With the increasing demands on the capacity of wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) systems, nonlinear effects including inter-channel crosstalk become increasingly important. One of the most significant nonlinear effects in this context is cross-phase modulation (XPM) in optical fiber and accurate determination of this effect is an important issue in the design of WDM optical system. This paper presents XPM theory in brief and simulation results for intensity fluctuation due to XPM in an intensity modulation-direct detection (IM-DD) WDM optical transmission system at a bit rate of 10 Gbit/s. The spectral characteristics have been found to be strongly dependent on channel spacing and dispersion coefficient. It is shown that the system suffers maximum penalty due to XPM effect at zero dispersion coefficient and XPM interference is linearly dependent on the optical powers of the injected signals in a very large range of system parameters. For example, the eye opening penalty is about 8.10 dB and 1.45 dB for corresponding dispersion coefficients of 0.5 ps/nm-km and 4.0 ps/nm-km respectively at a probability of 10−3.


Harrington: We would like to ask you about adaptation and what you have done with it. Didn't you do the only adaptation of Brecht's plays that he respected [Mr. Puntilla and His Valet Matti, 1955]? Cavalcanti: Not the only one. He likes the first film, which I believe he wrote directly for film, Kuhle Wampe [1932]. But it was the first film made of his work and mine was the last. There were some he couldn't bear and he brought lawsuits against Fritz Lang and [G. W.] Pabst,1 against every director who attempted to put his stuff on the screen. I was terrified of him. But it is a long story, and I thought you wanted Nicholas Nickleby. Harrington: I'm curious about what there is in your attitude toward adaptation and which Brecht liked. Cavalcanti: My theory of adaptation is very basic. I think what people used to call original subjects had nothing to do with cinema but were just bad subjects that they tried to use. I think the construction, the literary construction, doesn't fundamentally exclude adaptation. If you are dealing with narrative, you can take it from a novel, from a play, from anything you like, from a little article in a paper, from anywhere. In the case of authors we like and respect we try, before anything else, to give the style and to try to grasp what the author wanted, which was the case with [my adaptations of] Brecht, Dickens, and Graham Greene himself. I never realized if he saw it (we were really great friends) the picture or not; I had the feeling he saw it and didn't like it. But the critics said quite recently that it was the best adaptation of his. But I hope he is going to change his mind and confess that he saw it, you see. Alberto Cavalcanti was born in Brazil in 1897 and lives now on the isle of Capri. In a directing career stretching from 1926 to 1962, he made significant contributions to several major movements of cinema: the French avant-garde movement (1925-1930), the English documentary (with John Grierson at the G. P. O. Film Unit) and the Ealing studio group (1943-1938), and the Cinema Nuovo in Brazil (1949-1952). In this interview Cavalcanti focuses upon his adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby, an adaptation which has long been undeservedly neglected in favor of the adaptation of Dickens' novels by David Lean. J H /D P Paroissien: Was there any particular reason for selecting Nicholas Nickleby among Dickens' novels? Cavalcanti: No, and furthermore I personally don't have the admiration that you English-speaking people have toward Dickens. I think of another writer of his century who was born almost at the same time, with about ten years difference; Balzac is a far greater writer than Dickens, much more human and much more socially important, because Balzac's work covers all strata of society in France from the workers to the aristocracy, and it is a much more complete work. I object in Dickens to many things, especially the sentimentality. That perhaps was a help to me because I had great detachment in trying to capture what I thought was his style and the atmosphere of his books. We had great arguments with Mick.2 We finished the script for Nicholas Nickleby, which had been chosen because the British Propaganda Services thought that people had had enough of war subjects and they needed distraction. We started working along these lines of distraction and laid aside all war subjects. I made a film called Champagne Charlie [1945] about a popular singer of the nineteenth century. It was just a musical comedy, actually. We worked hard to satisfy Mick, who wanted to be a sir and get his titles, so he was very disciplined and with authority, although the war had been finished and therefore he was very happy in doing what he wanted. [J- B.] Priestly said that Champagne Charlie was the most British of all films ever made, done by the British industry and things like that. Paroissien: When you spoke about the need for distraction, was that a factor in the choice of Nicholas Nickleby as opposed to one of Dickens' later novels? …


The article analyses the associative field structure of extraverts and introverts. It determines stereotype level of obtained reactions and reveals peculiarities of statistical structure of associative fields.


The Department of Health's Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) policy initiative was intended to achieve a greater degree of equity and consistency in the assessment and provision of social care services to adults in England. This article reports on the impact of this policy some 18 months after it was implemented. It is based on interviews carried out in one local authority with a sample of six practitioners specialising in the assessment of the social care needs of visually impaired people. The findings from this small-scale study suggest that FACS has not made substantial difference to the social care assessments of older visually impaired people by specialist assessors. At least four factors seem to have rendered FACS largely ineffective in the reported practice of this one group of social work staff and these reflect their relative autonomy. These are an absence of FACS training for practitioners, collective agreement by practitioners about what they should do in practice, an ability and willingness by practitioners to use professional discretion, and the ambiguity of purpose at the heart of the FACS policy.


The parents and 45 F1 crosses (excluding reciprocals) in oats ( Avena sativa L.) were analyzed genetically to generate information on forage quality, physiological parameters, green fodder yield plant -1 (g) and grain yield plant -1 (g) at SKUAST Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar, J&K (India) during winter ( rabi ) season 2011-2012. The highest crude protein content was recorded in SKO-208. The lowest NDF was observed in SKO-213. Lowest ADF was observed in SKO-204. Lowest crude fiber was observed in SKO-213. Highest ash content was observed in SKO-209. The highest chlorophyll content was recorded in SKO-211. The highest leaf area index was recorded in SKO-211. Eleven cross combination have been found desirable for all traits.


The motion intention in the motor imagery brain-computer interface is identified by classifying the event-related de-synchronization (ERD) and event-related synchronization ERS characteristics of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) in EEG signals. When the subject imagines different limbs or different parts moving, the rhythm components and bandwidth will change, which varies from person to person. How to find the best sensorimotor frequency band of subjects is directly related to the classification accuracy of brain-computer interface. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a Minimum Distance to Riemannian Mean Classification method based on Non-Uniform Filter Banks. During the training phase, the EEG signals are decomposed into multiple different bandwidth signal by using multiple band-pass filters firstly; Then the spatial covariance characteristics of each frequency band signal are computered to be as the feature vectors. These feature vectors will be classified by the MDRM (Minimum Distance to Riemannian Mean) method, and cross validation is employed to obtain the best sensorimotor frequency band. During the test phase, the test signals are filtered by the bandpass filter of the best sensorimotor frequency bands, and the extracted spatial covariance feature vectors will be classified by using the MDRM. Experimental results on the BCI competition IV 2a data sets show that the proposed method is superior to MDRM and FBCSP classification methods.


Digital dictionary of medicinal plants a collection of applications a collection of names of medicinal plants. This application was developed to make it easier for users to access the use of medicinal plants based on keywords, names of common diseases such as asthma, diarrhea, fever, headache, diabetes, and so on. The obstacle in using the digital dictionary application of medicinal plants is that it is difficult to find exact information on drug searches, because the vocabulary in producing several other items is not necessarily the same as what is being sought. This study uses the Knuth Morris Pratt (KMP) algorithm search technique on a digital dictionary of medicinal plants by matching keywords as input with strings between text and patterns. This study aims to develop previous research on a digital dictionary of medicinal plants using a mobile-based Rocchio algorithm that searches medicinal plant data by querying proximity in a database that has weaknesses in words that have the same meaning with different words, using another search technique, namely KMP. is expected to get optimal results on search results based on the keyword name of the disease. The test results with 30 keywords on 640 medicinal plant data resulted in a precision value of 92.4, accuracy and recall of 100%.


A handbook has been written for control of activated sludge bulking for wastewater treatment plant operators in Massachusetts. In order to demonstrate the principles described in the handbook for filamentous organism identification and subsequent selective control, six Massachusetts activated sludge plants experiencing bulking problems were investigated. In addition, a survey was conducted to determine the extent of the filamentous bulking problem in Massachusetts. Dominant filamentous organisms in the aeration tank mixed liquor were identified to determine the probable cause of bulking problems. Plant data and operating conditions were also studied to verify the organism-cause relationship. Based on the sample and data analysis, selective control strategies were suggested to the plant operator to control or eliminate the bulking problem.


India is an agricultural country which depends on agriculture and crops for its economic survival. The production of crops is majorly affected by biotic living organisms, mainly the parasites and pathogens. To handle this continuous monitoring of the crop production is addressed seriously in developed countries. Sensor technology is a promising technology which shows great significance in addressing the agriculture and monitoring based on different parameters. In recent years the advanced wireless sensor networking technology has become popular in pest monitoring and early warning to farmers for timely management of potential pests in agriculture. Image sensors captures pests along with the system which would employ an acoustic device sensor for monitoring the pest's noise level which would notify to the farmer of the specific area where the infestation is occurring.


ABSTRACT Experiments undertaken in different parts of the world have shown so far that cleanup at a speed greater than 10 knots is unadvisable due to the bow wave breaking up the oil film on the water. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that a high-speed craft such as a hydrofoil, when flying foilborne, solves this problem.


The customary change control procedure in software maintenance and some variations on this procedure are summarized. Links to life cycles, project management and configuration management are noted. The author highlights the major pressures for change in change control and points out some open issues which will affect the future of change control.<<ETX>>


Twenty five years after a major financial crisis Japan has lost its once glorified status as an economic and financial superpower, a condition with meaning for China, its Asian successor.


