Computational fluid dynamics simulations (CFD) were used to evaluate mixing in baffled and unbaffled vessels. The Reynolds-averaged Navier−Stokes k–e model was implemented in OpenFOAM for obtaining the fluid flow field. The 95% homogenization times were determined by tracer tests. Experimental tests were conducted by injecting sodium chloride into the vessel and measuring the conductivity with two conductivity probes, while the simulations replicated the experimental conditions with the calculation of the transport of species. It was found that the geometry of the system had a great effect on the mixing time, since the irregular flow distribution, which can be obtained with baffles, can lead to local stagnation zones, which will increase the time needed to achieve the homogenization of the solute. It was also found that measuring local, pointwise concentrations can lead to a high underestimation of the global mixing time required for the homogenization of the entire vessel. Dissolution of sucrose was also studied experimentally and by mathematical modeling. The dissolution of sucrose was found to be kinetically limited and a very good agreement was found between the experiments and the modeling approach. The extent of the applicability of CFD simulations was evaluated for enabling rapid process design via simulations.


'Killers and rapists will not get vote.' This was the headline of an article in the Daily Mail of Friday 17 December 2010, reporting on the intention of the British cabinet to extend the right to vote to citizens in prison, under pressure of the European Court of Human Rights, which had ruled already in 2004 that Britain's denial of suffrage to its 70,000 prisoners was discriminatory. To the great relief of at least the Daily Mail, an exception is to be made for 'murderers, rapists and other offenders serving sentences of four years or more'. Ludvig Beckman would disagree. His book on The Frontiers of Democracy: The Right to Vote and its Limits makes a passionate and reasoned plea for extending the right to vote to prisoners, as well as other frequently excluded categories of citizens and non-citizens. The premise of Beckman's thought-provoking book is that universal suffrage is far from universal and that liberal democracies continue to deny the right to vote to sizeable sections of their population. He then constructs an argument that aims to show that while some such denials are justified, others are not, leaving ample scope to make contemporary democracy more inclusive and thereby more democratic. Beckman's starting point is that all those who are subject to the law of the land should be entitled to participate in national elections. He calls this the legal interpretation of the all-affected principle, which goes back to the idea that a man can only be free when he lives under rules that he himself helped to write. The more inclusive a voting rights regime, the more democratic it is. Still, reasonable exceptions have to be allowed for. Using a 'contractualist' approach, reasonable restrictions are defined as those that all affected could reasonable agree upon. Having prepared the conceptual ground, Beckman then examines, in subsequent chapters, the case of five groups that are commonly excluded: noncitizens, children, felons, mentally disabled persons, and unborn generations. According to the all-affected principle, resident non-citizens, children, people in prison, and the mentally disabled, are all affected by the law and therefore are in principle entitled to vote. After a careful scrutiny of the arguments against, Beckman indeed recommends to give the vote to resident non-citizens, people in prison, and the mentally disabled. For children, he makes an exception, arguing


The Soave procedure takes its name from the Italian surgeon who first described the operation designed to treat Hirschprung's disease. In this procedure, the aganglionic rectal muscular cylinder is preserved but the mucosa is resected and the healthy proximal colon is lowered down and anastomosed to the pectineal line. Preservation of the rectal muscular wall, whenever possible, is a means of protection during the dissection of the pelvis. In this manner, the bladder trigone, the vagina, the urogenital nerves and pelvic veins, and in particular, the muscular wall protects the presacral veins, during dissection. In addition to Hirschsprung's disease, this operation can be proposed for the treatment of proximal rectovaginal fistulas, particularly after high colorectal anastomosis (CRA), uretro or vesicorectal fistula, or strictures, or after low-lying CRA disruptions. Understandably, pelvic dissection can be particularly dangerous as the above-mentioned structures are at risk in this previously operated field. By remaining in the plane of the rectal submucosa, dissection can easily follow the natural channel down to the anus. On the other hand, preservation of the rectal stump makes creation of a neorectum impossible and therefore it is necessary to perform a direct coloanal anastomosis; this has its own specific impact on the digestive function and quality of life.


Background: Extremely premature neonates suffer high morbidity and mortality. An artificial placenta (AP) using extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is a promising therapy. Objectives: We hypothesized that intratracheal perfluorocarbon (PFC) instillation during AP support would reduce lung injury and promote lung development relative to intratracheal amniotic fluid or crystalloid. Methods: Lambs at an estimated gestational age (EGA) 116–121 days (term 145 days) were placed on venovenous ECLS with jugular drainage and umbilical vein reinfusion and intubated. Airways were managed by the instillation of amniotic fluid and tracheal occlusion (TO; n = 4), or lactated Ringer's (LR; n = 4) or perfluorodecalin (a PFC) without occlusion (n = 4). After 7 days, the animals were sacrificed. Early (EGA 116–121 days) and late (EGA 125–131 days) tissue control lambs were delivered and sacrificed. Lungs were formalin-inflated to 30 cm H2O and sectioned for histology. Injury was scored by an unbiased pathologist. Slides were immunostained for PDGFR-α and α-actin; development was quantified by the area fraction of double-positive tips. Surfactant protein-C (SP-C) concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was quantified using ELISA. Results: Total injury scores were lower in PFC lungs (1.8 ± 1.7) than in TO (6.5 ± 2.1; p = 0.01) and LR lungs (5.5 ± 2.4; p = 0.01). The area fraction of double-positive alveolar tips appeared higher in PFC lungs than in TO lungs (0.18 ± 0.007 vs. 0.008 ± 0.004; p = 0.07). SP-C concentration was higher in PFC lungs than in TO lungs (37.9 ± 7.6 vs. 20.0 ± 5.4 pg/mL; p = 0.005), and both early (12.4 ± 1.7 g/mL; p = 0.007) and late tissue control lungs (15.1 ± 5.0 pg/mL; p = 0.0008). Conclusion: During AP support, intratracheal PFC prevents lung injury and promotes normal lung development better than crystalloid or amniotic fluid with TO.


This paper examines student attitudes towards school and learning among students in Qatar's public schools. Drawing upon student surveys administered to 1091 grade 7 and 8 students in 11 independent preparatory schools, the paper observes patterns of attitudes and behavior towards learning, school, and future aspirations. Findings show that student articulation of importance of education, finding learning in the classroom as useful, demonstration of learning behavior in and outside the classroom, and future aspirations to enroll in university are positively associated with attitudes toward going to school. Moreover, findings reveal that gender and nationality gaps exist when it comes to school engagement. Boys and Qatari students appear to have less positive attitudes toward going to school compared to girls and non-Qatari students. Once the Qatari and non-Qatari comparison groups are further disaggregated by gender, findings suggest that Qatari boys least value education. Student survey results further indicate that although overall teaching and classroom environment does not appear to have a significant influence on student attitudes toward going to school, fostering a positive culture and learning environment corresponds positively with higher attitudes toward going to schools for boys. Provided that Qatar's national vision places importance in national human capital development through education and has identified student motivation as a challenge, the paper discusses implications for policy, programs, and practice to improve student engagement and learning.


NEW MANIPULATIVE STRATEGIES EX VIVO FOR PURGING OF PHERIPHERAL HAEMATOPOIETICS STEM CELLS UNITS AIMED FOR AUTOLOGOUS BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

This thesis aims to evaluate the possibility of using the Gemtuzumab ozogamicin in ex vivo purging of autologous pheripheral blood mononuclear cells, in order to eliminate possible contaminants leukaemia cells. The use of this drug is subject to verification that the depletion of malignant cells does not cause cytotoxic effects on normal stem cells and normal multi-potential progenitors, which are in charge restocking stable and enduring new bone marrow. Therefore, these experiments were conducted by exposing to Gemtuzumab ozogamicin haematopoietic stem cells mobilized in pheripheral blood and haematopoietic stem cells obtained from cord blood determining their "rate of growth" through clonogenic tests.
Based on the above data it can be concluded that:
1) the Gemtuzumab ozogamicin not significantly inhibit the clonal efficiency of subset primitive CD34+/CD38- and mononuclear cells
2) cryopreservation significantly increases the toxic effects of Gemtuzumab ozogamicin probably because of damage to the mambrane, wich promote endocytosis
3) in the clinical purgin, use of Gemtuzumab ozogamicin, should be avoided treatments longer than 24 hs.
These data provide the opportunity for future experiments designed to elucidate the phenomena of toxicity found, and allow to plane clinical trials in order to validate the use of Gemtuzumab ozogamicin in haematopoietic stem cells purging obteined with apheresis methods of acute myeloid leukemia patients elect to the autologous bone marrow transplantation


The invention relates to a target-linked radiation imaging system. An imaging detection system (200) includes at least one location detection device (208) configured to determine coordinates of a target (228), at least one detector (218) configured to detect events from a source (230) associated with the target, and a processor (222) coupled in communication with the at least one location detection device and the at least one detector. The processor is configured to receive the coordinates from the at least one location detection device and the events from the at least one detector, translate the events using the coordinates acquired from the at least one location detection device to compensate for a relative motion between the source and the at least one detector, and output a processed data set having the events translated based on the coordinates.


The present experimental study analyzes the effects of lateral jet flow (LJF) in a stilling basin with abruptly expanding channels on the stabilization and the significant characteristics of spatial hydraulic jump. The experiments were carried out with three different inflow Frude number (8.77,9.56,and 10.87), three different distances of the LJF from the abruptly expanding channel (0 m, 0.25 m, and 0.5 m), and one and two LJF (i.e., the number of active orifices in the LJF system). According to the results, both distances of the LJF from the narrow channel and the number of LJF improve the hydraulic jump's stabilization and flow pattern enhancement in the tailwater channel. Additionally, the average sequent depth and the spatial jump length decreased by 14 and 20%, respectively, compared to no LJF. Also, using LJF increases relative energy dissipation by 12.45% on average.


