From time to time, it is refreshing to step outside the theoretical world of academia to gain the perspectives of those doing the hard work of applying research lessons to the development of HIV-related interventions. In an era where HIV affects the lives of millions of people, media and communications play a prominent role in halting the spread of the epidemic. Neill McKee, Jane Bertrand and Antje Becker-Benton's volume, Strategic Communication in the HIV/AIDS Epidemic, is a thoughtful, clear handbook written with health communication specialists, policy makers, programme managers, evaluators, and bilateral and international donors in mind. Based on the vast experience of those working at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs, the book is especially relevant for those working in international settings, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Strategic communication represents a theoretically-based approach to disseminating information, which integrates formative research, careful community collaboration, advocacy, linkages to services, multisectoral input, rigorous evaluation, and the ability to scale up. In short, this approach holds a great deal of promise for HIV-related communication. Since the epidemic impacts upon large proportions of the general population in many places, mass media campaigns are an increasingly effective way to reach people. The volume is broken down into seven chapters that cover the guiding principles of strategic communication, the target audiences and services for such an approach, exemplary programmes that engage the basic tenets of strategic communication, and the emerging challenges facing those in the field of HIV prevention, care, and treatment. Full of case study examples and concrete 'how-to' advice on anything ranging from questions for formative research efforts to the difficulties present in reaching specific audiences, McKee and his colleagues provide an array of information on past interventions and approaches to HIV communication and programming. The book is well organized, with an appendix containing a wealth of print and electronic resources arranged by region, programming style, and types of information available. For those who are not communication specialists, the book provides a solid introduction to the guiding principles and elements of strategic communication in the first three chapters. Three guiding principles frame strategic communication: implementers must follow a specific process to target social norms and individual behaviour, HIV/AIDS programming must move beyond ad hoc disorganized interventions to a more coordinated response that promotes social mobilization, and community level activities must be brought to scale through linkages to mass media. Strategic communication has its theoretical roots in the ''P-Process'' model, which includes analysis, strategic design, development, pre-testing and production, management, implementation and monitoring, and impact evaluation. Other elements of the approach are focusing the message, segmenting the audience, linking programmes to services, and using research throughout the design and implementation stages. In a nice turn, the authors position strategic communication in the larger health behaviour paradigm within a review of the evolution of behaviour change theory in HIV-related studies over the past two decades. Strategic communication rests at the intersection of two models: (1) the more psychological, or individual level models, such as the health belief model, and (2) the more socio-cultural and environmental models, that examine contextual factors such as gender inequality. By marrying structural as Culture, Health & Sexuality, September–October 2006; 8(5): 479–485


Changes in the operating environment for the wine industry in Australia and New Zealand have led to an increasing focus on wine tourism as a potential distribution method to grow a winery's individual consumer base. Wine tourism is also seen as a strategy for encouraging growth in consumption amongst new markets. This research investigated the alcohol consumption behaviour of the Generation Y market to determine current purchasing behaviour, and their participation levels and interest in wine tourism. The aim of the research was to establish if potential for growth existed within the Generation Y market, and possible marketing strategies to increase levels of participation in wine consumption and wine tourism. To achieve this aim a survey was conducted of university students in Australia and New Zealand. The results showed that wine purchasing was limited within this group, as other alcohol such as beer and spirits were seen as easier and cheaper alternatives. However, the responses did show a potential for growth within this market. The research found that a large proportion of the respondents thought of wine tourism as an appealing tourism activity, and many had visited a winery. The results suggested that marketing which focuses on the leisure aspects of wine tourism, rather than highlighting the technical elements of a winery such as production and cellaring, would be most effective on this market. Furthermore, highlighting convenient travel methods and value for money was also found to be important, as the Generation Y markets financial situation was noted frequently as a limiting factor in wine purchase.


A significant minority of HIV‐positive patients presents with fungal infections. Such infections become increasingly common in the terminal stage of the disease. It is unclear why HIV‐positive individuals should be particularly susceptible to fungal infections. Several immune abnormalities, both humoral and cellular, may be involved. Other factors, including other skin conditions and their treatment, also may increase susceptibility. There is some evidence, in HIV‐positive patients, of autoimmunity and of abnormal reactions to fungal infection. These include seborrhoeic dermatitis, dermatophytoses, follicular dermatitis and candidosis. Buccal and oesophageal candidosis respond well to itraconazole, ketoconazole and fluconazole but rapidly relapse. Prophylaxis probably is not indicated, however, since symptomatic treatment quickly takes effect.


Overbank deposits of submarine channels are typically thin‐bedded, fine‐grained and predominantly characterized by a series of sedimentary structures interpreted to record a relatively simple history of waning flow. Here, a new type of bedform indicative of Froude‐supercritical flow is reported from successions of thin‐bedded turbidites interpreted as channel overbank deposits in the Upper Cretaceous Rosario Formation, Baja California, Mexico. A link is demonstrated between the development of overbank deposits in the form of depositional terraces or internal levees and contemporaneously active sediment transport, bypass and deposition of coarser‐grained material in a channel. The overbank bedforms overlie an erosion surface and contain a suite of sedimentary structures indicative of initially Froude‐supercritical flow conditions and a progressive waning of flow strength. In some cases, a stacked repetition of facies is interpreted to record a rejuvenation of flow energy. The characteristic sedimentary sequence observed is as follows: (a) long wavelength, low amplitude erosional surface with superimposed scours; (b) antidune backsets; (c) upper stage plane‐parallel lamination; (d) subcritical climbing ripples; (e) supercritical climbing ripples; (f) lower stage planar laminated tops; (g) a sharp upper surface. The exact vertical sequence of sedimentary structures encountered varies depending on the point of observation with respect to the bedform crest and distance from the parent channel. The recognition of these distinctive bedforms allows for interpretation of sediment bypass and proximity to a channel thalweg. These bedforms have not hitherto been described and provide a further example of the range of flow processes operating in submarine channel–levee systems, which aids depositional environment interpretation in both subsurface and outcrop studies.


A series of aminodiphenylphosphanes 1 [Ph2P-N(H)tBu (a), -NEt2 (b), -NiPr2 (c)], 2 [Ph2P-NHPh (a), -NH-2-pyridine (b), -NH-3-pyridine (c), -NH-4-pyridine (d), NH-pyrimidine (e), NH-2,6-Me2-C6H3 (f), NH-3-Me-2-pyridine (g)], 3 [Ph2P-N(Me)Ph (a), -NPh2 (b)], and N-pyrrolyldiphenylphosphane 4 (Ph2P-NC4H4) was prepared and studied by NMR (1H, 13C, 31P, 15N NMR) spectroscopy. The isotope-induced chemical shifts 1Δ14/15N(31P) were determined at natural abundance of 15N by using HEED INEPT experiments. A dependence of 1Δ14/15N(31P) on the substituents at nitrogen was found (alkyl < H < aryl; increasingly negative values). The magnitude and sign of the coupling constants 1J(31P,15N) (positive sign) are dominated by the presence of the lone pair of electrons at the phosphorus atom. The X-ray structural analysis of 2b is reported, showing the presence of dimers owing to intermolecular hydrogen bridges in the solid state. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 12:542–550, 2001


OF THESIS USING FORWARD-LOOKING INFRARED RADIOGRAPHY TO ESTIMATE ELK DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION IN EASTERN KENTUCKY Elk (Cervus elaphus) in eastern Kentucky appear to have increased in number since reintroduction in 1997, but rugged landscapes and cryptic elk behavior have precluded use of typical population survey methods to accurately estimate population size. In December 2006, I used forward-looking infrared radiography (FLIR) to survey the elk population in eastern Kentucky. Elk locations identified by FLIR were used to create a landscape based model to estimate the density distribution of elk within a 7,088 km core area of the elk restoration zone. FLIR detected 76% of elk groups of < 10 individuals and 100% of elk groups of ≥ 10 individuals. The density of elk was positively associated with the amount of herbaceous area, herbaceous edge, herbaceous area weighted mean patch fractal dimensions, proximity to release sites, the number of elk released at each site and urban core area index, and negatively associated with road density. My model estimated the elk population at 7,001 (SE = 772, 95% CI = 5,4888,514) individuals within the core area, 53% of which were < 10 km from release sites. The predicted elk distribution pattern and abundance estimate derived from this model will be important for wildlife managers in successfully managing the Kentucky elk population.


This study probes the ways in which a meritocratic system of student evaluation emerged in German educational institutions in the late eighteenth century. By probing the case of the Schnepfenthal Institute, founded in 1784 by Christian Gotthilf Salzmann, the author suggests that the system of assessment was not only an outcome of meritocratic rationalization but also was influenced by traditional forms of domination. Rather than describing the traditional as monarchical we should see its patriarchal, gendered nature. It is this larger patriarchal context, it is argued, that helps us understand the ways Schnepfenthal and its kindred institutions introduced their systems of student assessment: they were amalgamations of meritocratic aspirations and traditional pressures of patriarchal domination. The research is based on extensive work on archival and other primary materials from Schnepfenthal and the Research Library of Gotha. The study starts with a description of the Schnepfenthal Institute by showing the educational context of the Meritentafel. Then attention is shifted to the practices that allowed Salzmann and his associates to assess students. The last section attempts to explain these practices by analyzing the patriarchal setting of Schnepfenthal which was so important to Salzmann. 1 An earlier version of this article was presented at the lecture series on Women's and Gender Studies at Bucknell University. I would like to thank my stimulating audience at Bucknell. Special thanks go to Professors Katherine Faull at Bucknell and Kym Morrison at Moravian College for their critical and learned reading of an earlier version of the text. I am especially grateful to the Gotha Research Library and the University of Erfurt for the Merian Scholarship that allowed me to do research in Gotha, Jena, Weimar and Schnepfenthal for this study. The Faculty Research and Development Committee of Moravian College has generously supported my research in Germany. I thank Judith Green for her great editorial assistance. All translations are mine.


