The article starts with some specifications of the question raised in its title. These specifications makes clear that in practice this is a question of providing some partial, supplementary knowledge which is useful for those who are involved in processes of organisational change and innovation. Then follows a few methodological considerations, which emphasises the complementary role of the researchers versus to actors within enterprises in the kind of action research projects presented in this article. The case presented is one of broad participation in organisational innovation, based on an action research project in a Norwegian enterprise. It is shown that contrary to common belief, the broad participation in the discussions and the preparation of the foundations for the decision making by the top management is of great importance both to the employees and to the enterprise, even though the final decision on organisational choice was quite different from what was wanted and expected by the employees and the middle management. In the final section it is argued that the possibility of making use of knowledge generated from single case research on innovation is immensely enhanced when the diffusion of knowledge takes places as an aspect of national programmes of innovation. This is because then not only the general validity of but also the general interest of such knowledge are much greater.


Abstract Power spectral analysis of daily maximum and daily minimum temperature series at four stations on the east slope of the Colorado Front Range reveals the presence of dominant annual oscillations. Cross correlation and cross spectrum indicate that the series at these spatially separated stations are well correlated. The coherences between annual components are especially high and their phase difference is zero.


Creep rupture behavior of a unidirectional carbon/epoxy T800H/Epoxy Laminate under constant off-axis loading conditions at different temperatures of 60, 100 and 130°C is examined. Tensile creep rupture tests are performed on plain coupon specimens with different fiber orientations θ=0, 10, 30, 45 and 90°. Creep rupture of specimens takes place predominantly along reinforcing fibers is a brittle manner, regardless of the fiber orientation. The log-log plots of the creep rupture data can approximately be described using straight lines with negative slopes over the range of rupture time up to 10h, regardless of the fiber orientation. Then, two kinds of simple phenomenological models are developed for predicting the time-to-failure of unidirectional composites. Validities of those models are evaluated by comparing with experimental results. It is demonstrated that the proposed models succeed in adequately predicting the creep rupture lives of the unidirectional composite at different temperatures.


One of the most fundamental problems formulated to machine learning is the development of habits and abilities in complex systems modeling. At the present paper a system named Generator of Problems Hypermedia is described and developed. This software system allows automating the process of optimization problem construction and automatic generation of problem statements for complex problem situations using the multimedia technology tools and intelligent interfaces. The work possesses significant importance in the introduction of computers in Education and in the development of Mathematical Modeling. Their successful application increases considerably the efficiency of the teaching and learning process. By means of the rational introduction of the Multimedia Technology tools students have exercised the construction and representation process of optimization problem situations. The system C is used with the technology .net for Windows, as well as diverse multimedia technologies.


Au/TiO2 catalyst is firstly reported to be efficient in the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to produce p-aminophenol with a high PAP selectivity of 81% and overall yield more than 63%. The catalyst is also quite stable and can be reused for at least 4 times with only slight decrease in activity.


This paper describes an ergonomics lab course that was initially redesigned utilizing Bloom's Taxonomy to align lab report results with a depth of student knowledge. Student feedback elicited the need for clarity and change in the classroom methods to improve teaching effectiveness. Small changes requiring very little instructor preparation time turned the class around into a high-scoring, active and collaborative learning environment. The IDEA Evaluation System is described and utilized to compare quantitative results of teaching effectiveness, teaching methods, course description and student description for two consecutive and nearly identical ergonomics courses. The combination of active and collaborative learning has been shown to increase student learning but what happens to the perception of the instructor? The end-of-term summative instructor evaluation provides a method for institutionalized feedback from a student to the professor and to the university administration about their delight or dissatisfaction with a particular course and professor. Instructor evaluations by students can prompt a bitter discussion between professors about the effectiveness of teaching versus the likability of the professor. Evaluations in general have long been the topic of disgruntled professors and students. A transformed ergonomics lab structure resulted in low student evaluations prompting a quick fix using active collaborative learning techniques. The results of active collaboration on the instructor evaluation were surprising. A substantial increase in perceived teaching effectiveness based on a 5-point Likert scale shows the positive effect of active collaborative learning in the ergonomics industrial engineering laboratory and classroom.


62 Abstract : On a sample of more than eleven thousand individuals residing in the wilaya of Tlemcen, we have determined the frequencies of blood groups A,B,O, rhesus plus and rhesus minus and the frequencies of the gene of these two systems A, B, O, D and d. Differences in phenotypic and genic frequencies have been revealed between the population Tlemcen town (urban area) it self on one side and five villages (rural area) surrounding it on the other (see geographical card). In fact, in the population of Tlemcen town, the frequencies of the phenotypes A, B, AB, O, rhesus plus and rhesus minus are respectively : 39.28 %; 12.84 %; 3.84 %; 44.04 %; 97.17% and 2.83 %. In rural area (the five villages together), these frequencies are respectively : 32.13 %; 15.68 %; 4.98 %; 47.21 %; 96.4 % and 3.60 %. And as for the frequencies of the genes A, B, O, D and d, they are respectively equal to : 0.2460; 0.0873; 0.6635; 0.8319 and 0.1681 in the population of the town to Tlemcen and as for what concerns the population of the Dairas, the frequencies of these genes are respectably equal to : 0.2070; 0.1093; 0.6870; 0.8103 and 0.1897. The causes of these differences are discussed.


The purpose of this book is to increase the understanding of reasons behind the schedule delay and the risk factors that lead to such delay. This is a research work that adopted both qualitative as well as quantitative perspectives on risk management. Through this research a systematic and holistic approach of identification, assessment and evaluation of the risk factors that contribute to the schedule delay in construction projects is established. Most of the Infrastructure projects are beyond their schedule due various reasons. The risk factors which are critically responsible for the cause of such delay needs to be identified and properly assessed. In order to deal with the complexity of real life construction project, this research has adopted an integrated approach of Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) and Bayesian Belief Network (BBN)with a SAP LAP analysis of the causes of delays in Infrastructure projects. This helps to accommodate both quantitative and qualitative data and improve upon the intuitiveness of the model. This book can be an excellent companion for all construction managers,engineers, consultants & research scholars for their further understanding.


Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were prepared on sol–gel ZnO seed-coated alumina substrates by a hydrothermal method. A very thin layer of indium antimonite (InSb) was deposited on the ZnO nanorods by a thermal evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were applied to analyze the quality of the ZnO nanorods. XRD results showed that the as-synthesized ZnO nanorods were well crystallized in hexagonal wurzite ZnO. An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study confirmed the deposition of InSb on the ZnO nanorods. The activation energies of sensors fabricated from ZnO nanorods and InSb-deposited ZnO nanorods were calculated. It was found that the activation energy of the InSb-deposited ZnO nanorods was very small. The sensitivity of the sensors towards acetone gas was measured at concentrations of 500–5,000 ppm and at operating temperatures ranging from 200 to 350 °C. The sensitivity of the InSb-deposited ZnO nanorod sensor was much higher than that of the ZnO nanorod sensor. The optimum temperature of the sensors was found to be 300 °C.


Canadian studies has long served as a meeting place for disciplinary approaches. As this theme issue of the Journal of Canadian Studies demonstrates, Canadian studies continues to offer tremendous potential for interdisciplinary connection and co-operation. The essays assembled here were originally presented as papers at a conference jointly organized by the Centre for Canadian Studies at Mount Allison University and the Gorsebrook Research Institute at Saint Mary's University in September 2013. "Meeting Places: An International Canadian Studies Conference/Lieux de rencontre: Colloque international en etudes canadiennes" brought together academics, artists, and authors interested in placebased cultures and in creative and scholarly collaboration and production; they came from across Canada and around the world. As a special feature of the conference, participants travelled from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Sackville, New Brunswick, crossing the Cobequid Pass and tracing the movements of Indigenous peoples through the millennia. In recognition, we broke the journey at the Glooscap Heritage Centre (now known as the Millbrook Cultural and Heritage Centre) in Millbrook, Nova Scotia, where the authors of The Language of This Land, Trudy Sable and Bernie Francis, introduced Mi'kma'ki as "a fluid and living landscape filled with networks of reciprocal relationships and moral obligations" (2012, 25). Crossing the Cobequid a little later that day became the occasion for reflecting on how the land is deeply embedded in Indigenous knowledge and society. As participants travelled from one "place" to another, from Halifax to Sackville, across the Cobequid Pass and the provincial border between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, sharing their knowledge and learning from each other, ideas took shape and the interdisciplinary essays published here are the result.In addition to academic sessions and to keynotes by Andrea Bear Nicholas, Cole Harris, Tania Martin, and Graeme Wynn, the Meeting Places Exhibition featured work and performances by artists Alison Creba, Ray Fenwick, Eryn Foster, Frank Shebageget, Tom Sherman, Aaron Weldon, and Mitchell Wiebe, curated by Gemey Kelley at the Owens Art Gallery. The creative writers who gave public readings at the conference are similarly engaged in reimagining place. Poems and films by Hermenegilde Chiasson and stories by Alexander MacLeod are embedded in real and imagined places. Aritha van Herk's Mavericks: An Incorrigible History of Alberta (2002) and Michael Crummey's pictorial elegy Newfoundland: Journey into a Lost Nation (2004), written in collaboration with Greg Locke, meditate on the authors' relationship to the places where they live. Each of their readings, like the artworks on display, enacted the generative role of place in Canadian arts and culture.This theme issue shares some of the highlights of the gathering with readers everywhere. Since the emergence of Canadian Studies in the 1960s, place has served as both a marker of identity and an object of study. Understanding Canada as a place and understanding place(s) within Canada have been integral to the development of Canadian Studies, from Northrop Frye's inquiry "where is here?" in the Literary History of Canada (1965, 826), to the "situatedness" Smaro Kamboureli considers "formative" in Canadian literary culture (2014, 7), and to the critical readings of displacement, movement, and belonging produced from various inter- and transdisciplinary perspectives. Studies of region and regionalism in literature, from Laurie Ricou's influential Vertical Man, Horizontal World (1973) and Frank Davey's cultural critique in From There to Here (1974) to Patrick O'Flaherty's The Rock Observed (1979), proliferated in the 1970s.Although early studies of region may seem dated in an era when, under the pressure of globalization, national identities seem to dissolve with their borders, these readings of local and regional cultures in Canada shaped the emerging field of Canadian Studies, often creating their own object of study as well as new cultural expressions and products. …