In a wireless power supply system (11), a power supply coil (121) and a power receiving coil (111) are faced to each other and power is wirelessly supplied. The wireless power supply system (11) has: a cover (132) that is slidable between a closed position at which a facing surface (121a) of the power supply coil (121) is covered and an open position to which the cover (132) is retracted from above the facing surface (121a); and a hook member (140) for moving a foreign object mounted on the cover (132) together with the cover (132) sliding from the closed position to the open position.


Wireless identification device by using the signal received by the position information and the shape information of the recognized target search by the radar from the radar and in response to a radio frequency signal sent out while varying the beam direction of the antenna with respect to the recognized target search by the radar to identify the recognition object in the communication area of the antenna.


When arriving at a popular destination, where should you park your car? Distant parking spots are typically plentiful, but then you must walk a long way. Conversely, looking for a spot close to the venue is risky, as those spots are generally few and far between. To shed light on this tradeoff, we study an idealized parking process on a one-dimensional parking lot and determine the optimal strategy for parking in the best spot. Parking spots are labeled by k = 1, 2, . . . and the desired target is located at k = 0 (see Fig. 1). Cars enter one at a time from the right at rate λ and depart stochastically at the equal rates that we set to 1. The real-life situation is λ 1 when many (of the order of λ) cars are parked. We seek a parking strategy that maximizes the probability of parking in the best open spot.


Although much research on drug use has been conducted to date, no predictors, based on psychologically derived criteria, have been developed to identify potential drug users. This lack exists because it is difficult to determine whether the psychological correlates of drug use are antecedents of drug use or if they are a manifestation of drug use. Segal and Feger (in press), in order to overcome this problem, assumed that one aspect of drug use — fantasy processes, which represent internalized states of emotions — is part of one's basic personality; and that drug use seemingly heightens or stimulates fantasy processes. These researchers found that marijuana users, as opposed to nonusers, tended to report significantly more incidences and more varied content of fantasy and daydreaming processes. These results were interpreted by Segal and Feger (in press) to suggest that imagery or fantasy processes, associated with drug use, may not only represent internalized emotions, but that these fantasies might also...


Abstract A copositive matrix A is said to be exceptional if it is not the sum of a positive semidefinite matrix and a nonnegative matrix. We show that with certain assumptions on A−1, especially on the diagonal entries, we can guarantee that a copositive matrix A is exceptional. We also show that the only 5-by-5 exceptional matrix with a hollow nonnegative inverse is the Horn matrix (up to positive diagonal congruence and permutation similarity).


: The Internet advertising has more capabilities than other advertising tools. Taking into consideration the broad spectrum of the Internet, the study of the effectiveness indicators of the Internet advertising and the identification of problems in this field are considered to be topical issues. The article analyzes the key effectiveness indicators (KEA) to evaluate the effectiveness of the Internet advertising. Moreover, proposals for the effective use of advertising and marketing systems are also provided. Reducing the number of indicators to simplify the effective collection and analysis of the effectiveness indicators of Internet advertising can be promising. In this regard, some statistical and spectral operations are performed on the efficiency values, and effectiveness signs vector is determined. The Euclidean distance between these vectors is seen as the closeness between the two performance measures. The difference from other methods lies in the collection and distribution in the storage area, the distribution of data by the subsystem in the appropriate analysis systems. The processed information consists of numerical, temporary, logical and text data. The article uses a systematic approach and methodology for the scientific analysis of problems and ways to solve them, as well as for summing up..


Understanding and modeling of ductile damage mechanisms remains a major issue for many industrial cold forming processes. The ability of numerical modeling to predict the ductile fracture is indeed crucial. However, this modeling is limited because of the complexity to take into account the influence of the complex loading paths (multi-axial and non-monotonic, nonproportional, shear effects, etc.) on damage mechanisms.


It is known that beam-column connections are subjected to high stresses during earthquakes. Therefore, the design of these connections plays an important role for an earthquake resistant structure. Closely spaced stirrups should be used in beam-column connections to carry these stresses safely. Since the placement of ties required by the code in this region is rather difficult, this condition is ignored in many cases. Consequently, beam-column joints are sometimes deficient in terms of seismic behavior. In a beam-column connection which has no sufficient shear reinforcement, it is suggested that additional reinforcement arranged by placing steel bars into diagonal holes drilled from the outside and anchoring them by epoxy can carry principal tensile stresses in beam-column connections. This experimental study was carried out at the METU Structural Mechanics Laboratory by using T-shaped test specimens reflecting an exterior joint region of a frame having usual dimensions reduced to a scale of approximately 2/3. Total of eleven specimens were tested, where four were reference specimens and remaining seven were strengthened at the joint region with diagonal steel bars.


This PhD dissertation discusses four important topics in labor economics and microeconometrics. In particular, I am concerned with four issues: (1) marital decision and female labor supply (2) fertility and female labor supply (3) effects of compulsory schooling law on educational outcomes (4) effects of education on labor market outcomes in the context of compulsory schooling reform. The first chapter exploits exogenous variations in marriage caused by the Chinese Zodiac to estimate the causal effect of marital status on female labor force participation. Although the causality between marital status and labor supply is critical for a number of theoretical and practical reasons, the answer is not yet clear-cut because of the endogeneity of marriage. On the one hand, marriage could give a determinant effect on the female labor force participation. On the other hand, unobservable characteristics, such as women's preferences for marriage and their expectations of careers, could also induce a non-marriage status. Despite the rapid accumulation of literature on fertility and female labor supply, few has taken account for marriage effect on labor market outcomes. In this chapter, I use a Chinese superstition as a natural experiment to estimate the causal effect of marriage on female labor supply. In China, females born in Goat years (in lunar calendar) are always labeled as "widowed when young", and they are unpopular in the marriage market. Using this exogenous variation in marital status, I show that marriage has large effects for both rural and urban females, decreases the probability of female labor force participation by 46.4 percentage points and 30.7 percentage points, respectively. The second chapter focuses on an important issue in aging societies that whether fertility affect female labor supply, and whether the fertility effect changes over time. Although the causal link between fertility and labor supply among married women is important, the main difficulty in determining the causality is that fertility decisions and labor market participation are simultaneously determined. Two potential endogeneity issues in this context are as follows. First, unobserved factors such as preferences regarding the number of children and career expectations are heterogeneous across individuals. Second, the amount of time passed since the last childbirth is important for the subsequent fertility decision, and the question of whether to have an additional child


Recently, the broader psychology literature has demonstrated the importance of gratitude in human relationships. Despite this evidence that gratitude is central to effective relationships, research on gratitude in organizational relationships has received little attention. This symposium seeks to address this gap by examining the role of gratitude in organizations. The symposium includes four empirical papers—two field experiments and two field studies—that explore the influence of gratitude on beneficiaries, their coworkers, and their organizations. Specifically, the studies in the symposium examine the role of gratitude in informing the meaning of one's work and motivating performance, the importance of appreciation in supervisor/subordinate relationships, the explanatory power of gratitude in understanding employees' reactions to receiving OCB at work, and the downside of grateful feelings for professional colleagues. These papers extend our understanding of organizational gratitude by considering novel contexts and novel outcomes. We hope the symposium will highlight the importance of this topic and stimulate future research.


A spray drying is an important process in food, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. However, spray dryers normally face a difficulty in operation when some particles with high moisture content (stickiness) have collected contacts with the metal surface of a dryer chamber, which is called a wall deposition problem. In this study, a computational fluid dynamic model of the spray dryer is developed based on momentum, mass and heat equations of the fluid and solid phases and employed to analyze an effect of the addition of a drying agent material on the fluid flow pattern within the spray dryer and the percentage and position of particle deposition. The wall deposition of particles is predicted by considering glass transition temperatures using the sticky-point concept. The feed solution of anthocyanin using maltodextrins as the drying agent material is considered. The simulation results indicate that most particles are deposited on the conical wall more than cylindrical wall. Use of maltodextrin with a higher dextrose equivalent (DE) value lowers the glass transition temperature of particle, causing the particles attached on the wall.


For at least the better part of the late 1960s and the 1970s, historians spent massive energy arguing over the identity and ideology of progressives. In some fashionings, this group—presumably male, usually white—was thought to be so important and ideologically consistent that it would receive a definite article and capital letters: "The Progressives." In the pages of this journal in 1982, Daniel Rodgers seemed both to bring that era to a close and simultaneously point the field in new directions in his review essay, "In Search of Progressivism."1 Rodgers' piece is still requisite for anyone trying to understand the field. Major books and articles have appeared since Rodgers', most notably Jackson Lears' Rebirth of a Nation (2009) and Michael McGerr's A Fierce Discontent (2003), but in many respects, his piece continues to hold tremendous sway. Meanwhile, as historians asked new questions about different groups of historical actors and explored new themes, traditional political history waned in popularity. Even as what remained of the reading public clamored for biographies (particularly of romanticized Founding Fathers), political biographies—once a staple dissertation for many a successful historian—had fallen out of vogue within the profession. It may seem more than a little curious, then, to explore the topic of the progressives via biography. Yet, in doing so, one is able to examine historical conditions and questions in rewarding ways.


The presence of viral RNA in plasma was searched fo r by RT-PCR using specific primers choosen in the N S3 region of the viral genome. 82 patients were enrole d among whom 51 males (62.2%) and 31 females (37.8% ) (mean age: 56.4 ± 16.4 years). Three patients were chronic HBs antigen carriers (4%) and 9 had HCV ant ibodies (12%). 70 were blood products recipients (85.4%) an d 19 had history of both renal transplantation and transfusion (23.2%). Seven had elevated levels of t ransaminases (8.5%). The mean duration of hemodialy sis was 5.8 ± 6.5 years.


