47As leads to a poor interface, with the growth of In0.53Ga0.47As native oxides regardless of the surface pretreatment and passivation method. The presence of the native oxides leads to poor gate leakage current characteristics due to the low band gap of the native oxides and the presence of potential wells at the interface. In addition, the poor quality of this interface leads to very large interface state defect densities, which are detrimental to metal-oxide-semiconductor-based device performance. A wide band gap interlayer replacing the native oxide layer would remove the potential wells and provide a larger barrier to conduction. It may also assist in the improvement of the interface quality, but the problem remains as to how this native oxide interlayer cannot only be removed but prevented from regrowing. In this regard, the authors present electrical results showing that the atomic layer d...


Pressure injuries in hospitalized patients have been a serious problem in nursing care management. Due to the high rates found and the emotional and financial costs that health professionals cause, they have been driven to seek elaboration of increasingly improved routines. Objectives: To evaluate nurses' technical / scientific knowledge regarding to the prevention and reduction of pressure injury within ICUs. Methodology: This is a simple descriptive exploratory study with a quali-quantitative approach, performed in two hospitals in the northern state of Espirito Santo in May and June of 2019 with 17 nurses from four ICUs through the assessment of knowledge of actions / interventions existing to prevent LPP in ICUs. An instrument containing 23 questions related to the interviewees' socio-demographic profile, knowledge and practice was used.The data analysis process was performed by simple descriptive statistics by calculation of absolute and relative frequency, being the qualitative research analysis consisting of: ordering, data classification and final analysis. Results: From 17 Of the respondents, 55.55%were in a predominanting age group between 30 and 40 years old , 27.77% sometimes used the Braden scale and 16.66% did not use the Braden Scale. Most of them 61.11%, have Lato Sensu Graduate Studies in Public Health, none of them in stomatherapy Of the respondents, 83.33% reported having difficulty identifying the six LPP categories, 16.66% reported not having received training on the subject and 22.22% reported the obtaining of information through books, magazines and articles on the internet. Conclusion: The study identified a deficiency in knowledge about the subject, since it pointed out that most participants reported weakness in technical and scientific knowledge on basic subjects about the LPPs. As a final product a quick consultation booklet was prepared, with the intention of contribute to the preventive care of LPPs within ICUs. Keywords— Pressure Injury, Intensive care unit, Nursing Care, Intensive Care, Scales.


The PET programme, or 'Portuguese Educational Trainee', aims to stimulate the teaching of Portuguese as a Foreign Language and Portuguese as a Heritage Language in Scottish schools. Its ultimate goal is to bring Portuguese into the fold of curricular foreign languages currently in place in Scotland, under the aegis of the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA). To achieve this we work with local schools in delivering the innovative '1 + 2' language teaching approach within the Scottish Education 'Curriculum for Excellence'. It is a collaborative initiative of the Camoes Institute, SCILT, Erasmus+, University of Glasgow, and Local Authorities.
Since 2015 over 1000 pupils have participated in our programme in various degrees and experiences, with tangible results and wider community impact. As we enter its fourth year of activity, we will see Portuguese already being included in a SQA module as an 'official' Foreign Language in Scotland, on course to becoming a mainstream FL in Scottish schools.
In this session we aim to present the programme, its challenges from the onset, and report on progress of our goals. O futuro promete.


Background: Chronic pain occurs in various medical conditions including among others, arthritis, herniated disc, cancer and trauma. It is a leading cause of lost workdays and economic loss worldwide. Doctors may view pain as a mere vexing side effect of a primary medical conditions rather than a serious and consequential health issues in its own right. This study seeks to assess doctor's attitude towards management of chronic pain. Methods: The study was conducted between January and March 2007 at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, using a 7-item self-administered questionnaire to determine the attitude of medical practitioners towards pain management. Data obtained included gender, type of chronic pain disorder, goal in pain management, use of analgesic and strong opiates; and multi-disciplinary approach to chronic pain management. Results: Of the 65 medical practitioners, 52 (80%) responded. Respondents represented the following medical disciplines: Internal Medicine (17.3%) Surgery (5.8%) Pediatrics (11.4%) Obstetrics/ Gynecology (15.9%o) and General Out-Patient Department (49.6%>). Low back pain was the commonest type of chronic pain. It was observed in 48.1%> of patients. The main goals of medical practitioners in chronic pain management included adequate pain relief (65.4%), absolute pain relief (30.8%) and moderate pain relief (3.8%). A high percentage (51.9%>) of clinicians showed negative psychologic traits regarding use of opiates. Conclusion: Adequate rather than absolute pain relief or moderate pain relief is the main goal of chronic pain management among medical practitioners. Many clinicians demonstrated negative attitude regarding use of opiates.