Globally, iron and steel sectors are the second largest industrial user of energy, consuming 616 million tons of oil in 2007, and largest industrial source of (CO2) emissions with 2.3 Giga ton in 2007. There is an urgent need for using naturally occurring products as construction material to reduce the growth of energy consumption. One of the possible solution is to replace steel with bamboo. Bamboo is widely recognized as one of the most important non-timber forest resources because of its high tensile strength and socioeconomic benefits with bamboo based products.This experimental research is focused on the use of bamboo as reinforcing material in beam and comparing it with conventional steel reinforced beams. It's a seismic resisting material for sustainable environment development as it absorbs nitrogen and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during its growth.


OBJECTIVE: To confirm the adequacy of the formula suggested in the literature and/or to develop appropriate equations for the Brazilian population of immobilized patients based on simple anthropometric measurements. METHODS: Hospitalized patients were submitted to anthropometry and methods to estimate weight and height of bedridden patients were developed by multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Three hundred sixty eight persons were evaluated at two hospital centers and five weight-predicting and two height-predicting equations were developed from the measurements obtained. Among the new equations developed, the simplest one for weight estimate was: Weight (kg) = 0.5759 x (arm circumference, cm) + 0.5263 x (abdominal circumference, cm) + 1.2452 x (calf circumference, cm) -4.8689 x (Sex, male = 1 and female = 2) -32.9241 (r = 0.94); and the one for height estimate was: Height (cm) = 58.6940 - 2.9740 x (Sex) -0.0736 x (age, years) + 0.4958 x (arm length, cm) + 1.1320 x (half- span, cm) (r = 0.88). The estimates thus calculated did not differ significantly from actual measurements, with p = 0.94 and 0.89 and a mean error of 6.0 and 2.1% for weight and height, respectively. CONCLUSION: We suggest that these equations can be used to estimate the weight and height of bedridden patients when necessary or when these parameters cannot be measured with a scale and a stadiometer.


The increasing amount of available XML documents collections has led to the emergence of new challenges in information retrieval field. Therefore, multiple sources of evidence were used to retrieve XML elements at different levels of granularity. XML information retrieval combines textual and structural information to perform different information retrieval tasks. In this paper, we propose a new approach exploiting link evidence to re-rank XML retrieval results. Our approach, based on fuzzy logic concepts, combines both content and link evidence for all retrieved XML elements. The combination process generates a new ranked list from the initial returned list. Experiment based on INEX 2007 Wikipedia collection showed improvement of the interpolated precision values.


The stretching response of a single charged semiflexible and extensible polymer in the limit of large tensile forces is calculated. We consider the effects of (i) the coupling of bending and elongational fluctuations, (ii) the electrostatic contribution to the bending and elongational energies, and (iii) nonlinear bare elastic elongational energies. We show that the electrostatic repulsion between charged monomers leads to an intrinsic stretching force, which cannot be neglected for low salt concentrations. For DNA this effect shifts the B-DNA−S-DNA transition to lower external forces as the salt concentration is decreased, in agreement with experiments. Because of the scale dependence of the electrostatic contribution to the persistence length, the effective persistence length (obtained from fitting the high-force stretching response to a semiflexible chain model) acquires a force dependence which follows a universal heuristic scaling function. As a consequence, flexible (synthetic) polyelectrolytes are ...


Being a trader is not easy, let alone being an entrepreneur, is very difficult. Indeed, the ability to trade or do business is one of the life skills that must be possessed. The reason is, business competence is one of two life skills, therefore each of us must learn it. This community service activity is carried out as one of the contributions of the academic world to people's lives. In principle, this activity is one of the real forms of theory learned during college. The method used in service activities is education and discussion. In the education section, an explanation is given about how to be a creative and innovative person, so that they can become a reliable entrepreneur or trader. Meanwhile, at the discussion stage, experiences from business actors were presented. The end of this activity is to motivate the participants to be able to explore their interests and talents, as well as seek insight into entrepreneurship by looking at business activities that exist in the Community.


The paper analyzes the situation and drawbacks of environmental technology innovation of Hubei province from the aspects of technology innovation capability,the input of technology innovation,the subject of technology innovation,and the construction of technology innovation platform.The paper provides some countermeasures accordingly.


Over the course of a three-year period beginning in 1798, Charles Brockden Brown wrote and published seven novels. While the texts of this impressive oeuvre are often linked for their shared Gothic elements and lauded for their ability to capture the zeitgeist of the New Republic, there is another, more obvious, thread that ties them together: their names. Indeed, each of Brown's full-length novels is titled after a person. This cast of eponymous characters includes, for instance, the male protagonists Arthur Mervyn and Edgar Huntly; the lesser-known Stephen Calvert and mononymous Ormond; and the female subjects of Brown's final two novels, Clara Howard and Jane Talbot. Wieland, a Gothic tale about the tragic events that befall a family in Mettingen, Pennsylvania, also partakes in this titling tradition, albeit in ways that are more nuanced. For while Theodore – the man whose fanatical religious beliefs provoke him to enact the murderous wishes of a mysterious, and perhaps purely imagined, voice – is called "Wieland" throughout Brown's novel, his appellation is also a surname that belongs to and is shared by a number of individuals, one of them being the novel's narrator, Clara. Wieland's title, an ambiguous signifier that simultaneously evokes and erases its female narrator's presence, serves as an apt metaphor for the discourse surrounding Brown's first novel. For while Wieland has been consistent in generating robust scholarship, that conversation has been quick both to miss and misrepresent Clara. In a slew of mid-to-latetwentieth-century articles, Clara was maligned by scholars who described her as neurotic, malicious, and mad. For example, Walter Hesford maintains that Clara is motivated by her "repressed guilt and incestuous desires" (234). William Manly writes that she is on the verge of "insanity" (318). And James Russo argues that the "confessed madwoman," Clara, is "indirectly responsible" for all of the tragedy in Wieland, holding her accountable for both Carwin's schemes and her brother's killings and suicide (60). According to


Excessive accumulation of reducing agents in the ER leads to a constitutively high UPR. And the co-function of GSH, Cys and HOCl in biological processes is not well understood. To address this, a TP probe, NPCC, was developed for monitoring reductive stress in the ER. It can also distinguish cancer cells from normal cells.


CAXA manufacturing engineer 2008 is a CAD / CAM software of independent research and development in China.In this software,there are practical operation interface and processing strategy for the users,and dedicated processing program is provided for the impeller machining.But the simulation function is very limited.By this function,only the path can be simulated while the solid can not.Meanwhile the results can not be detected accurately.By using the simulation software of VERICUT,the impeller during design and machining can be verified accurately,and the issues can be improved in CAXA.By the combination of the two softwares,the reliability of the machining program can improve greatly,and can ensure the success rate of products in once machining.


The stability of the solution to the equation (∗)u̇ = F (t, u) + f(t), t ≥ 0, u(0) = u0 is studied. Here F (t, u) is a nonlinear operator in a Banach space X for any fixed t ≥ 0 and F (t, 0) = 0, ∀t ≥ 0. We assume that the Fréchet derivative of F (t, u) is Hölder continuous of order q > 0 with respect to u for any fixed t ≥ 0, i.e., ‖F ′ u(t, w) − F ′ u(t, v)‖ ≤ α(t)‖v − w‖ , q > 0. We proved that the equilibrium solution v = 0 to the equation v̇ = F (t, v) is Lyapunov stable under persistently acting perturbation f(t) if supt≥0 ∫ t 0 α(ξ)‖U(t, ξ)‖ dξ < ∞ and supt≥0 ‖U(t)‖ < ∞. Here, U(t) := U(t, 0) and U(t, ξ) is the solution to the equation d dt U(t, ξ) = F ′ u(t, 0)U(t, ξ), t ≥ ξ, U(ξ, ξ) = I, where I is the identity operator in X . Sufficient conditions for the solution u(t) to equation (*) to be bounded and for limt→∞ u(t) = 0 are proposed and justified. Stability of solutions to equations with unbounded operators in Hilbert spaces is also studied.