The author examines continuity among families and households using lists of the inhabitants for a French rural commune that have been kept up over a long period of time. Tables are compiled for each family concerned and for the community as a whole in order to examine the process of social mobility (SUMMARY IN ENG) (ANNOTATION)


Agricultural producers establish and support a cooperative when it provides benefits they would not obtain by individual actions. Cooperatives are distinguished from other types of organized ventures in that owners are the primary users of services, who benefit in proportion to use. Members of a cooperative typically have diverse economic interests. These may encompass size, type and location of farm enterprises, and length of membership. Maintaining cohesiveness for building incentives to cooperate is becoming more complex as more variations in production practices and technology become available, new forms of business relationships are developed, and as consumer preferences continue to become more diverse and demanding. The objectives of this research are: first, examine the role of member consensus and policy consistency in a cooperative; second, examine member consensus and policy in a strategic framework of competition, where competitors offer individualized terms to selective producers that are difficult for cooperatives to match; and third, develop a game theory analysis for situations where cooperatives need to attract large-scale producers.


Abstract Literature describing spawning habitat used by fall-run chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha is lacking for populations using large, main-stem rivers. A stable spawning flow regime in the Snake River below Hells Canyon Dam and enhanced survey capabilities using remote underwater videography allowed us to accurately describe spawning habitat used by fall chinook salmon within this large river. Water depth measured at 205 fall chinook salmon redds ranged from 0.2 to 6.5 m. Mean water column velocity at 145 redds ranged from 0.4 to 2.1 m/s, and substrate- level water velocity at 164 redds ranged from 0.1 to 2.0 m/s. Substrate size classifications from 112 redds indicated that areas having particle sizes that are relatively homogenous with diameters of 2.5–15.0 cm are used for spawning. During our study, spawning generally began as water temperatures dropped below 16.0°C, and concluded as temperatures approached 5.0°C. Our results corroborate earlier observations of fall chinook salmon spawning in...


We demonstrate 25-Gbit/s four-level pulse amplitude modulation transmission over 28-km standard single-mode fiber using an off-the-shelf 10-Gbit/s electro-absorption modulated laser and a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3\times3$ </tex-math></inline-formula> fiber splitter based simplified coherent receiver in the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$C$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band. No digital signal processing and dispersion compensation have been used either at the transmitter or at the receiver. Furthermore, the use of an intensity modulated signal allows us to avoid the phase and frequency locking of the local oscillator. We achieved receiver sensitivities of −18.25, −17, and −13.4 dBm at a bit error rate below the hard-decision forward error correction threshold (i.e., <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3.8\times 10^{-3}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) and power budgets of 20.80, 19.55, and 15.95 dB in back-to-back, after 20.7 and 28 km, respectively. We also demonstrate polarization independent operation by slightly modifying the architecture of the simplified coherent receiver.


Wilbert J. McKeachie has been the president of the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Association of Higher Education, the American Psychological Foundation, the Division of Educational and School Psychology of the International Association of Applied Psychology, and APA's Divisions 2 and 15. He received his PhD at the University of Michigan in 1949 and is former Director of the University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching. He also served as Chair of the Psychology Department at the University of Michigan from 1961 to 1971. Professor McKeachie has received eight honorary degrees, the American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal for Lifetime Contributions to Psychology, and the American Psychological Association Presidential Citation for exemplary service to the academic and scientific community. His classic book, Teaching Tips, is now in its 12th edition (McKeachie & Svinicki, 2006). Héfer Bembenutty is an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at Queens College of The City University of New York in the Department of Secondary and Youth Services. He received his BA in psychology from the University of Michigan, an MS in psychology from Eastern Michigan University, and an MA and PhD in educational psychology from The City University of New York. He maintains an active research agenda in students' and teachers' self-regulation of learning, the effects of test anxiety on learning, homework self-regulation, self-efficacy beliefs, multicultural education, and academic delay of gratification. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in educational psychology, cognition, instruction and technology, human development and learning, classroom management, and multicultural education.


The invention provides a data synchronization method. The data synchronization method includes the steps of receiving running state information, transmitted by a terminal, of any system in multiple systems of the terminal; judging whether any system breaks down or not according to the running state information, stored performance information of any system of the terminal and a failure predication standard; when it is judged that any system breaks down, transmitting warning information to the terminal for enabling the terminal to prompt a user of the terminal to select whether data of any system are synchronized to a cloud server or not according to the warning information; receiving and storing the data, transmitted by the terminal, in any system. Correspondingly, the invention further provides a data synchronization device, the terminal, the cloud server and a data synchronization system. By means of the technical scheme, the data of the system can be synchronized to the cloud server and are synchronized to other systems of the terminal through the cloud server, and losses of the data of the user are accordingly avoided; in this way, even though the system breaks down, the user can still use the data in the terminal, and the user experience of the user is improved.


Present strategies for treating paroxysmal atrial fibrillation are centered on the use of prophylactic oral administration of antiarrhythmic agents to prevent onset. This laboratory had proposed a system which senses the onset of atrial fibrillation and then delivers drug from an implanted pump to terminate infusion. In this system, arrhythmia detection was based on simple beat counting, while infusion was done with a programmable infusion pump. The viability of this system as an alternative to conventional therapy can be increased with a robust rate estimate based on median filtered AA interval measurements. System performance can be further enhanced by allowing on-line computation of appropriate drug delivery times. An optimal infusion based on patient pharmacokinetic parameters is capable of quickly reaching, then maintaining, therapeutic plasma levels. Design of this infusion requires solving the two-compartment pharmacokinetic equations. Since present pacing devices are incapable of floating-point operations, the two-compartment equations are solved indirectly using integer arithmetic, on/off control, and appropriate approximations.<<ETX>>


Background: In many parts of the world, restrictive non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) that aim to reduce contact rates, including stay-at-home orders, limitations on gatherings, and closure of public places, are being lifted, with the possibility that the epidemic resurges if alternative measures are not strong enough. Here we aim to capture the combination of use of NPI's and reopening measures which will prevent an infection rebound.

Methods: We employ an SEAIR model with household structure able to capture the stay-at-home policy (SAHP). To reflect the changes in the SAHP over the course of the epidemic, we vary the SAHP compliance rate, assuming that the time to compliance of all the people requested to stay-at-home follows a Gamma distribution. Using confirmed case data for the City of Toronto, we evaluate basic and instantaneous reproduction numbers and simulate how the average household size, the stay-at-home rate, the efficiency and duration of SAHP implementation, affect the outbreak trajectory.

Findings: The estimated basic reproduction number R_0 was 2.36 (95% CI: 2.28, 2.45) in Toronto. After the implementation of the SAHP, the contact rate outside the household fell by 39%. When people properly respect the SAHP, the outbreak can be quickly controlled, but extending its duration beyond two months (65 days) had little effect. Our findings also suggest that to avoid a large rebound of the epidemic, the average number of contacts per person per day should be kept below nine. This study suggests that fully reopening schools, offices, and other activities, is possible if the use of other NPIs is strictly adhered to.

Interpretation: Our model confirmed that the SAHP implemented in Toronto had a great impact in controlling the spread of COVID-19. Given the lifting of restrictive NPIs, we estimated the thresholds values of maximum number of contacts, probability of transmission and testing needed to ensure that the reopening will be safe, i.e. maintaining an Rt <1.

Funding Statement: This research was supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canadian COVID-19 Math Modelling Task Force (NO, BS, JH, JA, JB, JW, JD, HZ), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (JH, JA, JB, JW, JD, IM, HZ) and York University Research Chair program (HZ).

Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.


In macromolecular crystallography several programs are available to fulfil the steps from data integration via phasing to model refinement. The pathway is not fixed and it is often useful to combine several similar programs. There is no common data format used by all programs and conversions are required between the different packages. Two utility programs are presented that facilitate the transition from mtz format to formats that are suitable for SHELXD or SHELXH/SHELXL. The programs are statically linked and do not require the installation of libraries or other additional software.


In this paper, a novel defected ground structure (DGS) pattern with enhanced effective capacitance (varactor diode) and a hole in PCB center is presented. The increase in effective capacitance enables the new DGS pattern to achieve a lower resonance than the DGS pattern for the same etched square dimension. The hole in the center also can make resonator frequency lower with better characteristic. According to the tunable characteristic of varactor diode, the resonant frequencies can be tunable. Simulation results show that a lower resonance is achieved with active device, compared to a common DGS pattern.


Management of recurrent urinary tract infections plagues pediatricians and many of their young patients. This urol ogist speaks out both clearly and elo quently about this problem, emphasizing the importance of a complete urologic investigation. He presents a step by step analysis of the possible etiology of in fection and presents a time-proven ap proach to what constitutes a thorough urologic evaluation.


Legitimacy is a concept that has been largely forgotten by the deconstructive discourse on law and politics. This article seeks, on the one hand, to reassess the role of legitimacy in deconstruction and, on the other hand, to bring deconstructive thinking to bear on the concept of legitimacy. By re-reading Derrida's "Declarations of Independence" through the lenses of his later texts on sovereignty and (counter)signature, it is argued that, rather than being deconstructible, legitimacy is deconstructing any self-founding of law and power. As such, legitimacy functions not as an evaluative concept of law and order but as a constantly insisting demand that facilitates the principles of responsibility and responsiveness.