Review question / Objective: The present review following PICO criteria: (1) population – athletes or participants described with experience in sport; (2) intervention – oral branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) supplementation; (3) outcomes – indicators of performance, body composition, recovery, hormonal response or cellular signalling; (4) comparator – control group or placebo, and; (5) output – pre-and post-test changes. Exclusion criteria were: (1) studies that described participants as healthy or active; (2) articles classified as letter to editor or review, and; (3) BCAAs supplementation by infusion or combined with other substances. Condition being studied: The condition to be studied is the ingestion of branched chain amino acids in participants with training experience (participants involved in organized sports or with training experience). Note, the participants classified as active or healthy were not included in this review.


The epidemic of diabetes is now worldwide. Diabetes affects 347
million people and this number is projected to reach 438 million
by the year 2030 [1]. According to the World Health Organization
(WHO), diabetes caused 1.3 million deaths worldwide in 2008 [2].
Diabetes increases the risk of both heart disease and stroke. The risk
of death for people with diabetes is about twice as high as than that for
people without diabetes [3]. The cost of diabetes ranges from 0.4% to
2.3% of GDP in some countries in the world [4].


The incidence of twin ectopic pregnancy is about 1 in 125,000 spontaneous pregnancies. Live twin ectopic pregnancy is an exceptionally rare form of ectopic pregnancy. Currently, fewer than 10 cases have been reported with heartbeat demonstration in both embryos, whereas more than 100 cases of twin ectopic pregnancy have been reported. The author describes the transabdominal and transvaginal sonographic diagnosis of a unilateral live twin ectopic pregnancy. The patient presented with an eight-week amenorrhea history, complaints of right iliac fossa pain, and vaginal spotting. Sonography revealed two ectopic gestational sacs that were adjacent to each other, as well as an empty homogeneous uterus with smooth contour. Each embryo had a visible heartbeat and crown-rump length measuring 16 mm and 17 mm, respectively, which corresponded to a gestational age of eight weeks. The sacs measured 27 mm and 30 mm in diameter. No free fluid was seen in the Douglas cul-de-sac, suggesting an unruptured live twin ectopic pregnancy.


This dissertation examines the effects of a change in the roles that extraacademic agents have in academic research: they are participating in the production of academic knowledge more actively than used to be the case. The focus is mainly on disciplines that fall under the umbrella of cultural research. Former informants are nowadays often becoming collaborators, co-researchers or co-authors in collaborative or participatory projects, or conducting activist research on their own cultures. Cultural research is in a unique position when facing the contemporary urge towards more "democratic" knowledge production. In disciplines such as anthropology, folkloristics and ethnology, researchers have always interacted with their informants' knowledge systems and developed research practices for approaching these systems. These practices are presently colliding with new demands that arise from the now common call for collaborative and participatory research. I focus on normative epistemic questions related to relativistic research practices and to objectivity. When the roles of the extra-academic agents change, the composition of research communities is also changed. An interactive notion of objectivity has recently been defended in social epistemology. It takes a research community as the unit whose objectivity is to be assessed. In the articles I identify shortcomings in the interactive objectivity of the emerging research communities, and develop analytical tools that can hopefully be of use in improving the situation. As the composition of research communities is changed, the established ways of approaching extra-academic knowledge systems also have to change. The moderately relativistic practice of avoiding the appraisal of alien knowledge systems is no longer as practicable as it used to be. When former informants join research teams in participatory projects, or indigenous activists become activist researchers, they become part of communities whose interactive objectivity can and should be assessed. This is the case even if some or all of the members of the communities are taken to represent, or see themselves as representing, extra-academic knowledge systems. The contributions of everyone belonging to a research community must be met with the same critical attitude, or the objectivity of the community will suffer.


of the head WITH spina bifida anterloh.?The specimen was taken from a still-born female child given me by Dr Mackie Whyte, Dundee, and consists of the cranium and spine, which have been split in the mesial plane, and of the spinal cord, which has been left on the left half. The head was hydrocephalic and markedly retracted on the neck, and the occipital foramen was expanded, and communicated directly with a posterior spina bifida extending down as far as the middle dorsal vertebrae. The supra-occipital bone consists of four separated parts, and the head rocks on the


In response to the national call to improve power utilization efficiency and the proportion of clean electricity, reduce fossil fuel consumption, waste water, waste gas emissions and the loss of long-distance power transmission, the distributed photovoltaic capacity in distribution network in China power grid is constantly increasing, which brings difficulties to the voltage control in the distribution network. In this paper, the voltage control of distribution network with distributed photovoltaic (PV) is studied. First, the theoretical formula of distribution network voltage profile is given. Then the effect of voltage regulation of PV inverter, paralleling reactor and on-load transformer tapping is studied and verified in an 8-users simulation system. Finally, based on the actual situation of China's distribution network, a regional combined voltage regulation control method is proposed.


Introduction: Saba florida ( Benth ) Apocynaceae is one of the African food/medicinal plants that has been applied traditionally for the management of many ill health conditions. Objectives: As part of efforts to authenticate the oral claims scientifically the plant's leaf and stem bark extracts were evaluated for anthelmintic activity. Methods: Standard procedures were used in the determination of anthelmintic activity study. Nigeria adult earthworms ( Terrestris lumbricoides ) were used for the study. Albendazole was used as standard. All the earthworms were washed in distilled water before they were released into a 20ml of respective formulations including the control, standard and extracts (10, 20, 50, and 100mg/ml). Results: All the investigational extracts showed anthelmintic activity at the dose of 20mg/ml. Time taken for paralysis and death to occur were recorded for each sample. The aqueous extract showed better activity against the worms than the chloroform extract. The extracts' anthelmintic activity was dose-dependent and comparable to the standard drug used. Conclusion: From this study herbal drug and synthetic ones are equally effective in helminth infestations, but aqueous extract of the leaf of Saba florida showed higher anthelmintic activity potential than the chloroform extracts.


Motor fuels are the source of energy for internal combustion engines, and also a lubricant for friction units of the fuel equipment of automobile, aircraft and ship engines. The reliability and service life of the entire mechanism depend on the antiwear properties of fuels. Traditional anti-wear additives containing sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine, etc., are not applicable in motor fuels due to restrictions on emissions of toxic compounds. To improve the antiwear properties of lubricants, it is possible to use a new class of spatial carbon compounds - fullerene-like nanoparticles (FLNs).
This work shows that modification of liquid hydrocarbon motor fuels with fullerene-like nanoparticles (FLNs) increases the antiwear properties of fuels


This paper presents a method for zero-sequence harmonics current minimization using zero-sequence blocking transformer and passive filters. The zero-sequence blocking transformer placed in series with the source provides high zero-sequence impedance while the shunt- passive filters placed parallel with the load provides low zero-sequence impedance. Thus, the zero-sequence harmonics currents tend to flow through the filter instead of the source. The effectiveness of this method depends on the ratio of zero-sequence blocking transformer impedance to filter impedance. This method offers relatively low-cost solution, while the passive components used make this. method relatively more reliable. The analysis is confirmed by simulation. The simulation result is verified through experiment work.


Yangzai was a celebrated poet in the Medium Yuan Dynasty.Together with Yuji,Fancheng,Jiexisi,known as the Four Masters of Poetry of the Yuan Dynasty.This passage analyses the spiritual content and the artistic achievements of Yangzai's poetry.


To clarify the influence of various molar concentrations of vinylidene fluoride (VDF) on the piezoelectric and acoustic emission (AE) reception performances of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] sensors, we systematically investigated the crystal structures and the dielectric and ferroelectric properties of P(VDF-TrFE) films with different compositions of VDF and TrFE monomers and found that low proportion (<30 mol%) TrFE as a wedge inserted into molecular chains of P(VDF-TrFE) will not only improve the fraction of regular <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\beta $ </tex-math></inline-formula>-phase crystal grains but also decrease the dielectric constant (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\varepsilon _{r}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of these copolymers, which favors the piezoelectric voltage coefficient (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${g}_{{33}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of this P(VDF-TrFE) film. As such, a considerable remanent electric polarization (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${P}_{r}\sim {11.4} ~\mu \text{C}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/cm2) under 200 MV/m and a large piezoelectric coefficient (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${d}_{ {33} }\sim -{25}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> pC/N) are obtained in P(VDF-TrFE) 80/20-mol% films. It is worth noting that a sensor made from P(VDF-TrFE) 80/20 mol% shows an attractive AE reception property of approximately 84 dB, a high signal voltage of above 10 mV from time-domain analysis, and a large signal voltage of above 4 mV from frequency-domain analysis, which are close to standard lead zirconate titanate (PZT) sensors. Considering its unique characters of flexibility, no required stretching, easily shaped, having high thermal Faille temperatures (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${T}_{c}\sim {135.7}~{\circ }\text{C}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>), etc., P(VDF-TrFE) piezoelectric film is considered a promising material for sensors, actuators, and energy transfer units.