The growing demand of bio-sourced products leads to an increasing interest for the development of new resources of raw materials. In order to generate a higher economic value in the oleoproteaginous sector, meals, co-products of oil extraction present qualities capable of being exploited in a wide range of sectors. These meals are mainly commercialized in feed application , but remain relatively weak used in the chemistry domain or even in food. To enlarge these applications, the pre-treatment of the raw material by grinding and air-classification offers technological outlooks for the conception of new extraction processes of interesting components. The present publication has the following goal: to examine the diversification of oleoproteaginous meal market, out of traditional usage in the chemistry domain; to characterize the meals chemical composition and their techno-functional properties; to evaluate the feasibility of valorizing these meals and their derivatives as substitutes or additives allowing the reduction of the level in petro-chemical product, for example, for the production of adhesive formulations for particle boards. To achieve this, different actions have been performed: evaluation of the potential and accessible market starting from metropolitan crops; analysis of the panorama
of intellectual property for the identified markets; chemical characterization of ground plant meals and their soluble and insoluble fractions; applicability of the different obtained fractions, in terms of foaming power, emulsifier and gelifier; first application tests starting from rapeseed and sunflower meals in the wood panel board domain. The obtained results have allowed: to draw up a map of the inventive activity bound to the valorization of proteins from rapeseed, sunflower and soy meals and pea flour in various applications, highlighting the dynamism and the growing interest for industrials and academics to use oleo-proteaginous plant proteins; to explore techno-functional properties brought by these plant
meals and their derivatives, in particular in the wood panel domain.


Sertoli cells of immature pig appeared as a monomorphic cell population. Their cytoplasm contained abundant smooth ER and numerous ribosomes. Sertoli cell junctions began to appear at 6 weeks. In mature testicular tubules two types of Sertoli cells have been identified : typical Sertoli cells (A) with a light nucleus, and other cells (B) with a dark nucleus. A-cells extended from the basement membrane of the tubule to the lumen and showed the same fine structure as in other mammalian species (numerous filaments and ribosomes, abundant smooth ER, parallel-oriented microtubules, Charcot-B6ttcher's crystalloids and typical junctions between adjacent Sertoli cells and with germ cells). B-cells had a limited cytoplasm containing smooth ER and numerous filaments. The two types of Sertoli cells were easily characterized by the presence of a large lipid droplet. In cryptorchid testis there were several types of Sertoli cells. The light ones were poor in organelles ; the others resembled typical mature Sertoli A-cells but contained many microtubules and CharcotBbttcher's crystalloids which formed large complexes. Well characterized B-cells were not found but some cells similar to them were noted.


The article analyzes the problem of aggressive behaviour of junior pupils and reasons for its occurrence. There are determined advantages of multimedia use in the prevention of aggressive behaviour of junior pupils and described types of multimedia, which should be used to work with pupils. Problem of aggressive behaviour of junior pupils become one of the main problems of our society. As noted by the most researchers, one of the cause of aggressive behaviour of junior pupils is media, the use of video games, watching movies, cartoons that provoke aggression. One of the important areas of prevention of aggressive behaviour of junior pupils is competence improvement of teachers, social workers and psychologists on the use of multimedia in social and educational classes for junior pupils.


Changing precipitation and temperature patterns due to climate change, shift ecological niches which pose a challenge for species. Furthermore, it is still unclear that if climate change faster than the speed of the species to move to more suitable environments. Climate Envelope models (GEMs) are used extensively in this matter to predict species geographical distribution. In this study, climate data and animal movement strategies integrated into the environmental niche model to analyze the successes of the species that have different movement strategies under the changing climate conditions. Four different movement strategies are formulized; lazy knowledge strategy (LKS), lazy no knowledge strategy (LNKS), proactive knowledge (PKS) and proactive no knowledge strategy (PNKS). In this study, mean annual temperature and annual precipitation data gathered for the RCP8.5 scenario from the HadGEM2-ES GCM model at a 10-minute resolution. Results show that the PKS has the highest survival rates which makes it the most successful strategy. Furthermore, the species with knowledge had performed higher survival rates than the species without knowledge due to their skill to find the most suitable cells around them. One-Way Anova test confirmed that there are significant differences between the strategies. Moreover, the analysis suggests that the species with knowledge of their environment have the most successful strategies for facing the climate change.


A method for solving the forbidden state problem in the Supervisory Control Theory framework is presented. In many real-world applications both the plant and specification is given as a set of interacting automata or processes. In this work, we enable specification of forbidden states within such a modular structure. The aim with the method is to make each forbidden modular state combination uncontrollable. It is then possible to use efficient modular synthesis algorithms for calculation of a modular supervisor where the forbidden states are removed.


The macrobenthic fauna of the Rhone River below Lake Geneva was studied between 1983 and 1993 to describe patterns of longitudinal and temporal community changes. Sampling was based upon the use of artificial substrates in 11 stations. The confluence with the Arve (an alpine tributary) is the first source of faunal discontinuity, both in terms of species and feeding group composition. The Verbois hydropower plant is the second longitudinal disruption. From a temporal point of view, the construction of the Seujet hydropower plant was a major source of faunal fluctuation. After this event, and until the end of the study, lenitophilous taxa increased to the detriment of rheophilous taxa.


Ku Hong-ming was at once an odd cultural genius and a complex contradiction.Although some of his thoughts are incorrect,the patriotic feeling and national spirit of his thoughts have important significance for the cultivation of national sprit with the core of patriotism nowadays.It is helpful for us to study his thoughts to stick to the correct patriotism and reject ultranationalism.It is also significant for us to build up the real national confidence and reject national nihilism.Thus it helps us build up the real national pride in traditional culture study.


Projection Pursuit (PP) is a new statistical method which can be used to handle with high- dimensional data. However, no specific forms of the ridge function for projection pursuit regression (PPR) have been proposed, so it is difficult to employ the PPR to solve practical problems. The authors have proposed polynomials as ridge function and proved the L2 convergence for PPR [3]. Furthermore, we prove the Lp convergence of projection pursuit approximation for regression function in this paper.


Sixty (60) sediment samples were collected from ten (10) different locations (S1-10) along Qua Iboe River /Estuary Bank in Southeastern Nigeria . Textural grain size analysis was carried out on the different sediments in order to infer the vulnerability of the different areas to erosion. The statistical grain size parameters show that the mean grain size (Mz), ranges from 1.60to 2.73with an average value of 2.06indicating medium to fine grained sand, standard deviation (sorting, σ1) has a mean value of 0.58( ranges from 0.38-0.79) whichinfer well to moderately well sorted sediments, while Skewness(SKI) and kurtosis (KG) have range values of -0.04 0.27 and 0.74-1.23 with mean values of 0.04 and 1.00 respectively, which depict coarse skewed to very fineskewed of Platykurtic – leptokurticsediments. These results suggest that Okoro Utib and Ukpenekang sediments are medium grain size in nature, deposited in a moderate energy condition and are less venerable to erosional forces.The other investigated areas are dominantly fine grain sediments, deposited in a low energy condition hence more vulnerable to erosion.


To suit municipal requirements, appropriate ground points were determined within the DC trolley overhead power system and defined as requiring lightning protection and/or protective ground design [I, 61. DC system operating conditions and available fault levels were obtained h m the local utility and utilized for design purposes. AC grounding, upsbeam of the rectifiers was not included in the review.


Over the past two decades, intensive research sponsored by the NCI into all aspects of breast cancer has led to many important discoveries. We understand more than ever before how a healthy breast cell becomes cancerous, how breast cancer spreads, why some tumors are more aggressive than others, and why some women suffer more severely and are more likely to die of their disease. We are having increasing success in translating these discoveries into therapies that extend cancer-free survival and improve the quality of life for those continuing to live with the disease. Likewise, our discoveries are leading to more refined technologies for detecting and diagnosing breast cancer, better supportive care and improved outcomes for patients during and after treatment, and finally, we are getting closer to identifying effective strategies for preventing the disease altogether.


The search for and design of high-performance electrode materials is always an important topic in rechargeable batteries. Using a global structure prediction method together with first-principles calculations, a free-standing two-dimensional B2C3P monolayer with honeycomb structure was identified. The stability of the B2C3P monolayer was confirmed by cohesive energy, phonon curves, and ab initio molecular dynamics calculations. Of note, the B2C3P monolayer was demonstrated to be metallic, which shows excellent performance for Li-ion batteries. For example, the B2C3P monolayer also exhibited a metallic characteristic after Li adsorption, therefore the ability to keep good electrical conductivity during battery operation. Furthermore, when a B2C3P monolayer is used as a lithium-ion battery anode, it shows an ultra-high theoretical capacity of 3024 mAh/g, and a comparatively low diffusion barrier of 0.33 eV. All calculated results showed that the B2C3P monolayer is an appealing anode material, and has great potential in energy storage devices.


At a meeting of astronomers from thirteen countries in Copenhagen in March, in connection with a special meeting of the Executive Committee of the International Astronomical Union, it was agreed that we should encourage the German astronomers to continue the publication of the Astronomischer Jahresbericht. Sir Harold Spencer Jones, Astronomer Royal and President of the International Astronomical Union, who has recently been in Heidelberg in conference with Professor A. Kopff, has assisted in the partial restoration of the RechenInstitut. Working with the American military authorities, he has assisted in providing five rooms in a university building for Professor Kopff and his staff. The Astronomer Royal writes: "I discussed with Professor Kopff the question of the continuation of the preparation of the Astronomischer Jahresbericht. Professor Kopff is prepared to continue this work, which is of such importance to all astronomers, provided that the astronomical literature can be made available to him. It seems to me, that with the present difficulties in communication with Germany, the best arrangement would be for all literature to be sent to me here (Royal Observatory, Greenwich), clearly marked 'For the Rechen-Institut/ and I will forward it to Professor Kopff through the British naval authorities. "The last published volume of the Jahresbericht appeared in 1943, and referred to the literature for 1941, but, because of difficulties of communication during the war, much of the 1941 literature is not covered in this volume. It is desirable, therefore, that all runs of astronomical journals, publications of observatories, or separate reprints of astronomical articles from journals that are not primarily astronomical, should go back to the time when they ceased to be accessible to the Germans." The American authorities in Heidelberg understand the importance of this work to the astronomers of America and will try to see to it that paper for the publication is made available. I suggest that shipments of publications be made promptly, either directly or through the exchange service of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Harlow Shapley, Chairman, American Section, International Astronomical Union


Reshaping breakwater is a kind of rubble mound structure that its profile reshapes to a equilibrium one after impinging of waves. In This paper, the effects of wave parameters including significant wave height, peak and mean wave periods, storm duration, as well as structural parameters including water depth at the toe of structure, initial slope of the structure, permeability and stone gradation on irregular wave transmission through reshaping breakwaters have been studied and investigated. The present research has been carried out using the results of hydraulic model tests accomplished in the wave flume of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Center, affiliated to the Ministry of Jihad-e Agriculture, using irregular waves. The results of the research show the variations of wave transmission coefficients versus nondimensional parameters. Moreover, a new relationship has been presented to calculate the coefficients of wave reflection from reshaping breakwaters.


