The crystallinity of lithium cobalt oxide thin films deposited by the radio-frequency (rf) reactive magnetron sputtering method has been improved by the rf plasma irradiation method. Compared with conventional thermal annealing, reaction to form crystalline lithium cobalt oxide via rf plasma irradiation is fast and does not need any additional external heat supply. It is found that the nucleation and the growth reactions are determined during the film deposition and the rf irradiation, respectively. The film composition does not change significantly, and severe mechanical damages such as resputtering or etching phenomena do not appear after the irradiation. A model showing the process of the crystallization by rf plasma irradiation is suggested on the basis of phenomenological analyses using secondary electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, etc.


ABSTRACT The use of chemical dispersants for the handling of oil spills has had a brief but highly turbulent history. Despite extensive laboratory data and field application experience, their role in oil spill cleanup is still controversial. This paper reviews some of this past history as background in order to derive the pros and cons regarding their use. Opinions vary from an extreme of no use whatsoever to an acceptance of this as the only practical technique to combat an oil spill under rough sea conditions. Improvements in the formulation of dispersants during the past several years are reviewed. These innovations involve modifications to improve effectiveness, application techniques and toxicological properties. A brief outline of the mechanism of dispersing is presented to permit a better understanding of these formulation modifications and the manner in which said changes influence dispersant properties. The future outlook for dispersants, based on current and anticipated research in this field, i...


Pragmatically, patients with uncontrolled asthma should be carefully identified as they are at high risk of asthma exacerbation and with poor prognosis (1). The global initiative for asthma (GINA) guidelines proposes three asthma control levels: well-controlled, partly controlled and uncontrolled (2). Sadatsafavi et al. (3) performed an interesting longitudinal study aimed to estimate the saving in direct costs by achieving asthma symptom control as proposed by GINA guidelines. They reported that 24.8%, 40.4% and 34.8% of asthmatics had, respectively, well-controlled, partially controlled and uncontrolled asthma at baseline. During the follow-up, 29.4%, 39.8% and 30.8% of visits concerned well-controlled, partially controlled and uncontrolled asthma, respectively. Thus, even though data concerning the last visit were not presented, it seems that there was a slight per cent increase of controlled asthmatics as well as a slight decrease of uncontrolled ones, whereas the quote of partially controlled patients remained substantially unvaried. Authors concluded that achieving symptom control was associated with a reduction in direct costs. GINA control rating is essentially based on symptom assessment without including lung function and inflammation evaluation as well as other potentially relevant information. In this regard, we would like to show a cross-sectional observation considering a series of practical parameters in assessing the asthma control in a real-life setting, recruiting 741 asthmatic outpatients (300 males, mean age 40.1 years). The visit included careful history, comorbidity and treatment evaluation, clinical examination and symptom perception assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS), lung function testing, FeNO measurement, BMI, HADS and ACT questionnaires, and GINA control level. The Hospital Review Boards approved the study procedure, and written informed consent was obtained from each subject.


Based on the fundamental theories of the micromechanics and the thermodynamics,the damage evolution rules of marble under the uniaxial compression conditions were studied by use of homogeneous methods. Firstly,the marble was regarded as the composition of rock matrixes and cracks,and the two parts conformed to the superposition principle. Secondly,the cracks were divided into the open and close cracks. The relevant analysis was performed from the perspectives of the micromechanics and the thermodynamics under the hypothesis that the cracks were acted by tensile forces at the initial stage and the damage of the marble was gradually dominated by shear compression with the closing of the cracks. Finally,an expression for the damage evolution rules of the marble was established according to the analytic results. The theoretical results were validated by SEM meso-scale experiments.


CLM is an economically important pest of Florida citrus, damaging new shoots and increasing spread and severity of citrus canker disease. Effects on efficacy of spray method, spray volume and active ingredient were evaluated in this trial. The experimental block at Pringle Farm (26° 16' N, 81° 19 W), Immokalee Florida consisted of 22 -yr-old 'Murcott' trees planted on double-row raised beds at a density of 151 trees/acre. Trees were irrigated by micro-sprinklers, subjected to conventional cultural practices, and had been hedged to a height of 8 ft. Nine treatment plots of 24 trees were randomly distributed across each of 4 replicates, each plot consisting of a single bed next to an untreated buffer bed. A Proptec rotary atomizer sprayer was used to apply Intrepid 2F at 5 gpa and a Durand Wayland AF100-32 air blast speed sprayer operating at 1.9 mph and 400 psi three #4, and one #3 John Beane Ceramics nozzles per side was used to apply the remaining treatments at 100 gpa. Applications were made to both sides of the trees on 18 Jul 2011. Evaluations of CLM larvae were made at 3, 10, 17 days after treatment (DAT) from 10 randomly selected new shoots on centrally located trees in each plot. Live leafminer larvae were counted under a stereoscopic microscope from 5 leaves per shoot. On 5 Aug, damage was rated on each of the five leaves per shoot according to the following protocol: 0= no damage, 1 < 10% of leaf surface damaged by mines, 211-25%, 326-50% and 4 >51% surface damaged. Data were subjected to ANOVA and means separated using LSD (P = 0.05).