The contribution of one-loop corrections to the square of the matrix element for the process e+el* e+el summed over the polarizations of all the particles except the heavy photon el* is obtained for the case where the photon virtual momentum and the momentum transfer between the electrons are large compared to the electron mass. All the terms whose contribution to the cross section does not vanish when the electron mass tends to zero are kept.


In order to preserve homeostasis, stress is described as an inherent response of the organism to pressures from the internal or external environment [1]. Typically, it has a detrimental effect on people's health. Because of the overwhelming amount of work, including assignments, lectures, seminars, and exams, students may experience stress while studying. These circumstances may cause stress in certain students, who may miss meals as a result. They will exhibit poor eating habits, such as devouring fast food, sweets, and soda [2].
Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to assess the relationship of eating habits and stress during examination among nursing students.
Methods: A quantitative research approach and descriptive correlational research design was used for the present study. A total 100 nursing students was selected by probability simple random sampling technique. The data was collected by administering a self structured and standardized tool on eating habits and stress during the examination.
Results: 59 % of students had healthy eating habits and 80 % of students had moderate level of stress during examination. There was a weak correlation between eating habits and stress during examination. Conclusion: The study found that the nursing students had healthy eating habits with moderate level of stress during examination.


Abstract Studies on periodicals have demonstrated the power of this documentation as a political device in the correlation of forces between private and economic interests, in the transformations of public spaces. Accordingly, based on the theoretical-methodological perspective of the rigor of historical research and on the theoretical frameworks of "Imagined Community" and "Intellectual Mediator," this work aimed to understand the motivations of the editors of the newspaper A Aurora Fluminense (1827–1839) to publish articles on education and public instruction on the pages of that periodical. We considered that the writers of that periodical aimed to communicate what they understood as truths as to the development of "public spirit" and potential patriots.


This article is regarding annual trials comparing standard varieties and experimental lines of hard red winter wheat that are conducted at most of the agricultural experiment stations in North Dakota. The per cent survival is evaluated in late April. A visual estimate of the per cent surviving plants is recorded. Yield and disease data also are collected. The level of winterhardiness that a variety possesses probably is the most important factor to consider in choosing which variety to grow. Winter wheat has survived with good stands in some areas of southwestern North Dakota in recent years and with good survival, excels spring wheat for yield.


The oxidation of Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridines to the corresponding pyridines has been extensively studied in view of the pertinence of the reaction to the metabolism of Hantzsch esters and the calcium channel blocking drugs used in the treatment of various cardiovascular disorders. The reaction has also been used to study the biologically significant NADH redox processes. Consequently, this aromatization reaction continues to attract the attention of researchers for the discovery of milder and general protocols applicable to a wide range of 1,4-dihydropyridines. Several oxidizing agents and methods such as KMnO4, 3 solid supported pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC), silica gel supported ferric nitrate, nitric oxide, MnO2, 7 ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN), tert-butylhydroproxide, clay supported cupric nitrate, Bi(NO3)3, 11 I2/MeOH, 12 Zr(NO3)4, 13 tetrakispyridine cobalt(II) dichromate (TPCD), iodobenzene diacetate, NaNO2/NaHSO4/SiO2, 16 3-Carboxypyridinium chlorochromate (CPCC), BaMnO4, 18 Tl(NO3)3·3H2O, 19 or photochemical reactions have been introduced in the literature for this purpose. The introduction of supported reagents for bringing about various chemical transformations has provided an attractive option for organic synthesis. These reagents not only modify the activity but also may impart product selectivity. Because of our interest in oxidation processes, we decided to develop a practical and general approach for oxidative conversion of 1,4-dihydropyridines using a mild oxidant, silver carbonate. This reagent is a mild oxidizing agent. This operates under neutral and heterogeneous conditions. Silver carbonate on celite was employed for organic reactions such as oxidation of alcohols, 1,2-diols, phenols, amines and hydrazines. Silver carbonate on silica gel and celite can be readily available. We wish to indicate that it can also serves as an excellent oxidant for a variety of Hantzsch 1,4dihydropyridines. A series of 1,4-DHP derivatives (1-12, Scheme 1) were synthesized to investigate their conversion to the corresponding pyridines. Initially 4-phenyl-dihydropyridine (entry 3) has been used as a substrate to test the feasibility of silver carbonate used as an oxidant for DHP's. Investigation on the oxidation efficiency of silver carbonate alone at ambient temperature as well as higher temperature indicated that, oxidation of (3) into aromatized product did not proceed effectively. A better activity of silver carbonate was obtained when combined with silica gel or celite. Silver carbonate on celite as mentioned above is known, but silver carbonate on silica gel was used for the first time in this study. Subsequent experiments revealed that at reflux conditions in acetonitrile a ratio of DHP : Ag2CO3 = 1 : 6 on silica gel and DHP : Ag2CO3 = 1 : 12 on celite was most effective. Under similar conditions various substituted 1,4-dihydropyridines were efficiently converted to the pyridine derivatives and the results are given in Table 1. According to the experiment we observed that oxidation of 1,4-dihydropyridines with secondary alkyl group (entry 5) and benzyl groups (entry 6) at the 4-position were performed efficiently and only dealkylated pyridine derivative (13) was obtained. This is a general trend in the oxidation of 1,4dihydropyridines. 1,4-Dihydropyridine (entry 4) with propyl group at the 4-position yielded two products, dealkylated


has excoriated Aung San Suu Kyi as a Burmese woman who should be treated as an outcast because she married a foreigner. The dustjacket of the book contains a remarkable photograph of a Burmese woman holding a lacquered bowl of rice from which she has been spooning portions into the begging bowls of the line of Buddhist monks shown disappearing into the distance behind her. While this meritorious act anchors her firmly in Burmese tradition, we notice that she sports a Western hairdo and a filmy, transparent blouse of precisely the kind that Ikeya tells us aroused the wrath of many Burmese men. In one chapter of her book she notes the extraordinary act of Buddhist monks stripping such blouses from young women and burning them in protest in the late 1930s. Such a level of anger against ''modern women'' is most striking and must say something significant about the relationship between religion and gender relations and the extent to which women were targeted by men who rejected many aspects of colonialism and modernity. The book is very well written and readable. It is to be hoped that it is followed by more books on gender relations in Burmese history. There is plenty of room to explore regional differences. Ikeya's account stays mainly in Rangoon or fails to give us a feel for geographical variation. I would have liked, too, to hear more about relations during the colonial period between the Burman majority and the indigenous minority ethnic groups in Burma, which have been such a feature of the country's modern history. For instance, while Ikeya tells us about the suspicion of Burmese towards the ''alien'' presence of Indians and British men in Burma, it is unclear how they looked upon intermarriage between Burman women and other non-Burman men like Christian Karens.


English for Electronics and Information is a major basic specialized course of electronic speciality.Aiming at the higher vocational characteristics, the paper analyzes the teaching objective,teaching methods of the course.Teach students in accordance of their aptitude and use the teaching methods and experience of other colleges for reference,make the study serve for practical purpose to achieve better teaching results.


A method and system for performing gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) etch processing of various materials is described. In particular, the GCIB etch processing includes using one or more molecular beams to optimize pressure at localized regions of the ion beam.


We present bisector measurements of the Hline of the rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) star, � Cir, obtained from dual-site observations with medium-dispersion spec- trographs. The velocity amplitude and phase of the principal pulsation mode vary sig- nificantly, depending on the height in the Hline, including a phase reversal between the core and the wings of the line. This supports the theory, suggested in Paper I, of a radial pulsational node in the atmosphere of the star. Blending with metal lines partially affects the Hbisector results but probably not enough to explain the phase reversal. We have also detected changes in the equivalent-width of the line during the pulsation, and measured the oscillatory signal as a function of wavelength across the Hregion.


In the NYNAS/Shell/Harburg Refinery case the European Commission has approved a merger operation by applying for the first time the failing firm defence to an unprofitable division of an otherwise healthy firm. The Commission found that the merger would improve the competitiveness of capacity-constrained NYNAS by allowing the latter to buy the productive assets it needed to supply the EU demand. Absent the merger, such assets would exit the market, leaving the available production capacity below the EU demand level. The Commission also found that the merger would generate relevant economic efficiencies. For these reasons, the Commission concluded that the notified merger would have a positive impact on competition, resulting in lower prices than those expected in case of prohibition of the transaction.


Introduction Galectin-8 is one of the tandem-repeat-type galectins having two carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) joined by a ~30 amino acid linker peptide. Galectin-8 is expected to be involved in malignant transformation and cell-matrix interaction, and it was also reported to regulate neutrophil adhesion by interacting with target molecules. The tandem-repeat-type galectins are susceptible to proteolysis due to the presence of the linker peptides. A mutant form of human galectin-8 (G8Null) that lacks the entire linker region has a high proteaseresistance compared to wild-type galectin-8, and interestingly it can induce neutrophil adhesion in the same manner as wild-type galectin-8. This suggests that the linker peptide is not essential for interaction with target molecules in the regulation of cell adhesion. To elucidate the relationship between the structure and biological activity of galectin-8, the structure of a galectin-8 with both Nand Cterminal CRDs is very important.


In this paper, a miniaturized patch antenna (MPA) with Zero Index Metamaterial (ZIM) as Superstrate at 518 MHz is designed and fabricated. The proposed method is utilized for retrieving the effective properties, i.e., impedance, refractive index, as well as the permittivity, and permeability of the unit cell. We have investigated the effect of distance between the antenna and the Superstrate on performance of the antenna. Moreover, the performance of the antenna is evaluated by both simulations and measurements. The results of our study have shown more directional and higher gain patch antennas. Also, a good agreement between the measured and the simulation values is found. It is demonstrated that the gain of antenna, having the ZIM Superstrate, is much higher compared to the one without the ZIM superstrate. Furthermore, the mean value of the gain for the proposed Metamaterial antenna (which is Superstrate-based) is considerably improved from −1.9 to 3.97 dBi comparing to the patch antenna alone. In fact, the directivity of the antenna is dramatically improved based on the zero refraction properties of the Metamaterial.


appreciate the work, but it is clearly aimed at theorists in the field. Resner's two concluding remarks speak directly to an audience of homileticians. Still, the discerning preacher will benefit from his discussion of polemical and apologetical self-references in sermons. To what extent should preachers use their own lives in preaching? Can such autobiographical pieces foster a hearing of God's good news? Resner's advice is helpful indeed when it comes to such practicalities. For some preachers, this would be good reading; for all homileticians, it is must reading.