COPYRIGHT © 2023 Meier. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Editorial: Persistence of measurement problems in psychological research


We have developed a new assembly for the shock compaction of difficult- to-consolidate powder such as intermetal compounds or ceramic materials. We have successfully obtained crack free bulks of consolidated sample from several kinds of powders for example TiAl alloy or Si3N4 powder etc, using this assembly. This assembly consists of three parts. They are, an explosive container, a water chamber and a powder container. Once an explosive is detonated in the container, the detonation wave occurs and propagates to impinge on the water in the water chamber. When the detonation wave impinges on the water, an underwater shock wave occurs immediately. The underwater shock wave interacts with the solid wall in the chamber, converging its strength as it propagates down stream. Finally, the converged underwater shock wave enters into the powder container to consolidate the powder. The mechanism of this process described above has not yet been fully analyzed. In this paper, the interaction process between the detonating wave and the water are investigated by the streak photograph taken by an image converter camera. The underwater shock wave is accelerated in a short time up to its final velocity, which is slightly larger than that determined by the impedance match method. The converging process of the underwater shock wave was also understood by the high speed photograph obtained by framing photographs using shadowgraph system. The incident shock wave comes up to about 18 GPa after being converged by the wall of the pressure chamber. Finally, we suggest the most suitable design of pressure assembly.


Objective To observe the effects of microcystin-LR(MC-LR) on apoptosis and expression of apoptosis-related proteins in human bronchial epithelial cells(16HBE). Methods Cell viability was assessed by MTT after treatment by MC-LR with different concentration(0-40 μg/ml) for 24 h. After treatment with MC-LR(0,2.5,5,10 μg/ml) for 24 h and 48 h,rate of apoptosis was measured by Annexin V- FITC and PI combined with flow cytometry. The expression of cytochrome-c(Cyt-c),B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associated X protein(Bax) were detected with Western blot. Results Cells viability decreased with the increase of MC-LR concentration. Apoptosis rates of 16 HBE cells increased with the increase of MC-LR concentration during a certain exposure period,increased with the increase of MC-LR exposure time at a certain concentration.the relative expression of Cyt-c,Bax in 16 HBE cells increased and the expression of Bcl-2 decreased in the groups of 5 μg/ml and 10 μg/ml MC-LR compared with those of control group with statistical significance(P0.05). Conclusion Microcystin-LR induces apoptosis of 16 HBE,increases the expression of Bax and Cyt-c,and reduce the expression of Bcl-2.


We demonstrate the fabrication and characterization of a flexible non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor whose sensing electrode consists of electroplated Cu nanoparticles(NPs) on the laser-induced-graphene fiber (LIGF) and laser-induced porous graphene (LIG) double layer, which was made on a PI film. The non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor with Cu-NPs/LIGF/LIG sensing electrode shows excellent glucose detection characteristics, including a sensitivity of 1438.8A μ/mMcm2, limit of detection (LOD) of 124 nM, and broad linear range at an applied potential of +600mV


In statistical machine translation, the currently best performing systems are based in some way on phrases or word groups. We describe the baseline phrase-based translation system and various refinements. We describe a highly efficient monotone search algorithm with a complexity linear in the input sentence length. We present translation results for three tasks: Verbmobil, Xerox and the Canadian Hansards. For the Xerox task, it takes less than 7 seconds to translate the whole test set consisting of more than 10K words. The translation results for the Xerox and Canadian Hansards task are very promising. The system even outperforms the alignment template system.


IABP (Intra Aortic Balloon Pump) is a device which improves diastolic coronary and systemic flow and reduces afterload and myocardial work. ACC/AHA guidelines list IABP

therapy in cardiogenic shock as Class 1b recommendation. European society also recommends the same. Recent studies published in European Heart Journal has raised doubts about the outcome, clinical efficacy, and therapeutic benefits of

IABP2. We conducted a record based descriptive study on the in hospital outcome (death or survival) of 72 patients who underwent emergency IABP insertion for Acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Data was collected from medical records using

a structured questionnaire. It was observed that 62.5% of patients survived with IABP. Its use was observed mostly in Anterior wall MI followed by Inferior wall MI & NSTEMI. Survival rates were significantly more for multi

vessel than single vessel disease (p value- 0.02). Comparison of each indication for insertion was done with the overall survival rate. In Cardiogenic shock , survival rates were low even with IABP support (57.8% vs 62.5 %), but

statistically significant increase in survival rates were observed in cases of Arrhythmia (91.6% vs 62.5% p value-0.02) and Inferior wall MI (92.6%vs 62.5% p value- 0.024). Keywords: Acute Coronary Syndrome, Intra-Aortic Balloon

Pump


We present a class of Pseudo-differential elliptic systems with anti-self-dual potentials on ${\mathbb R}$ satisfying compensation phenomena similar to the ones for elliptic systems with anti-symmetric potentials. These compensation phenomena are based on new "multi-commutator" structures generalizing the 3-commtators introduced by the authors in a previous work some years ago.


Polyphenol oxidase(PPO) was extracted from Gala apples,and its properties were studied.Its optimum activity pH was 6.0,and the optimum temperature was 45℃.The PPO was inactivated when it was incubated at 80℃,90℃,100℃ for 280s,240s,200s respectively.NaCl and sucrose had no effect on PPO activity.The activity was inhibited by ascorbic acid,citric acid,lemon juice and orange juice.Lemon juice and orange juice could be applied in Gala apples processing as safe,harmless and natural inhibitors of enzymatic browning.Vc,citric acid,orange juice,the interaction of Vc and citric acid had highly significant effects on PPO activity.The order inhibiting PPO from strong to weak was Vccitric acidthe interaction of Vc and citric acidorange juice.The optimum combination of combined inhibitors was 0.02% Vc,0.2% citric acid and 15% orange juice.


The effects of structural vibration on the pressure and velocity fields of a two-dimensional channel flow are examined in terms of three dimensional parameters related to the amplitude and frequency of vibration and the frictional pressure losses in the channel. Pressure-flow characteristics for the pumping system supplying fluid to the channel are varied between the extremes of the constant flow rate and constant pressure-drop modes of operation. The constant flow rate mode exhibits a larger response to the vibrating wall motion than the constant pressure-drop mode of operation. Structural motion is shown to alter both the time-averaged and dynamic pressure and velocity fields in the channel compared to the steady flow values. Pressure eddies that scale on the order of the structural dimensions arise due to the interaction of the vibrating channel wall with the mean flow field. These eddies have dimensions in between the scales of boundary layer eddies and acoustic eddies and therefore can be significant in exciting large structural vibrations in the fundamental mode through a feedback effect. The hydrodynamic mass associated with the structural vibration will be reduced due to the leakage of fluid out the ends of the channel. The effects of the wall vibrationmore » on the mean flow field should be considered for flows in narrow passages when estimating the fluid-structure interaction forces due to the flow of a high-density fluid past a surface.« less


Synthesis of coaxial nano‐/microcables has been an intensive research subject due to their heterogeneous structures, tuneable properties, and important applications in nano‐/micrometer‐scale electronic and optoelectronic devices. Research on the fabrication of nanocables via solution strategies has made great progress in the past few years. In this Research News article, rapidly emerging new solution strategies such as hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) and synergistic soft–hard templates (SSHTs) are highlighted. Unique and flexible coaxial nano‐/microcables synthesized by those methods have obvious advantages such as long‐term stability and their electrical transport properties, compared with bare counterparts, suggesting that they are potential candidates as interconnects in the future.


This paper reports the concept of absorbency and wicking of water as well as water transfer management for terry woven fabrics. Evaluated terry woven fabrics with the different material composition and structural parameters were used for the manufacturing of towels. The terry woven fabric is designed to take moisture away from the skin and it should be performed in the shortest time. Therefore, the sorption and suction properties were evaluated by measuring the absorbency and wicking. It has been proved that the material composition and basic parameters influence these properties and the high initial absorbency capacity is accompanied by a low starting suction height of the terry woven fabrics.


Experiments were conducted to study different drip rate,irrigated water amount,irrigation scheduling and irrigation years on the characteristics of the soil salinity transport and accumulation.The results showed that the smaller drip rate,the less soil salinity on the single infiltration section and interference infiltration section;With the increase of the drip rate,the soil salinity has a increasing tendency when further and further away from single infiltration section or interference infiltration section.Through comparison of the soil water content in the same wetness level,the soil salinity was bigger in the interference infiltration section than in the single infiltration section.At the same drip rate,the more the water drops,the deeper the soil salinity could move.High frequency of irrigation effectively reduced the salinity of root area,while the treatment of low frequency made a big change in salinity,and it showed a accumulating phenomenon at the growth period.When the quantity of drip irrigation increased from 3 300 to 3 900 and 4 500 m3/hm2,the peak value of salinity moved deeper from 60 to 80 and 100 cm.With the long lasting of drip irrigation,the 0~100 cm soil salinity showed a increasing tendency.The accumulated layer of soil salt were moved to the topsoil,and the 0~100 cm salinity showed significant difference(P0.05) between cotton fields with 6~7 a difference of drip irrigation lasting.