Initial experiments showed that, so long as the diluent used in making the serial dilutions is normal urine or normal saline and not tap-water, which causes excessive haemolysisin the higher dilutions, centrifugation leads to no detectable loss of red blood cells. Centrifugation of more than 10 ml. is apt to be incomplete and so leads to less reliable results. If the urine is highly pigmented and there is any subsequent difficulty with colours, normal urine may be used as diluent rather than normal saline, with corresponding slight reduction in the sensitivity of the test. This result may in part be due to the inhibiting effect of ascorbic acid on the reaction, but this is slight when the ascorbic acid content is reasonably near to the average normal concentration of some 2 mg. per. 1009 ml. If the urine contains iodides false positives will be encountered'towjwg toa the liberationof iodine. Although it has been found convenient to report the results in terms o6fnumbers of red blood cells, the test is more strictly related to the haemoglobin content, and this should be remembered in the event of there being marked changes in the mean corpuscular haemoglobin content in the patient'g red cells. We have found that the test, capable of detecting down to 5,000 red cells per ml., covers a useful range, and accords with information concerning the output of red cells in urine which may be regarded as normal (Larcom and Carter, 1948; Lyttle, 1933).


A device (D) for the control of IP communications between at least two communication equipment (E1, E2) able to exchange IP data packets generated by at least one media type, via a communication network (RC). said device (D) includes control means (MC) designed to be implanted in a server (S) and loaded i) to trigger the request file transmission to be executed to the communication equipment (E1, E2), these files being intended, when executed by a communication equipment (E1), to allow, on one hand, the automatic registration to the server (S) of the user of this communication equipment (E1), and the other hand, the takeover in the communication equipment (E1) of each flux generated by a media to which access has been authorized by the user, and ii) in case of registration with the server (S) of at least two users wishing to establish communication over IP between them, to organize the relay and management of authorized flows between communication equipment (E1, E2) of these users for the duration of the communication over IP.


Sir, Immunization is considered as the most cost-effective and safest public health intervention to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality, although its full potential is not yet reached.[1] Every year, 5 lakh children die in India due to vaccine-preventable diseases, and another 89 lakhs remain at risk due to partial or no immunization.[2] According to the WHO, vaccine hesitancy refers to a delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of vaccination services. Vaccine hesitancy reduces vaccine coverage. This poses particular problems in lowand middle-income countries with higher incidence of vaccine-preventable deaths. Several factors have been said to influence vaccine hesitancy, including sociocultural context, religious beliefs, misinformation spread through social media, historical influences and mistrust, beliefs and attitudes about vaccines, and specific characteristics of the vaccines.


Introduction: Mouthwashes are regularly prescribed as a maintenance phase of treatment by the dentist. The pH of the mouthwash can enhance the elemental release from the cemented prosthesis. Aim: To evaluate the effect of two types (Oral-B and Listerine) of mouthwashes on the release of elements from Nickel-Chromium (Ni-Cr) dental alloys. Materials and Methods: An in-vitro comparative study was conducted in the Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dental Sciences, Karad, Maharashtra, India, from April 2018 to April 2022. A total of 90 crowns were fabricated using three different brands of dental casting alloys (DCA) using lost wax technique. The crowns were immersed into two different mouthwashes (Oral-B and Listerine) in polypropylene test tubes, and then incubated at 37°C to simulate the oral temperature for 1, 4, and 7 days. The leaching of the elements from the fabricated crowns into the mouthwashes was analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Data analysis was performed using the t test and repeated measure Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by post hoc Dunnett Multiple Comparisons Test. Results: The Ni and Cr levels in the mouthwashes were significantly elevated in brand I (Ruby, Japan Dentistry Products Pvt. Ltd.), brand II (Dentmark, R&D Impex International), and brand III (BEGO, GmbH & Co KG). Presence of Ni released from all the three brands of DCA in mouthwash over a period of 1, 4, and 7 days was detected to be in the range of 16 to 39.9 µg/L. Cr released from all the three brands of DCA in mouthwash over a period of 1, 4, and days was detected to be in the range of 10.3 to 42.8 µg/L. Conclusion: The Ni and Cr were released in the mouthwash and the release increased with time. The acidic pH of Listerine adds to the increased release of Ni and Cr.


In the present paper the analytical aspects related to the maximum invariance depth of propagation finite energy Airy-type beams are investigated, considering not only the usual exponentially dumped Airy beams but also the truncated ones. It is obtained an analytic expression which seems capable of finding accurately the maximum invariance distance of these waves. The results seem to be in line with those obtained from numerical simulations.


Field experiments to determine some of the hibernation and estivation habits of Hypera postica (Gyllenhal) in West Virginia were begun in December 1965.

Soil samplings of caged and uncaged areas of alfalfa were used to ascertain the location and duration of hibernation and estivation sites. Adult weevils were found hibernating in the soil from late December to early March. They gradually emerged from the soil into the fields during mid-March through April, and they estivated in the soil from late June through September. Adult alfalfa weevils were found principally in the top 0.8 inches of the soil.


The low temperature growth process of the carbon fibers with an organic metal chemical vapor deposition at a low temperature of less than 450 ℃ to grow the carbon fibers is disclosed. Method of producing carbon fibers according to the invention, after mounting a substrate in a reaction chamber, preparing an organometallic compound by heating the substrate comprises the step, nickel (Ni) element to maintain a temperature range of 200 ℃ to 450 ℃ phase, vaporizing the organometallic compounds by these chemical reactions by supplying a reaction gas containing ozone (O


Banks use various advertisingmediato develop their marketing plans.However, all the advertising media have not the same impacts on the economic growth of banksas their efficiencies are influenced by several technical and socialfactors. In this study, we investigate the importance of various advertising media on the progress of Iran private banks based on the evaluation of some important parameters such asthe media cost, geographical selection power, audiences' media habits, type of the advertising message and advertisements of competitor banks.In this regard, television, newspapers and magazines, radio, and billboard and sport fields are selected as the mainmedia for the banks commercial activities. Using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method, the media cost with the importance of 34.3% is the main parameter and the type of the message with the importance of 10.2% is the least important factor influencing the selection of media by the banks for the advertisement operations. The results show that the effectiveness of advertising media is different sincetelevision with the importance of 47.3% is placed in the first level and the billboard and sport fields with 9% importance is in the last place. In general, the order of priority of advertising media is:television>newspapers and magazines> radio> billboard and sport fields.This study offers insight into the development of analysis for the selection of effective advertisingtools based on the factors related to the advertisement properties and the community behavior.


Textile inkjet printing is an increasingly popular process in the textile industry, as it allows for the incorporation of complex and detailed patterns onto fabrics, as well as the production of small and medium volumes of printed text. Unfortunately, most of the dyes used by the textile industry come from synthetic and/or non-renewable sources. There has been some research to date in using fungal pigments from wood rotting fungi ('spalting' fungi) as textile dyes, however these have never been tested in inkjet printing. Of particular interest is the red crystallizing pigment from Scytalidium cuboideum, which has previously shown exceptional stability on textiles. To test this pigment in an inkjet setting, cotton and polyester fabrics were printed with three different ink formulations involving the red pigment: hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), ethanol, and acetone. The CTAB and ethanol-based ink formulations formed a 'mesh-like' structure on the surface of the cotton and polyester fibers, and turned the fabric purple. Acetone formulas formed crystal structures on the surface and turned the fabric red. These results show promise for turning the red pigment of S. cuboideum into an environmentally friendly, inkjet colorant, however further research is required to evaluate the crocking and explain the crystallization differences between inks.


This paper presents a sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter (ADC) using discrete-time implementation dedicated to automotive control systems. The proposed ADC consists of a fourth-order sigma-delta modulator followed by a fifth-order cascaded integrator comb (CIC) decimator filter. The structure of the proposed modulator employs a cascaded integrator feed-forward (CIFF) topology. By using multi-bit quantizer, the modulator can apparently reduce quantization noise and make the loop more stable. Thanks to the input offset storage (IOS) technology and neutralization technology, the offset voltage of the comparator is sharply reduced by 35.5% and kick back noise is also eliminated. A random digital correction method is applied to make the feedback DAC insensitive to the mismatch of small-size capacitors and achieve better dynamic performance. The proposed ADC is implemented in a standard 0.18um CMOS process. Operating from a 1.8V supply, it achieves a peak spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) of 105.8 dB and a peak signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SNDR) of 93 dB at a conversion rate of 1 MS/s. The power consumption is 8.28 mW, which corresponds to a Walden figure-of-merit of 7.2 pJ/conv and a Schreier figure-of-merit of 155.8 dB.


The combustion and emission characteristics of spark-ignition (SI) methanol and methanol/ liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) engines under different fuel injection timings during cold start have been studied by means of a cycle-by-cycle control strategy. The results showed that the methanol injection timing, the LPG injection timing, and the LPG injection timing delay relative to the methanol injection timing affect cold-start combustion characteristics and emissions of hydrocarbons, formaldehyde, and unburned methanol significantly. The methanol injection timing, the LPG injection timing, and the LPG injection timing delay relative to the methanol injection timing can be optimized to ensure that most fuels enter into the cylinder in the injection cycle and the following cycle and that reliable ignition and combustion happen in the third cycle. Optimal control of the fuel injection timing and the LPG injection timing delay relative to the methanol injection timing improves firing performances, reduces the hydr...


The phase transition evolution for [KNbO 3 ] 1 − x [BaNi 1 / 2 Nb 1 / 2 O 3 − δ ] x ( x =0, 0.1) is determined via complementary dielectric permittivity and Raman scattering measurements. Raman scattering by optical phonons over the range of 100-1000 cm − 1 for 83 K < T < 873 K reveals six discernible zone-center optical phonon modes. Mode behaviors are observed through structural and ferroelectric phases in the solid solution x = 0.1 and compared with those for end member x = 0 and with the results of temperature-dependent dielectric permittivity. Rigorous peak fitting analyses of spectra collected from the solid solution and end member indicate structural and ferroelectric phase transition temperatures that are close to those for the KNbO 3 end member despite the inclusion of 5 atomic % of ferroelectrically inactive Ni cations. Density functional theory calculations were performed in the solid solution and end member using both cation displacement and Berry phase-based methods. Differences in the electronic and polar properties between the solid solution and the end member highlights local and non-local characteristics, which are discussed in relation to the experimental data.


We obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for Birkhoff–James orthogonality in the space of all continuous vector-valued functions from a compact topological space to a finite-dimensional Hilbert space, by using some basic geometric ideas. We apply our outcomes to characterize Birkhoff–James orthogonality of sesquilinear forms. Moreover, using Birkhoff–James orthogonality of sesquilinear forms, we obtain a different proof of the renowned Bhatia–Šemrl Theorem.


Background and Aims:  Ecabet sodium (ES) is a gastric mucosal protective and ulcer‐healing agent. Recently enema therapy with ES was found to be effective for the treatment of human ulcerative colitis as well as experimental colitis in an animal model. Whereas ES possesses potential as a novel treatment for ulcerative colitis, its precise mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of ES in an experimental rat model of colitis, and evaluated the restitution of intestinal epithelial cells treated with ES in vitro.


Among the many notable finds of the first season of the ill-starred collaboration of Cambridge and Peshawar Universities in excavations at Shaikhān Dherī, Chārsada, in the autumn of 1963, those in the house or shrine D were outstanding. Here in one of the symmetrical and well oriented insulae of the city was discovered a small building constructed of brick and diaper masonry, probably in early Kushān times, and destroyed around the time of Vāsudeva. The destruction was a result of fire and there was every sign that the building had been hastily stripped of its more valuable contents, if not actually looted, before the final collapse of the roof. In the main and largest room, of some 22 by 18 feet, beneath the fallen ceiling, were a remarkable collection of objects, scattered in disarray and including two seated Buddha figures, a standing Bodhisattva, a seated Hariiti, and a small figure of a four-armed city goddess, all being typical examples of the Gandhāran style and in Gandhāran schist; carved stone relic caskets and stūpas, one inscribed in Kharoṣṭhī; a remarkable relic casket of a fine schist, carved in the form of a cruciform building with four vaulted arms and a central circular opening rabbeted to take a now missing lid which was almost certainly in the form of a dome, the ends of the vaults being carved with miniature reliefs of scenes from the life of the Buddha; and a small broken sculpture in Mathurā sandstone of a seated Buddha in the style of the celebrated Mathurā Katrā Keśava Deva figure. It is a matter of great concern and regret that the proper publication of all this important material has been so long delayed, and that it has not been possible for this extremely productive and important excavation to proceed.


Trombe Wall is an active or passive (depending on type of construction) solar building design technique used for heating spaces in cold regions.The following paper aims to study different typologies of trombe walls and study their usages according to their typologies. The paper explores the possibility of usage of trombe in hot and dry climate. TROMBE WALL Trombe Wall can be an active as well as passive solar building design techniques used for heating up spaces in cold climatic zones. The concept was first proposed by Edward S. Morse and was patented in 1881. In the year 1966 it was available as an element which can be applied in architecture. Trombe wall works on the fundamental that the heat from the sun having shorter wavelength and high energy is allowed to pass through transparent layer, thus heating the thermal mass and the radiated heat from thermal mass having long wavelength and low energy is trapped inside or is not allowed to escape outside. It is a two layered system, which consists of glass, fibre or any transparent material on outer façade followed by air cavity and then wall of thermal mass. These types of walls are constructed on the sun facing side (South side in northern hemisphere) of buildings such that winter sun radiation is allowed for the maximum duration of time to enter the building, thus absorbing heat throughout sunshine hours. The thermal mass wall is generally 8 in. to 16 in. thick, coated with dark absorptive material and air cavity of 3⁄4 in. to 6in. between wall and exterior transparent surface. Solar energy that falls on the glass is absorbed by the wall during the day and released into the house during the © 2018 JETIR December 2018, Volume 5, Issue 12 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) JETIRDT06200 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 1231 later hours of the day. Air is heated during day time by convection or induced air circulation through the open able vents which are provided on top and bottom of the system. Fig. 1. Typical Trombe Wall (Left) and its working (Right)


Importance
The mortality rate for individuals on the wait list for lung transplant is 15% to 25%, and still only 20% of lungs from multiorgan donors are used for lung transplant. The lung donor pool may be increased by assessing and reconditioning high-risk extended criteria donor lungs with ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP), with similar short-term outcomes.

Objective
To assess the long-term outcomes of transplant recipients of donor lungs treated with EVLP.

Design, Setting, and Participants
This retrospective cohort single-center study was conducted from August 1, 2008, to February 28, 2017, among 706 recipients of donor lungs not undergoing EVLP and 230 recipients of donor lungs undergoing EVLP.

Exposure
Donor lungs undergoing EVLP.

Main Outcomes and Measures
The incidence of chronic lung allograft dysfunction and allograft survival during the 10-year EVLP era were the primary outcome measures. Secondary outcomes included donor characteristics, maximum predicted percentage of forced expiratory volume in 1 second, acute cellular rejection, and de novo donor-specific antibody development.

Results
This study included 706 patients (311 women and 395 men; median age, 50 years [interquartile range, 34-61 years]) in the non-EVLP group and 230 patients (85 women and 145 men; median age, 46 years [interquartile range, 32-55 years]) in the EVLP group. The EVLP group donors had a significantly lower mean (SD) Pao2:fraction of inspired oxygen ratio than the non-EVLP group donors (348 [108] vs 422 [88] mm Hg; P < .001), higher prevalence of abnormal chest radiography results (135 of 230 [58.7%] vs 349 of 706 [49.4%]; P = .02), and higher proportion of smoking history (125 of 204 [61.3%] vs 322 of 650 [49.5%]; P = .007). More recipients in the EVLP group received single-lung transplants (62 of 230 [27.0%] vs 100 of 706 [14.2%]; P < .001). There was no significant difference in time to chronic lung allograft dysfunction between the EVLP and non-EVLP group (70% vs 72% at 3 years; 56% vs 56% at 5 years; and 53% vs 36% at 9 years; log-rank P = .68) or allograft survival between the EVLP and non-EVLP groups (73% vs 72% at 3 years; 62% vs 58% at 5 years; and 50% vs 44% at 9 years; log-rank P = .97) between the 2 groups. All secondary outcomes were similar between the 2 groups.

Conclusions and Relevance
Since 2008, 230 of 936 lung transplants (24.6%) in the Toronto Lung Transplant Program were performed after EVLP assessment and treatment. Use of EVLP-treated lungs led to an increase in the number of patients undergoing transplantation, with comparable long-term outcomes.


The financial crisis determined a transition in management from an approach based on spending allocated funds in the budgetary year and avoiding loosing it to another that takes into consideration economizing as more as possible. Performance measurement in public entities implies certain particularities, which make this process to be different from the process within the private sector. An important phase in the process of measuring performances is setting and implementing a group of relevant quantitative and qualitative indicators that express also economy, efficiency, and efficacy.


Facing reality of the global warming objective,Countries will put low-carbon eco-city on the national strategic agenda.China is countries with responsibility,facing the domestic and international environment,participated in the global carbon emissions action,and make a series of country policy.But there are many errors in low-carbon eco-city development policy,such as policy value deviation,policy implementation utilitarian,and policy structure single.For Implement low-carbon development strategy,Building a resource-conserving,environment-friendly society,Analyses the reason and making some suggestions has important significance.


I n the Palace of Yogyakarta there are several manuscripts that became heritage , one of them is Serat Bratayuda . The text in the manuscript is known as derivative of Serat Bratayuda by Yasadipura I. Thus, the text is derived from Kakawin Bhāratayuddha by Mpu Sedah and Mpu Panuluh . Through comparative methods that compare images with text , it can be seen that there are images that different from the text. The difference is caused by several factors , such as, the story of puppetry, the facts of life the community, and the creativity of the illustrator.


The wind field and turbulence of the atmospheric boundary layer are important parameters for various application fields, like meteorology, atmospheric physics, environmental protection, wind-energy utilization, air-traffic control, and-so-on. Their high variability in spatial and temporal scales necessitates a fast remote-sensing method. From the available techniques the Doppler Lidar has proved to be the most promising candidate. Therefore, DLR has combined its well established Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA) and its laser-based Ceilometer with a Sonic Anemometer. The laser systems are working in the eye-safe wavelength respectively energy region. These subsystems are forming the so-called DLR Windprofiler which is characterized by compact design and half-automatic operation.


International Journal of African Historical Studies, 1999 "Dawn to Dusk is a timely book. It tells the story of the ancient kingdom of Igodomigodo, its glorious beginning, and its devastating defeat at the hands of the British. Looking back, the author cannot but voice his hatred of the system that robbed them of their birthright, the system that destroyed their custom, stole their wealth and brought them doom. There seems to be not only a strained cry for reparation but a still more courageous voice that seeks to reclaim its place in the world.


Energetic 3He particle mean free paths are calculated using in situ wave amplitudes. The wave polarization (outward propagating, arc-polarized, spherical) and wave k directions (outward hemispherical) are included in a first-order cyclotron resonant calculation. Values for λW−P are ∼0.2 AU. This is roughly ∼5 times smaller than the particle mean free path as determined from modeling applied to measured front-to-back 3He particle anisotropies. It is suggested that this difference is due to much slower pitch angle diffusion through 90°.