Bioconsequences Section, Unilever Research Port Sunlight Laboratory, Port Sunlight, Wirral, Merseyside L62 4XN, U.K. Polyethylene glycols are an important group of polymers used in the manufacture of explosives, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. In addition, the polyoxyethylene group is the hydrophilic head group of non-ionic surfactants such as the alcohol ethoxylates used in detergent formulations. Ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol are also used as antifreeze and deicing agents. Use of these man-made chemicals results in their discharge to the environment, where they are attacked by the micro-organisms of sewage, river waters and soil. Although biodegradation of polyethylene glycols has been studied by several investigators (Patterson et al., 1967; Sturm, 1973; Pitter, 1973; Evans & David,


The aim of this study was to describe the information needs of patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery in Western Lithuania. Methods. This data were collected from patients of three Klaipeda city hospitals performing digestive tract surgeries in January – March 2015. The interview responses (n = 86) were analyzed inductively with thematic content analysis. Results. The interview revealed lack of information about disease, treatment and nursing care. The participants expressed fear and worries about their forthcoming surgery, anesthesia, pain, the ways of pain management, possible complications and their prevention as well as the future concerning their disease in general. Conclusions. The results show that the participants had not got enough information about treatment, nursing, anesthesia, rehabilitation, wound care or about post-surgery period. Instead they felt fear and anxiety. The participants were not included into treatment and nursing processes. According to the participants' responses, the information needs were different before and after the surgery. Lack of information prevents patients from acting self-dependently in their care. Practice implications. Patient oriented approach to patient education and innovative ways of information delivery are needed in Lithuanian nursing care of patient's having a gastrointestinal surgery.


Chilli is commonly used as spice in Malaysian culinary, principal ingredients in paste (sambal) and as the raw material in sauce industry. Anthracnose disease caused by Colletotrichum capsici is one of the major causes of economic loss to chilli production especially in Asia. Even a small lesion on chilli might affect the quality, thus the market value of the chilli. Disease symptoms caused by C. capsici include brown, circular and sunken lesion with concentric rings of black acervuli. Chemicals have been used to treat the chilli but they might cause environmental pollution, affect human health and lead to pathogen resistance to the chemicals. Therefore, an alternative method to chemical control is required. In this study, C. capsici was isolated from a naturally infected chilli fruit (Capsicum frutescens), and a species of Trichoderma was isolated from the rhizosphere of grasses. Pure cultures of both fungi were established then used in antagonism studies in in vitro and in vivo. Dual culture of pathogens and Trichoderma sp. indicated that Trichoderma sp. competed with C. capsici for space and nutrients, caused the loss of turgidity of the fungal hyphae, and reduced the fungal growth by producing volatile metabolites. Trichoderma sp. decreased disease severity on chilli artificially inoculated fruits up to 64% when Trichoderma mycelial plug was used and 55% when culture filtrate was applied. Field trials are recommended to examine the antagonism of Trichoderma sp. in real production conditions.
Keywords: Anthracnose, biological control, Colletotrichum capsici, Trichoderma sp.


A multifunctional tree sprinkling tanker comprises an automotive chassis, a water tank device and a sprinkling device, and is characterized in that a large carriage working platform (11) is arranged on the automotive chassis (12); a foldable lifting device (3) is arranged on the large carriage working platform on two sides of a moveable water tank body (5); the large carriage working platform (11) is fixedly connected with the automotive chassis (12); and the moveable water tank body (5) is connected with the large carriage working platform (11) through a rapid connection device. The utility model is characterized in that the large carriage working platform is arranged on the Class II automotive chassis, and the foldable lifting device is additionally arranged on the large carriage working platform. The big arm of the foldable lifting device ensures an organic combination between the large carriage working platform and the intermediate sprinkling device; and the Class II automotive chassis, the tank body and the high altitude lifting device are integrated as one, thereby forming a working environment for tree sprinkling, medical spraying, tree trimming management, and tree and flower transportation. Therefore, the service efficiency of the utility model is greatly improved.