The Ede people's philosophy on the relationship between Humans and the Universe is highly idealistic. They believe that the entire universe consists of 3 layers: The first is the Heaven – the sky in the shape of a great dome covering over the Earth, and at sunset, it is the Sun going back down into a deep earth cave where he lives, while at sunrise, it is the Sun leaving his cave. The same is true for the Moon. The middle layer is the Earth, with a shape of a square, and the last layer is the Underworld. Each of the 3 great layers are inhabited by deities. For the Ede people, the Heaven is ruled by the Ae Die – their supreme deity. Also living there is the god Ae Du, the second supreme deity, who is responsible to teach humans all the rites required in any worship rituals of the Ede people. In addition to the supreme gods, the Ede people also worship numerous other deities such as Yang Hrue (the God of the Sun), Yang Mlau (the God of the Moon), Yang Cu (the God of Mountains), Yang Ee (the God of water), Yang Argin (the God of Wind), Yang Tlua (the God of Rain), Yang Kbua (the God of Life and Fertility), H'Bia Klu (the God of fairies), Yang gram (the God of Thunder), Yang Hma (the God of Swiddens),etc. and many, many other deities that are meant to rule over almost all activities in the daily life of the Ede People. The worship rituals are the culmination of process of accumulating experience and knowledge from the reality of labor and creating of the Ede people since ancient times, with philosophies reflecting the much objective laws on the life of Human in the relationship with the Universe. Keywords: Universe; Universe view; Ede people; rituals; worship. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-10-02 Publication date: May 31 st 2020


When the optical system is designed by progressive modification method, its very important for the choice of initial structure of the optics. The initial structure of photographic lens can be achieved by the typical design, however, the similar creation can also be attained according to the structure of the optical system. The fact of the transplantation application of photographic lens is the optical systems optimum replacement of different instruments that with the similar image forming function. After the research on the similarity and the off axial rays optical feature of different kinds of image forming system that with wide aperture and large visual field, the author makes the conclusion that the photographic lens is the ideal replacement of the optical system with wide aperture and large visual field. Considering the large number of the photographic lens that being used, the author points out the practicality of transplantation. By the technique of transplantation application, the author manufactured the practical objective lens with high image quality, which has the similar structure as that of photographic lens. The practice proves the practicality and the possibility of performance for transplantation application.


MAHESA AGNI PHP. Structure Design Prototype of Web-Based Information Systems and Online Communication for Small and Medium Agroindustrial Enterprises. Supervised by HARTRISARI HARDJOMIDJOJO. Small and medium agroindustrial enterprises had a potential role in national economic development. The purpose of this research was to design a system of information and online communication that could provide people on gaining information about small and medium agroindustrial enterprises. The information systems called AGROIND v.1.0 provided information on raw materials, products, technology selection, cost of investment, benefit and cost analysis, feasibility study, online communication, and some additional information about small and medium agroindustrial enterprises. This research used system approach, consist of needs analysis, problem formulation, system identification, and modeling verification. Oyster mushroom and mushroom crackers industry data were used for model verification. The results of financial analysis showed that NPV was Rp264 126 863, payback period was 2.82-year, and benefit cost ratio was 1.63. AGROIND v.1.0 should be developed for other agro-processed commodities and products by added other validated data.


A snapshot study was conducted for 6 months to demonstrate association of relationship between hosts related factors and ectoparasite burden in domestic chicken in Dutsinma Local Government Area of Katsina State. Ectoparasite samples were randomly taken from domestic chickens. Morphological examination was carried out with the aid of light microscope and magnifying hand lens. A predesigned form was used to generate data on host related risk factors to ectoparasites of domestic chicken. Effect of host related risk factors to the prevalence of ectoparasite infestation did not show any difference (P>0.05) between sex, age group, coat colour and systems of production. The observed results of this study suggest that ectoparasites infestation is dominant in the study area. Therefore, effective preventive and control measures need to be instituted to mitigate the menace of ectoparasites in Dutsinma LGA.


A material's susceptibility to cracking may be significantly affected by its chemical environment. Stress corrosion cracking (SCC), liquid metal embrittle-ment (LME), hydrogen embrittlement (HE), and corrosion fatigue are examples of environmental effects which cause ductility or endurance losses through environment-assisted cracking (EAC). Under certain conditions, virtually all commercially important materials are susceptible to one or more of the above embrittlement processes. Cracking may occur intergranularly, transgranularly, or in a mixed mode, depending on conditions. Much is known about the metallurgical and environmental conditions which promote environment-assisted cracking, and prudent control of these is often successful in mitigating or preventing cracking. However, in spite of our understanding of the factors controlling SCC, LME, and HE, the responsible mechanisms remain elusive. This article will (1) review some of the important variables affecting these phenomena, such as stress, stress intensity, material microstructure, strain rate, electrochemical potential and pH, and (2) attempt to relate phenomeno-logical characteristics of environment-induced embrittlement to several mechanisms proposed for environment-assisted cracking, as they are understood today. The problem of stress corrosion cracking is unquestionably the most costly of environmental cracking phenomena, with losses occurring in a wide variety of service environments. Liquid metal embrittlement is of concern in nuclear power and other industries. Hydrogen embrittlement, first recognized as an embrittler of iron in 1873, causes cracking problems in applications ranging from welding to oil drilling. In all, the list of situations in which environment-assisted cracking occurs is long and is likely to grow as materials are increasingly challenged by the severity of their service conditions.


The possibility of extraction of metals from ores of different genesis, containing low-dimensional structures of rare and noble metals, increases their commodity value and, in a deficit for some types of metals, leads to the need to search and develop new nature-like technologies, which can be used to extract from ores of different genesis almost all valuable noble, rare earth and nonferrous metals regardless of their concentration. This article presents the results of studying the processes of comminution and flotation to extract low-dimensional structures of noble and rare metals from carbonaceous ores using low-temperature and energy impacts at successive stages of the ores' transformation. With the use of modern mineralogical, physical and chemical methods of research of composition, structure and properties of ores, the initial samples, concentrates and tailings after enrichment were studied. During the study, it was established that the difficulty of extraction of strategic metals from carbonaceous hard-enriched ores consists in fine dissemination of valuable components in concentrator minerals, mutual penetration of ore mineralization into each other and into rock-forming minerals, and in proximity of physical, chemical and technological properties of minerals, which complicates selective extraction of valuable components in concentrates. Also, difficulties in enrichment are associated with high flotation activity of waste rock, which significantly reduces the quality of concentrates.


Nowadays,the competition is fierce. Any organization can't remain invincibility without supplying excellent products and services,offering nicer working conditions for stuffs,establishing sound inspirit mechanism and creating more wealth for the society. Every one also must abide by the discipline,and work hard to feedback the organization and the society. ENRON,the famous enterprise of Americans has closed down. Many famous enterprises of China have been successful for a long time,such as TONGRENTANG(同仁堂),etc. These all tell us that an organization can gain boom in a short time by a lot of ways,but can't gain a permanent boom and continuous development without abiding by the value truth,humanity and honesty,which have been hold by mankind for several thousands.


As is known, the construction industry has one of the highest occupational accidents incidence rates among all economic sectors. Currently, Building Information Modeling (BIM) appears as a tool that addresses occupational safety issues throughout the construction life cycle projects, avoiding hazards and risks and, consequently, increasing safety. This work investigates BIM methodology and related technologies application for building safety planning in construction and demonstrates the potential of this technology for the integrated implementation of safety measures during the design phase and the construction site management. The first step consisted of a literature review on the application of BIM in safety in the design and planning phases. Following, to show the potentialities of construction simulation, a case study based on BIM 4D to prevent falls from height was developed. With BIM 4D, it is possible to follow the construction process over time, giving the construction safety technicians', designers, supervisors and managers the capability to analyse, in each phase, the potential risks and which safety measures should be implemented. BIM can effectively integrate safety measures from the design phase to the construction and use phase and do integrated safety planning within construction planning, leading to reliable safety management throughout the construction process.


The article describes a method for quantitative determination of aminocaproic acid in a multi-component hemostatic medical agent having the local effect. The analysis uses the method of direct spectrophotometry with the wavelength of 568 nm. Based on the results of the study, the main validation characteristics of the method meet the eligibility criteria according to the general pharmaceutical article «Validation of analytical methods» from the XIII edition of the State Pharmacopoeia. The analytical area of the procedure was 0.04-0.06 g/ml. The technique can be reproduced in laboratories with the confidence level P=95%, the correctness of the measurement was 1.36%.