NURSES increasingly involve the public in decisions about health services, a seminar held last week as part of the second phase of the Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry was told.


FIELD: textiles, paper. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to paper production. The method of preparing stable dispersion of the flocculated filler particles comprises stepwise addition of the first flocculating agent to the aqueous dispersion of the filler particles, followed by dispersion shear, adding to the dispersion of the second flocculating agent, and the subsequent shear of the filler flocculants received. The charge of the second flocculating agent is opposite the charge of the first flocculating agent. Then the colloidal borosilicate microparticles are added into the dispersion. EFFECT: according to the invention the shear-resistant filler flocculants are obtained, having specific and adjustable particle distribution in size, which provides increased mechanical strength of the paper sheet. 8 cl, 1 dwg, 12 tbl, 21 ex


Introduction. The emergence of a fire and explosion situation at the enterprise is due to the peculiarities of the physicochemical properties of the circulating substances, materials and products. To reduce the fire hazard of processes associated with the circulation of liquid hydrocarbons, a technique has been developed to control fire-hazardous processes under conditions of stabilization of carbon nanostructures. Results and discussion. It has been established that with the introduction of carbon nanostructures (CNS) under the conditions of electrophysical influence, the surface tension coefficient increases by 10-30 %. This effect is associated with an increase in the strength of the van der Waals interaction between agglomerates of nanostructures. A decrease in the intensity of evaporation of modified liquid hydrocarbons from the open surface by 20-40 % under the influence of an alternating electric field was observed, which is caused by the preservation of the parameters of the CNS in the medium of liquid hydrocarbons. According to the results of the study of the electrophysical properties of nanofluids obtained under conditions of stabilization of CNS, it was found that the dielectric constant decreases by 20-30 %, which is caused by a decrease in the number of free charges in liquid hydrocarbons during polarization of CNS. The values of the growth time of the values of specific volume electrical resistance increase by 10-20 %, and the values of the electric field strength during homogenization decrease on average by 20 % in comparison with nanofluids that are not subjected to electrophysical effects. The results of the study of the topology of agglomerations of the CNS in nanofluids under stabilization conditions reflect a decrease in the growth of agglomerations of nanostructures by an average of 40 %, which indicates that the distances between nanoparticles remain unchanged compared to nanofluids prepared without additional methods for stabilizing the CNS. Conclusion. Physical and technological principles of control of fire-hazardous processes based on the mechanism of stabilizing the parameters of the CNS under the influence of an alternating electric field are formulated. Based on the physico-technological principles, a method for controlling fire-hazardous processes when handling liquid hydrocarbons using nanocomponent additives and further stabilizing CNS containing multi-layered carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) has been developed, which allows reducing the intensity of vaporization and electrification processes when handling liquid hydrocarbons to quickly prevent manifestations possible fire and explosion situations in the process.


During metamorphosis, the olfactory system remodelling in anuran tadpoles — to transition from detecting waterborne odorants to volatile odorants as frogs — is extensive. How the olfactory system transitions from the larval to frog form is poorly understood, particularly in species that become (semi-)terrestrial. We investigated the ontogeny and function of the olfactory epithelium of North American Bullfrog (Rana (Lithobates) catesbeiana Shaw, 1802) tadpoles at various stages of postembryonic development. Changes in sensory components observable at the epithelial surface were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Functionality of the developing epithelium was tested using a neurophysiological technique (electro-olfactography (EOG)), and behaviourally, using a choice maze to assess tadpole response to olfactory stimuli (algae extract, amino acids). The youngest (premetamorphic) tadpoles responded behaviourally to an amino acid mixture despite having underdeveloped olfactory structures (cilia, olfactory knobs) and no EOG response. The consistent appearance of olfactory structures in older (prometamorphic) tadpoles coincided with reliably obtaining EOG responses to olfactory stimuli. However, as tadpoles aged further, and despite indistinguishable differences in sensory components, behavioural- and EOG-based olfactory responses were drastically reduced, most strongly near metamorphic climax. This work demonstrates a more complex relationship between structure and function of the olfactory system during tadpole life history than originally thought.