This study reports on the a cute toxicity levels ,
bioaccumulation of copper and their effect son the
humora limmune response of gold fish ( Carassius auratus ) .
This study also provides in formation on the level sof
bio accumulation of copper in organs such as kidney ,
live rand spleen , which plays a role on the humoral
antibody production of gold fish under tropical
conditions .
The a cute toxicity levels of copper to gold fish
(10.5 ± 1.43 g ) for 12 , 24 , 48 , 72 , 96 and 120 hours
were estimated as 0.44 ± 0.06 , 0.36 ± 0.04 ,0. 20 ± 0.03, 0.19 ± 0 . 02,0. 15± 0.02 and 0.14 ± 0 . 02 ppm
respectively under fresh water static conditions.


Performance analyses and architectures for the order statistic detectors (OSD) in radar signal processing are presented. Based on an analytical model in which the number of interfering targets is random, the detectability is evaluated. It is shown that the system is much more susceptible to a random degree of interference than merely a fixed number of interferers. In addition, a relationship between binary integration and order statistics suggests a novel implementation. By showing that M-out-of-N binary integration is equivalent to selecting the (N+1-M)/sup st/ order statistic, the OSD(R,K) that uses R reference cells using only R+1 comparators is implemented. A systolic architecture is presented that can implement this approach with the advantages of a regular, parallel, and fully pipelined structure.<<ETX>>


The short-lived buckling instability is responsible for the formation of at least some box/peanut (B/P) shaped bulges, which are observed in most massive, z = 0, barred galaxies. Nevertheless, it has also been suggested that B/P bulges form via the slow trapping of stars onto vertically extended resonant orbits. The key difference between these two scenarios is that when the bar buckles, symmetry about the mid-plane is broken for a period of time. We use a suite of simulations (with and without gas) to show that when the buckling is sufficiently strong, a residual mid-plane asymmetry persists for several Gyrs after the end of the buckling phase, and is visible in simulation images. On the other hand, images of B/P bulges formed through resonant trapping and/or weak buckling remain symmetric about the mid-plane. We develop two related diagnostics to identify and quantify mid-plane asymmetry in simulation images of galaxies that are within 3○ of edge-on orientation, allowing us to test whether the presence of a B/P-shaped bulge can be explained by a past buckling event. We apply our diagnostics to two nearly edge-on galaxies with B/P bulges from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies, finding no mid-plane asymmetry, implying these galaxies formed their bulges either by resonant trapping or by buckling more than ∼5 Gyr ago. We conclude that the formation of B/P bulges through strong buckling may be a rare event in the past ∼5 Gyr.


Information fusion technique is utilized for modulation classification and a weighted voting algorithm is presented.Firstly,this algorithm defines a contribution to classification results to describe performance improvement of multisystems and depends on it to assign weights for each system.And then the modulation classification of multisystems is modeled as cooperative games and the weights are decided by Shapley value of cooperative games.Finally,by using the weighted voting algorithm presented,decision fusion results of modulation classification is processed.Computer simulation demonstrates an effective improvement in recognition performance via this algorithm.


This paper compares the assumptions and emphases of four generations of policies for primary and secondary education in Brazil, from 1971 to date. It discusses their potentialities and limitations and considers new themes that may offer new approaches to the enduring problem of the low quality of Brazilian education.


The utility model relates to a multifunctional solar photovoltaic car shed and belongs to the technical field of buildings for parking vehicles. The multifunctional solar photovoltaic car shed comprises multiple supporting columns, cross beam plates are arranged at the upper ends of the supporting columns, oblique shed plates are arranged on the cross beam plates, and solar cell panels are arranged on the oblique shed plates. The multifunctional solar photovoltaic car shed is structurally characterized in that a distribution box is arranged between the oblique shed plates and the cross beam plates, multiple illuminating lamps are arranged at the lower ends of the cross beam plates, charging piles, and warm air blowers and automatic water pumping car washing guns are arranged on the supporting columns. The illuminating lamps are connected in parallel to form an illuminating lamps parallel circuit, the output ends of the solar cell panels are connected with the input end of the distribution box through inverters, the output end of the distribution box is respectively connected with the power supply input end of the illuminating lamps parallel circuit, the input ends of the charging piles, power supply input ends of the warm air blowers, power supply input ends of the automatic water pumping car washing guns and one end of a two-way electricity meter through breakers, and the other end of the two-way electricity meter is connected with a mains supply. Multiple illuminating lamps are arranged at the lower ends of the cross beam plates, and the charging piles, and the charging piles, the warm air blowers and the automatic water pumping car washing guns are arranged on the supporting columns, so that the multifunctional solar photovoltaic car shed has illuminating, charging, thawing and car washing functions and the like.


Effects of nano-SiO2 and nano-ZnO on the concentration of chlorophyll-a in seawater were studied. Different particle size of nano-SiO2 and nano-ZnO (10~500nm) were added into seawater with different content ranging between 5~100mg/L, led to the v (growth rate) of chlorophyll-a were -11.4~-44.8% and -39.6~-74.0% respectively, and v decreased with the increasing of the concentration of nanoparticles and raised with the increasing of the nanoparticles size, and nano-ZnO had the stronger inhibitory effect than nano-SiO2. While to nano-ZnO and Zn2+(concentrations of zinc were 0.05~1.00mmol/L), chlorophyll-a growth rate decreased as the concentration of zinc increased and the average growth rates were -60.2~-68.8%, meant that nano-ZnO and Zn2+ have the same toxical mechanism. Concentrations of Zn2+ released from nano-ZnO (30nm and 90nm) with content of 5~100mg/L were 1.56~4.29mg/L, and rose with the increasing of nano-ZnO concentration, and 30nmZnO released more Zn2+ than 90nm. To nano-ZnO, percentage of the concentration of Zn2+ released by it and its v values have linear correlation, indicated that the released Zn2+ is the main reason for toxicity of nano-ZnO.


Recently, a dinucleotide repeat polymorphism was identified in the promoter of the nonamyloid component of plaques (NACP) gene, and it was shown that the NACP allele 2 was significantly associated with healthy elderly control individuals with at least one apolipoprotein E ε4 allele, suggesting a protective role for this allele in Alzheimer's disease. We genotyped the same NACP polymorphism in a comparable number of individuals diagnosed with dementia of the Alzheimer's type and in healthy, elderly controls. In our analysis, however, no protective effect for NACP allele 2, or any of the other NACP alleles, was observed.


The work considers the application of focused ion beam techniques for the formation of nanoscale structures, as well as the atomic layer etching method for removing layers with surface defects. Also in the work, modeling of the formation of structures by the FIB method on the GaAs surface was used to determine the depth of penetration of atoms into the structure under certain experimental conditions. This method of forming defect-free structures was developed for the formation of a nanoscale surface relief for the subsequent growth of quantum dots by the method of drop molecular beam epitaxial.


This paper examines the way that new technologies are being used to support the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language by students at the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China. The University of Nottingham Ningbo is a new university within China and the first foreign university campus to be established there. It works closely with the University of Nottingham, UK to provide a state-of-the-art learning experience for its students in a number of disciplines. Its support for students in terms of their needs for English for Academic Purposes is the focus of this paper.


Abstract: The Agro-industrial Training Centre "La Angostura" has thirty-two productive units (UP) where several tasks are carried out that belong to activities outlined in the formative projects of the certified professional training programs. These activities led to the first initial environmental review (IER); this review seeks to identify environmental aspects and impacts generated by the production processes of the Agro-industrial Training Centre La Angostura. The initial environmental review was applied to twelve productive units in order to provide a diagnosis of their current situation, aimed at promoting a continuous improvement . The initial environmental review adopted the Guia Tecnica Colombiana (GTC-93) as the working method, thus review visits were conducted to identify and verify the work undertaken by each productive unit. To conduct the environmental assessment the matrix of Connesa Fernandez was used, this matrix generated the assessment of environmental impacts in the UP. This diagnosis  represented an opportunity to develop strategies for mitigating impacts and therefore  work towards continuous improvements in order to reinforce the productive units in accordance with the implementation of the Environmental Management System (EMS)  and the Integrated Management System (IMS) of the Agro-industrial Training Centre,  these systems aim at environmental sustainability and strengthening.


The cold_resistant capacity of Xinnong No.1 Bermudagrass,Kashi Bermudagrass and Tifdwarf under freezing stress was studied.Results showed:through winter swamping_snow experiment,under -25.6℃in Urumuqi,Xinnong No.1 Bermudagrass and Kashi Bermudagrass could safely live through the winter,but Tifdwarf couldn't;Electrolyte effusion rate could suitably reflect difference of the cold_resistance among varieties,and electrolyte effusion rate was one of physiological indexes that could effectively measure cold_resistant ability of Bermudagrass;POD,SOD activity and duration might have some correlation with cold_resistant ability;PAGE showed that Xinnong No.1 Bermudagrass had more POD isoenzyme bands than those of Kashi Bermudagrass and Tifdwarf,and no new isoenzyme zone emerged during injury;Compared with stem and leaf,rhizome could better reflect the cold_resistant difference among varieties of Bermudagrass,and was more cold_resistant.


As projects increase in size and complexity, they become more difficult to handle. One of these large and complex projects is oil and gas projects. The current controlling processes of projects are not able to detect the problems in early phases of the project and are rather late leading to extra time and cost. One solution is to find symptoms of problems in the early phases. Due to the importance of drilling projects in upstream sector, the main objective of this research is to identify the early warning symptoms of problems in drilling projects and to find the relationships between selected early warnings with project outcomes and problems of these projects. To reach that aim, the early warnings have been recognized through literature review and interviews with experts. Then, case study analysis is performed to find the relationships between early warnings and project outcomes. All cases have been selected from previous completed drilling projects in one of the oil fields of Iran. Findings show that there is a relationship between early warnings, project outcomes and projects problems.