Author(s): Nafea, Niaz | Advisor(s): Omens, Jeff | Abstract: Cardiac dyssynchrony can lead to heart failure. Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) is a procedure which restores synchrony to the heart, allowing the heart to function as intended. Previous research has shown that patient-specific computational modeling of dyssynchrony and CRT can be useful in predicting the outcome of the clinical procedure. Machine learning may be another technique to predict outcomes of medical procedures, including CRT. The application of machine learning to CRT patient outcomes has not been thoroughly investigated, though it may be able to categorize dyssynchrony with similar accuracy as previous complex models, in less time. Patient models were analyzed to determine the efficacy of machine learning as a means to predict outcomes of CRT. Vectorcardiogram data for virtual patients was used to train and test the capabilities of machine learning for determining a dyssynchrony index output, the same output found with the patient-specific computational models. The accuracies of the machine learning outputs were compared to determine the optimal amount of input data needed. Patient physiological parameters were compared to the dyssynchrony index prediction. It was determined that when looking at the simulated patients for whom there was data, varying the amount of input data per patient had no effect. Increasing the number of patients increased the accuracy of the prediction, while most physiological parameters had no clear correlation to the accuracy of the prediction. Further tests with additional data can be carried out to look deeper into using machine learning to predict outcomes of CRT.


The article considers the concept of brand as a systemically important factor of person's behavior. The scheme of the spheres of individuality is developed. Its structural components are correlated to the genesis, formation and development of the personality's brand.


The fractional changes in optical reflectance for s and p polarization, ΔRs/Rs and ΔRp/Rp, have been determined for the adsorption of H2, O2, and CO on the low‐index planes of W. Structure in the spectra of ΔRs/Rs and ΔRp/Rp are very similar, implying that the microscopic corrections to the classical equations for ΔRp/Rp are small for photon energies 0.5–4.5 eV. Similarities in the spectra for the chemisorption of the different adsorbates on W(111) imply that the main effect is due to the mere presence of the adsorbate, rather than the identity of the adsorbate. It is possible that this lack of specificity can be explained by a surface relaxation upon chemisorption.


Our studies demonstrate two miRNAs (miR-206 and miR-574-5p) that are significantly up-regulated in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients as compared with healthy controls, and the two miRNAs can be potential non-invasive biomarkers for early detection of CAD.


Thank you very much for reading handbook of multicultural perspectives on stress and coping. As you may know, people have look hundreds times for their chosen readings like this handbook of multicultural perspectives on stress and coping, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some harmful virus inside their computer.


A bit error probability (BEP) expression is derived for the fast frequency-hopping binary frequency-shift-keying spread-spectrum communication system with self-normalizing combining receiver over a slowly Rician fading channel under independent multitone jamming (MTJ) and AWGN environment. In our study, the close-form or a single finite integral expression of cumulative distribution function (cdf) of the self-normalized output is derived and exact analysis of BEP performance is obtained. Our analytic results, validated with the aid of simulations, show that independent MTJ is more harmful than the corresponding n=1-band MTJ when diversity is taken into account (L>2).


The GeoERA Information Platform Project (GIP-P) is establishing a new common platform for organising, disseminating and sustaining digital harmonised data from the GeoERA geoscientific projects on subsurface energy, water and raw material resources from all over Europe. The Platform is part of the EuroGeoSurveys’ European Geological Data Infrastructure (EGDI), which takes care of its future sustainability.

Great efforts are being put into making the data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) at one place and thereby be as valuable as possible for the stakeholders.

The Platform consists of web applications, services, databases, digital repository, opensource tools and services that connect all together. The main components are:

EGDI Metadata Catalogue: It is based on the MIcKA system for management and publication of metadata on structured data and services. This technology enables entry, editing, harvesting, discovery, and view of metadata, including tools for compilation and export of metadata in standardized formats.

EGDI Central Database: Stores structured data for other main components in PostgreSQL. It contains geospatial data as well as configuration of various maps, layers, datasets uploaded by individual projects, metadata for unstructured documents and DOI-links, search system data, 3D models data, etc.

European Geoscience Registry: Stores and publishes controlled vocabularies for the whole GeoERA program which supports multilingual semantic text search and project specific knowledge concepts. It is a Linked Data Platform based on Jena RDF triple store.

Digital Archive: Stores unstructured data (PDF, DOI document links, images or comma separated files) and their metadata. It consists of a controlled part of the filesystem, the Solr search engine, the repository database and the thematic repository search web application that enables the user to perform an advanced search through the repository with auto-suggested terms from RDF triple store and ranked results.

Search System: Allows to discover geoscientific information from all of the above modules. Through a powerful search logic it allows to find datasets, see their metadata, access their available online distributions (specific representations of a dataset) and also select and display subsets of features from those datasets. Search results are ordered according to relevance.

The platform also contains modules for harvesting data in INSPIRE compliant formats, for disseminating geospatial data on web GIS, a 3D geological model viewer and modules for uploading data and for monitoring services.

The presentation will focus on describing the various components and their individual functions and in particular on how the search system interacts with all of them. This makes it possible to get useful results from the very diverse data sources from the system.


Cigarette advertisement billboards have a persuasive tool to attract the consumers through the verbal and visual elements. The relationship between the verbal and visual elements is recommended to the advertisers in order to support
the visualization of the advertisement to capture the attention of the target market. Therefore, this study is intended to know how the advertisers have used these two elements in cigarette advertisement billboards. This study is conducted to analyze verbal and visual communication used in cigarette advertisement billboards. This study uses the multimodality concept by Kress and van Leeuwen (2006) as the theoretical framework. Besides, it relates
to van Leuween's information linking (2005) and persuasion concept by Messaris (1997) as the supporting approach. The sources of data were the cigarette advertisement billboards displayed on JL. Urip Sumohardjo Surabaya. Those data
are U Mild, Djarum L.A Lights, and A Mild cigarette advertisements. The finding of this study is that the cigarette advertisements revealed the ideational metafunctions; all of the three advertisements choose the image of
narrative patterns. From the interpersonal metafunctions analysis; two of the three
advertisements choose the image which offered information to the audience, while the others is demanding information. In the textual metafunctions, all advertisements use the multimodality text; given and new relationship. The best advertisement to use the multimodality concept is Djarum L.A Lights. In persuading the target market, Djarum L.A Lights uses the component of the images which related to their meanings viewed from the subject posing, camera
angle, camera shot, framing, color, and verbal text.


In this paper, we investigate sub-6 GHz V2X sidelink positioning scenarios in 5G vehicular networks through a comprehensive end-to-end methodology encompassing ray-tracing-based channel modeling, novel theoretical performance bounds, high-resolution channel parameter estimation, and geometric positioning using a round-trip-time (RTT) protocol. We first derive a novel, approximate Cram\'er-Rao bound (CRB) on the connected road user (CRU) position, explicitly taking into account multipath interference, path merging, and the RTT protocol. Capitalizing on tensor decomposition and ESPRIT methods, we propose high-resolution channel parameter estimation algorithms specifically tailored to dense multipath V2X sidelink environments, designed to detect multipath components (MPCs) and extract line-of-sight (LoS) parameters. Finally, using realistic ray-tracing data and antenna patterns, comprehensive simulations are conducted to evaluate channel estimation and positioning performance, indicating that sub-meter accuracy can be achieved in sub-6 GHz V2X with the proposed algorithms.


The present invention relates to a shifting apparatus for a manual transmission automatically, which performs a selecting operation and a shifting operation through the driving of one motor according to a shift step level of a shift lever at the time when a driver operates the shift lever. The apparatus includes a driving motor with a rotation shaft on which a main gear is mounted, a connecting gear unit disposed in front of the rotation shaft of the driving motor and selectively transferring rotation of the driving motor according to a position signal of the shift lever, a selecting unit disposed at one side of the connecting gear unit to correspond to a shift fork connected with the shift fork mounted at one side of the control shaft and selectively connected with the connecting gear unit to selectively move the shift fork on the control shaft, and a shifting unit disposed at the other side of the connecting gear unit to correspond to the selecting unit, connected to the other side of the control shaft and selectively connected with the connecting gear unit to rotate the control shaft.


Bi-, Su- and Ge-subsituted YCaV iron garnets (YCaVIG; Bi, Sn, Ge) have the merits of narrower ferromagnetic resonance(FMR)linewidth ΔH and lower saturation magnetization 4πM_s. However, it has been observed that saturation magnetic moment of presintering σ_s was greater than that of final sinter...


This issue brief highlights key facts about the impact of substance abuse on welfare reform and recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or TANF. After outlining some of the data on the incidence of substance abuse as well as its costs and treatment, it concludes by describing innovative state welfare programs attempting to lower barriers to employment and self-sufficiency.


The complexity of host defense mechanisms is awe inspiring. A wide range of cell types can interact and produce an enormous spectrum of products that work together to protect the organism against the hostile environment in which it lives. The network of host defense is sufficiently fine-meshed and