The paper is devoted to the development of the refined numerical and mathematical models of rotor dynamics for high-performance turbomachines. These models consider the nonlinear regression dependencies between the radial stiffness of bearing supports and rotor speed of the shaft. As a result of the comprehensive application of the proposed approach, the algorithms of identification of the stiffness parameters of the bearing supports were proposed based on the critical frequencies of the rotor system. Additionally, the methodology for estimating the system of initial imbalances by the related displacements of the rotor axis in the correction and calculation cross-sections was improved. The proposed approaches based on the comprehensive application of the CAE software and computational intelligence systems allow conducting the modal and harmonic analysis and realizing the virtual balancing with the significant decrease of the preparatory and machine times without the loss of relative accuracy. Additionally, the developed mathematical models of free and forced oscillations of rotor systems were implemented as a program code of the operating files "Critical frequencies of the rotor" and "Forces oscillations of the rotors" within the computer algebra system that allows improving the dynamic balancing procedure in order to estimate the system of initial imbalances. The high accuracy of the proposed approach is confirmed by the verification of dynamic deflections of the rotor axis by the system of residual imbalances in accordance with the norms of vibration reliability.


Venture capital is an effective tool for investment in both early stage and hi-tech businesses. From a purely legalistic perspective, this paper examines the current legal framework of France on venture capital and the opportunities it presents for shari'a-compliant investments. The study adopts an analytical approach in dissecting the relevant laws and regulations, including the relevant European Union Directives and Regulations, on venture capital in France and explores salient provisions through content analysis for possibilities of introducing shari'a-compliant venture capital operations in the country. While focusing only on the legal framework on venture capital in France and the Islamic venture capital models, this study does not intend to dwell in the regulatory framework of other sectors of the French financial system. The findings of this study would provide a clear direction, which includes the opportunities and inevitable risks, for investors who are willing to venture into the French investment arena using the Islamic venture capital instruments. Though few studies have been carried out on potentials of Islamic finance in France generally, there has not been much focus on venture capital sector which might give a new impetus to efforts toward building bridges across financial communities. The paper concludes that, with some glaring connections with Islamic law, the French legal framework on venture capital has the potentials of accommodating shari'a-compliant venture capital operations.


Efficient knowledge retrieval plays a pivotal role in ensuring the success of end-to-end task-oriented dialogue systems by facilitating the selection of relevant information necessary to fulfill user requests. However, current approaches generally integrate knowledge retrieval and response generation, which poses scalability challenges when dealing with extensive knowledge bases. Taking inspiration from open-domain question answering, we propose a retriever-generator architecture that harnesses a retriever to retrieve pertinent knowledge and a generator to generate system responses.~Due to the lack of retriever training labels, we propose relying on feedback from the generator as pseudo-labels to train the retriever. To achieve this, we introduce a dual-feedback mechanism that generates both positive and negative feedback based on the output of the generator. Our method demonstrates superior performance in task-oriented dialogue tasks, as evidenced by experimental results on three benchmark datasets.


The TMI allows applications to be composed hierarchically. Physical and dynamical modules of different models can be defined as separate gridded components. These components coupled together with a coupler component. All of these nested within a single master gridded component and work as a single modeling unit through the coupler component. Here the modeling components are RegCM (Regional Climate Model) as atmospheric gridded component and ROMS (Regional Ocean Modeling System) as oceanic gridded component. The coupler component acts as an agent to convert the atmospheric gridded component to oceanic gridded component and vice-versa as per the algorithmic necessity. Design of TMI, allows stopping interactive execution to standalone execution of the respective gridded component as per the user selection. TMI can be included in data assimilation and climate application.


The quotient for Planck's Length divided by the product of Hubble's parameter and twice the width of the Compton wave length for a proton has been considered a critical increment for the time required for a proton to expand one Planck's Length. The empirical time of 3.25 ms, found in magnetic field effectiveness for multiple physical and biochemical reactions, requires a local Hubble constant (H) of 58 km·s-1·MPar-1 with a resulting mass density of 0.14 protons per cubic meter. This mass density multiplied by the cube of the galactic orbital velocity is within error measurement of the background photon flux density measured locally by photomultiplier units over the last four years. Regression analyses for the weak positive correlation between Huchra's annual fluctuations in H and global annual geomagnetic activity over the last 30 years indicated that every 1 nT increase was associated with 0.44 km·s-1·MPar-1 increase in H. The required average density is equivalent to that of the rest mass of the electron. The results and quantitative solutions indicate that the measurement of H is affected by geomagnetic activity and that the time for a proton to expand 1 Planck's Length can vary over time. Unless earth-based reactions from exposures to pulsed or "quantum well" like magnetic fields that depend upon resonant precision with this value are adjusted appropriately their efficacy could vary significantly.


In this paper, a novel CMOS correlated double sampling (CDS) structure for focal plane array (FPA) is proposed. Through the improved shared off FPA integration and CDS structure, the fixed pattern noise (FPN) and KTC reset noise are reduced greatly; all pixels in the selected row can start to integrate simulataneously; the readout process happens in the next row selection time, which can increase the frame frequency greatly; and the output waveform is boxcar, which is very easy to realize analog/digital conversion (ADC); SPICE simulation results have shown that the proposed novel CDS structure can achieve simple driving signal and circuit structure, and large dynamic range in large format FPA with samll power consumption.


Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) contribute to increased length of hospital stay, high mortality and higher health-care costs. Prevention and control of HAIs is a critical public health concern. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 213 hospital health-care workers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. We assessed Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of standard infection control precautions using a structured questionnaire. Predictors of KAP were investigated using multivaraible logistic regression analyses and independent sample t tests. Prevalence of good (≥80% correct response) knowledge, attitude and practice were 67.6%, 61.5% and 73.2%, respectively. Predictors of good knowledge included age over 34 years (adjusted odds ratio: 30.5, p<0.001), and receiving training (13.3, p<0.001). Predictor of positive attitude was having >6 years of experience (5.5, p<0.001). While, the predictors of good practice were having >6 years of experience (2.9, p<0.01), previous exposure to HAIs (2.5, p<0.05) and training (3.5, p<0.01). However, being female (0.22, p<0.001) and older (>34 years) (0.34, p<0.01) were negatively associated with knowledge. Results indicate that older academic programs might not have adequately covered infection crontrol. Arranging training for HCWs might be useful in improving their knowledge of standard infection control precautions and is also expected to facilitate positive attitude and practice.


Supplemental digital content is available in the text. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe the relationships between intent to leave, reasons nurses intend to leave, and the nursing work environment in military hospitals. BACKGROUND Intention to leave is a precursor of nurse turnover. The reasons nurses intend to leave may be influenced by leader interventions and potentially preventable. METHODS This descriptive, correlational secondary analysis included 724 nurse survey responses from 23 US Army hospitals. Bivariate correlations and predictive modeling techniques were used. RESULTS Forty-nine percent of nurses indicated they intended to leave, 44% for potentially preventable reasons. Dissatisfaction with management and the nursing work environment were the top potentially preventable reasons to leave. Nurses who intended to leave for potentially preventable reasons scored aspects of the nursing work environment significantly lower than those intending to leave for nonpreventable reasons. CONCLUSIONS Identifying potentially preventable reasons in conjunction with intent to leave can provide leaders opportunities to intervene and influence turnover intention.


Interval matrices have many applications in intelligent engineering problems such as robotics in computer science. In this paper, we will first describe the concepts of interval matrices. Next, we will introduce a new class of interval matrices, namely, doubly stochastic interval matrices. Finally, we will present some properties of this new class of matrices.


The ISEE Blast Vibration and Seismograph Section provides a f orum for the discussion of issues related to vibration and noise from mine, quarry and construction blasting. The section began as a Technical committee in 1995 to promote the accuracy of blasting seismographs. Currently five subcommittees exist within the section: Seismograph Standards; Seismograph Testing and Calibration; Vibration Limits, Technical; Vibration Regulations; and Program and Communications. Foremost, the Seismograph Standards section wrote the first two technical standards adopted by the ISEE. The historical accomplishments, current activities and objectives of the section are discussed.


It is known that the experimental triclinic crystal structures of even n‐alkanes are not well reproduced upon energy minimization with current force fields. The inclusion of electrostatics does not solve this, and, moreover, some charge schemes show unphysical features such as positively charged carbon atoms or charge alternation. The effect of the electrostatics on the energies of the crystal structures of the even n‐alkanes, and thereby on their polymorphism, has never been established. A new charge scheme is introduced that yields physically sensible charges without constraints. It will also be shown, however, that electrostatics are relevant neither for the structures of the crystals, nor for their energies. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 23: 365–370, 2002


The working principle of TEQC software is analyzed. By secondary development of the plotting tools,the visualization inquiries of different graphs are achieved. The data pre-processing model based on TEQC is improved,and a segmental automatic pre-processing method is designed. A measured GPS control network is analyzed with TEQC. The consequence shows that high quality data can be properly extracted by using automatic pre-processing method,the manual operation steps are reduced,the processing efficiency is optimized,and the quality of baseline resolution is improved.


To investigate the mechanism of crack initiation in the glass substrate, residual stress in the substrate was analyzed by the finite element method (FEM). A Si wafer that has the same mechanical properties of glass was prepared as the substrate. The thin Cu film layer was fabricated on the Si wafer by plating. The warpage of the wafer in the heat treatment process was investigated by laser displacement measurement. Residual stress was calculated by the obtained warpage value using the Stoney formula. It was found that the warpage becomes zero and the stress-free state occurs around at 150°C. On the basis of the FEM analysis result from 150°C to the room temperature in the cooling process, it was found that analyzed warpage values are almost analogous to measured ones. Also, it was confirmed that equivalent stress in the wafer in the vicinity of the Cu/Si interface increases and the stress-concentrated area expands there with increasing the thickness of the Cu film. The results indicates that crack initiation easily occurs in the glass substrate when the thickness of the Cu film increases. Moreover, from the results of the FEM analysis for the warpage of the wafer in the heating process, it was found that the analyzed warpage is good accordance with the measured one from room temperature to around 150°C.