FromtheCoronary Artery Surgery Study Registry, all patients undergoing initial bypass surgeryprocedures withindependent vein grafts wereidentified. The950patients receiving aninternal mammary artery bypass graft were compared withthe6027patients receiving veingraft alone. Improved survival rates withinternal mammary artery grafts were noted athospitals inwhichthese grafts wereperformed infrequently aswell asthose inwhichtheinternal mammary artery graft was usedfrequently. Theimproved survival wasnoted inpatients with normal (p= .004) aswell asimpaired (p= .004) ventricular function, inmen (p= .0001) aswell aswomen (p= .005), inpatients over age65(p= .01) aswell asyoungerpatients (p< .0001), andinthose with(p= .05) orwithout (p< .0001) critical stenosis oftheleft main coronaryartery. Theinternal mammary artery bypass graft was anindependent predictor ofsurvival (p= .0004) andreduced therisk ofdying byafactoi of0.64. Itwas concluded that theinternal mammary artery graft isthebypass vessel ofchoice andshould not bedenied anysubgroup. Circulation 77,No.4,815-819, 1988.


Reduction of power dissipations in CMOS circuits needs to be addressed for portable battery devices. Selection of appropriate transistor library to minimise leakage current, implementation of low power design architectures, power management implementation, and the choice of chip packaging, all have impact on power dissipation and are important considerations in design and implementation of integrated circuits for low power applications. Energy-efficient architecture is highly desirable for battery operated systems, which operates in a wide variation of operating scenarios. Energy-efficient design aims to reconfigure its own architectures to scale down energy consumption depending upon the throughput and quality requirement. An energy efficient system should be able to decide its minimum power requirements by dynamically scaling its own operating frequency, supply voltage or the threshold voltage according to a variety of operating scenarios. The increasing product demand for application specific integrated circuit or processor for independent portable devices has influenced designers to implement dedicated processors with ultra low power requirements. One of these dedicated processors is a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) processor, which is widely used in signal processing for numerous applications such as, wireless telecommunication and biomedical applications where the demand for extended battery life is extremely high. This paper presents the design and performance analysis of a low power shared memory FFT processor incorporating dynamic voltage scaling. Dynamic voltage scaling enables power supply scaling into various supply voltage levels. The concept behind the proposed solution is that if the speed of the main logic core can be adjusted according to input load or amount of processor's computation "just enough" to meet the requirement. The design was implemented using 0.12 μm ST-Microelectronic 6-metal layer CMOS dual- process technology in Cadence Analogue Environment.


De nition 1. We say that a sequence of events En holds with high probability if it holds with probability 1−O(n−c) for some c > 0 which does not depend on n (i.e. one has P (En) ≥ 1− Cn−c for some C not depending of n). We say En holds with overwhelming probability if for all xed A > 0, it holds with probability 1 − O(n−A) (i.e. one has P(En) ≥ 1− CAn). De nition 2. Let X be a random variable. We say X is subgaussian if there exist C, c > 0 such that P (|X| ≥ λ) ≤ C exp ( −cλ ) for all λ > 0. We say X has a sub-exponential tail if there exists C, c, a > 0 such that P (|X| ≥ λ) ≤ C exp (−cλ) for all λ > 0. One can easily verify that these properties are closed under vector space operations. Lemma 3. (Jensen's Inequality) Let F : R→ R be a convex function (so that F ((1−t)x+ty) ≤ (1−t)F (x)+tF (y) i.e. lines lie ABOVE the graph of F e.g. F (x) = x) Then: E (F (X)) ≥ F (E(X))


In the last decade, the tendency to use Blended learning across the globe has grown steadily due to its benefits and attributes, and to address the weaknesses of e-learning and face-to-face Instructio


"Pedagogical education: mathematical education" BA programs are  developed at University of Tyumen. The article presents integrative  management of teachers of mathematics and computer science  training and the ways of developing the competences in the area of information technologies. The purpose of the research is to find  new forms of management of teachers of mathematics and computer science training who are supposed to master the tools of information and communication technologies, referring the applied tasks and  development of necessary competences. Undergraduates of  "Pedagogical education: mathematical education" degree program,  are expected to know how to apply information technologies during the lessons, how to expand the knowledge of classical and  modern ways and forms of studying mathematics for further  enhancement the cognition interest at school. Research materials  include data and analysis of research projects obtained by students  pursuing a bachelor's degree in "Pedagogical education:  mathematical education". The results of researches allow starting the developing of learning and teaching support kit of electronic  educational resources that are used productively in arranging of  extra-curricular activities in mathematics. Moreover, we can state  that professional competences of graduates are developed at a high  level. Brief analysis of the most popular teaching information  technologies is given. Results of arranging and performing the extra- curricular activities in mathematics on basis of electronic educational resources are illustrated with two diploma projects.