The study aimed to investigate procedures employed in the translation of extended metaphors (EMs) as an under-researched structural feature in Qur'anic Arabic-English translation. To this end, Qur'anic verses illustrating the point were sampled and analyzed to discover the most and least applied procedures based on Newmark's (1988) metaphor translation procedures. Accordingly, three Qur'an translations were analyzed in an attempt to determine the EMs and their figurative/intended meanings. To do so, the researchers investigated the procedures in 50 cases comprising EMs. This study demonstrated that EMs in the Qur'an, as structural features, posed challenges to the translators. The analysis revealed that the translators demanded great efforts to render EMs. Furthermore, not all the translations were fully communicative concerning intended meanings. The most frequent procedure for EM translation was 'reproducing same images in the TL literally' (75.4%) while the least frequent one was 'translation of metaphor/simile by simile plus sense' (0.5%). Confronted by a gap in the model, the researchers appended an additional procedure to the model's existing categories, namely 'explicating a part of metaphor/simile', observing that the original model cannot cover some metaphorical occurrences addressed in a miraculous discourse, namely the Word of Allah, Jalla Jalaaluh.


A new, uniform, semiclassical, initial value representation expression is obtained for the S-matrix in the case of collinear collisions. The derivation is based on an asymptotic analysis (for large inter-fragment distances) of a uniform semiclassical integral expression for the time independent scattering wave function. Although this derivation specifically treats the case of the collision of an atom with a harmonic diatom, the final expression is generalized to arbitrary collinear collisions. The various properties of the expression and its relation to existing semiclassical methods are discussed. Numerical tests are performed for the well-known Secrest–Johnson system. Among other important advantages, the present treatment is a well-defined, uniform, semiclassical approximation that is capable of good accuracy and high computational efficiency, requiring a relatively small number of classical trajectories to obtain converged S-matrix elements for a given energy and initial state.


The relaxational behavior of CR-39 (poly allyl diglycol carbonate) nuclear track detectors was determined over a large temperature range (−100 to 125°C) including the glassy, glass transition, and ionic conduction regions by means of dynamic mechanical and dielectrical measurements, differential scanning colorimetry, linear coefficient of expansion, and especially thermally stimulated current methods owing to their high sensitivity and resolving power. This investigation was carried out as a first step aimed, on the one hand, at finding possible correlations between dosimetric performances, polymer morphology, and intrinsic or extrinsic relaxations and, on the other hand, at determining the origin of the inconsistent background and response properties, which are still a serious obstacle to the use of this material as a personnel dosimeter in spite of its high sensitivity and wide response range. Six distinct relaxation regions have been evidenced, most of which being to some extent dependent on the sample investigated and its thermal history. From higher to lower temperatures, these various relaxations have been ascribed to charge carrier migration over macroscopic distances (ρ), glass transition (α), nonequilibrium precursor motions of the glass transition (ά), and local mode motions of the diethylene-glycol dicarbonate links (β), diethylene glycol segments (γ), and carbonate groups (δ). In addition to these intrinsic relaxations, the as-received samples are also characterized by small-scale residual stresses that relax out irreversibly at temperatures lower than the glass transition temperature Tg. The systematic study of the influence exercized by the position of a specimen in a given sheet, and, for a given sample, by annealing, thermal cycling, and physical aging on relaxation properties shows that, besides spatially inhomogeneous internal stresses, cross-linking density, and cluster morphology, marked structural modifications and nonequilibrium processes can occur by heating the polymer above Tg. These phenomena deserve a great deal of consideration because they could be key points for identifying the sources of the troublesome fluctuations of dosimetric response. Relaxation studies thus appear as useful and sensitive tools for a deeper understanding of the performance of CR-39 polymer as a track recorder.


some aspect of cellular metabolism which is common to a large variety of embryonic cells. Moreover, Taussig (1962) refers to cases in which the drug was taken during a short period only-namely, one week. Nevertheless, the drug's toxicity must be of a relatively mild order, as otherwise death of the foetus in utero would be expected. This point is stressed by Woollam (1962). That thalidomide has toxic effects is, of course, known from its ability to produce neuropathy in the adult (Fullerton and Kremer, 1961).


This article choses different age participates in sports and fitness for the study in Dalian Shahekou District communities.Based on the theory of sociology and cultural studies,the author discusses connotation and fitness de- mand of the community sports culture,comprehensively analyses different age groups' purpose of motivation,training schedule,project selection,training methods status to participate in physical training.Finally it proposes the prob- lems and solutions in the the process of community sports culture and fitness demand construction at this stage.


Results are presented of a 1995 opinion survey that explored the perceptions of an educationally and socioeconomically diverse sample of women in La Paz Bolivia regarding political parties and participation by women. Topics examined include the interest of women in political parties and their confidence in parties their perceptions of the candidate selection process and the motivations of individual parties and whether parties keep election promises as well as women's political participation.


Structures on flat plate slab using Eco lightweight concrete have economic advantages like to reduce costs by reducing the dead load of structure. Flat plate slab is very useful structural system. However flat plate have character of brittle failure in slab-column connections. So these objectives of study are to examine that variables have influence on the punching shear of flat plate slab-column connections using Eco lightweight concrete. In general, punching shear of flat plate is depending on the compressive strength of concrete, effective depth of slab and perimeter of critical section. In the test, specimens with variables were tested to investigate punching shear behavior and determine their punching shear capacity.


The transient temperature of electrical contact surface during high-speed sliding can result in the ablation of the contact surface and the aggravation of its friction and wear through changing the contact surface's environment. Based on correlation measurement and the academic analysis of the transient temperature field of high-speed sliding electrical contact surface under high current, a model for the calculation of transient temperature field is established, by the thermal analysis of transient temperature field of contact surface with the heat transfer and finite element analysis software ANSYS as theoretical foundation. The influence on the transient temperature field of contact surface under different heat sources is studied. The experimental data on the transient temperature of high speed sliding electrical contact surface under high current were obtained with non-contact radiation temperature measurement. The transient temperature field distributing state was simulated by the finite element methods software ANSYS, comparisons between experimental data and simulation results were made to verify correctness of the simulation model of transient temperature field. The further analysis of simulation results shows that the speed and the changes of electric current have impact on the transient temperature field of the contact surface.In this paper, the study on the transient temperature of high speed sliding electrical contact surface under high current is expected to provide the theoretical and technique foundation for reducing the temperature of contact surface, and selecting the appropriate material as contact surface to decrease the material wear and tear.


Abstract Introduction: Laparoscopy has been shown to have superior results to both nonoperative management and open distal pancreatectomy in children.1–5 In this article, we report our technique fo...


Despite the considerable resources devoted to SMEs by Islamic banks worldwide, and Nigeria in particular, there has been no rigorous empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of Islamic banking inclusion on employment growth in SMEs globally. This study fills this gap by analysing the effectiveness of access to Islamic banking financing in promoting MSME's growth in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria. We focus on the impact of the credit lines facilitated by Jaiz Bank Plc in fostering firms' growth measured in terms of employment. A survey based on a quasiexperimental approach was employed and the data were collected by means of a questionnaire distributed to a sample of 385 MSMEs' beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of Islamic bank financing in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria. Using difference-in-difference and propensity score matching techniques to deal with selection bias, the study found significant positive effects on MSMEs' employment growth. In addition, the paper highlights the important role of Islamic bank financing in mitigating the unemployment crisis in Nigeria. The paper recommends that improvement of the Islamic banking system by employing PLS financing, especially Musharaka, could foster MSMEs' financial inclusion and job creation.


The cosmological background of higher order vector modes can be generated by the first order scalar perturbations. We investigate the second order and the third order vector modes in a radiation-dominated era systematically. The explicit expressions of two point functions 〈V (n),λ V (n),λ' 〉(n = 2,3) and corresponding power spectra are presented. In the case of a monochromatic primordial power spectrum, the second order vector modes do not exist. However, the third order vector modes can be generated by a monochromatic primordial power spectrum. And it is found that the third order vector modes sourced by the second order scalar perturbations dominate the two point function 〈V (3),λ V (3),λ' 〉 and corresponding power spectra.


Using items of clothing to bring diversion to what can be difficult and emotional hospital visits seems to be Gina Glover's specialty.

Glover, who has just completed a year as artist in residence at …


Objectives: This study aims to develop a decent sallimyok program and provide basic data which are helpful in improving psychological wellbeing for adults who are exposed to stress and fatigue. Methods: Middle-aged women living in Cheongju, Chungbuk were divided into experimental and control groups (10 people each) through convenience sampling, and a questionnaire survey on psychological wellbeing was distributed to them and collected. For data analysis, IBM/SPSS 20.0 was used. In terms of statistical analysis, a reliability test(Cronbach's α) was conducted. To test research questions 1 and 2, independent t-test and paired sample t-test were carried out. Results: First, a sallimyok program features meditation (floor-sitting, slow walk), foresttherapy, stretching exercise, wrapping-up and sharing feelings. Second, it was confirmed that a sallimyok program has a positive effect on the improvement of psychological wellbeing and the depression for women. Conclusions: The sallimyok program improved participants' psychological wellbeing,which means that it could reduce their anxiety and stress.