:Objective To predict theCTL epitopes of Tat exon 1 region in HIV-1 CRF07_BC strains, which were prevailing inChina. Methods Total of 236 plasma samples were from the 3rd National HIV MolecularEpidemic Survey (NMES3). All the subjects were infected with HIV-1 CRF07_BC viruses. Thetat exon 1 region was amplified by reverse transcription reaction and nested polymerasechain reaction (nested-PCR), then the PCR products were sequenced. The distribution of CTLepitopes of this region were predicted by on-line software BIMAS HLA Peptide BindingPredictions and statistics software. Results To-tal of 236 CRF07_BC strains were from 16provinces, mainly in intravenous drug asers(58.9%)and then sex(25.0%). It was showed thatthere were 12 CTL epitopes of 236 Tat exon 1 region of CRF07_BC strains mainly located inproline-rich region, cysteine-rich region and core-region. Those epitopes were banded by 5HLA presenting molecules in genotype(A * 2501 ,A * 2902, B * 15,B * 5301 and Cw * 1203)and 6 HLA presenting molecules in serotype (B53, B58 ,B57 ,A3 ,A68 and Cw12). Thefrequency of single amino acid substitution was more than 50% in 7 CTL epitopes.Conclusion The CTL epitopes in Tat exon 1 of CRF07 _BC strains were located in differentfunctional regions, and there were some amino acid variations in them.


A survey is presented on the research of the Institute of Mechanics of the ETH in the field of vibration control with magnetic bearings. It shows a method for modelling an elastic rotor so that it can be represented by a low order model amenable to control techniques. It deals with the control law and spill-over effects, and it also discusses experimental results for an active resonance damper.


Enhancing energy product and thermal stability at the same time while retaining the concentration of rare-earth (RE) elements in RE-$3d$ compounds is desirable for permanent magnetic applications. Herein, all-electron electronic structure calculations are used to reveal possibilities of enhancing saturation magnetization (${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}{M}_{s}$) and uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (${K}_{u}$) in ${\mathrm{Th}\mathrm{Mn}}_{12}$-type ${\mathrm{Sm}\mathrm{Fe}}_{12}$ by carefully exploring substitutional and interstitial impurities. More specifically, an addition of only one N atom, among $2p$-electron elements, per formula unit cell of ${\mathrm{Sm}\mathrm{Fe}}_{12}$ not only improves its structural stability but also enhances ${K}_{u}$ by more than 2 times and ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}{M}_{s}$ up to 5%, which are superior to those of the currently known permanent magnetic materials. Our calculations further demonstrate that these permanent magnetic properties of ${\mathrm{Sm}\mathrm{Fe}}_{12}$ can also be enhanced by replacing $\mathrm{Fe}$ with $\mathrm{Co}$, in agreement with an experiment [Y. Hirayama et al., Scr. Mater. 138, 62 (2017)].


A theoretical reappraisal of the meaning of object substitution in the development of children's representational abilities is suggested, and a functional distinction between five types of object subs


The apparent dose-response relationship between amount of exposure to acute radiation and level of mortality in humans is affected by uncertainties in the dose values. It is apparent that one of the greatest concerns regarding the human data from Hiroshima and Nagasaki is the unexpectedly shallow slope of the dose response curve. This may be partially explained by uncertainty in the dose estimates. Some potential effects of dose uncertainty on the apparent dose-response relationship are demonstrated.


Abstract: An entertaining debate in cancer genetics concerns the relative importance of selection for a growth advantage and genomic instability in tumorigenesis. Below, I present evidence that shows that selection is more important, particularly in the early stages of tumorigenesis, but that genomic instability is also an indisputable feature of many cancers. One attractive possibility is that some mutations may have pleiotropic effects both on cell replication or apoptosis and on genomic instability.


Purpose To improve methods of differential diagnosing benign renal mass(BRM)from renal cell carcinoma(RCC). Methods A comparative study of 24 cases of BRM versus 50 cases of RCC was performed. Results High dense renal cyst is usually homogeneous hypoechogenicity on sonograms and homogeneous high/iso attenuation on CT images and color doppler is helpful in diagnosing.Atypical angiomyolipoma usually shows homogeneous high attenuation on unenhanced CT images,homogeneous enhancement on enhanced CT and homogeneous isoechogenicity on sonograms.The CT features of Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis(XGP)include multiple,rounded,low density areas with enhancing rings arranged in a hydronephrotic pattern known as bear paw sign.Acute focal bacterial nephritis(AFBN)shows wedge lesion and stripe sign on delayed enhanced CT images. Conclusion Almost all misdiagnosing of benign renal mass may be avioded. [


S U M M A R Y The attenuation and velocity dispersion of sonic waves contain valuable information on the mechanical and hydraulic properties of the probed medium. An inherent complication arising in the interpretation of corresponding measurements is, however, that there are multiple physical mechanisms contributing to the energy dissipation and that the relative importance of the various contributions is difficult to unravel. To address this problem for the practically relevant case of terrestrial alluvial sediments, we analyse the attenuation and velocity dispersion characteristics of broad-band multifrequency sonic logs with dominant source frequencies ranging between 1 and 30 kHz. To adequately compensate for the effects of geometrical spreading, which is critical for reliable attenuation estimates, we simulate our experimental setup using a correspondingly targeted numerical solution of the poroelastic equations. After having applied the thus inferred corrections, the broad-band sonic log data set, in conjunction with a comprehensive suite of complementary logging data, allows for assessing the relative importance of a range of pertinent attenuation mechanisms. In doing so, we focus on the effects of wave-induced fluid flow over a wide range of scales. Our results indicate that the levels of attenuation due to the presence of mesoscopic heterogeneities in unconsolidated clastic sediments fully saturated with water are expected to be largely negligible. Conversely, Monte-Carlo-type inversions indicate that Biot's classical model permits to explain most of the considered data. Refinements with regard to the fitting of the observed attenuation and velocity dispersion characteristics are locally provided by accounting for energy dissipation at the microscopic scale, although the nature of the underlying physical mechanism remains speculative.


The development of adaptive autonomous systems with evolving functionality (AASEFs) differs from their technological predecessors due to their changing, rather than static, architectures and processes; subsequently, their development, deployment, and implementation creates novel ethical issues. Our scoping review surveys the literature to identify the problematic nature of AASEFs, the ethical worries that they generate, and the ethical principles affected. Our literature examination also ascertains stakeholder needs and solutions regarding the trust and trustworthiness of ASSEFs. The characteristics of non-explicability and fluctuating behaviour are predominantly problematic of AASEFs. The literature advocates for AASEF development incorporating 'ethics by design' with enforceable standards supported via regulatory and legal structures..


With China's entry into WTO and the speeding-up of the globalization,enterprises are facing unprecedented opportunties and challenges.The key to achieve the strategic objects in the course of enterprises development lies in qualified presonnel,especially the core employese.Aimed at the loss of core employese and poor core competition in China's enterprises,the paper points out that it is important to identify the core competence in order to build up a team of core personnel in the enterprise.


ABSTRACT A natural dye for dyeing textiles was extracted from Kalanchoe-pinnata leaf powder using aqueous extraction and characterized by determining the radical scavenging activity (%), tannin content, flavonoid and phenolic content, FTIR, and UV-visible absorption analysis. Protein fabrics, i.e., wool, silk, soya, and milk were dyed by optimizing dyeing time, temperature, pH and MLR conditions with and without mordants. The dyed fabrics were assessed for their color strength, fastness properties, ultraviolet protection factor, and antibacterial properties. The result of the study shows that obtained Kalanchoe-pinnata leaf extract has good anti-oxidant properties being 84.92% of radical scavenging activity, possesses good coloration, affinity for textile material and functional properties being high content of tannin, flavonoid, and phenolic compounds. Wool and silk showed very good affinity for the dye extract and fastness behavior followed by soya and milk fabrics. Wool shows ultraviolet protection factor while there is no significant effect on silk, soya, and milk fabrics as these fabrics are very thin in structure. The aqueous extract as well as all the dyed samples also exhibit excellent anti-bacterial activity against S-aurous and E-coli. Thus, Kalanchoe-pinnata leaf extract can be a better sustainable substitute to synthetic dyes for dyeing of protein fabrics.