The authors studied the brain of 5-, 14-, 30-day old albino rats.The experimental group comprised the animals raised in the breeds where acceleration was caused by reducing the number of rats in a day after delivery up to 4 (3 breeds in each age group). The control group consisted of rats out of breeds including from 10 to 13 (two breeds of each age group). The authors determined body and brain mass, right hemisphere mass, activity NADN and NADFN-dehyrogenase (NADN-d, NAADFN-d), 3β-hydrosysteroiddehydrogenase (HSDH) in neurons of layers II, V of neocortex and field 1 of hippocampus. HSDH activity was also examined in epindemocytes of lateral ventricles and cilia of vascular plexuses. The authors noticed that at the age of 5 days, experimental animals had hippocampus neurons with a higher activity of NADN and NADFN, HSDH was decreased in neurons layer II of neocortex. In 14and 30-day old rats, NADN-d, NAADFN-d activity did not show any reliable differences between the groups. HSDH activity at the age of 14 and 30-day was lower in neocortex layer II in experimental animals compared to the control group. At the age of 30 days, decrease was also observed in neurons of layer V of neocortex and hippocampus. At the age of 14 days there was HSDH activity decrease in ependimocytes.


Defining and Determining the Impact of a Freshman Engineering Student's Approach to Learning (Surface versus Deep). (August 2003) Debra Anne Fowler, B.S., South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Karan Watson When an engineering student attends four or five years of college to become a professional engineer one makes the assumption that they approach this learning process in such a way to gain the most knowledge possible. The purpose of this study is to measure the learning approach (deep versus surface) of first-year engineering students, test the impact of two interventions (journaling and learning strategy awareness) on increasing the deep approach to learning, and determine the relationship of the approach to learning on retention within an engineering program. The study was conducted using a quantitative self-reporting instrument to measure surface and deep learning at the beginning and end of the first and second semesters of the freshman year in an engineering program. Retention was measured as the continuous enrollment of a student in the second semester of the first-year engineering program. Results indicate that the first-year engineering students have a slightly higher level of the deep approach to learning than a surface approach to learning when they begin college. However, the results also indicate that the deep approach to learning decreased during the first semester and during the second semester of their freshman year. A student's approach to learning can be impacted by their prior knowledge, the


Background: Taxi drivers are exposed to various risk factors such as work overload, stress, an irregular diet, and a sedentary lifestyle, which make these individuals vulnerable to many diseases. This study was designed to assess the health status of this occupational group. Objectives: The objective was to explore the health status, the intention to seek health examination, and participation in health education among taxi drivers in Jinan, China. Patients and Methods: The sample-size was determined scientifically. The systematic sampling procedure was used for selecting the sample. Four hundred taxi drivers were randomly selected from several taxi companies in Jinan. In total, 396 valid questionnaires (from 370 males and 26 females) were returned. Health status, intention to seek health examination, and participation in health education were assessed by a self-designed questionnaire. Other personal information including sex, age, ethnicity, marital status, years of employment as a taxi driver, education level, and habits were also collected. Results: This survey revealed that 54.8% of taxi drivers reported illness in the last two weeks and 44.7% of participants reported chronic diseases. The prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, gastroenteritis, arthritis, and heart disease were 18.2%, 8.8%, 26%, 18.4%, and 4.8% of questioned taxi drivers, respectively. Significant self-reported symptoms included fatigue, waist and back pain, headache, dyspepsia, and dry throat affecting 49.7%, 26.2%, 23.5%, 26%, and 27% of participants, respectively. In total, 90.1% of subjects thought that it was necessary to receive a regular health examination. Only 17.9% of subjects had been given information about health education, and significantly, more than 87% of subjects who had been given information about health education reported that the information had been helpful. Conclusions: Taxi drivers' health was poor in our survey. Thus, using health education interventions to improve knowledge and change in behaviors are necessary and effective programs that improve the health of individuals in this special occupational group are needed.