Comments on Balbuena's poem Grandeza mexicana , highlighting some reading keys and the danger of prejudices and lack of philological competence that are reflected in Saad Maura's edition of the poem. The article provide a series of comments and notes to correct errors of the text and to understand references of the poem and its objectives.


We report rare case of leiomyosarcoma of bone with metastatic lesions of the brain, jejunum and lung which were resected. A 46-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of intractable headache. There was a history of undergoing an operation for a primary leiomyosarcoma of the left femur 5 years and 6 months before admission. A Computed tomography of the brain revealed right temporal and left frontal tumors. In addition to these findings an intestinal tumor was found. Three weeks laster, a resection of the jejunum was performed. Four months later a resection of the left frontal tumor was performed. Unfortunately on periodical medical check up, chest X-ray films showed a solitary nodular density in the right lung 6 and 14 months later. Thereafter a partial resection of the lung was performed twice by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. The patient died of cerebral infarction due to the tumor embolism. Leiomyosarcoma of bone can precedently metastasize to organs other than the lung. Surgical resection of such metastatic foci as well as lung metastases shold be conducted if the primary lesion is well controlled. that would promise a good prognosis. And it is nesesary to attain some systemic postoprative examinations in order to detect metastatic tumors in early stage.


In the process of rapid economic and social development, the increasing happening of group events has greatly challenged the grassroots government's emergency management capability. At present, the Pudong government has some imperfections in the idea, methods, systems, settlement and other aspects of group events. In the recent years, the Pudong government has constantly improved its emergency management capabilities, emphasized human-orientation, integrated management mechanism, made efforts to settle group events, and paid attention to learning and system innovation. The solution rate of group events in Pudong is of referential significance for the other regions.


Various ways and strategies are used by companies to optimize employee performance, one of which is by implementing The 4 Disciplines of Execution. This study aims to obtain an overview of the application of The 4 Disciplines of Execution to improve discipline and create an execution culture so as to improve performance. conducted interview sessions and data collection by filling out questionnaires for all employees of PT Tricon Mitra Utama, a total of 35 respondents, and then added respondents from other companies that implemented The 4 Disciplines of Execution in their companies so that a total of 114 respondents were collected. From the results of statistical analysis with structural model equations with the help of LISREL software, it was found that the application of The 4 Disciplines of Execution has a significant impact on improving performance; this affects the turnaround time to be on time and maintaining good quality work results, but increases the cost of carrying out the work. Based on the balance of time, cost and quality do not have an increasing impact on project profits, but with the completion of work on time and meeting quality standards, the company does not experience cost overruns due to delays and repair work (rework), so that the allocation of costs for the cost of quality, interest, and finality can be absorbed as company profits.


We introduce a new algorithm for an unbounded concurrent double-ended queue (deque). Like the bounded deque of Herlihy, Luchangco, and Moir on which it is based, the new algorithm is simple and obstruction free, has no pathological long-latency scenarios, avoids interference between operations at opposite ends, and requires no special hardware support beyond the usual compare-and-swap. To the best of our knowledge, no prior concurrent deque combines these properties with unbounded capacity, or provides consistently better performance across a wide range of concurrent workloads.


The financial losses of vulnerable and insecure websites are increasing day by day. The proposed system in this research presents a strategy based on factor analysis of website categories and accurate identification of unknown information to classify safe and dangerous websites and protect users from the previous one. Probability calculations based on Naive Bayes and other powerful approaches are used throughout the website classification procedure to evaluate and train the website classification model. According to our study, the Naive Bayes approach was benign and showed successful results compared to other tests. This strategy is best optimized to solve the problem of distinguishing secure websites from unsafe ones. The vulnerability data categorization training model included in this datasheet had a better degree of precision. In this study, the best accuracy probability of 96% was achieved in Naive Bayes' NSL-KDD data set categorization


In this article, a novel approach to deal with the design of in-building wireless networks deployments is proposed. This approach known as MOQZEA (Multiobjective Quality Zone Based Evolutionary Algorithm) is a hybrid evolutionary algorithm adapted to use a novel fitness function, based on the definition of quality zones for the different objective functions considered. This approach is conceived to solve wireless network design problems without previous information of the required number of transmitters, considering simultaneously a high number of objective functions and optimizing multiple configuration parameters of the transmitters.


New portable signal-processing applications such as mobile telephony, wireless computing, and personal digital assistants place stringent power consumption limits on their constituent components. Substantial power servings can be realized if 5 V designs are translated to use the new lower supply voltage standards. This conversion, however is not achieved easily: a design originally targeted for implementation in a 5 V technology will typically require significant re-work to meet timing and throughput requirements at the lower operating voltage. We describe a high-level synthesis system which assists the designer in performing this task, minimizing the need for manual re-design. Techniques employed in this work include pipelining and a new approach to module selection which minimizes power consumption subject to timing constraints. Using these and other high-level synthesis techniques to target designs to 3.3 V libraries, we show that it is possible to reduce power consumption by as much as 56% as compared to the original 5 V implementation, while meeting specified minimum throughput and maximum latency constraints.<<ETX>>


In the present study, the damage mechanisms that cause premature failure of sapphire water jet orifices were analyzed using a combined experimental and finite element modeling (FEM) approach. Depending on the operating behavior and local conditions, the service life of orifices for high-pressure water jet cutting often deviates considerably from the manufacturer's specifications. Literature states a typical service life of 50 to 100 h, while in some cases, premature failure after a few hours or even minutes of operation can be observed. The focus of this paper is on the interaction of particles that impact the orifice surface but also the effect of faulty orifice assembly is taken into account. To estimate the risk of failure, the stress distribution in critical parts of the orifice were calculated via FEM, which is fed with experimental data. The modified Mohr failure criterion was then used to evaluate the stress distributions with respect to the possible failure of the orifice jewel. The results revealed that the risk of damage caused by excessive assembly preload forces is marginal. The stress caused by the impact of particles of different sizes is up to four orders of magnitude higher than the stress caused by assembly forces and is therefore identified as the main risk for orifices to fail prematurely. Experimental data shows mainly particles of calcium carbonate and iron–aluminum silicates, which are compounds that originate from the process water itself. It is demonstrated that particles are more critical than formerly assumed in the literature. This paper identifies particles with a diameter of more than 10 µm as critical when there are no other loads present. In operation, even particles as small as 2 µm in diameter can cause damage to the orifice jewel. To prevent premature orifice failure due to foreign particles, water filtration with a 2 µm mesh is recommended, while future research needs to focus on the interior cutting head design to prevent precipitation from the process water.


The article deals with studying types of automobile neologisms in the English language. The quantitative results of researching 827 new terms are given in the article.


Infective endocarditis due to Tropheryma whipplei is uncommon. The diagnosis is not easy because blood cultures are often negative and symptoms are mostly non specifi c. The positive diagnosis is asserted mainly by the histologic study of the cardiac valve and specifi cally by the research of universal PCR. Surgical treatment (AVR) followed by antibiotherapy consisting an association of doxycyclin and hydroxychloroquin allows defi nitive cure. We herein report one case.


Object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device and a semiconductor device capable of reducing the switching loss. A semiconductor device according to the present invention includes: a semiconductor element, the semiconductor element having: a first gate having a first member and a portion of the first gate from the control signal is turned off, and a second gate electrode and a second guide element portion control signal from the second gate oFF; a signal transmitting unit, the first gate and the second gate connection, and in such a manner to the first gate and the second two transmission gate signals: when on the semiconductor element, the first element portion are simultaneously turned on and a portion of the second element, when the semiconductor device is turned off, so that the second member portion than the first delay element portion Shutdown.


A method for preventing duplicate storage of resources among UPnP(Universal Plug and Play) devices which provide a content directory service when content is synchronized and an apparatus thereof are provided to prevent unnecessary duplicate storage of resources and to utilize a storage space of a device efficiently. A method for preventing duplicate storage of resources among UPnP(Universal Plug and Play) devices which provide a content directory service when content is synchronized comprises the following steps. A receipt side UPnP device receives a changed log including metadata regarding a changed resource(S600). The receipt side UPnP device checks whether the resource is changed by using the information on whether a storage path is changed included in the received changed log(S601). If the resource is changed(S602), the device extracts a resource identifier from the changed log(S603). If there exists the same resource identifier in a receipt side resource identifier-path mapping unit(S604), the device extracts information on a sending side path from the changed log(S605). If the information on the sending side path is identical to that stored at the receipt side resource identifier-path mapping unit(S606), the device generates metadata according to an existing path stored at the receipt side(S607). If the information on the sending side path is not identical to that stored at the receipt side resource identifier-path mapping unit(S606), the device stores the resource of the sending side, included in the changed log, at a database of the receipt side, and registers the path of the sending side and the receipt side at the receipt side identifier-path mapping unit and generates metadata according to the path of the receipt side(S611). If there does not exist the same resource identifier in the receipt side resource identifier-path mapping unit(S604), the device receives a corresponding resource, sets a corresponding storage path, generates metadata according to the set path, and registers the resource identifier and the storage path at the resource identifier-path mapping unit(S610).


On the basis of constructivism,the teaching idea implicated in constructivism is clarified in the aspects of the knowledge,study,and student,orientation of relationship between teachers and students,and environment of study.According to the teaching objection and orientation of bilingual teaching,the relationship between the constructivism and bilingual teaching and the problem of bilingual teaching in engineering college education.At last the strategy of bilingual teaching in engineering college education is discussed and expatiated.