Folkloric use of J. curcas latex among others are to cure tooth pain, bleeding gum and as anti-inflammatory drug. Collagenase is a neutral protease released by activated macrophage and also by fibroblasts in small amounts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of J. curcas latex on collagenase released by fibroblasts. Four doses of J. curcas latex from 37.5-300 g/ml were added to 3 human gingival primary fibroblast cell culture. After 1 to 4 days of incubation, collagenase in the supernatant was assayed with collagen. The degradation products were then separated by SDS-PAGE and the density of ¾ A bands were measured semi quantitatively by Adobe Photo computer program. Result showed that J. curcas latex decreased collagenase released by human gingival fibroblast, and increasing dose inhibits more. It may be concluded that the latex of J. curcas inhibits the release of collagenase by human gingival fibroblast. (Med J Indones 2007; 16:219-23) Keywords: Jatropha curcas, collagenase, human gingival fibroblast, collagenase assay, SDS-PAGE


In this study the authors report on the evaluation of a program enhancing both the career development and writing skills of high school juniors. Participants were 166 juniors attending a suburban midwestern high school. School counselors and English teachers worked together to provide an opportunity for students to develop academic skills while exploring relevant career issues. Results indicated that for a wide range of students, participation in the program led to the achievement of specific guidance competencies. Changes in perceived mastery of guidance competencies predicted positive change in vocational identity and attainment of higher English grades for girls. Implications for promoting school counselors' involvement in guidance program evaluation practices are discussed.


This work focuses on the opportunities and challenges in the implementation of fisheries co-management arrangements in Brazil. The methodology of this study was based on the analysis and revision of 116 bibliographical references regarding this type of arrangements. The paper shows the key factors that have been influencing the creation and maintenance of fisheries co-management as well as the ones that represent the biggest challenges to the advancement of fisheries co-management in Brazil.


The total palm il production has increased in the last few years, as aresult, palm oil waste which is a by product of the milling process will also increase. The palm oil Production Process in mills consist of several unit operations. the processing of fresh fruit bunches of oil palm result in the generations of different types of residue. among the waste generated, palm oil mill effluent (POME) is considered as the most harmful waste for the environment if discharged untreated. due to the present of high oil residue in POME, attemps have been made to recover and convert it into valuable products such as usefull chemical and biofuel.


The need for tube feeding was evaluated in six patients with clinical diagnosis of probable dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). Four patients were fed by a nasogastric tube for a period of 10 to 42 days; two patients were fed by a gastrostomy tube for periods of one and eight years. In five of these patients, it was possible to discontinue artificial feeding and reestablish oralfeeding. The duration of survival after discontinuation of tube feeding rangedfrom four to 35 months. These results indicate that despite the progressive course of DAT, in most cases natural feeding by experienced nursing staff can replace tubefeeding.


The focus of this paper is the enrichment of solution obtained using finite element method. In Finite Element Method (FEM), results can be improved with the use of two refinement techniques: h-refinement and p-refinement. In h-refinement, number of elements to represent the analytical model is improvised while in p-refinement the degree of the basis functions for the interpolation of field variable and geometry is elevated. In both the cases, entire analysis has to be carried out after changing either mesh or order of interpolation. This process results in increased computational time. Furthermore the earlier results are of no consideration. The proposed methodology involves utilizing the existing results and enriching them through interpolation function. There is no need to carry out the analysis again. To demonstrate the proposed method it is applied to three cases, where it proved to obtain near exact results.The focus of this paper is the enrichment of solution obtained using finite element method. In Finite Element Method (FEM), results can be improved with the use of two refinement techniques: h-refinement and p-refinement. In h-refinement, number of elements to represent the analytical model is improvised while in p-refinement the degree of the basis functions for the interpolation of field variable and geometry is elevated. In both the cases, entire analysis has to be carried out after changing either mesh or order of interpolation. This process results in increased computational time. Furthermore the earlier results are of no consideration. The proposed methodology involves utilizing the existing results and enriching them through interpolation function. There is no need to carry out the analysis again. To demonstrate the proposed method it is applied to three cases, where it proved to obtain near exact results.


We present a comparative study of novel pedestal and conventional high-contrast grating (HCG) structures for biosensing applications. The pedestal grating demonstrates superior performance both in bulk refractive index (BRIS) and surface sensing.


Abstract:In A Case for Irony, Jonathan Lear aims to advance "a distinguished philosophical tradition that conceives of humanity as a task." I suggest that Elena Ferrante's The Lost Daughter illustrates the mode of ironic experience that interests Lear, and helps us assess his relation to a key contemporary proponent of this tradition—Christine Korsgaard. I explain why Lear's account of the phenomenology of ironic experience relies on Korsgaard's conception of practical thinking, but argue that he must reject her idea that reasons for action come from "practical identities" in order to make good on his conception of irony as radical reflection.


Twelve stable structures of the interactions of HCN with RCHO (R = H, F, Cl, Br, NH 2 , CH 3 ) are located on the potential energy surface at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level. Interaction energies including both ZPE and BSSE corrections range from -5.80 to -21.07 kJ.mol -1 . The result of SAPT analysis shows that the electrostatic component has mainly contributed to the stability of the complexes. It is remarkable that the most stable complex of HCHO∙∙∙HCN is P1-H b which has not been reported in the literature. The red-shifting hydrogen bonds of the C-H∙∙∙O and N-H∙∙∙N types are observed in the P1-H b , P1-CH 3 , P1-NH 2 and P2-NH 2 complexes. On the other hand, the C-H∙∙∙N(O) blue-shifting hydrogen bonds are observed in the rest of complexes. The contraction of C-H bond and the blue shift of its stretching vibrational frequency are inversely proportional with its polarity in the isolated monomer. Keywords. Hydrogen bond, interaction energy, RCHO, HCN, QTAIM, SAPT.


This paper introduces the development and achievement of Changqing General Drilling Company's HSE management system,and makes the detailed analysis on the conflict and problem in the course of HSE system establishment.The paper focuses on seven practicable methods and new tools,which have been proved to have long effect on HSE system construction and promotion.


Objective: To develop a sensitive and reliable ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass sepctrometry( UPLC-MS-MS) method for simultaneous determination and pharmacokinetics of gallic acid and paeoniflorin in rat plasma. Method: Following a protein precipitation with acetonitrile for plasma samples after iv Paeoniae Radix Rubra extract to rat. The analysis was achieved by BEH C 18( 2. 1 mm ×50 mm,1. 7 μm) column and the mobile phase was consisted of acetonitrile and water( both 0. 1% formic acid included) follow step gradient elution. A TQD tandem mass spectrometry equipped with electrospray ionization source was used as detector and operated by multiple reaction monitoring( MRM) negative ion mode of the transitions m / z 169. 0 → 125. 0,m / z 525. 1 →449. 1 for gallic acid and paeoniflorin,respectively. Result: Good linearity was achieved with concentration over the range of 0. 056-41. 2,0. 36-265. 1 mg·L- 1for gallic acid and paeoniflorin,the intraand inter-day precisions were lower than 10. 5%,while the low,mid and high concentration levels extraction recoveries were 87. 5%,103. 3%,89. 5%,and 88. 5%,105. 0%,107. 4% for gallic acid and paeoniflorin, respectively. The MRT of the two compounds were all blow 37 min in rats. Conclusion: The method was proved tobe suitable for the pharmacokinetics of Paeoniae Radix Rubra extract,which offers advantages of rapid,high sensitivity and selectivity.


From searing heat to pounding rain and hailstones the size of golf balls, 2014 saw wetter weather than average in the Goldfields.


ABSTRACT Historical and conventional international relations (IR) frameworks describe the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) as representing a newly ambitious Chinese drive into global politics that positions China as moving away from its long-time reticence towards foreign entanglements. This raises a contradiction of China being at one and the same time both a defender of its own territorial sovereignty while also being engaged in various projects, particularly the BRI and the associated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), that point in completely different directions. This paper seeks to build upon and move beyond conventional framings to understand how the BRI represents a conflict over the workings of state sovereignty that such frameworks have trouble addressing. We argue that the absence of an official Chinese government BRI map promotes a 'useful fuzziness' with regards to China being open to crafting a new as of yet undefined geopolitical identity. In light of the absence of such a map, this work considers key ideas relating to China's geopolitical expansion via the BRI in terms of so-called sovereignty regimes – the idea that various practices of authority and control emanating originally from states take different geographical shapes. Conflicts arise when a state, such as China, finds itself caught between the operational imperatives of multiple regimes. By identifying the current sovereignty dynamics raised by the BRI in light of the relevant, yet distinctive historical experience of the Marshall Plan, this work can be used as a model for understanding how China's current leadership is managing the debate of simultaneously protecting 'strong borders' yet also promoting a policy of 'going out'.


Iron distribution in thin film oxide on silicon wafers is investigated in conjunction with the generation of a negative charge due to Fe in the oxide. The investigation uses the ac surface photovoltage (SPV) technique. Prior to thermal oxidation, Si wafers are treated with an Fe-contaminated alkaline solution composed of ammonium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, and water. During thermal oxidation, Fe atoms which are deliberately added to the wafer surface tend to segregate at the top of the oxide layer. This is confirmed by a sophisticated impurity-extraction technique combined with a high-resolution chemical analysis technique. For Fe-contaminated oxide films on n-type Si wafers, ac SPV appears, indicating that the negative charge due to Fe in the native oxide survives during thermal oxidation. The negative charge disappears after etching off the surface layer of the oxide to a depth of about 7 nm. In p-type Si, the negative charge compensates the positive fixed oxide charge localized at or near the SiO 2 -Si interface, resulting in the reduction of the ac SPV. The creation of the negative oxide charge is attributed to the replacement of quadrivalent Si ions by trivalent Fe ions in the oxide.


OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in falls and fall prevention strategies in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) over 2 years.
 BACKGROUND:
People with MS fall frequently and use various strategies to manage fall risk. Changes in fall incidence and use of fall prevention strategies over time are not well understood.
 DESIGN/METHODS:
58 community-dwelling people with MS aged 18-50 with EDSS ≤ 6.0 were followed for 24 months. The number of falls in the previous 12 months, fall prevention strategy use (fall prevention strategy survey (FPSS) responses), and demographics, were reported at baseline, 12 months and 24 months. Changes in the proportion of recurrent fallers (蠅 2 falls in the prior 12 months) and use of fall prevention strategies were assessed.
 RESULTS:
At baseline, subjects' average age was 40 years old and their average EDSS score was 2.7. 70[percnt] were female and 95[percnt] had relapsing remitting MS. The proportions of recurrent fallers did not change significantly over time (baseline and 12 months: 62[percnt]; 24 months: 57[percnt]; Cochran's Q test, p=0.53). FPSS scores and the number of fall prevention strategies used did change significantly over time (median scores/number at baseline: 5/5, 12 months: 6 (p=0.04)/6 (p<0.01), 24 months: 7 (p=0.02)/5.5 (p=0.04)). The type and specific strategies used also changed over time. At all time points, turning on lights was the most popular strategy and talking to health care professionals about fall prevention and medications, the most challenging behaviors, were the least used strategies. However, over time, more people avoided high risk activities, monitored and managed their MS symptoms, and asked other people for help, to prevent falls.
 CONCLUSIONS:
Many people with MS fall recurrently. The strategies they use to prevent falls change over time suggesting they may be taking action in response to their fall experiences and thus receptive to fall prevention interventions. Disclosure: Dr. Cameron has received personal compensation for activities with Genzyme and the MS Association of America. Dr. Cameron received research support from Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Asano has nothing to disclose. Dr. Peterson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Finlayson has nothing to disclose.


A new kind of levitator has been developed that allows the levitation melting of large metallic loads. The new technique has been successfully applied to achieve the levitation melting of 1-kg aluminum spheres. The technique and design procedures described here are also applicable to loads of other metals and of different shape or size. Unlike the models previously available, the new levitators do not rely on the effect of surface tension. Instead, several magnetic fields of different frequencies are properly shaped and oriented to produce adequate pressure distributions as well as to ensure the necessary surface and bulk stability.


An analytical device, including: a processing system for treating a liquid sample and for supplying the treated liquid sample to a measuring cell, to the liquid sample; a measuring transducer for registering a measured value of the treated liquid sample variable; a control unit to control the processing system; and an evaluating unit for determining the measured variable based on the measured value registered by the measuring transducer. The analytical device includes at least one first supply container containing a first reagent component, at least one second supply container containing a second reagent component and a mixing apparatus, for mixing a predetermined amount of the first reagent component contained in the first supply container with a predetermined amount of the second reagent component to form a predetermined amount of the reagent.


Without question, the dichotomy spectrum is a central tool in the stability, qualitative and geometric theory of nonautonomous dynamical systems. In this context, when dealing with time-variant linear equations having triangular coefficient matrices, their dichotomy spectrum associated to the whole time axis is not fully determined by the diagonal entries. This is surprising because such a behavior differs from both the half line situation, as well as the classical autonomous and periodic cases. At the same time triangular problems occur in various applications and particularly numerical techniques.

 Based on operator-theoretical tools, this paper provides various sufficient and verifiable criteria to obtain a corresponding diagonal significance for finite-dimensional difference equations in the following sense: Spectral and continuity properties of the diagonal elements extend to the whole triangular system.


The abil› ity to identify patients with oncogenic HPV types might lead to improved detection of women who are more likely to develop high grade cervical SILs and can› cer. This improved detection could affect management decisions for women with low grade cytological abnormalities. Currently available commercial tests iden› tify the presence of high risk HPV types. Despite the potential value of this technology, recent reports suggest a lack of utility for these qualitative tests in women with low grade cervical SILs.The Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance/Low›Grade Squamous Epithelial Lesions Triage Study (ALTS)is a large randomised trial of women with recently detected atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and low grade cervical SILs. High risk HPV DNA was detected in 82.9% of women with low grade cervical SILs, therefore limiting the usefulness of measuring it. Results of the ALTS study for women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance are pending.


The concept of an integral on a general measure space is developed from first principles. Riemann–Stieltjes and Lebesgue–Stieltjes integrals are defined. The monotone convergence theorem, fundamental properties of integrals, and related inequalities are covered. Other topics include product measure and multiple integrals, Fubini's theorem, signed measures, and the Radon–Nikodym theorem.


Tantrum – What's the fuss? Let's talk about words. Spastic. Retard. Retarded. All terms used in the globally renowned Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) until recently, to describe a neurodivergent person. It is thanks to the former President of America, Barrack Obama (2010), that such terms were replaced – only in 2013. Did the inclusion of these terms in this clinicians' and psychiatrists' handbook make it acceptable?


Since lymphoid organs constitute the site of active and progressive HIV disease, analysis of their lymphocytes may provide more accurate information on T cell abnormalities than that obtained from studying peripheral blood lymphocytes. The objective of this study was to compare the expressions of activation markers and T cell receptor (TCR) Vβ gene products by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in lymph nodes (LN) and peripheral blood (PB) from healthy individuals and asymptomatic HIV‐infected patients to determine whether anomalies that could be identified at the HIV replication site could support the hypothesis of T cell activation by HIV‐encoded antigens or superantigens. CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in paired LN and PB obtained from six healthy controls and five asymptomatic HIV‐infected individuals were analysed by flow cytometry, using anti‐CD38, anti‐HLA‐DR and 13 anti‐Vβ MoAbs that cover, approximately, 45% of the T cell repertoire. Analysis of T cell activation marker expression indicated that the percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells bearing CD38 or CD38 and HLA‐DR molecules were higher in patients than in controls and, in patients, higher in LN than in PB. Comparison between the Vβ repertoires of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in LN and PB showed that, in each healthy individual, a limited number of Vβ families expressed by CD4+ or CDS+ T cells had different repartition in LN and PB, whereas in each HIV+ patient, more Vβ families exhibited different distributions and these differences recurred among certain Vβ segments, such as Vβ5.3 and Vβ21 in the CD4+ T cell population and Vβ5.2/5.3, Vβ12 and Vβ12 in the CD8+ T cell population. Taken together, these data argue for a skewed TCR repertoire in HIV infection and sustained activation of T cells by HIV‐encoded antigens at the site of HIV replication, and further demonstrate that a high proportion of CD4+ T cells are in an activation state that may, indirectly, participate in their functional abnormalities.


This work demonstrates coherent nonlinear interaction between surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), supported by gold nanoresonators, and monolayer graphene. It is shown that the coupling to SPPs not only enhances the amplitude of the Raman scattering in graphene, but also affects the spectral characteristics of the Stokes emission by broadening and blue shifting the emission lineshape.


Minocycline as an antibiotic has been found to have neuroprotective effect on neurodegenerative diseases. This study was aimed at determining the efficacy of minocycline adjunct to aspirin in improving neurological outcomes of ischemic stroke during 3‐month follow‐up.


181. Boss AH, Marino MT, Cassidy JP, et al. C-peptide correction method to determine exogenous insulin levels in pharmacokinetic studies using Technosphere(R) insulin. Diabetologia 2009; 52 (suppl 1). Boss AH. Raskin P. Philips M, et al. Glycosylated hemoglobin and hypoglycaemia in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus: Technosphere R insulin and usual antihyperglycaemic regimen vs usual antihyperglycaemic regimen. Diabetologia 2010;53(Suppl 1). Brandt D. Boss AH. The next generation insulin therapy. OndrugDelivery 2006 (published online). Brange et al., "Insulin Structure and Stability". Pharm Biotechnol, 5:315-50 (1993). Bray "Exanatide" Am J Health-Sys Pharm 63:411, 2006. Bruce, D.G., et al. "Physiological importance of deficiency of early prandial insulin Secretion in non-insulin-dependent diabetes." Dia betes 37:736-44, 1988. Bullock BPetal. "Tissue distribution of messenger ribonucleic acid encoding the rat glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor' Endocrinology 137:2968, 1996. Burcelin et al. "Encapsulated, genetically engineered cells, Secret ing glucagon-like peptide-1 for the treatment of non-insulin-depen dent diabetes mellitus." Ann NY Acad Sci. Jun. 18, 1999;875:277


Seismic data from an Albian carbonate field located in the Campos Basin (offshore Brazil) reveal, through conventional interpretation and characterization studies, differential zones of more complex structures. Geometric attributes extraction and multi-attributes patterns recognition analysis on a time migrated amplitude volume highlight features that could be related to fracture zones in the carbonate reservoir rock. Based on a fractal theory, a seismic structural characterization workflow can be adapted as a fracture characterization approach in order to identify fracture sets and estimate a fracture intensity property. From the generation of an Eigen structure-based coherence cube, several algorithms and Laplacian filters are applied to extract seismic discontinuities and produce new seismic attributes. The generation of fracture intensity properties for every reservoir unit on the static model grid, in addition with the identification of principal fracture orientations and fracture apertures, drives the construction of Discrete Fracture Networks (DFNs) and their associated properties. Resultant properties as porosity, permeability and fracture effective area can be exported to dual-porosity/permeability flow simulators for improving the history matching and establish new predictions with more confidence.