The fruit classification according to their state of maturation is complicated because of all variables that influence this change. In this paper a backpropagation multilayer artificial neural network (BPNN) is proposed, it was trained with supervised learning with four different learning algorithms (TRAINSCG, TRAINBFG, TRAINBR, TRAINLM) independently. During 35 days, a total of 4200 pictures were acquired from a set of 30 Royal Gala apples, which were processed and resized to a size of 256x456. The segmented pictures were converted to RGB, HSV and Lab color models, in order to extract the values of the mean, variance and standard deviation. The best training performance was obtained with the algorithm TRAINBR (99.3%) and the best test performance was obtained with TRAINSCG (67.7%). Finally, comparisons between different results from each algorithm show that the best classification algorithm was TRAINSCG. 23 Research in Computing Science 114 (2016) pp. 23–32; rec. 2016-03-28; acc. 2016-05-01


We evaluate the magma redox conditions of granites from the Lavras do Sul intrusive complex - LSIC (ca. 606-586 Ma). The main goal is to explain the zoning of magnetic susceptibility-k that shows a concentric pattern revealing the reverse zoning of petrographic facies. The granite pluton includes: (a) alkali-calcic, biotite granodiorite and hybrid amphibole-biotite granites in the core (k of 4.0-7.5 10 -3 SI), and (b) alkaline, biotite-amphibole syenogranite and perthite granite that occur around the core (k of 9-10 10 -3 SI). All facies are ferromagnetic, and the differences in k-values are due to the distinct nature of parental magmas and to the variations in redox path shown by mafic phases (amphiboles, biotite and Fe-Ti oxides). Divergent Fe/Mg ratios between mafic silicates and rock imply an oxidizing environment for the crystallization of core types, in which the two Fe-Ti oxides are common (Ti-Mt:Ilm of 3:1 to 10:1). Such conditions were ascribed to the magmatic fluid phase on distinct situations, of crystal-volatile equilibrium (monzogranite) and of volatile exsolution (granodiorite). This reinforces that the core-granites represent distinct pulses of a hydrous magma (3-4 wt. % H 2 O) evolving at different pressure (4-2 kbar). The parental magma of alkaline granites had lower H 2 O content (~2 wt. %), and would be intrinsically oxidizing as suggested abundant Ti-magnetite (Ti-mt:Ilm ≥ 20:1) and primary titanite. Convergent Fe/Mg ratios for mafic phases and rock imply the mineralogical control in the redox path also marked by the decrease of pressure with differentiation (2-1 kbar). We conclude that the pluton formed during two major episodes of resurgence in a magma chamber related to the volcano-plutonic subsidence system-LSIC: a central event responsible for the alkali-calcic granites, and a circumferential one for the alkaline types. So, petrographic and magnetic zoning, strengthened by magnetic and gravity data, show such differences. Despite the low k-values in the core granites, a magmatic environment with varied fO 2 , allows the genetic link with the Au-Cu ore occurrences.


Heron Island is a small coral cay on the western end of a large platform reef in the southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. In 1967 a boat access channel and a small mooring basin were dredged between the western reef-rim and the island. Since then reef-top currents have flowed out through this channel, removing sediment from the reef-flat and the island's beaches. The mooring basin and access channel were enlarged in 1987. Offreef waves (hourly) and reef-top currents (at 10 minute intervals) were measured on either side of the island during a twelve month period (17 March 1996 – 18 March 1997). An overall analysis of the data has been presented in a first report (Gourlay and Hacker 2008a). This second report presents the following detailed analyses: (i) the characteristics of reef-top currents under mild conditions, including the influence of the harbour bund walls upon reef-top tide levels and the influence of tidal asymmetry upon the duration of bund wall control; (ii) the characteristics of reef-top currents during various meteorological events; (iii) the influence of waves upon reef-top currents including comparison of calculated and measured current velocities for selected conditions/events; (iv) reef-top sediment transport and sedimentation in the boat harbor during various tropical cyclones. Mild conditions are found to have occurred in only 7% of the observed tidal cycles. The physical topography of the reef-top had an increasing influence upon currents as the tide level fell below mean sea level. The wave height (Hos), at which opposing tidal currents were suppressed, increased with increasing tidal range. Direct comparison of calculated (V) and measured (v) wave-generated current velocities when the tidal current approached zero gives good agreement, indicating that v = C(Hos – Hoscr). During tropical cyclones, the increased flow through the boat harbour entrance channel transported sediment from the reef-top and deposited it offreef at the bottom of the reef-face to the southeast of the channel entrance.


Expen'nzental Design in Psychological Research (Revised Edition) By Allen L. Edwards. New York: Rinehart & Company, Inc., 1960. Pp. xiii + 398. The instructor, who teaches a second course in statistics for students in psychology with little or no mathematical background, has a limited choice of textbooks, in sharp contrast to the situation for elementary courses or for advanced courses with more sophisticated students. Since 1950, Edwards' book has filled a definite need and had many features to commend it, particularly its coverage of a number of experimental designs found widely in psychological research. Even now there are few books available at this particuIar level, and none of them can be considered as fully solving the difficult pedagogical problems that this kind of course entails. This reviewer therefore looked forward with curiosity to see what improvements the experience of 10 years had brought about. The new edition is a genuine revision. Substantial portions have been rewritten, new chapters have been added, and some topics have been removed. It is disappointing t o find, however, that the amount of effort which has obviously been devoted to the revision does not produce a corresponding amount of improvement in the value of the text. One pervasive characteristic of the first edition has, unfortunately, been retained in the present addition and applied to the new chapters as well. This is the pattern of presenting each method first in terms of the detailed computations to be performed, without any indication of why these computations are to be performed or what they mean. Only after the computations are worked out in detail is there any attempt to make them meaningful to the student. I n the present edition, this tendency is, if anything, enhanced by the reorganization. For example, a new chapter on "Analysis of Variance Models and Expectations of Mean Squares" is added, but only a t the end of the book. Moreover, even in this chapter, the expectations are simply listed in tabular form without any explanation, even in rough terms, of how they come to be. Instead, they provide only a "cookbook" device for determining the appropriate error terms for significance testing. Other new chapters are "Multiple Comparisons in the Analysis of


A low-cost system for the continuous recording of piezometric head is described. The system uses inexpensive earphones as sonar transducers, while using the narrow stem of the piezometers as an acoustic waveguide. The system overcomes several of the problems commonly encountered in tidal wetland investigations by providing rapid response, freedom from operator disturbance through peat compression, and essentially continuous automatic data recording in a directly machine-readable medium.


The preface to this useful book rightly points out the huge extent to which the public is bombarded with advertisements for nutritional supplements, despite the lack of research support for many of the claims made. The book aim to summarize what information currently exists for several commonly used mineral supplements, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, copper, selenium, manganese and chromium. Where information is available, each chapter considers how the nutrient is metabolized, its bioavailability from food, and what data support the use of supplements and for what indications. The chapters are generally well-written, although I have a few quibbles. In the calcium chapter, undue emphasis is given to a small study by the author supported by Glanbia Ingredients Ltd. In describing coral calcium, the disadvantage of possible contamination with more-toxic metals is not discussed. The discussion of iron metabolism on p92 is confused, e.g. transferrin-bound iron does not generally originate from the liver and the role of hephaestin is not mentioned. Also confused is the discussion of manganese neurotoxicity on p224. By contrast, I enjoyed the author's conclusion on p61 "despite mounds of study. . . very little can be said about the efficacy of magnesium supplements" and thought myself that the statement would still be generally true if "magnesium" were omitted. Other valuable parts include the discussion of the studies of the "anti-cold" effects of zinc lozenges (p155) and on the limitations of plasma zinc measurements (p133), although the author then uses such measurements on p135 in his own work. The discussion of "marginal copper deficiency" (p179) is good, as is that of the relation of selenium intake to cancer (p199). Overall, I enjoyed this book and recommend it to nutritionists. I hope that there is a sequel dealing with the vitamins.


Electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs or supercapacitors) are of special potential interest with respect to energy storage. Nearly all EDLCs make use of porous carbons as electrode materials. Further tuning of their performance in EDLC applications requires a better understanding of their properties. In particular, the understanding of the interactions between carbon-based materials and electrolyte solutions is of fundamental interest with respect to future applications. Since the capacitance of carbon-based electrode materials is known to depend on the pore size, we have studied different porous carbon materials of well-defined, variable pore size loaded with 1 M TEABF4 in acetonitrile or with pure acetonitrile using solid-state magic angle spinning (MAS) (1)H, (11)B, and (13)C NMR spectroscopy.


2-Propanol exhibits a substantially higher cell voltage than methanol in a direct liquid fuel cell at a current density less than ca. 100mA/cm 2 . Although the performance increases with cell temperature, the cell can deliver 690 mV at a current density of 20 mA/cm 2 at room temperature. These features could make 2-propanol an attractive fuel for portable power applications.


This paper discusses the role of artists in society as things that influence the creative process of artists in transforming works of art in the Kebangru'an ritual, as well as the form of presentation, functions and values that are contained in Kebangru'an Music. The method of this research uses a qualitative research paradigm with a sociology of art study approach to find out how the role of artists in society as a matter of influencing the creative process of artists in transforming works of art in the Kebangru'an ritual, as well as the form of presentation, functions and values that are contained in Kebangru'an Music. The data was collected by means of observation and in-depth interviews. The observations are carried out by observing various actions that are patterned and reflected the thinking system of the Kebangru'an Music artist which includes speech, expression, statement, outlook on life, and his life history. The result of the study shows that the social status of artists as civil servants and community leaders is a factor that affects the work of artists, the role of artists in society is also a factor in changing the paradigm of society towards Kebangru'an Music. Kebangru'an music is presented with the addition of song texts that function as a means of communicating advice, moral messages in life, also a media that strengthen conformity to social norms. Kebangruan music has values of worship and tolerance or community harmony.


We read with interest the study by Pan et al. 1 They report the sex-speci fi c role of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). These fi ndings have implications, suggesting that sex-speci fi c cut-offs for NLR could be warranted in clinical practice to stratify patients at increased risk. In low-resource settings, parameters that can be calculated from existing, routinely available hemogram variables are of great signi fi cance. The NLR is an effective, easily accessible, and inexpensive test, and this study further re fi nes its utility in guiding clinical decisions. The NLR is also among several highly versatile laboratory parameters that have application in the diagnosis and prognostication of several pathological states. 2-6 We have previously demonstrated the utility of NLR in various disease conditions including CAD. 6-11 In our analysis of NLR as a predictor of CAD severity rather than the diagnosis of CAD, we found that it was a signi fi cant predictor among both sexes. The authors 1 also show that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol were not signi fi cant predictors of the presence of CAD in their population, which is an uncommon fi nding when compared with reports from Western pop-ulations. Likewise, as more data on NLR from different ethnicities are collated, more light will be shed on the ethnicity and sex-speci fi c complex mechanisms behind CAD. The authors describe NLR as an effective risk marker for CAD among males, when compared with non-CAD patients,