Abstract : The M864 projectile is an extended range design which includes both a dome base cavity and a base burn capability. The extended range is accomplished through the injection of hot, fuel-rich gas which burns in the initially low-pressure base region. The present analysis utilizes a Navier-Stokes computational technique which includes finite rate chemistry to model the reacting base flow region for the M864. Calculations have been performed for the full projectile configuration, including the base region for a Mach number range of 0.8 < M S 3.0. The reacting gas was modeled as a mixture of H2 and CO. Calculations show a significant increase in base pressure with the injection of both H2 and CO due to the more distributed nature of the base combustion and the higher wake region temperatures. Computations were obtained at Mach = 3.0 for conditions of no bleed, nonreacting hot gas injection, and H2 and CO injection. Results are presented in the form of temperature contours and velocity vectors in the near-wake region for this case. Comparisons of the computed drag coefficient, CD0, are made with trajectory model predictions based on actual range firings of the M864.


Structural changes of the sterno-costo-clavicular region characterised by hyperostosis and sclerosis have recently been described (2, 3, 7, 8, 10-12, 14-16). The aetiology and pathogenesis of these rare changes is unknown, but they are often associated with other diseases. Most rernarkable is the frequent association with pustulosis palmo-plantaris (PPP) (10, 14-16); however, associations with sacroiliitis (14), ankylosing spondylitis (10), localised spondylitis (14) and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) (11, 14) have also been described. Serologic tests for the histocornpatibility antigen B2, (H1.A-B2,) have been reported as negative (1416), except in two cases (3, 10). Hyperostotic and sclerotic changes of the sternoclavicular region have not previously been described in connection with psoriatic and HLA-B" associated axial and peripheral arthropathy.


We consider by means of the optimal fluctuation method the initial stage of the evolution of the noise-induced escape through various types of boundaries, especially concentrating on two types of the boundary - the wall and the boundary of the basin of attraction. We show in both cases that, if the damping is small enough, then the escape flux evolution possesses a remarkable property: it is it stairs-like i.e. intervals of a nearly constant flux alternate with intervals of a sharply increasing flux. This property is related to the successive increase of the number of turning points in the most probable escape path as time increases. Our results are relevant both for the absorbing and transparent boundaries. The major results of the theory are verified in computer simulations.


The electroslag casting (ESC) process has been widely used in the Soviet Union for the production of stainless steel components. In this work we present the results of an examination of the ESC process for the production of stainless steel valve bodies. The 300-kg valve castings were made at the University of British Columbia and tested by nondestructive and destructive methods. We conclude that although this technique offers distinct quality and production advantages, there may be difficulties in reconciling the method with present code qualification requirements.


Dynamic Contrast Enhancement MRI (DCE-MRI) has become an essential tool for detecting breast cancer in recent years. However, the shape and size of lesions vary widely, and the boundary of lesions is blurry. This work proposes a multi-scale attention-based V-Net (MSA-VNet) for DCE-MRI lesion segmentation, to address these issues. MSA-VNet, based on V-Net, initially employs the 3D multi-receptive-field feature extraction module, which includes multi-branch residual structure, atrous convolutions, and instance normalization layers. Second, to replace the long-range skip connection structure in V-Net, an attention-based long-range skip module is proposed. Finally, the Focal Toversky loss function is introduced in MSA-VNet to enable the model to focus on tiny lesions. The experiments on the breast cancer DCE-MRI dataset show that, the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.


For a congruence subgroup $\Gamma$, we define the notion of $\Gamma$-equivalence on binary quadratic forms which is the same as proper equivalence if $\Gamma = \mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb Z)$. We develop a theory on $\Gamma$-equivalence such as the finiteness of $\Gamma$-reduced forms, the isomorphism between $\Gamma_0(N)$-form class group and the ideal class group, $N$-representation of integers, and $N$-genus of binary quadratic forms. As an application, we deal with representations of integers by binary quadratic forms under certain congruence condition on variables.