Object To explore the clinical characteristics and clinical significance of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)with pulmonary fibrosis. Methods 36 patients with COPD and pulmonary fibrosis were analyzed by patients history, clinical symptoms, chest feature, radiographic features, computed tomography(CT) of chest , high resolution computed tomography(HRCT), lung function test and arterial blood gas analysis.Results Clinical characteristics of COPD with pulmonary fibrosis were between COPD and pulmonary fibrosis.Lung function test showed mixed ventilation disturbances or mixed ventilation disturbance appeared behind obstruction ventilation disturbance. Characteristic of COPD with pulmonary fibrosis of radiography and CT was between COPD and pulmonary fibrosis.Conclusions COPD with pulmonary fibrosis has unique clinical manifestation,Lung function test, CT and HRCT are valuable tools to diagnose COPD with pulmonary fibrosis.


Results of the analysis of structure and efficiency of use of equity of the largest oil companies of the Russian Federation are presented in article. Dynamics of equity on the largest oil companies of Russia is presented: PJSC Rosneft, PJSC Lukoil, JSC Surgutneftegas, PJSC Gazprom Neft, PJSC Tatneft, PJSC ANC Bashneft. The structure and structure of all capital of the companies and also structure and structure of equity of the oil companies are analysed. Results of calculations have shown that the Russian oil companies are focused on a high share of equity in financing sources though this share and differs on the oil companies. At the same time the retained earnings act as the main source of equity of the oil companies. Indicators of efficiency of use of equity of the oil companies are calculated and analysed. By results of calculations deterioration in turnover of equity in 2016 at most the considered companies, existence of problems with own working capital (except for PJSC Tatneft and JSC Surgutneftegas) and low profitability of equity at the PJSC Rosneft companies, PJSC Lukoil, JSC Surgutneftegas in 2015-2016 is noted. The existing approaches to estimation of cost of equity are considered, including the method of dividends, a method of income (profitable approach), a


The aim of this work is to evaluate the performance of a new Trichoderma sp. isolate to produce extracellular α-amylase and glucoamylase from raw sorghum starch. To reduce the costs of starch saccharification and the consumption of amylolytic enzymes, this microorganism has been used for the first time in cultivations using such a carbon source without any prior gelatinization. Incubation of this microorganism at 28 °C, 180 rpm and starting pH 5.3 ensured α-amylase and glucoamylase activities of 258±2.8 and 83±1.2 U/L after 24 and 120 h, respectively, and maximum productivities of 11±0.9 and 2.3±0.2 U/Lh, after 24 h. In general, α-amylase was produced 4-5 times more quickly than glucoamylase and no less than 78 % of starting sorghum starch was hydrolyzed, releasing 49±7 mg/L total reducing sugars and 28±3 mg/L glucose. It is the first time that an isolate of the Trichoderma genus was found to express such amylolytic activities using raw sorghum starch. The ability of this microorganism to overproduce amylases could be usefully exploited for direct saccharification of other raw starches using different nitrogen sources.


An important problem in adaptive algorithm is opting step size.This paper establishes a nonlinear functional relationship between step size and measure of signal of dependence.On the basis of the functional relationship,the paper presents the new algorithm of variable step size adaptive ICA and analyses convergence and steadiness of the algorithm.This algorithm of variable step size on the basis of the degree of signal separation which is reflected by measure of signal dependence overcomes the disadvantages of traditional algorithms in the process of step size change of adaptive steady state.The theoretical analysis and computer simulation results show this algorithm has better performance in convergence and steadiness.


A 38-year-old woman with recurring acute alcohol-related pancreatitis was admitted to the hospital with a 2-day history of hematochezia. The findings on admission were as follows: skin pale and subicteric, heart rate 112 bpm, blood pressure 80/50 mm Hg, Hb 5.3 mg/dL, serum amylase 120 U/L, total bilirubin: 3.0 mg/dL, direct bilirubin: 0.2 mg/dL. Abdominal examination revealed a large palpable mass in the left upper quadrant. Ultrasonography showed this to be a cyst. Colonoscopy identified the transverse colon as the site of bleeding, but the cause remained unclear. Computed tomography with intravenous administration of contrast medium depicted a pancreatic pseudocyst with a fistula to the transverse colon (Figure). There was no persistent bleeding. Laparotomy showed a fibrous-walled pseudocyst in the omental bursa filled with hemolyzed blood and necrotic deposits. The fibrous, partly necrotic wall of the pseudocyst was the bleeding source. The pseudocyst was surgically removed and the transverse colon repaired. The postoperative course was uneventful.


ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network is the core communication network of civil aviation aeronautical telecommunication network. So it is an urgent time to do scientific risk assessment for ATM network as soon as possible. According to threats and vulnerabilities existing in ATM network, which could bring bad influence to assets and missions of ATM network, even threaten the whole security situation of ATM network. This paper proposes risk assessment model based on RBF neural network. According to the established evaluation model, indexes that influencing the security situation of missions are used as input of the model and train the model. The well-trained neural network model is used to assess ATM network, while the results are compared to that of the traditional methods of scoring by experts for rounds of times. The experimental results demonstrate that the risk assessment model has strong capacities of self-learning and convergence, accords well with the complex ATM network for risk assessment. Copyright © 2013 IFSA.


The association of atrial fibrillation (AF) with thromboembolic stroke due to stasis in the left atrium and left atrial appendage is well described. Whether AF is associated with a systemic prothrombotic state, detectable in peripheral blood, unclear. Previous studies have been inconsistent, with some very small previous studies (<30 patients each) variably indicating that patients with AF may have raised platelet reactivity and levels of antithrombin III, d-dimer, PAI-1 and t-PA-PAI complexes. These cumbersome laboratory tests of coagulation and fibrinolysis are not readily available in the clinical setting.

 It was our aim to compare, in peripheral venous blood, thrombotic and endogenous fibrinolytic profile of healthy volunteers and patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), using a point-of-care technique.

 In a prospective observational study, venous blood samples were taken from 98 healthy volunteers and 100 patients with newly diagnosed NVAF in the out-patient setting. Patients with newly diagnosed NVAF had venous blood tested before any treatment was initiated with aspirin or oral anticoagulation. Thrombotic status was assessed using the Global Thrombosis Test (GTT), a point-of-care test using native non-coagulated blood, assessed within 15 sec of blood withdrawal. The time to form an occlusive venous thrombus in native (non-citrated) blood, a measure of platelet reactivity (occlusion time, OT) and the time taken to spontaneous endogenous fibrinolysis to restore flow (lysis time, LT) were assessed.

 Basic blood tests (full blood count, renal and liver function, inflammatory markers) were normal in all subjects. The groups were matched for sex and race. Mean age of the healthy cohort was 34±8 years and patients 65±10 years.
 Endogenous fibrinolysis was markedly impaired in patients with NVAF compared to healthy individuals as shown by markedly prolonged LT (median 2015s [interquartile range IQR 1555–2507] vs. 1124s [IQR 919–1554], p<0.ehz745.11201). There was no difference in platelet reactivity between patients and normal volunteers (369s [IQR 308–445]vs 368s [IQR 309–441], p=0.704). Sensitivity analysis was performed on a subgroup matched for age, sex and race. LT remained significantly longer in patients with NVAF compared to controls (1569s [IQR 1499–2244] vs. 1219s [IQR 943–1560], p=0.03), with no difference in platelet reactivity (p=NS).

 In the largest study to date and using a clinically-friendly automated point-of-care technique, we show that patients with NVAF exhibit a systemic prothrombotic state, attributable to significantly impaired endogenous fibrinolysis compared with healthy volunteers. Further studies are needed to see if this could become a screening test for the prothrombotic state in patients with NVAF.

 None


Load shedding is the last and most expensive control action against system collapse and blackout. Achievement of an efficient emergency control to stabilize the power system following severe disturbances, requires two key objectives. First, prevention of cascading outages, i.e. saving the available and determinant power system elements, and second, issuing proper control actions to stabilize the power system inside the permissible time frame. In this paper, the loading rate of transmission lines are continuously monitored and the maximum available time prior to the outage of lines due to operation of their over current protection relay are calculated. The load shedding as the only available control action is applied to the loads connected to the ending of most overloaded transmission lines and with minimum time until outage. This approach reliefs the thermal limit of lines leading to secure and reliable operation of transmission lines. Load shedding locations are continuously updated online based on loading rate/thermal limit of lines to prevent their outage. Simulation of severe contingencies carried out on 39 bus IEEE standard test system in DIgSILENT PowerFactory software validates the efficiency of proposed method.


The aim of this research is to analysis the effects of quality services and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty with mediating customer trust of the activesavers. This research is an explanatory-causality which tests and analysis 5 direct effects and 2 mediation effect. Target population of this research is the activesavers/customer PT Bank Bukopin Banjarmasin Branch. The quantitative data is processed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), aided by SmartPLS Software.The research findings demonstrate that (1) service quality have positive signifikan effect on customer trust (H1) and on customer loyalty (H2); (2) customer satisfaction positif insignificance effect on customer trust, but positive significance effect on customer loyalty; (3) customer trust have positive significance effect on customer loyalty (H5); (4) customer trust have positive significance partially-mediation the effect of quality service on customer loyalty (H6); and (5) customer trust no mediation the effect of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty. The power relevant predictive this loyalty model at minimum moderate/medium.Keywords: Quality Service, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Trust, and Customer Loyalty.