In the development of a computer-based system for automated testing of telephone lines and improved processing of customer trouble reports, a specific subsystem was developed for the personnel who will work in the automated repair bureau. This subsystem, the Personnel Subsystem (PSS), consists of (1) the people within the system, (2) the criteria by which they are selected, (3) the designed and documented process by which they are trained, and (4) the reference documentation through which on-the-job performance is maintained. This paper outlines both the process used in developing that PSS and the crucial role that PSS design played in integrating the software, hardware, and personnel components into a total operational system.


The method of producing a perfluorocarbon, hydrofluorocarbon comprises reacting in the vapor phase with fluorine gas, the step of the gaseous reaction mixture at a higher temperature of the contact reaction in a first reaction zone; and the reaction mixture was diluted with a gaseous the step of introducing the gas and a second reaction zone in which the reaction temperature is higher in this region into contact with the hydrofluorocarbons second reaction zone, if necessary, together with fluorine gas, into the second reaction zone hydrofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbon in the first reaction zone is different.


Bulk Data (BD) is a service in the ALMA Common Software [1] to transfer high volumes of astronomical data from many-to-one, one-to-many or many-to-many clients. The main application is in the Correlator, (responsible for processing raw data from the antennas), which retrieves data from antennas on up to 32 computers. Data is forwarded to a master computer and combined to be sent to consumers. The throughput requirement both to/from the master is 64 MBytes/sec, differently distributed based on observing conditions. Requirements for robustness make the application very challenging. The first implementation, based on the CORBA A/V Streaming service [2], showed weaknesses. We therefore decided to replace it, even though ALMA was about to start operations; therefore it was essential to provide for careful testing. We have chosen the DDS (Data Distribution Service) [3] as core technology, because it is a well supported standard, widespread in similar applications. We have evaluated mainstream implementations, with emphasis on performance, robustness and error handling. We have successfully deployed the new BD, making it easy to switch between old and new for testing purposes. We discuss challenges and lessons learned.


For rose curve and ordinary cycloid,afast pixel-level drawing algorithm was presented.By taking advantage ofthe characteristic of the curves' representation,the two coordinate iterations of computing rose curve and cycloid into the linear combination of some simple iterations were changed.On each step of iteration,no trigonometric function was used,and only four multiplications for rose curve and two multiplications for cycloid were required.In all process,the algorithm ensures that the error doesn't exceed 2/2pixel.


This paper proposes the overall design scheme of the intelligent water meter based on NB-IoT technology and the specific implementation scheme of software and hardware, and introduces the implementation principle of some key points.In terms of hardware, considering the overall cost of the water meter, this system selects the low-cost STM32F103 series single-chip microcomputer as the hardware development platform, and combines NB-IoT wireless communication module and OV7725 camera image acquisition module to realize the collection, processing and transmission of water meter data.In software, Fat file system is transplanted, which facilitates the management of storage devices and reduces the requirement of hardware development platform for memory.In addition, the image processing algorithm is also introduced, and the image processing technologies such as grayscale, OSTU binarization, marginalization, tilt correction and BP neural network are applied to identify the digits in the word wheel area of the water meter.


ABSTRACT: The creation of a management and analysis instrument of a territorial object, in order to valorize its historical, cultural and artistic properties, makes it necessary to read the land itself, considering many points of view. A general investigation must be carried out, that involves different scientific and humanistic fields, and which brings this different knowledge together in one tool: a Geographic Information System (GIS). The World Wide Web is proving to be a useful way of sharing this kind of spatial data. The first and undeniable advantage of using Internet tecnology to publish GIS data consists in the simplicity and economy of the implementation. Users who access GIS resources, shared using a Web server and published on a specific Web site, no longer need particular hardware configurations or software knowledge: it is sufficient to connect to the WWW, and use a traditional Web browser, possibly with some extensions (for example: plug-in, usually delivered together with server software). However, to make this solution competitive with a traditional one, (directly using GIS sotware compatible with data structure), when a GIS is published on-line the user should be able to: • extract information and descriptive data from the database related to the graphical base • visualize cartographic data in the correct scale • correlate graphical features to alfanumeric ones • use standard HTML tools, being sure of a full integration with hypertextual documents. This paper deals with the setting up of a complex Web/GIS that is completely based on Open Source tecnology. The aim of the work is to show how these tecnologies can be exploited to create low-cost products, that can be customized according to the users' requirements. Althought the reduction in cost of the commercial products has led to a remarkable increase in the spread of this sofware, the Open Source Web GIS is a valid alternative, if one also considers the chance of undestanding the algorithms that have been implemented. The case under study refers to the realization of a spatial infrastructure of historical and artistic data concerning the "Marchesato di Saluzzo" (CN), an area situated in the north-west of Italy, which in the Middle Ages was under the rule of Marchesi di Saluzzo.