An F-containing acrylate, AFSN, is prepared by the way of low temperature reaction of duPond's commercial surfactant Zonyl FSN, aliphatic alcohols with perfluoroalkyl functionality, with acryloyl chloride (AC) at the presence of proper reagents and the optimal AC to FSN molar ratio is established as 1.05 and the optimal reaction time -11-12 hrs for the highest yield and purity of reaction product obtained. The structure of AFSN is identified IR-spectrometrically. By copolymerizing AM, AA, and AFSN in aqueous solution, F-containing water soluble hydrophobically associating tercopolymers PAMF-3 and -5 are obtained with mass fraction of AFSN in mixed monomer feed being of 0.003 and 0.005. The viscosifying capacity, salt tolerancy and heat resistance of tercopolymers PAMF-3 and -5 are significantly higher than that of ultrahigh molar mass HPAM. The viscosity of 1.5 g/L salt free aqueous solutions of HPAM, PAMF-5, and PAMF-3 at 20℃ is of 520, 690, and 530 mPa·s and at the presence of 15 g NaCl per liter solution-41, 410, and 325 mPa·s, that is, is decreased by 92%, 40%, and 38%, respectively. 1.5 g/L aqueous PAMF-3 solution maintains at 90℃ viscosity as high as 300 mPa·s in contract with 14 mPa·s for HPAM aqueous solution of the same concentration at the same temperature. Tercopolymers PAMF are prepared as EOR polymers for use in high temperature and high salinity reservoirs.


The present invention discloses a low-voltage switching of the contact system, and the low pressure switch. The system comprises a bifurcated contacts and movable contacts, wherein the contacts have bifurcated upper end and a lower bifurcated end bifurcated, and the bifurcated end of the bifurcated inner end portion are respectively provided with electric contact, the movable contact corresponding electrical contact surfaces of the upper and lower portion of the head end of the execution, the bifurcated contacts are provided with an electrical contact portion when the contact system is turned on and when energized, the electrical contact portion on the electric repulsion bifurcated contacts cancel each other, so that the contact system can be stably maintained in the on state, thereby improving the ability to apply short time withstand current low-voltage switchgear of the contact system.


New applications are being introduced for different areas such as commercial, education, and medical etc. A significant effort has been made in developing some of these applications considering the adaptability to the dynamically changing network and hosts' environments. In client-server applications, this adaptability is very important to enhance the reliability of the system and maintain the consistency of the objects. We describe a framework that can detect the changes in performance of the execution environment, and provide strategies in order to adapt such changes. Using these access strategies the client objects can access the server objects efficiently in a dynamically changing environment. We do not only consider the dynamic changes of the network characteristics but also consider the end-hosts performances before changing to the optimal strategy. Therefore the client objects can achieve the maximum usefulness of the environment. Here, we introduce three access strategies, namely client migration, direct access, and lazy access to impart an adaptive behavior to the client objects in the distributed environment. Advancing from the conventional static access models we propose algorithms to select the best-suited access strategy for the dynamic environment. Moreover the proposed model is to be implemented to the "juice" distributed object-oriented environment.


This study attempts to observe the regional variation of diseases and to clarify the regional contexts by considering the relations between diseases and regional elements. For the analysis the records of the physical examinations taken in 1910 for military conscription in the Austria-Hungarian Empire have been used. For each examinee, besides the success or failure of the conscription, names of diseases as reason for failure, the name of the place of residence, stature and mother tongue (German or Italian) are recorded. A total of 4,790 persons, i.e. 1,661 persons in South Tyrol and 3,129 in Trentino, which both lie in northern Italy today, has been analysed for comparison of the health condition between both regions which have distinct regional characteristics. As a result of the analysis, it has been clarified that the percentage of failures was much higher in Trentino than in South Tyrol. In regard to the regional variation of diseases, skin diseases and diseases of the thyroid gland are relatively dominant in rural and mountainous regions in Trentino, which may point to endemic pellagra and goiter prevalent in the early 20th century. Furthermore, by using the military conscription data the complex relationships between disease and regional (i.e. physical and socioeconomic) elements in Trentino have been described qualitatively.


In this paper, to reduce the spectral interference in buildings, frequency selective films were designed and applied to different wall surfaces and frequency response were measured and analyzed. The proposed films are designed to block the outside of the WLAN signal by using a triangular loop based FSS operating at 2.4 GHz and a dual band FSS based on a square loop operating at 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz. For the wall application, frequency selective films were fabricated by printing a conductive pattern on a transparent PET film using screen printing technology. The frequency response was measured by applying a frequency selective film to various wall and confirmed that the frequency was selectively blocked as designed.