Background Hypsodont equine cheek teeth possess large dental crowns, resting partly in the bony alveolus. Over a horse's life cheek teeth erupt continuously to compensate for occlusal wear of 3–4 mm per year. Parts of the crown initially resting in the bony alveolus become progressively exposed at the occlusal surface with time. Hitherto, it is unclear whether the typical structure of the equine occlusal surface, composed of a complex arrangement of enamel, dentin and cementum, remains constant or undergoes structural changes with age. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that the occlusal surface composition does not remain constant by a quantitative analysis of the dental substances at multiple levels along the dental crown of equine cheek teeth. Methods Micro-computed tomography scans of 20 upper cheek teeth and 16 lower cheek teeth from 19 domestic horses were morphologically analysed using imaging and measurement software. Area for individual dental substances was measured at different levels from the apex to the occlusal surface. The data was statistically analysed to detect changes in the area of individual substance along the dental crown. The area of peripheral cementum was measured separately for levels inside and outside the bony alveolus. Results In both, upper and lower cheek teeth, enamel area decreased in an apical direction, while dentine area increased. Peripheral Cementum increased dramatically in the occlusal/coronal extra-alveolar position. Conclusion With increasing age the occlusal surface content of dentine increases while the content of enamel decreases. These changes are considered relevant for the detailed explanation of forage disruption in horses as well as for the recommendation of concepts in equine dentistry.


Soil erosion is one of the major threats which affects farm productivity and water quality in river catchments. Quantification of human-induced soil loss is an imperative measure in catchment management. Among the catchments in Sri Lanka, the highest sediment yield has been reported from the Upper Uma Oya catchment (UOC) which is a sub-catchment of the Upper Mahaweli catchment. The Mahaweli watershed is the most important watershed in Sri Lanka since the size and the economic importance of it. Hence, this study was conducted considering the ten selected sub-watersheds of Uma Oya Watershed (UOW) in Sri Lanka to quantify soil erosion. Soil erosion of UOW was calculated using Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR) model. It was found that the current soil erosion rates in the watershed is varied between 14.0–648.6 t/ha/yr. Results of the study disclose that the soil erosion rates of UOW are 3 to 130 times faster than the soil loss tolerance in Sri Lanka. Findings of the study suggest that the implementation of sustainable watershed management options are crucial in order to reduce soil erosion and to enhance the quality of the watershed.


At present length-weight relationships in fishes of the form w = alb are fitted by logarithmic transformation of the non-linear relationships into linear form and then using the method of least squares to estimate the constants. These relationships are tested for their homogeneity by analysis of covariance technique. In the present paper, regression analysis is used to fit multiple linear regression equation of log weight on log length by including sex as dummy variable. This equation is tested for its significance by analysis of variance technique, various coefficients are tested by t-test, separate relationships are derived and growth conditions tested for isometric growth. The method is illustrated for 2 sexes and the results are compared with the results of analysis of covariance. The technique of deriving multiple linear regression equations for more than 2 groups is also explained


Epidemiological studies have shown that particulate matter (PM2.5) is strongly associated with inflammatory lung disease, including bronchitis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer. However, the mechanisms remain unclear. To identify the molecular targets of PM2.5, we analyzed transcriptomics data by microarray chips in human pulmonary fibroblasts (HPF) and human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEpic) after exposure to PM2.5. Through Genespring software to normalization, we have selected candidate targets for prediction potential upstream regulator and pathway by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) that may be mediated the induction of lung inflammation. Our results showed sterol regulatory element‐binding transcription factor 1 (SREBF1) was the most significant upstream transcription regular in both PM2.5 added HPF and HBEpic cells. Through RT‐PCR and western blotting analysis, we validated SREBF1 and its downstream inflammasome genes, including interleukin 6 (IL‐6), C‐X‐C motif chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL8), BCL2 related protein A1 (BCL2A1), and heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1) were activated after exposure to PM2.5 in vitro. In addition, our results also indicated Sirtuin pathway was significantly suppressed after PM2.5 treatment. Sirtuin1 was found to directly deacetylate SREBF1 to inhibit its function in inflammasome activity, which can be blocked by the addition of PM2.5. Furthermore, complementary experiments were performed, including the addition of Sirtuin1 recombinant protein or shRNAs of SREBF1 to PM2.5 exposed normal lung epithelial cells and fibroblasts. The results revealed that the activation of inflammasome genes expression could be significantly reversed. In conclusions, our results identify the Sirtuin‐SREBF1‐inflammasome axis may play a significant role in PM2.5‐induced pulmonary diseases and may provide novel therapeutic targets for patients.


The present invention provides a MEMS-based calorimeter, which comprises two supporting film substrate in the micro-chamber. The film substrate comprising a pyroelectric sensor is configured to measure the temperature difference between the two chambers, and further comprising a thermal stability and a high polymer film having strength. Further, there is provided a method of manufacturing MEMS-based heat meter, and the material of the thermal properties of biomolecules or chemical / physical interaction method using heat thermodynamic properties measured.


ABSTRACT: Using data from the EDGAR era, we find a significant market reaction surrounding quarterly periodic reports only when their filing coincides with the first public disclosure of earnings, although that for 10‐K reports is not subsumed by earnings releases. However, after eliminating incidence of concurrent earnings releases, the 10‐K market reaction is restricted to a quarter of the reports that are filed around calendar quarter‐ends. The calendar quarter‐end price and volume effects are unrelated to the filing of periodic reports and are not explained by self‐selection. However, while the quarter‐end volume reaction is indistinguishable between filers and non‐filers, we find an incremental price reaction to 10‐K filings at calendar quarter‐ends in recent times. We provide evidence that the calendar‐time effect is partially due to an intraindustry information transfer that is a function of the incidence of 10‐K reports at quarter‐ends. Finally, equity analyst reactions are muted around periodic f...


Based on the characteristics of earthquake damage of medium-length and short RC columns subject to high axial pressure,and in consideration of the desirable properties of confined concrete such as high strength and adequate ductility,some medium-length and short RC columns are wrapped in section.As a result,their bearing capacities and ductility have been increased considerably so that their failure mechanism hase been converted from strong bending capacity and weak shear capacity to flexural failure and their anti-seismic properties have been largely improved.


Introduction: The Comminuted trochanteric and subtrochanteric femoral fractures are considered as one of the most difficult fractures to treat in the orthopaedic surgery and they associated with high incidence of nonunion, malunion. Various implants, both intramedullary and extramedullary, are available for their fixation. Objective: To assess the success rate of proximal femoral locking compression plate osteosynthesis in comminuted trochanteric and subtrochanteric femoral fracture in lateral decubitus approach without per operative image intensifier. Method: 20 consecutive patients with comminuted Trochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures were operated upon with PF-LCP. Detailed clinical conditions of all patients, duration of operation, technical difficulty with the implant, hospital stay period were recorded. Patients were visited at 6 weeks interval till union then 3 monthly. The Harris Hip Score was used to document hip function at final follow-up. Result: There were fifteen excellent (75%), two good (10%), two fair (10%) and one poor (5%) results according to Harris hip score. No instance of implant failure was recorded. Conclusion: Fixation of comminuted subtrochanteric fractures with PF-LCP in lateral decubitus approach without per operative image intensifier provides stable fixation with high union rate and fewer complications. J Dhaka Medical College, Vol. 23, No.2, October, 2014, Page 179-185


SummaryThe effects were assessed of the presence of a queen, and of beeswax foundation, and of feeding honey, sucrose solution, or a honey and pollen mixture, on the production of wax by worker honeybees of European and tropical African origin during a 7-day confinement in laboratory cages. The European bees produced significantly more wax than the African bees did, but the two kinds of bees could not be shown to differ in their responses to the various treatments, although experiments on a larger scale might do so. Queenless bees in cages produced significantly less wax than did those with queens; variation in wax production among the queenless treatments was not significant.


Four cases of absent left atrioventricular connection are reported. The observations from these cases have been used to emphasise problems concerning the use of the confusing terms "tricuspid" and "mitral" atresia to describe such hearts. One of the four cases represents a very uncommon condition since the rudimentary chamber was contralateral to the side of the absent emphasis given to the surgical implications of these anomalies.


In order to obtain high step-up static gain,reduce maximum voltage and current stress of switches,a novel dual-phase DC-DC BOOST converter was proposed by combining two diodes and two storage capacitors with traditional dual-phase BOOST converter.Compared with traditional BOOST converter,the proposed converter has lots of advantages: the converter increases the voltage gain at the same duty and improves the power efficiency,the voltage stress of the switches and added diode-capacitor set are only half of the output voltage,so it is very useful to select switches with low voltage and high performance to reduce loss of the circuit for the same power converters.The operation principle of proposed converter was analyzed in the paper,and a prototype of BOOST converter rated at 1 kW had been built to confirm the effectiveness of the converter.The experimental results proved that the proposed dual-phase BOOST converter has a simple and feasible structure with good performance.


In this paper we introduced AHP method in bidding management of construction engineering, and use the MATLAB software to establish the bidding computer analysis system. This paper expounds AHP of the construction bidding process, and design AHP of computer bidding management system according to it. In order to verify the applicability of the model in bidding management system, we use MATLAB software to design bidding data analysis and simulation experiment of the construction. Through the calculation we obtain MATLAB visual display window of bid data analysis. At 50 steps, the convergence residual is, which meets the design requirement of accuracy. It provides a theoretical reference for the bidding management of construction process.


Photovoltaics (PV) power generation is vulnerable to climate changes because operating voltages of PV cells can be affected by the operating temperature, power outputs can be affected by the levels of irradiances, and level of cell current can be affected by shading resulting from various causes. This paper explores variations in climatic conditions, operating temperature, irradiance, and shading on a PV system that sits on an ageing spectrum. Such PV systems are integrated to a power grid and the reliability performances of the grid were assessed using Monet Carlo simulation under varying demand conditions. The study incorporates probabilistic climate change projections from UKCP09 under different emission scenarios low, medium and high, for three time frames 2020s (2010-2039) , 2050s (2040-2069) and 2080s (2070-2099) based on observation of 30 years historical weather data. Case study results suggest that the PV systems are vulnerable to climatic conditions considerably in the long run. The reliability performance of a power system can be affected by high penetration of PV power generation that is susceptible to varying climatic conditions. The impacts resulting from climatic conditions are inconstant with the ageing conditions of PV systems. A quantitative assessment is required for tracing PV system influences on a power system that is susceptible to varying climatic conditions.