Computer-Integrated Surgery and intra-operative navigation opened a new era in interventional medicine. With the use of surgical navigation systems it has become possible to track tools and visualize the patient's preoperative records in real-time in the desired region, or overlay patient information and critical data. Navigation, as an enabling technology, has facilitated surgical simulation and training of medical students. In the future, we expect the rise of the concept of "ubiquitous tracking", where all major parts of the medical working environment are tracked and modeled real-time in a virtual environment according to their physical state and position. One of the emerging modalities, electromagnetic tracking's (EMT) main advantage is that it does not required the continuous line-of-sight between the marker and the receiver, while this remains a serious limitation for optical tracking. EMT makes it possible to assist complex interventions, such as bronchoscopy, radiosurgery, heart ablation and beyond 0. In the future, tracking technology should get embedded in the entire operating theater through the combination of EMT sensors and RF ID tags. A fully sensorized operating room (OR) would allow for the better understanding of the procedures, the motion of the tools and the devices, track every movement of the patient, or the posture and the gestures of the surgeon—all without constraining the intervention. This will lead to an enormous improvement in interventional simulation and workflow analysis, and will result in the dramatic improvement of assistive surgical technologies. However, current EMT systems are highly susceptible to the presence of other electronic devices and metallic distortions 0. Ferromagnetic items, such as the surgical tool and instruments (laparoscopic forceps, cutlery, trays, etc.) alter the EMfield, therefore thetrackingaccuracyishighlyreduced,andmeasurementsbecomelessreliable.Duetorecentadvancementinsystemdesign,certain materials (e.g., titanium) do not cause significant error any more, but there is still no general solution for metallic sensitivity 0. Further weakness is lower accuracy compared to optical modality and the working volume being significantly limited. In the near future, the research community will be able to overcome most of the technical difficulties, given the right approach and methodology. A few years from now, the primary issues will be solved, including static error correction and susceptibility reduction. Our group is currently focusing on the development of a unified method—a quick calibration protocol—that can assess EM distortions in a given workspace rapidly, and based on what compensation for static distortions of the EM field becomes possible. Next, dynamic distortions have to be measured, modeled and simulated, enabling device-specific tracking in the medical environment 0. Furthermore, all active and passive devices in the OR should be modeled and tracked to support the concept of ubiquitous tracking. Reliable simulation programs will be available for modeling thefield and the distortion caused by the individual instruments. The further development of systems will include the support of multi-sensor applications, significant extension of the work space and innovative types of sensors. Withinafewdecades,wewillhaveaccuratesofttissuemodelsavailable,beyondthecurrentmodelofthesurgicaltools.Therefore it will be possible to immediately determine how the magnetic field was affected by the surgical tools. The compensation will be feasible in real time, thus the position of sensors will be highly trusted, and all environmental variables fully tracked and followed. Ultimately, wireless power transmission technologies will overcome cabled ones in these applications 0. The sensors will also be used to transmit and receive power for their functioning; however it will severely influence the EM field, requiring dynamic


Under vertical storage state of solid rocket motor (SRM), its propellant grain bears two main associate loads in a long period, that is, the heat load due to the temperature difference after the curing temperature tends to equilibrium state and self axial gravity load. By taking into account of the material properties and different loading conditions, and based on the linear elastic three dimensional finite element method, strain and stress of a SRM grain are calculated respectively under those loads, and some danger parts of grain and their interfaces are analyzed in special.


OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence, clinical correlates and cognitive impairments of apathy and depression in a population sample of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD)patients and to analyze feedback-related signal modulations in apathetic/non-apathetic depressive/non-depressive groups during a problem solving task.
 BACKGROUND: PD is accompanied by a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive deficits. One of these is apathy, which refers to deficit symptoms such as blunted emotions, loss of interest, and lack of productivity. The feedback-related negativity (FRN) is a mid-frontal event-related potential recorded in various cognitive tasks and has been proposed to reflect neural response to prediction errors during reinforcement learning. There are still some aspects of apathy in PD that remain unknown. Notably whether apathy and depression are associated independently with cognitive deficits. And how is modulated the FRN within apathetic and depressive groups.
 DESIGN/METHODS: 55 patients were recruited from the Van Buren Hospital (Valparaiso, Chile) and completed a comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological evaluation. Apathy and depression were evaluated using the Starkstein scale and the Beck Depression Inventory-II, respectively. Cognitive functions were examined using the Addenbroke's Cognitive Examination test and the Problem Solving Task (PST). We recorded EEG activity during the PST where each subject had to search by trial and error which of four visual targets was associated with a correct feedback.
 RESULTS: Apathy was diagnosed in 43% of participants. In 39.9% of patients apathy coexisted with depression, whereas only 12.7% were apathetic without depression. Apathy was significantly associated with higher depression scores, lower cognitive functioning, more severe motor symptoms, longer reaction times and errors in the PST, and decreased FRN. Our preliminary results suggest that apathy but not depression is associated with impaired cognition in PD patients.
 CONCLUSIONS: Analyses showed that the FRN was modulated by both negative and positive prediction error. From a clinical point of view the clearly attenuated FRN in apathetic patients may prove a useful additional tool for the early diagnosis of PD.
 Study Supported by: Fondecyt 11100213 Disclosure: Dr. Quilodran has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vinales has nothing to disclose. Dr. Araneda has nothing to disclose. Dr. Santos has nothing to disclose. Dr. Castilla has nothing to disclose.


Greening has been promoted to improve the living conditions in urban environments. Quantification of greenery is an important issue to identify the criteria for stakeholders in the process of greening. This research focuses on the quantification of visible greenery ratio which is defined as the amount of greenery in the field of vision. Some measurement methods of visible greenery ratio have been already proposed. However, the quantification process is usually time consuming and prone to human errors due to manual operations by using an image processing software. Therefore, in this research, the authors developed an automated measurement system based on image processing technology for the efficient visible greenery ratio measurement. In the verification experiment, the proposed method achieved similar results for extracted pixels of green areas as the traditional manual method, with decreased calculation time. Furthermore, in addition to measuring the current ratio of greenery, this system can visualize possible future changes in visible greenery by adding planting (landscape) design models in an Augmented Reality (AR) environment. Using the proposed method, an ideal greening environment can be designed and evaluated by end-users, more intuitively. The developed design system is expected to eventually result in increasing the amount of greenery in the urban environment.


The demographic change will increase the need of care and nursing services, but it also creates new possibilities as well as challenges for public and private service providers. In Finland, a wide consensus prevails about the fact that the elderly persons should have an opportunity to live as long as possible at home. Also the elderly persons themselves typically want to live at home as long as possible with the help of supporting community (e.g. friends and relatives). The elderly persons relate the living at home to independence and freedom. To support an independent life and to create services for the elderly persons, both public and private service providers have to develop their service production. In the future the elderly persons are used to utilize various services and they are a more demanding consumer segment. Age distribution greates new business opportunities for the enterprise sector. However, the technological and service development should go in parallel with the needs of the customers. Even though a lot of studies related to the elderly persons has been conducted, a study which integrates public and private service providers's and elderly persons' perceptions of safety has been missing. "Integrated safety and security services for elderly people" TupaTurva project was conducted as an interaction between the research institutes, companies and municipalities. The aim of the project was to create new product and service concepts to increase the safety and security of the senior-aged living independently. The information is based on a literature review, interviews, questionnaires and workshops. The results show that 1) availability of the help, 2) control of their own life, 3) belonging to society and 4) prevention of accidents are central themes of safety for the elderly persons. The public and private service providers, technology providers and decision-makers should perceive the elderly persons' needs. The new service model unifies different service concepts. The starting points for service model are perceiving the elderly persons' needs and offering practical and seamless solutions combining public and private services.


Background Research has begun to explore the effects of parental genetic nurturing on offspring outcomes using polygenic scores (PGSs). However, there are concerns regarding potential biases due to confounding when mediating parental phenotypes are included. Methods Depression, educational attainment and height PGSs were generated for 2680 biological parent-offspring trios using genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis summary statistics in a large population study: Generation Scotland. Regression and pathway models were estimated incorporating PGSs for both parents and offspring to explore direct (offspring PGS) and genetic nurturing (parental PGS) effects on psychological distress, educational attainment and height. Genetic nurturing via parental phenotypes were incorporated into the models. To explore sources of bias we conducted simulation analyses of 10,000 trios using combinations of PGS predictive accuracy and accounted variance. Results Models incorporating both offspring and parental PGSs suggested positive parental genetic nurturing effects on offspring educational attainment, but not psychological distress or height. In contrast, models additionally incorporating parental phenotypic information suggested positive parent phenotype mediated genetic nurturing effects were at play for all phenotypes explored as well as negative residual genetic nurturing effects for height. 10,000 parent-offspring trio effects (without genetic nurturing effects) were simulated. Simulations demonstrated that models incorporating parent and offspring PGSs resulted in genetic nurturing effects that were unbiased. However, adding parental phenotypes as mediating variables results in biased positive estimates of parent phenotype mediated genetic nurturing effects and negative estimates of residual genetic nurturing effects. Biased effects increased in magnitude as PGS accuracy and accounted variance decreased. These biases were only eliminated when PGSs were simulated to capture the entirety of trait genetic variance. Conclusion Results suggest that in the absence of PGSs that capture all genetic variance, parental phenotypes act as colliders in the same way as heritable environments. Relatively simple models combining parental and offspring PGSs can be used to detect genetic nurturing effects in complex traits. However, our findings suggest alternative methods should be utilised when aiming to identify mediating phenotypes and potentially modifiable parental nurturing effects.


The longitudinal strain field pattern and the longitudinal strain developing history were studied numerically and experimentally for both the conventional Gas Tungsten Arc Welding(GTAW) and Dynamically Controlled Low Stress No-Distortion (DC-LSND) GTAW welding of a titanium alloy. Results show that high tensile effect generated by heat sink with sharp cooling and contraction of weld metals is acting in the zone between the arc and the trailing heat sink during DC-LSND GTAW welding, which increase tensile plastic strain of weld and decrease compress plastic strain in the zone near to the weld. All of these phenomena mitigate the incompatible strain in the weld and the zone nearby. With the selected welding parameters, residual tensile incompatible strain can be reached in the weld during DC-LSND GTAW welding.


Received 25 December, 2017; Revised 15 January, 2018; 22 January 2018 Copyright c ©2017 Hans Dieleman, Francesca Cozzolino and Anne Bationo. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


In order to simulate the experimental phenomenon of increase of natural frequency to a cantilevered ferromagnetic beam plate in in-plane magnetic fields, a theoretical model for behaving the magnetoelastic interaction is proposed in this paper based on the variational principle of energy functional of the system. It is found that the expression of magnetic force is distinctly different from those of the existing theoretical models in publications, and the experimental phenomenon is successfully simulated by this theoretical model. After the increase of natural frequency is quantitatively considered in the predictions of magnetic damping, the theoretical predictions of magnetic damping ratio are agreement with the corresponding experimental data well.