To improve the spatial resolution of the image reconstructed by the conventional total variation (TV) algorithm, we propose a prior image based anisotropic edge guided TV minimization (PIEGTV) algorithm for few-view CT reconstruction. In this study, an anisotropic edge of the prior image is detected using the proposed edge detector. Then the weights of the TV discretization term for the to-be-estimated image are updated by the anisotropic edge information. To solve the minimization problem of the PIEGTV reconstruction, a similar TV-based minimization implementation is developed to deal with the raw data fidelity and other constraints. The results with computer simulations for the Shepp-Logan phantom and experimental data from a physical phantom demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can yield images with noticeable gains in edge preserving and shape preserving for small structures, compared to the conventional and a few modified TV algorithms.


In this paper some direct local and global approximation results are obtained for the modified Gamma operators defined by A. Izgi and B¨uy¨ukyazici (Approximation and rate of approximation on unbounded intervals, Kastamonu Edu. J. Okt. 11 (2), 451–460, 2003 (in Turkish)), and independently by H. Karsli (Rate of convergence of a new Gamma Type Operator for functions with derivatives of bounded variation, Math. Comput. Modelling 45 (5-6), 617–624, 2007). Furthermore, a Voronoskaya type theorem is given for these operators.


The behavior of dry, steady-state granule beds in each identified flow regime, i.e., frictional, toroidal, and fluidized, in a vertical-axis cylindrical high-shear granulator is studied. The granule bed behavior is discussed in terms of the blade-granule bed interactions and bed surface behavior. The blade-granule bed stress was measured with a custom-built telemetric impeller pressure sensor system and simulated with the discrete element method, while the bed surface velocity and height were studied by high-speed imaging and particle imaging velocimetry. The simulations reasonably predicted the average blade-granule bed stresses. The variability, i.e., fluctuation amplitude and periodicity, and trends of the average values differed in each flow regime. Frequencies of the periodic bed surface velocity and height fluctuations changed from single blade pass frequency to two blade passes frequency and finally a loss in periodicity across the flow regimes. Periodic fluctuations of the blade-bed stress were only observed in the fluidized regime until a certain impeller speed or Froude number was reached. These frequencies were slightly higher than one impeller rotation (three blade passes).


Summary form only given. Heterodyne downconversion, or photomixing, of two CW laser beams has proven to be a successful way to generate narrow-band radiation in the terahertz spectral region. For the first demonstration of efficient and frequency-tunable CW photomixing in a low-temperature-grown (LT) GaAs antenna, Brown et al. (1995) mixed the radiation from two independent Ti:sapphire lasers. Instead of two independent Ti:sapphire lasers one would prefer to run a single laser with two-color output. We present experimental data for two dual-color resonator concepts, a linear and a ring concept, respectively.


The rapidly developing technology of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) extends to the availability of aerial surveys for wildlife research and management. However, regulations limiting drone operations to visual line of sight (VLOS) seriously affect the design of surveys, as flight paths must be concentrated within small sampling blocks. Such a design is inferior to spatially unrestricted randomized designs available if operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) are allowed. We used computer simulations to assess whether the VLOS rule affects the accuracy and precision of wildlife density estimates derived from drone collected data. We tested two alternative flight plans (VLOS vs. BVLOS) in simulated surveys of low-, medium- and high-density populations of a hypothetical ungulate species with three levels of effort (one to three repetitions). The population density was estimated using the ratio estimate and distance sampling method. The observed differences in the accuracy and precision of estimates from the VLOS and BVLOS surveys were relatively small and negligible. Only in the case of the low-density population (2 ind./100 ha) surveyed once was the VLOS design inferior to BVLOS, delivering biased and less precise estimates. These results show that while the VLOS regulations complicate survey logistics and interfere with random survey design, the quality of derived estimates does not have to be compromised. We advise testing alternative survey variants with the aid of computer simulations to achieve reliable estimates while minimizing survey costs.


Air pollutant releases from crop residue burning were estimated based on the 2004 to 2013 yield data of major crops using emission factor method, and carbon emission mitigation potential of turning crop straw into biochar was also calculated, in Xinjiang Oasis. Results showed that amount of crop residue burned in 2013 in Xinjiang area were about 6.0 ×106t, yielding the following atmospheric pollutants:9.0×106 t of CO2, 5.5×105t of CO, 1.6×104t of CH4, 9.4×104t of NMVOC, 1.9×104t of OC, 3.9×103t of BC, 2.4×103t of SO2, 1.8×104t of NOx, 7.8×103t of NH3 and 1.2×105t of PM2.5. The total carbon emission from crop residue burning was 2.7×106t. Carbon dioxide and CO were the major pollutants in emission inventory, accounting for 91.6% and 5.6% of the total, respectively. Cotton stalk was the largest contributor with 43.3% of total atmospheric emission, followed by wheat straw and corn stalk with contributions of 28.3% and 21.9%, respec-tively. Calculation showed that turning the burned crop resides(cotton, wheat and corn)into biochar could reduce carbon emission by 54.9%annually, while might sequester 3.6×106t of carbon and 1.3×107t CO2e(carbon dioxide equivalent)over 100 years, even if biochar applications did not increase soil organic carbon content. Therefore, biochar would be an good approach to sustainable carbon sequestration.


The workflow to develop collaborative applications should be highly adaptable to frequent organizational changes. In order to increase the adaptability of workflow, an ontology-based workflow model is proposed. This model represents the set of steps —along with their order of execution— performed by different entities for developing this kind of applications. Ontology is one of the strategies for the structured representation of a chosen knowledge domain in a formal way, helping to remove ambiguity and redundancy, detecting errors, and allowing automated reasoning. In this work, the ontologies are considered as models to represent knowledge. A case study is presented in order to show the use of Knowledge-based Workflow Model for Collaborative Applications. Palabras Clave: Ontology, Collaborative Application, Workflow Model, Knowledge Representation, Knowledge-based Workflow Model.


The article interprets changes in human rights education in English school policy on values which have increasingly been framed by PREVENT and a move from international to national expressions of values. It reveals the extent of the impact and nature of this change on human rights education in school policy for the first time. It reports changes from minimal to maximal expectations compounded by an increased focus of school performance. It illustrates the extent to which values are politically framed and significantly how recently 'sudden' political changes in the United Kingdom can be seen as part of a change trend which is almost 10 years old. It draws on Schwartz's theoretical structure of values, Baxi's conceptualisation of rights and Lohrenscheit's notion of learning about and learning for human rights as these, respectively, reveal conceptual clarity in values, human rights and pedagogy.


Science, engineering and technology (SET) are critical to achieving and maintaining a high quality of life, economic growth, global competitiveness, a clean environment and effective governance for the public goodÐsome of the key characteristics of sustainability. A nation's ability to meet these goals significantly depends on the capacity and competency of its workforce to develop innovative products, processes and services that advance prosperity while maintaining and restoring environmental systems. In order to continue towards this paradigm shift, advance sustainability in the long term and supply a skilled and knowledgeable workforce to both the private and public sectors, educating the next generation in sustainability is critical. Engaging women and underrepresented groups in SET will build additional capacity in these fields that are critical to advancing economic, environmental and societal goals. There is an increasing amount of anecdotal evidence which shows that students are remarkably enthusiastic about education for sustainability and are engaged at many levels both within and outside the classroom. There may be several unique characteristics to the ideas and visions of sustainability that may contribute to making this concept especially attractive to women and underrepresented groups.


In her walk through the museum's ruins, in Chapter 21 of this volume, Michaela Giebelhausen addresses the museum's complex relationship with time, highlighting temporal and material gaps. She explores time and history's destructive forces as wrought on the Neues Museum, Berlin (recently revealed and celebrated) and uncovers a poetics of ruination described by Denis Diderot as 'sweet melancholy'. She argues for a mature attitude to the past, and an aesthetic and intellectual compromise between memory and forgetting.


Abstract This article explores how the vision of a world city influences local cultural politics, by looking at an attempt to construct a cultural quarter in Seoul, South Korea. The Hong-dae area of Seoul has a reputation as a vibrant place of urban amenities, emerging cultural forms, and neighbourhoods of cultural workers and artists. In 2003, the city government announced a policy to create a Cultural District in the area. Subsequently, local conflict over defining Hong-dae culture emerged, and the plan was later postponed. This study elucidates how the proposed policy, framed by a vision of Seoul as a world city, led local actors to territorialise, fossilise, ethnicise and capitalise Hong-dae culture. It argues that competition for world city status may politicise and territorialise urban cultural scenes, rather than enhancing the urban amenities of diversity, openness and tolerance.