This study develops a convolutional recurrent deep learning model to accurately predict fine‐resolution spatiotemporal changes in grass coverage in arid regions. Applying the model to the Gobi Desert reveals that ecological flow regulation contributes to 61.8% of the total increase in grass cover (130.6 km2) in the study area (40,423 km2) over 2005–2015, nearly triple the contribution of local climate change (+23.0%). The transboundary hydrological impact (+32.4%) and interactions between drivers (−17.2%) are also significant. In an intermediate future climate change scenario, we found no statistically significant trend for the total grass‐covered area due to the counteracting effects among different drivers. The study findings suggest that timely, adaptive and spatially heterogeneous ecological flow management is crucial for addressing grassland degradation in arid regions. This study provides a promising approach to land surface modeling under climate change and human disturbance and expands the existing understanding of the global greening process.


Despite the intense effort from the research community, state-of-the-art WiFi-based human activity recognition (HAR) performance remains unsatisfactory. Current approaches usually use individual characteristics of CSI, i.e., amplitude or phase measurements, to model the relationship between the changes of channel state information (CSI) and human activities, which lead to their failure to achieve satisfactory accuracy due to information loss. To deal with this issue, this article proposes CeHAR, a CSI-based HAR using a channel-exchanging fusion network to deep fuse the CSI amplitude and phase features to obtain the informative features for HAR. The proposed CeHAR is a parameter-free dual-characteristic fusion framework that dynamically exchanges channels between subnetworks of two kinds of characteristics to comprehensively learn informative features from both. Specifically, the proposed approach employs two subnetworks using convolutional neural networks to learn features from each characteristic of CSI. The magnitude of the batch-normalization (BN) scaling factor is used to determine the channel importance of each characteristic, and then guides the exchange process. The proposed CeHAR also shares convolutional filters, but keeps private BNs layers in different characteristics, which, as an added benefit, allows our characteristic fusion network to be nearly as compact as a single-characteristic network. Extensive real-world experiments have been conducted to evaluate the performance of our proposed CeHAR, and the experimental results illustrate that our proposed approach outperforms baselines.


Objectives: Creation of a device that allows additionally performing a procedure to correct high pulmonary hypertension during heart valve replacement surgery. Methods: In laboratory conditions, a number of parameters of the pulmonary vessels were measured - the wall thickness in various areas, the diameter of the pulmonary trunk in the initial state (without squeezing it) and the transverse size of the pulmonary trunk when squeezing until its inner walls were completely closed.


Introduction: The communication and interaction is the essence of every human as a social being. But, normal communications is not realyzed by the deaf speaking children. Deaf and speech impaired children affect self-concepts that affect communication. Where it will caused them to become inferior or have less confident. The confidence is begins through the formation of self-concept which formed from the experiences in their social interactions. This study aims to find the description of the communication and self-concept of the deaf and speech impaired children in SLB Darma Wanita Sumenep. Methods: This study used qualitative as a research methode with phenomenology approach. Respondents in this study are students of SLB Darma Wanita Sumenep who deaf and speech impaired start on birth. The sampling technique is used purposive sampling counted 10 respondents.    The data collected by observation and in-depth interviews of respondents. The data were analyze with triagulation of the interview , key person, and observation. Results: Based on the results of this study, known that between the deaf speaking children and the normal people have problems in terms of understanding the symbols and sentences that there not regularly, so they often occur discommunication. The self-concept of deaf speaking children is tend to be shy with the opposite gender, less open with new people, but they have a high spirits for they futures. They need encouragement to socialize with new people and other normal people. It can make their self-concept and self-confidence can be better. Conclusion: The communication deaf and speech impaired children experience obstacles in sending or receiving messages due to interference in understanding the symbols and writing that are given.


Based on the groundwater resource evaluation in Xiliaohe plain,the capability and potential of groundwater resources are studied.With the groundwater potential evaluation module,which has been developed with MAPGIS secondary development function,the coefficient and modulus of groundwater potential in every groundwater subsystem is calculated.The results show that only one groundwater subsystem of four-stage of main Xiliao river has the lower potentiality,and the others have the larger potentiality.


INTRODUCTION Today, of particular interest is the development of biosorption complexes based on plant materials biomodified by the natural complex of microorganisms-destructors of various pollutants.The natural complex of microorganisms has a wide spectrum of action. The development of a technology for producing a biologically active environmentally friendly sorbent based on plant materials is a promising direction for eliminating oil pollution of water and soil. A study of the adsorption, physico-chemical conditions for the interaction of the sorption matrix with the immobilization of destructive destructive microorganisms has confirmed the advantages of using such biosorption complexes. Moreover, sorption methods are widely used to isolate and concentrate microbial cells of a certain direction. The use of sorbents that absorb biomolecules well and easily precipitate from solutions accelerates the extraction of promising natural microbial cultures capable of using one or another pollutant. At the development of bioactive oil sorbents it is necessary to take into account both physic-chemical sorbent properties and specificity of oiloxidative microflora. It is known that in the processes of self-purification of natural environment from the oil pollution the leading part belongs to the natural microorganisms. They own high plasticity and have powerful ferment systems, owning to which the pollutants are mineralized and destructed. Immobilization of the oil absorbing sorbent of oil-oxidative microorganisms (OOM) on the surface allows obtainment of the sorption materials of biodestructive type. The sorbent represents the carrying microorganism matrix. The nature of matrix, on which OOM immobilization is executed, effects on the process of destruction of oil products. An effective sorbent – a carrier of microorganisms-destructors should have directed adsorption ability with respect to a pollutant, meet the requirements for absorbents of a certain type, and also be biocompatible.


Time-synchronized approach control is a concept that takes advantage of available aircraft precision navigation and guidance capabilities. It combines these with advanced ATC equipment to provide an improved method of air traffic control. The basic concept is for ATC to assign each aircraft a three-dimensional approach path and schedule that the aircraft must then maintain with an error that is small compared to the allowable longitudinal spacing between approaches. The advantages of reduced control workload and increased control precision are used as a basis for computing potential benefits in terms of increasing peak-hour operations without increasing delay. This paper describes the concept, the airborne and ground-based equipment capabilities, the expected performance, and the potential benefits.


Abstract Gram-negative bacterial infection, namely Chlamydia pneumoniae has been recently discussed as a risk factor for myocardial infarction. The lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) and the bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) play a role in the processes leading to recognition and neutralisation of the Chlamydia pneumoniae and their endotoxins – lipopolysaccharides (LPS). LPS interact with plasma LBP, and LBP-LPS complex activates monocytes/ macrophages, which can influence the atherosclerotic process. BPI is cytotoxic for Gram-negative bacteria and BPI-LPS complexes do not activate monocytes. We have analysed the polymorphisms in the LBP gene (Gly98→Cys; Pro436→Leu) and BPI gene (Lys216→Glu; PstI polymorphism in intron-5; G545→C) in 313 patients after myocardial infarction (MI) and in 302 control individuals. Genotype frequencies in the LBP gene and BPI gene did not differ between MI patients and control individuals. Our findings suggest that LBP and BPI polymorphisms do not influence the risk of MI.


Financial institutions ("banks") issuing short-term debt collateralized by long-term assets are exposed to rollover risk: creditors may decide to run, forcing an inefficient liquidation of the assets. This paper investigates the impact of asset opacity and disclosure policy on short-term spreads dynamics, run probability and efficiency. When the initial quality of collateral is high, opacity reduces spreads and run likelihood: debt is money-like. This, however, only holds in the short run. At longer horizons, the lack of information raises concerns about the actual collateral value. Precisely because of opacity, the bank has difficulties to credibly address these concerns and runs become very likely. These runs are particularly inefficient as they often lead to liquidate good assets. All these effects are amplified when disclosure is voluntary rather than mandatory, i.e. when the bank has superior information and does not reveal bad news: the short-term protection is stronger but runs occur more often at longer horizons. The model concludes that opacity (i) only reduces run probability when the run probability under full information is low already, (ii) can decrease efficiency, (iii) is more inefficient when combined with voluntary disclosure. Another output of the model is to show how non-panic debt runs can occur suddenly, i.e. without news disclosure and as short-term spreads are very low. Contrary to panic runs, the trigger time of these runs is a function of the fundamentals.


Abstract In this paper we introduce a quantum white noise (QWN) convolution calculus over a nuclear algebra of operators. We use this calculus to discuss new solutions of some linear and non-linear differential equations.


Mangabeira ( Hancornia speciosa Gomez) is a fruit tree, native to Brazil and found in various regions of the country, from the tableland and coastal plains of the Northeast to the savannas of the Midwest, North and Southeast. It is an important component of ecosystems, which occurs mainly in the Cerrado and the Northeast Coast, serving as food for local people and for wildlife (apes and monkeys, birds and insects). Its natural distribution pattern and aggregate occurrence facilitate extraction. The mangaba has a high ascorbic acid content, which places it among the fruits considered rich in vitamin C. There is a lack of information about the diversity and propagation strategies of the species H. speciosa Gomes. It is also important investigations into the characterization of fruits, seeds emergency and development and plant phenology, aspects of pre and post-harvest fruit, among others, remain understudied.  Thus, this review are as objective to transmit information and knowledge about the value and importance of Mangabeira in Brazil.