Few countries in contemporary times have had more political intrigue, violence and terror than the Iraq of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party. The atrocities of the Iraqi government, which were highlighted only after the Gulf War and are now receiving much attention, actually began in the 1970s. There are few accounts of what individuals endured, what everyday life was like, and the impact that Saddam Hussein's repressive regime has had on the lives of Iraqi citizens. The author of this memoir recounts growing up in Baghdad in the seventies during the early days of Saddam Hussein's reign. She describes in detail her family's fear and the cruel punishment they suffered when her father, a successful professional from a renowned, high-profile family, discovered the direct involvement of Iraqi authorities in the notorious Abu Tabar serial killings that rocked Baghdad.


This study uses data from southern Ghana to examine whether higher stocks of social capital through participation in civic groups matter for self-rated health. Drawing on social capital, the influence of social support, informal social control, direct participation in and reproductive health discussions within voluntary associations on self-rated health and reporting illnesses in the last six months prior to the survey are investigated. The findings show that social support and encouragement to use family planning significantly predict self-rated better health while informal social control and direct participation does not. Also, it is detected that while social control is associated with the likelihood of reporting illnesses within the last six months; direct participation in voluntary groups has the opposite effect. Lastly, women had lower predicted probabilities of self-rated better health and higher probabilities of reporting illnesses in the last six months than men. The findings are discussed in the context of the nuanced role of social capital on health and their implications for health promotion programs in resource constrained settings.


Until recently, four copies of the "Torlonia-Hierapytna" sculptural type were known; with the discovery of a statue from Cyrene, there are currently five examples. The Cyrene replica, unlike the others, is securely labelled as a goddess—"the Kore who looks after the grain"—by an inscription on the base. Dated in the late second/early third century A. C., this replica is among the latest of the copies and diverges significantly from the other three complete ones in the treatment of its chiton. The reasons for this divergence, as well as the question of which goddess, if any, the type originally represented, are discussed. On the basis of stylistic comparisons, the Torlonia-Hierapytna type is dated to ca. 440 B. C. and is seen as part of an extensive network of related Classical types. The inscription on the base, analyzed in an epigraphical appendix, shows that the cult title used for Kore gives her an authority in the matter of grain which is normally ascribed to her mother, Demeter.


The four stages of the demagnetization process of oriented sintered Nd-Fe-B alloy after saturation magnetizing along easy direction is studied theoretically in this paper. The results indicate that the nucleation in the soft magnetization regions located at the surface of hard magnetic grains, as well as the irreversible domain wall displacement from the surface to the inside of grains are the dominant factors controlling the intrinsic coercivity of Nd-Fe-B alloy. The rapid reduction of coercivity of Nd-Fe-B alloy with temperature rising are mainly attributed to the thermal movement of atoms it has a harmful effect on the perfection of tetragonal structure in hard magnetic grains and increases the thickness of the soft magnetization transition regions.


The modern paradigm of corruption research – that corruption should be defined, measured, and converted into anti-corruption measures – is currently undergoing substantial revision (cf. Ledeneva 2009, 2013, Barsukova / Ledeneva 2014). One of the arguments is that certain phenomena that are defined as corruption in the West, might be a social norm or a tradition in other cultures. How does this affect the business activities of foreign companies in Russia? How should foreign companies deal with these problems while striking a balance between Western standards and the rules of the game on the Russian market? If companies violate the Western rules of conduct, it can have an impact on their other markets as well as their relations with international organizations and on exchanges. If they reject the Russian norms, however, they can lose their local market opportunities as well as the benefits of market expansion in the country (Shekshnia et al. 2014, Denisova-Schmidt et al. 2014, Denisova-Schmidt / Kryzhko 2015). Drawing from our empirical studies, this paper presents and discusses several recent examples, including such concepts as "gifts", "nepotism", "accepting benefits" and "informal networks".