Strength and Conditioning Journal February 2001 IN THE UNITED STATES MILlions of high school students participate in school-sponsored sports. Provided that qualified coaching is available and appropriate training guidelines are followed, youth sport programs provide teenagers with an opportunity to enhance their fitness, improve selected skills, make friends, and have fun. However, there is the potential for injury or illness to occur if a young athlete's musculoskeletal system is ill prepared to handle the duration and magnitude of forces that develop during practice and game situations. It appears that today's young athletes are less active outside of their sports seasons and therefore less prepared for vigorous sports participation. In the United States, participation in all types of physical activity declines as grade in school increases, and daily attendance in high school physical education has decreased from about 42 to 25% (9). Further, sedentary pursuits such as television viewing and "surfing" the internet continue to occupy a significant amount of time during the schoolage years (4). According to some observers, an estimated 50% of overuse injuries sustained by young athletes while playing organized sports could be prevented if participants were better prepared to play the game (8). While the total elimination of youth sport injuries is an unrealistic goal, it seems prudent for high school athletes to participate in at least 6 weeks of preparatory conditioning (including general strength, aerobic, and flexibility exercises) prior to sports participation (2, 6). Because high school athletes are often forced to train harder and longer in order to excel in sports, providing them with an opportunity to participate in a preseason conditioning program that prepares them for the demands of sports participation seems reasonable and worthwhile. During this time correctable risk factors such as muscle imbalance, poor flexibility, and poor physical condition could be identified and corrected by physicians, therapists, and strength and conditioning specialists. Further, sensible conditioning guidelines and information on proper nutrition could be provided. If the preparticipation physical examination (including cardiovascular and musculoskeletal screening) was conducted at least 6–8 weeks before the season starts, young athletes at risk for injury or illness could be identified early and treated appropriately with adequate time to prepare for competition. Several reports suggest that participation in a conditioning program that includes strength training may increase a young athlete's resistance to injury. In one report involving 13–19-yearold male and female athletes, it was noted that the athletes who strength trained had a lower injury rate and required less time for rehabilitation when compared to their teammates who did not strength train (5). Others noted that strength training decreased the number and severity of knee injuries in high school football players (2) and the incidence of shoulder pain in teenage swim© National Strength & Conditioning Association Volume 23, Number 1, pages 70–72


How do you connect with teenage boys and girls, and deal with some secondary students' below-average reading skills and/or lack of interest in traditional texts and topics? Angel Boy, by Shoo Fly Publishing in the UK, is a very unusual, engaging and imaginative CD-ROM that comprises four animated books, a teacher's book, and extensive teacher resources including the Interactive Library of activities and a Resource Bank of over 300 photographs, clip art and sounds referenced to subject areas such as literacy, art and design, music, religious education, geography and citizenship. 'Angel Boy' is a set of digital, multimodal animated books designed to engage students in multiliteracies, media genres and creating digital texts. The stories are meant for upper primary and secondary students up to the age of sixteen years and focus on gothic and supernatural themes and teenage issues.


The surpassing of American Higher education benefits from its function expansion.The establishment of Hopkins University starts its development journey of research-type universities in America.The University of Wisconsin initiates higher institutions' social services,and Stanford University becomes a successful example for combination of production,learning and research.During this process,Americans' spirits of dealing with concrete matters and braveness for innovation play a key role.For the reform and development of our higher education,emphasis must be laid on encouraging and learning such spirits and handle well the relationships between these three functions.


OBJECTIVE To investigate distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogens isolated from outpatients with urinary tract infections. METHODS The clear midstream urine samples from outpatients with UTI were collected and cultured,when routine urine test was abnormal.Antimicrobial susceptibility tests was performed according to Disk Diffusion method recommended by CLSI,and results were analyzed with WHONET software. RESULTS Escherichia coli was the predominant species(74.2%) causing UTI amongst outpatients.The resistance rate of E.coli to ampicillin was the highest(69.6%),and 24.7% of E.coli isolate were detected to be extended-spectrum beta-lactamases(ESBLs) producers.Further,no E.coli isolates was resistant to impenem,meropenem,amikacin,cefoperazone-sulbactam or piperacillin-tazobactam. CONCLUSION To understand the local epidemiology and susceptibility of pathogens causing UTI amongst outpatients is of great importance,and it can help clinicians in local hospital to initiate appropriate empirical antibiotic therapy of UTI.


Background The rapidly aging population in Hong Kong is causing an impact on our health care system. In Hong Kong, 16.5% of emergency department trauma patients are aged ≥65 years. Objective We aim to compare factors associated with trauma and differences in trauma mortality between elderly (≥65 years) and younger adult patients (15 to 64 years) in Hong Kong. Methods A retrospective observational study was performed using trauma registry data from the Prince of Wales Hospital, a 1200–bed acute hospital which is a regional trauma centre. Results A total of 2172 patients (331 [15.2%] elderly and 1841 [84.8%] younger) were included. Male patients predominated in the younger adult group but not in the elderly group. Compared with younger patients, elderly patients had more low falls and pedestrian-vehicle crashes and sustained injuries to the head, neck and extremities more frequently. The odds ratio (OR) for death following trauma was 5.5 in the elderly group (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.4–8.9, p>0.0001). Mortality rates increased progressively with age (p>0.0001) and were higher in the elderly at all levels of Injury Severity Score (ISS). Age ≥65 years independently predicted mortality (OR=5.7, 95% CI 3.5–9.3, p>0.0001). The elderly had a higher co-morbidity rate (58.6% vs. 14.1%; p>0.01). There was a lower proportion of trauma call activations for the elderly group (38.6% vs. 53.3%; p>0.01). Conclusion Elderly trauma patients differ from younger adult trauma patients in injury patterns, modes of presentation of significant injuries and mortality rates. In particular, the high mortality of elderly trauma requires renewed prevention efforts and aggressive trauma care to maximise the chance of survival.


Talent is the original power and the essential productive factor of supporting business development,whose outflow increases the risks of personal cost and development.Through the analysis of the reasons for outflow,the paper points out the unclear enterprise development strategy and the weakness in payment and management are the rooted reasons.The paper attempts to draw some countermeasures to the problem of talent outflow.


Brachiaria spp. as well as other forages, are mainly intended for grazing, cutting, soil conservation or direct use for seed production, in which it is necessary to supply the productive chair. However, the high dormancy index in grass seeds and the fungus attack make the germination of these species difficult. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the germination of the seeds of Urochloa brizantha, c.v. Marandu, after mechanical scarification and treatment with fungicide. The experiment was conducted at the seed processing unit and seed analysis laboratory located in Presidente Prudente / SP. The germination was evaluated and the values obtained were submitted to analysis of variance and test of means using Tukey, at the level of 5% of probability. It was concluded that non-scarified seeds treated with fungicide improved the germination of the seeds of Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu.


Abstract Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz., Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils., Citrus reticulata Blanco, Amomum villosum Lour., Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth., Mosla chinensis Maxim., Zingiber officinale Rosc., and Artemisia argyi Lévl. et Vant are eight of the extensively used herbs among Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) with a long history. The essential oil (EO) extracts of the eight TCMs were obtained using supercritical fluid extraction coupled with molecular distillation to investigate the chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant activities, and anti-inflammatory activity for further exploration of the underlying mechanism of the various biological activities. The chemical components of the EO were analyzed by GC-MS. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the agar-well diffusion assay and the minimum inhibitory concentration assay. The antioxidant activity of the EO was evaluated by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical and 2, 2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid ammonium salt assays. The anti-inflammatory activity of a recipe named "Shenshusan" was evaluated by the xylene-induce ear vasodilatation assay and the acetic acid-induce capillary permeability enhancement assay. Chemical constituents of the EO varied markedly among the eight species of TCMs. The EOs from Mosla chinensis and Artemisia argyi exhibited strong antimicrobial activity while the EOs from Magnolia officinalis, Mosla chinensis and Zingiber officinale exhibited strong antioxidant activity. The recipe "Shenshusan" showed significant anti-inflammatory activity (340 mg/kg for mice). This study contributes to what is known about the eight kinds of TCM possesses the potent antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity which held great potential and can help guide future recommendations and interventions for food, medicine, and cosmetics application.


One of the most important issues in Speech Analysis is the extraction of a set of parameters that can, hopefully, help understand the speech process. Depending on the nature of the sound, these parameters could be the fundamental frequency (Pitch) and the harmonics (or formants). The first and second order statistics (autocorrelation, power spectrum, cepstrum) have proved its efficiency for detecting the pitch in signals without noise. The performances diminish, however, when signals are corrupted with noise. Research targeted towards development of methods that can resist to noise. In recent years new tools have been developed referred to as higher order statistics (HOS). These statistics have solved problems that have not been resolved by the first and second order statistics and to extract more information from the signal. In this article we use higher order statistics, in particular polycepstrale analysis for the detection of the fundamental frequency (pitch).


Higher education has seen a rapid increase in the use of Web 2.0 applications, such as wikis, blogs, podcasts and vodcasts. While their use and integration has been investigated by other cognate and non-cognate disciplines, this has yet to be formally undertaken by the paramedic discipline. Therefore, this article describes a pilot study that examines the student use of wikis to support case-based learning (CBL) within a Bachelor of Emergency Health (BEH) degree at Monash University. The aim of this study is to report student attitudes on group work using wikis during weekly CBL activities. Methods: a cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of second year undergraduate students enrolled in the BEH degree were surveyed using a short paper-based self-reporting questionnaire focused on attitudes towards wikis. Included with the questionnaire was a brief set of demographic questions. Results: overall, participants reported positive attitudes and perceptions towards the use of wikis and peer-based lea...


Speaker clustering is a task to merge speech segments uttered by the same speaker into a single cluster, which is an effective tool for alleviating the management of massive amount of audio documents. In this paper, we present a work for co-optimizing the two main steps of speaker clustering, namely, feature learning and cluster estimation. In our method, the deep representation feature is learned by a deep convolutional autoencoder network (DCAN), while the cluster estimation is realized by a softmax layer that is combined with the DCAN. We devise an integrated loss function to simultaneously minimize the reconstruction loss (for deep representation learning) and the clustering loss (for cluster estimation). Many state-of-the-art audio features and clustering methods are evaluated on experimental datasets selected from two publicly available speech corpora (the AISHELL-2 and the VoxCeleb1). The results show that the proposed method exceeds other speaker clustering methods in regard to the normalized mutual information (NMI) and the clustering accuracy (CA). Additionally, the proposed deep representation feature outperforms other features that were widely used in previous works, in terms of both NMI and CA.