The non‐stereospecific α‐haloalkanoic acid dehalogenase DehE from Rhizobium sp. RC1 catalyzes the removal of the halide from α‐haloalkanoic acid D,L‐stereoisomers and, by doing so, converts them into hydroxyalkanoic acid L,D‐stereoisomers, respectively. DehE has been extensively studied to determine its potential to act as a bioremediation agent, but its structure/function relationship has not been characterized. For this study, we explored the functional relevance of several putative active‐site amino acids by site‐specific mutagenesis. Ten active‐site residues were mutated individually, and the dehalogenase activity of each of the 10 resulting mutants in soluble cell lysates against D‐ and L‐2‐chloropropionic acid was assessed. Interestingly, the mutants W34 → A, F37 → A, and S188 → A had diminished activity, suggesting that these residues are functionally relevant. Notably, the D189 → N mutant had no activity, which strongly implies that it is a catalytically important residue. Given our data, we propose a dehalogenation mechanism for DehE, which is the same as that suggested for other non‐stereospecific α‐haloalkanoic acid dehalogenases. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report detailing a functional aspect for DehE, and our results could help pave the way for the bioengineering of haloalkanoic acid dehalogenases with improved catalytic properties.


The youth unemployment rate in Bangladesh is 10.6 % which is more than twice the overall national unemployment rate standing at 4.2 %. And this group of young people are at risk of having their labour-market prospects deteriorating in the long term according to a report by the International Labor Organization (Ilo, 2022). To correctly identify all the plausible aspects leading to massive unemployment among the youth, nepotism marks an important area of study and investigation in order to figure out particularly in which areas the university students fail or are able to secure their desired job opportunities after their graduation. However, this issue rarely receives the necessary attention and focus, and scholarly discussions on this topic are sparse. To shed light on this, a survey questionnaire was designed for university graduates with different backgrounds and expectations which led us to gather interesting insights into how nepotism plays a role in shaping their interest into areas of job search and also in helping them to get their desired jobs. We were able to confirm that graduates who rely on family and friends for job leads are more likely to get hired shortly after graduation. They require fewer job applications, and are less likely to broaden their horizons in their search for employment. It was also noted that the dynamics of the job search vary significantly between majors, particularly in the fields of Business Administration, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and the Social Sciences, in terms of both the demands of the applicants and the extent to which they rely on external assistance in order to secure employment. These findings provide a glimpse into the decision-making process behind the nepotistic job choices made by graduates and also helped in shedding light on the consequences of those who were engaged in the job seeking process without the same advantages or backings.


The overall objective of the study is to show what action can be taken by corporate fleet operators with the aim of greening fleets and reducing costs. In order to do so, the specific objectives of this study are to: 1. explore the contribution of corporate fleets to worldwide oil consumption and GHG emissions, and the Total Costs of Ownership (TCO) - fuel costs in particular n of corporate fleets; 2. summarise available (groups of) measures which fleet owners can adopt to reduce the fuel consumption of passenger transport (company car fleets in particular) and freight transport (van and truck fleets in particular), including the reduction potential, monetary savings, and other benefits of these measures.


Structural styles and their relationships in thedeformation leadingedge of the evaporite-bearing foreland basin fill are discussed based on the thickness of the evaporite layer and its overburden. The basic structural styles of the overburden, i.e., fold or fault, are determined by the relative thicknessbetween the overburden and the evaporite layer. Where the area in core of a detachment fold is smaller than or equal to the area of evaporite available to supply core of the fold, an anticline will form. Where the area in core of a detachment fold is larger than the area of the evaporite available to supply core of thefold, faults will form. As for the la-ter, the structural styles are controlledby the intersection position of two back thrust faults. Where two back thrust faults intersect within or under the evaporite layer, a pop-up will form. Where two back thrust faults intersect within the overburden, a pop-up will form abovethe intersection and a triangle with partial overburden sequence will form underthe intersection. Where two back thrust faults intersect above the overburden, atriangle zone with a complete overburden sequence will form. The position of the intersection is determined by the thickness of the overburden.


This paper presents an algorithm for automatically generating in-between f rames of two artisti c brushstrokes.The basic idea of the algorithm is to represent the tw o key frames of art istic brushst rokes in disk B-spline curves , and then make blending of thei r geomet ric int rinsic variables.Given two key frames of arti stic brushst rokes , the skeleton curves can be obtained by certain skeleton-based techniques.After disk B-spline representation of the key f rames is generated , interpolat ion of the int rinsic variables of the initial and the target di sk B-spline curves i s carried out.Examples show that this method can ef ficiently create in-betw een frames of art istic brushst rokes.


Solid phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) was used to determine the adsorption coefficients (Koc) for six target triazines in soil and sediment samples with different organic matter contents and textures. SPME-GC-MS was used in conjunction with a conventional batch equilibrium method. The recoveries of the selected triazines from soils and sediments having organic carbon contents in the range 0.2–2.4% were satisfactory. Drawbacks of conventional analytical techniques are avoided; owing to the selectivity of SPME-GC-MS, no sample pre-treatment or solvent enrichment steps were required so that Koc values could be easily determined. Moreover, the sensitivity of the technique makes it possible to work at low triazine concentrations (50–500 ng g–1) where the Freundlich adsorption isotherm can be considered linear.


OBJECTIVES To study the association between polymorphisms of the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene and blood pressure in population-based samples, and to determine whether genetic variation at the AGT locus is involved in the susceptibility to myocardial infarction. METHODS The study population comprised 630 cases who survived a myocardial infarction, recruited from the World Health Organization Monitoring Cardiovascular Diseases registers in Belfast, Lille, Strasbourg and Toulouse, and 741 controls drawn from the corresponding populations. The AGT polymorphisms investigated were T174M and M235T. High blood pressure was defined as diastolic blood pressure > 100 mmHg or the use of antihypertensive medication, or both. RESULTS In the controls the mean +/- SEM frequency of the M174 allele was 0.116 +/- 0.008, and that of the T235 allele was 0.401 +/- 0.013. In the whole population blood pressure levels and prevalence of high blood pressure did not vary according to T174M and M235T genotypes. However, obesity appeared as a crucial factor influencing the relationship between high blood pressure and T174M. In subjects with body mass index 26 kg/m2. The association between high blood pressure and M235T was not significant in either group. The T174M and M235T genotype distributions did not differ between survivors of myocardial infarction and controls. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that the AGT gene could be involved in the predisposition to high blood pressure in non-overweight, but not in overweight men, possibly reflecting genetically different types of hypertension. No significant impact of the AGT locus in the risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction was detected.


Structural of thermostable enzyme offers insightninto mechanisms used to enhance thermal stability which may be of commercial value in engineering lipases for industrial purpose. In order to examine the factors which have been considered for protein thermostability, a longscale Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulation were performed in a group of three thermostable lipases; Bacillus stearotthermophilus PI lipase (PDB entry IJB), Bacillus stearothermophilus LI lipase (pDB entry 1KUO), and Geobacillus sp. Strain T1 lipase (PDB entry 2DSN) which are in a very high homology (more than 90%). Each stryycture consists of two chains with 388 amino acids (43 kDa) in each chain in a closed confirmation. The significance of these structures is a zinc-binding site which is unique among all lipases. There is yet no universal theory or rule to explain the principles underlying protein thermo stability and it appears to be interplayed by many factors. By this, along MD production were performed from 0 to 375 K in four continuous and separate but procedurally identical simulations in a total of 4.0 ns for each structure at 300,325,350 & 375 K. All the trajectories generated have been used for analyses in order to provide a framework of protein thermo stability. We compared salt bridges, ionic networks, hydrogen bonds, solvent accessible surface area, root means square deviations, & root mean square fluctuations among the structures in order to study the thermostability mechanism employed in these group of homolog protein with the aim of finding how protein structure and dynamics are affected by elevated temperatures.


This work presents the design, development and testing of a phase-leg power module packaged by a novel planar packaging technique for high temperature (250 °C) operation. Nano-silver paste is chosen as the die-attach material as well as playing the key functions of electrically connecting the devices' pads. The electrical characteristics of the SiC-based power semiconductors, SiC JFETs and SiC diodes, have been measured and compared before and after packaging. No significant changes are found in the characteristics of all the devices. Prototype module is fabricated and operated up to 400 V, 1.4 kW at junction temperature of 250 °C in the continuous power test. Thermo-mechanical reliability has also been investigated by passive cycling the module from -55 °C to 250 °C. Electrical and mechanical performances of the packaged module are characterized and considered to be reliable for at least 200 cycles.


The history of talks with former-separatists since 2004 and recent government attempts at building trust with the local population have yet to achieve any noticeable results in troubled southern Thailand. Discussions surrounding autonomy or devolution for the south are hampered by certain political taboos and an inflexible Bangkok-based political elite. Certain local and external factors also shape the conflict such as the role of Malaysia as a safe-haven for insurgents and the role of the black-economy in the region. The lack of communication, the inflexibility of the Thai political elite and the above-mentioned local and external factors all serve as barriers toward peace.


For UWB system is often used in indoor environment, multipath interference is serious. Channel estimation is more necessary, but is so difficult. In the nonseparable condition, Maximum Likelihood Algorithm is in bad performance. This paper describes the improvement on the ML algorithm, and the improved algorithm can adapt to the nonseparable multipath interference environment.