In the present research, behavior of SPSPs with two rectangular openings and effect of strengthening different subpanels with various stiffener arrangements is investigated. In the next step, to investigate the effect of changing opening width on the trend of degradation shear stiffness and strength of the panel, the opening width is changed. In the third step, to study the effect of changing opening height on the behavior of the whole panel, the opening height is changed. Based on the results obtained, it is observed that for SPSPs with constant plate thickness and opening dimensions, strengthening various subpanels with different stiffener arrangements has no effect on the values of shear stiffness of the panel, and only the shear strength of the panel is changed. In the case of panels with constant opening dimensions and plate thickness and stiffened corner panels (height of subpanels equal to opening height), changing the number of horizontal and vertical stiffeners to stiff corner panels with different stiffener arrangements, has no effect on shear stiffness. Only the shear strength is changed in these models. For SPSPs with constant opening dimensions and constant plate thickness and different stiffener arrangements to stiff corner panels, by increasing number of both horizontal and vertical stiffeners, no changes on the shear stiffness is created, and its effect on the value of shear strength is negligible. However, using L3T3 and L1T0 stiffener arrangements result in obtaining maximum and minimum values of shear strength, respectively. In addition, the effect of changing opening width in the SPSPs with constant opening height and also the effect of changing opening height in the SPSPs with constant opening width on the values of shear strength and stiffness of the specimens is investigated.


A method of recording the systolic pressure in the ear artery of a rabbit is reported in this paper. It is an extension of the method described by Grant & Rothschild [1934], the arterial pulses being recorded on bromide paper. The records are therefore permanent and the subjective element in the measurements is avoided; also, the pulse rate can be counted on the records. Measurements may be made every quarter minute in anaesthetized and in unanaesthetized rabbits. The system includes a Grant ear capsule filled with water. A12 the end of the paper we describe the manufacture of a waterproof inelastic membrane for the capsule.


In this paper, a framework named model space based PHM design is proposed for PEM fuel cell systems. The objective is to address the PHM problem in consideration of the various operating conditions and system dynamics. In this frame, modeling of fuel cell systems is realized via a type of black box model named Delayed Feedback Reservoir Computing Model (DFRCM). The modeling and the PHM performance is validated using experimental data.


Systematics, the scientific discipline that deals with listing, describing, naming, classifying and identifying living organisms is at a turning point. Expertise becomes extremely rare. For future biodiversity studies relying on species identification, environmental technicians will only be left with monographic descriptions and collections in museums. With the emergence of knowledge management on the Internet, it is possible to enhance the use of systematician's expertise, by providing them with collaborative tools to widely manage, share and transmit their knowledge. Reengineering Systematics means to revise descriptions of specimens and to bring them alive on the web. We have designed an Iterative Knowledge Base System (IKBS) for achieving these goals. It applies the scientific method in biology (conjecture and test) with a natural process of knowledge management: 1/ acquisition of a descriptive model and related descriptions from collection specimens, 2/ processing of this knowledge for classification and identification, 3/ experimentation and validation. The product of such a tool is a collaborative knowledge base of a domain, that can evolve (by updating the knowledge) and be connected to distributed databases (bibliographic, photographic, geographic, taxonomic, etc.) that will yield information on species after the identification process of a new specimen. The IKBS system is presented here as a life science application facilitating the identification of coral specimens of the family Pocilloporidae.


Under microwave irradiation, a series of 2-aminomorpholines were readily produced in a straightforward four-component process from commercially available 1,2-aminoalcohols, glyoxal, boronic acids and aliphatic or aromatic amines. Further reduction furnished the corresponding diaminoalcohols.


Objective To evaluate the effect of extraction of giant intraocular foreign body (IOFB)via anterior chamber combined with lensectomy and vitreoretinal surgery. Methods 59 cases (59 eyes) with giant intraocular foreign body at the posterior segment of eyeball were studied for retrospective analysis. Firstly lentectomy and vitrectomy were done, then the IOFB was transferred into anterior chamber by foreignbody claw,and the IOFB was extracted throug limbus intision. Follow up survey was in 3-30 months. Results All giant intraocular foreign body extraction was perfromed successfully once in all the 59 eyes. The corrected visual acuity was greater than 0.05 in 35 eyes ( 59.4% ), less than 0.05 in 24 eyes ( 40.6% ), 3 eyes (5.08%) ( the diameter of FB ≥ 10 mm) among the 24 eyes showed eyeball atrophy. Conclusions The extraction of IOFB via limbus incision combined with lentectomy and vitrectomy was a safe and effective choice which was helpful to reduce serious complications.

Key words:
giant foreign body;  anterion chamber;  vitreoretinal surgery


In earlier studies a genetic algorithm (GA) extended with the dynamic memory model has shown remarkable performance on real-world-like problems. In this paper we experiment with routing in communication networks and show that the dynamic memory GA performs remarkable well compared to ant colony optimization algorithms that are specially designed for this problem.