Replacement of the 3-carboxylate residue in phenoxymethylpenicillin by an aldehyde group gives a good substrate for E. cloacae P99 β-lactamase with kcat= 34 s–1, Km= 7.5 × 10–5 mol dm–3 and kcat/Km= 4.5 × 105 dm3 mol–1 s–1 at pH 7. With B. cereus 569/H β-lactamase I as a catalyst, kcat/Km= 1.87 × 104 dm3 mol–1 s–1 at pH 7 and shows a bell-shaped dependence on pH with apparent pKas of 4.76 and 9.72. Any close proximity between the penicillin 3-aldehyde and a lysine amino group on the protein does not result in iminine formation and inhibition of the enzyme.


Due to intensive friction between grinding particles and workpiece material, a substantial quantity of thermal energy develops during grinding. Efficient determination of real heat loading in the surface layer of the workpiece material in grinding largely depends on the reliability of basic principles of distribution of heat sources and the character of the temperature field within the cutting zone. Therefore, this paper takes a different approach towards the identification of the thermal state of the creep-feed grinding process by using the inverse problem to approximate heat conduction. Based on a temperature measured at any point within a workpiece, this experimental and analytical method allows the determination of a complete temperature field in the workpiece surface layer as well as the unknown heat flux on the wheel/workpiece interface. In order to solve the inverse heat conduction problem, a numerical method using finite differences in implicit form was used.
When the inverse heat conduction problem is transformed into an extreme case, the optimization of heat flux leads to an allowed heat loading in the surface layer of workpiece material during grinding. Given the state function and quality criterion, the control of workpiece heat loading allows the determination of optimal creep-feed grinding conditions for particular machining conditions.


The report gives results of experimental measurements (in fixed- and moving-bed filters) of the effect of electrostatic augmentation on granular bed filter particle collection efficiencies. Experimental findings included: (1) either polarizing the bed or charging the particles significantly increased the collection efficiency of the filter (efficiency increased with increasing applied voltage across the bed); (2) both polarizing the bed and charging the particles caused the bed to become very efficient in collecting particles (efficiency of a 15 cm deep bed of 1.6 mm diameter alumina spheres with a polarizing field strength of 1.31 kV/cm was above 98% for all particle sizes); (3) polarizing the bed and/or charging the particles has no effect on pressure drop across a clean bed; (4) a filter cake increases the collection efficiency of the granular bed filter (the increase depends on the cake structure and the amount of dust retained in the beds); (5) DC polarization is much more effective than low frequency AC polarization; and (6) fixed bed filters show a higher collection efficiency and a higher pressure drop than moving beds (in moving beds, lower recirculation rates also have lower rates of attrition of retaining grids and granules and lower rates of dislodgingmore » and reentraining the collected particles).« less


Urban canopy models are essential tools for forecasting weather and air quality in cities. However, they require many surface parameters, which are uncertain and can reduce model performance if inappropriately prescribed. Here, we evaluate the model sensitivity of the single‐layer urban canopy model (SLUCM) in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to surface parameters in two different configurations, one coupled to the overlying atmosphere (on‐line) in a 1D configuration and one without coupling (off‐line). A two‐day summertime period in London is used as a case study, with clear skies and low wind speeds. Our sensitivity tests indicate that the SLUCM reacts differently when coupled to the atmosphere. For certain surface parameters, atmospheric feedback effects can outweigh the variations caused by surface parameter settings. Hence, in order to fully understand the model sensitivity, atmospheric feedback should be considered.


This paper presents an operator-controlled crack sealing machine developed and tested at the Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology (AHMCT) Research Center at the University of California, Davis. The machine is focused on ease of operation while developing the simplest solution to the automated random crack sealing challenge. The machine is integrated onto a single truck. The operator provides the machine its tasks and is the decision maker; the machine automatically performs the repetitive and dangerous tasks of mapping the pavement cracks, creating seal paths for the robot and sealing the pavement crack. The operator communicates with the machine through a simple user interface adjacent to the driver. This operator control approach drastically reduces the machine's control complexity compared to fully automated crack sealing machines. In order to be able to seal cracks within a full lane without intruding into adjacent lanes, a telescoping long reach robotic arm is developed, which can position the sealing head mounted to its end in a 3.65 m (12 ft) by 4 m (13 ft) large workspace within 0.4 mm (1/64 in) at a traverse speed up to 1 m/s (3 ft/s). A special sealant applicator that deploys a pressurized reservoir is developed to allow for high speed sealing operations and automation. A control network of both fast 100Mbps Ethernet and 10Mbps Wireless allows for distributed real-time motion control, I/O control and machine vision. A fully object-oriented, multithreaded and Internet-based software architecture allows reliable and efficient system integration and provides an interactive and responsive user interface for feature-rich and easy imaging, path planning and system control.


Flood is one of the natural calamities that cause huge losses and damages. Flood hazard zonation has been widely produced to face the impact of the disaster. DEM as the primary data to construct the earth surface has been developed from rough to fine resolution. Aster GDEM v.2 within 1arc spatial resolution has an ability to derived DEM and TIN data as bases river geometrics data. Maximum daily peak discharges used to calculate flood peak discharge. Furthermore, steady flow analysis has been used to produce flood inundation model based on four scenarios with return periods 5yr, 10yr, 50yr, and 100yr. The model results have been validated using UAV flood map in 2016 by means of pixel by pixel operation and the result shows that the vertical variance between grid DEM and TIN data about 0.3 m.


We consider the $ U(1) $ sigma model in the two dimensional space-time which is a field-theoretical model possessing a nontrivial topology. It is pointed out that its topological structure is characterized by the zero-mode and the winding number. A new type of commutation relations is proposed to quantize the model respecting the topological nature. Hilbert spaces are constructed to be representation spaces of quantum operators. It is shown that there are an infinite number of inequivalent representations as a consequence of the nontrivial topology. The algebra generated by quantum operators is deformed by the central extension. When the central extension is introduced, it is shown that the zero-mode variables and the winding variables obey a new commutation relation, which we call twist relation. In addition, it is shown that the central extension makes momenta operators obey anomalous commutators. We demonstrate that topology enriches the structure of quantum field theories.


Sixteen security options were studied. These included various types of property line protection, entry point protection, interior protection and personnel safety programs. Property line protection is the "first line of defense" for the library. Police patrols were used by 20% of British libraries, and were more common when the levels of equipment theft, vandalism, assault and break-ins were high. There is both a deterrent effect and an image effect to consider before deploying security personnel. One of the problems in protecting staff is the need for rapid communication by a staff member facing a crisis situation. Among the libraries in Great Britain, security steps were more likely to be implemented by English libraries and least likely in Scottish libraries, but there were differences depending upon the type of security item in question. Police patrols were found more often in Canadian libraries with high levels of verbal abuse to staff and vandalism. In Canadian libraries the use of expensive but cost...


The development of low-voltage power line carrier communication (PLC) system requires transfer model which should be suitable for the performance simulation analysis of communication channel. This paper applies genetic algorithm to the low-voltage multi-parameter identification of the PLC channel structure model based on the samples of measured data, and achieves a comparatively good multi-parameter identification performance, which lays a good foudation for studying and designing low-voltage power line carrier communication system.


The European Union's transport policy aims to ensure the smooth, efficient, safe and free movement of people and goods throughout the Union through integrated networks using all modes of transport (road, rail, water and air). EU policy also covers a wide range of issues, such as climate change, passenger rights, clean fuel and reducing the administrative burden of port customs clearance. In my research, I examined the transport policy aspirations of the last 20 years with statistical tools in terms of the current role of each transport sector in the life of the member states.


Exposure to microgravity or models designed to mimic the unloaded condition, such as bed rest in humans and hindlimb unloading (HU) in rats leads to skeletal muscle atrophy, a loss in peak force and power, and an increased susceptibility to fatigue. The posterior compartment muscles of the lower leg (calf muscle group) appear to be particularly susceptible. Following only 1 wk in space or HU, rat soleus muscle showed a 30 to 40% loss in wet weight. After 3 wk of HU, almost all of the atrophied soleus fibers showed a significant increase in maximal shortening velocity (V(sub 0)), while only 25 to 30 % actually transitioned to fast fibers. The increased V(sub 0), was protective in that it reduced the decline in peak power associated with the reduced peak force. When the soleus is stimulated in situ following HU or zero-g one observes an increased rate and extent of fatigue, and in the former the increased fatigue is associated with a more rapid depletion of muscle glycogen and lactate production. Our working hypothesis is that following HU or spaceflight in rats and bed rest or spaceflight in humans limb skeletal muscles during contractile activity depend more on carbohydrates and less on fatty acids for their substrate supply. Baldwin et al. found 9 days of spaceflight to reduce by 37% the ability of both the high and low oxidative regions of the vastus muscle to oxidize long-chain fatty acids. This decline was not associated with any change in the enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle or oxidation pathway. The purpose of the current research was to establish the extent of functional change in the slow type I and fast type H fibers of the human calf muscle following 17 days of spaceflight, and determine the cellular mechanisms of the observed changes. A second goal was to study the effectiveness of high resistance isotonic and isometric exercise in preventing the deleterious functional changes associated with unloading.