With or without mass (e.g. X-ray photon, etc.) energy of the radiation in the form of particle detection and monolithic pixel detector for imaging, the system and method are generated by radiation incident on the absorber to collect and process the electrical signal, and a Si wafer having an absorber that forms a monolithic unit with the Si wafer, the CMOS processing readout electronics that communicate via an implant for the current collector. Pixel detector, the system and method are medically applied in industrial and scientific different types of applications.


High-pressure turbines are subjected to high expansion ratios which may result in supersonic vane or rotor outlet. In the supersonic regime, shock waves are formed at the vane trailing edges that periodically impact on the downstream rotor blades and the neighboring vane. Pulsating cooling was proposed to modulate the trailing edge shocks to diminish the detrimental efficiency abatement and structural problems. A large test section equipped with three airfoils, replicated the actual loading of a transonic vane. Tests were performed in a short duration compression tube facility at four Mach numbers (0.8, 0.95, 1.1 and 1.2) and two different Reynolds numbers (4 and 6 million). Coolant was fed to the trailing edge of the central airfoil through a siren valve, that allowed to study four different coolant blowing cases: no-blowing, continuous blowing at three pressure levels and a pulsating coolant blowing condition. Unsteady numerical simulations of the flow over the airfoil model were performed using ANSYS 14 (Fluent) flow solver. In order to understand the impact of the different steady and unsteady cooling schemes on the efficiency of high pressure turbine bladings, the individual contribution of trailing edge and profile losses were calculated. The coolant ejection generated a significant reduction of the trailing edge loss. The overall losses also diminished by the introduction of cooling as compared to no blowing case. Improvements in loss levels owing to pulsating cooling observed to be more pronounced for the engine representative cooling rates (∼3%). The trends in loss variation with respect to cooling scheme show that pulsating cooling may become superior for high blowing cases.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


A"two-step" method successfully in preparing polypropylene/montmorillonite nanocomposites (PMN) was introduced.In the first step, most amount of acrylamide (AM) was polymerized in-situ and intercalated into organic-montmorillonite (O-MMT) and at the same time a little amount of AM was grafted on polypropylene macromolecule chains. In the second step, the mother matrix prepared in the first step was blended with polypropylene (PP) to produce the PMN.XRD spectra showed that the montmorillonite in the composites had been exfoliated.SEM indecated absence of clear organic and inorganic phases in PMN. The tensile strength of PMN achieved 42.4MPa, which was increased by 26% against pure PP. The maximum value of toughness strength was 10.5kJ·m -2, which was increased by 155% against pure PP. The results showed that the mechanical properties of PMN reached a desired level.


With global conventional energy depletion, as well as environmental pollution, utilizing renewable energy for power supply is the only way for human beings to survive. Currently, distributed generation incorporated into a distribution network has become the new trend, with the advantages of controllability, flexibility and tremendous potential. However, the fluctuation of distributed energy resources (DERs) is still the main concern for accurate deployment. Thus, a battery energy storage system (BESS) has to be involved to mitigate the bad effects of DERs' integration. In this paper, optimal scheduling strategies for BESS operation have been proposed, to assist with consuming the renewable energy, reduce the active power loss, alleviate the voltage fluctuation and minimize the electricity cost. Besides, the electric vehicles (EVs) considered as the auxiliary technique are also introduced to attenuate the DERs' influence. Moreover, both day-ahead and real-time operation scheduling strategies were presented under the consideration with the constraints of BESS and the EVs' operation, and the optimization was tackled by a fuzzy mathematical method and an improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) algorithm. Furthermore, the test system for the proposed strategies is a real distribution network with renewable energy integration. After simulation, the proposed scheduling strategies have been verified to be extremely effective for the enhancement of the distribution network characteristics.