In this paper, we examine a status updating system where updates generated by the source are sent to the monitor through an erasure channel. We assume each update consists of k symbols and the symbol erasure in each time slot follows an independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Bernoulli process. We assume rateless coding scheme is adopted at the transmitter and an update can be successfully decoded if k coded symbols are received successfully. We assume perfect feedback available at the source, so that it knows whether a transmitted symbol has been erased instantly. Then, at the beginning of each time slot, the source has the choice to start transmitting a new update, or continue with the transmission of the previous update if it is not delivered yet. We adopt the metric "Age of Information" (AoI) to measure the freshness of information at the destination, where the AoI is defined as the age of the latest decoded update at the destination. Our objective is to design an optimal online transmission scheme to minimize the time-average AoI. The transmission decision is based on the instantaneous AoI, the age of the update being transmitted, as well as the number of successfully delivered symbols of the update. We formulate the problem as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) and identify the monotonic threshold structure of the optimal policy. Numerical results corroborate the structural properties of the optimal solution.


The sampling variance of nucleotide diversity or branch length in a phylogenetic tree constructed by any distance method provides a criterion to judge whether a deduction or an inference made from data is statistically significant. However, computation of the sampling variance is usually tedious, particularly when the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) or DNA sequences is large, and must rely on computers. Recently, Nei and Jin ( 1989) have developed a computer algorithm, but it can be applied only to a simple substitution model. In this paper, we derive simple formulas for the minimum and maximum values of the sampling variance, which are independent of underlying substitution models. Application of these formulas demonstrates satisfactorily accurate estimates of the sampling variances and therefore their practical use.


Choosing a total of 861 primary and junior high school children in Nagoya, 435 male and 426 female, the authors divided them by family occupation and studied the number of permanent teeth each child had, his height and, in the case of a girl, whether she is having the menses or not, in an attempt to find occupational characteristics, if any, in these respects, and also to learn if there is any correlation among these three factors-dental growth height and physical maturity. They also studied the rate of dental caries occurrence in each occupational group.The survey, however, produced no results suggesting that the nature of a child's family occupation has any particular effect on his dental growth, height, physical maturity or vulnerability to dental caries.


Assaults, arbitrary imprisonment, gaggings, threats, and defamation cases have become an increasing hazard for Pacific journalists. And they also face mounting pressure from governments to be accountable and to report the truth. But the issue is whose truth and accountability to whom?


The exertion of morality in a society depends on the moral operation system, The study will make it convenient to understand and practise Jiang Zemin thought on national administration through morality and the Syllabus on Citizen' s Morality construction. Moral operation system is a very complicated sysrem that involes moral directing system, moral supervising system and moral educating system etc. Moral directing system includs the gaidance of publicity and the tradition, and the formation of conscienceness etc. Moral supervising system includes the supervising of the Party and the government, Democratic associations and Societies, the people,the publicity,and the mass media.Moral educating system includes morality education in the society, schools, families,and selfeducation etc.


In recent years, tumor microenvironment has been recognized as potential targets for tumor treatment and tumor vascular system is one of such targets. Fusing truncated tissue factor (tTF) with a pH Low Insertion Peptides (pHLIP), tTF-pHLIP, can target tumor vessels owing to its acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) and cause tumor vessels occlusion by blood clotting and subsequently effectively inhibit tumor growth. To evaluate its bioeffects, we exposed the tTF-pHLIP to normal mice and mice xenograft with B16F10 tumor and analyzed the metabolic profiling of various tissues and biofluids including plasma and urine from mice treated with and without tTF-pHLIP. A combination of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) was employed in the study. We found that tTF-pHLIP treatment can effectively reduce tumor size and concurrently ameliorate tumor induced alterations in the TCA cycle metabolism and lipid metabolism. In addition, we found that toxicity of tTF-pHLIP to normal mice is minor and exposure of the tTF-pHLIP induced oxidative stress to the system. Hence, we concluded that tTF-pHLIP is of low toxicity and effective in reducing tumor size as well as rebalancing tumor induced metabolic derailment.


Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides an attractive key-sharing technology for remote users with information-theoretic security. QKD with continuous variables offers extraordinary superiority by the use of standard telecom components, thereby moving toward large-scale metropolitan applications. However, from lab demonstrations to in-field realizations, the primary task is to deal with gaps between practical systems and theoretical models. Herein, we present a continuous-mode formalism to close the loophole of fundamental single-mode assumption; this form exhibits a rigorous mapping between theoretical model and practical digital experiments by using temporal modes theory, which opens a new perspective of investigating the digital signal processing through a practical security model. The proposed practicality-oriented security analysis method paves the way to build cost-effective and classical compatible quantum networks by using non-ideal devices.


It is generally known that children tend to get injured more easily than adults. Moreover, these injuries they get in growing period may leave for long in the forms of disability. This paper is about reconstructive and restorative interventions at the proximal end of the thigh and pelvic bones in destructive pathological dislocation of the hip in children after hematogenous osteomyelitis. After hematogenous osteomyelitis of the proximal end of the femur, destruction of the head and neck of the femur is often observed, up to their destruction. The optimal age for surgical treatment of pathological dislocation of the hip, according to our data, is 4-5 years of age of the child, because by this time the process of ossification of the structures of the hip joint ends in most patients, and early surgical intervention often causes severe secondary deformities, up to their destruction.


BACKGROUND
In patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGB), capsule endoscopy (CE) is the investigation of choice after negative conventional endoscopy. However, there is paucity of data on which clinical factors predict the ability of CE to detect pathology and alter management.

AIM
To investigate clinical factors which predict a higher diagnostic yield and a change in management in patients presenting with OGB.

METHODS
Data was collected in patients with OGB for type of OGB [overt (OB) or iron deficiency anaemia (IDA)], co-morbidity, use of anticoagulants, transfusion dependence, subsequent CE diagnosis and follow up data. Factors that predicted a higher yield and a change in management were identified using logistic regression.

RESULTS
There were 427 patients (IDA 74%) with a mean age of 58 years (range 17-92).The diagnostic yield was 50% with a change in management in 30% of patients. The commonest finding was angiodysplasia in 52% of patients. There was no significant difference in the diagnostic yield between the two groups (OB: 56%, IDA 48%, p=0.15). On logistic regression, age (p=0.001), the use of warfarin (p=0.02) and liver co-morbidity (p=0.001) were significant factors which predicted a higher yield with CE. Factors which predicted a change in management included the presence of co-morbidity (p=0.02) and having a diagnosis of angiodysplasia on CE (p=0.001).

CONCLUSION
This is a large series of CE in OGB. Increasing age, anti-coagulation and liver co-morbidity are significant predictors of a positive diagnostic yield whilst the presence of co-morbidity or a diagnosis of angiodysplasia may predict a change in management.


The aim of this paper is to investigate service quality as perceived by younger customers of retail banks in a developing country. The objectives include identifying customers' levels of satisfaction and loyalty to their banks and to identify the levels of service quality associated with such satisfaction and loyalty. The instrument used to collect data via a survey of retail bank customers was an adaptation of the SERVQUAL questionnaire. A total of 448 students were surveyed, using a mix of systematic and quota sampling, with data being collected on university campuses. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques. The main conclusions were that most young customers are reasonably satisfied with, and loyal to, their banks. There was little difference, on all the service quality constructs, between the different banks, and between expectations and perceptions of service quality. However, there was no evidence of any bank providing a service that delighted their customers or exceeded their expectations and so all banks are at risk from a competitor who adopts strategies to meet these goals. The study has contributed to knowledge by focusing on attitudes to service quality of young bank customers in a developing country, an aspect that has been under-researched.


This paper addresses the role of hydrogen in the kinetics of interfacial reactions between PtxSi1−x (x=0.67, 0.5) thin films, prepared by reactive sputtering of Pt in a silane plasma, and Si substrates and consequent changes in the electrical characteristics of PtSi/Si Schottky diodes. The effects of the deposition temperature and the alloy composition on the degree of the interfacial reactions have been examined with Rutherford backscattering and x‐ray diffraction techniques. The absolute hydrogen concentration in the films, as measured using ion beam forward scattering, decreases with increasing temperature of deposition and also with increasing Pt concentration. An important effect of hydrogen incorporation in the films with x<0.5 is a reduction in the kinetics of PtSi formation at the film–substrate interface. The diode parameters, (φb and η), for all the compositions of the films, improve with increasing deposition temperature until 400 °C; above 400 °C however, the barrier height decreases and the I...


In October, the Toll Insight 2021 HOV Technology Conference investigated the evolving technology surrounding high-occupancy vehicle lanes and the ways in which compliance can be enforced. Here, Lev Pinelis, founder of Toll Insight, gives a complete overview of the proceedings


ABSTRACT This is the third part of the series concerning the building of a new Central Library for the Jacksonville Public Library via a design competition. In this segment, the resolution of the historic buildings issue is presented as well as an examination of some of the questions raised by the four architectural firms involved in the competition. A tour of already completed new large public library buildings is also discussed.


The direct injection combustion system of stratified lean-burn gas mixture is very important for the performance and the emissions of vehicles. With German Bosch engine management system as an example,the composition,the principle and the technical characteristics of the engine management system has been introduced. Various engine w orking parameters are obtained w ith different sensors at w ork,and fuel injection and ignition timing are precisely controlled according to the pre-set control program of the engine control unit so as to achieve the best in terms of pow er,economy and emission in various w orking conditions. This research is significant as a guiding direction in reality,especially for the increasingly stringent context for emission and after-sale service.