Photon upconversion is a process where two or more low-energy photons are converted into a single higher-energy photon. Upconversion that turns infrared photons into visible ones is particularly useful, having potential applications in photovoltaics, infrared sensing, and biological imaging. In this thesis, I present a solid-state thin-film device that converts infrared photons with wavelength up to 1.1 pm into visible wavelengths around A = 610 nm. The device consists of a monolayer of lead sulfide colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) and a thin film of rubrene mixed with emissive DBP molecules. Upconversion is realized via triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) in rubrene sensitized by the NCs. We demonstrate that compared to the previous all-molecular upconverting systems, the use of inorganic NCs helps extend the excitation wavelength into the infrared and offers simple wavelength tunability. However, a monolayer of NCs has low infrared absorption, severely limiting the upconversion efficiency and necessitating a high excitation intensity. Here, by adding a silver back reflector with an optical spacer to the device structure, we achieve a five-fold increase in the NC absorption due to optical interference effects and an eleven-fold enhancement in the upconverted output. To extend the idea, we further introduce a distributed Bragg reflector at the front of the device. A resonant microcavity is formed with the NCs placed at the peak of a drastically enhanced optical field. The upconversion efficiency is improved by another order of magnitude, with threshold excitation intensity falling to 13 mW/cm2 , which is below the available solar flux. At resonance, the device converts (0.06 0.01)% of incident photons at A = 980 nm into emitted higher-energy photons. In addition, we improve the upconversion efficiency by shortening the surface ligands on NCs. With faster triplet transfer, the upconverting device attains higher intrinsic efficiency, converting (7 l)% of the absorbed photons at A 808 nm into higher-energy emissive excitons in rubrene. This thesis demonstrates the feasibility of NC-sensitized infrared-to-visible upconversion in solid thin films under low excitation intensities comparable to the solar flux, and paves the 3 way toward the practical utilization of TTA-based upconversion in photovoltaics, imaging, and sensing technologies. Thesis Supervisor: Marc A. Baldo Title: Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Thesis Supervisor: Vladimir Bulovi6 Title: Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science


Spontaneous rupture of an unscarred uterus is a rare complication during pregnancy, resulting in major maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis of a spontaneous rupture can be miss...


Emotion defines as human behavior used to know the feeling, expression sentiment of humans inside the brain. So Emotion can explain its statics through voice interaction, words, facial expression, and body language. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the accuracy of the responded data by electroencephalograph (EEG) through machine learning algorithms. After predicting the accuracy we are trying to classify results with classification learning techniques. So here we have considered different lobes points of a human brain by using the NMX32 device for converting EEG signal to raw data format. From different types of lobes point we are using two pairs of points(P3-O1, T4-T6). We used Naive Bayes and Decision trees to classify and accuracy of our data in a stable environment with different situations. The above techniques give better accuracy on the EEG signal data source as 95.4% with ROC, 83.2% with Precision, 83.1% with Recall.


The development of wind power as a competitive energy source requires resource assessment of increasing accuracy and detail (including not only the long‐term 'raw' wind resource, but also turbulence, shear, and extremes), and in areas of increasing complexity. This in turn requires the use of the most advanced large‐scale meteorological models and data together with a chain of modeling tools linking the large‐scale dynamics via the mesoscales to site‐specific wind conditions. These wind conditions (at a given wind turbine site and height) are a complex function of 'the weather' statistics and of influence from features at smaller scales such as hills and mountains, surface roughness conditions, surface thermal properties, and specific nearby obstacles such as 'other' wind turbines.


Nothing can compare to the fresh, sweet, crisp taste of homegrown sweet corn that is picked and eaten on the same day. Sweet corn is certainly a favorite crop among home gardeners and, with the many varieties now available, there is one to suit every taste and need. Sweet corn is not difficult to grow and, by following the cultural guidelines provided in this publication, you too can enjoy this sweet delicacy.


Deserts are areas of great landform diversity and distinctiveness. In the past there was a shortage of desert World Heritage nominations. This situation persists, though shows some improvement. However, there are also desert landform complexes associated with mixed World Heritage sites and sites on various national World Heritage tentative lists. There are also two desert UNESCO Global Geoparks, both of which are in China. In recent years there has been the development of geotourism in arid regions and this has led to a greater interest in the economic value of geoconservation. However, there are various landscape threats that need consideration and man agement, including offroad driving, military activity, urbanization, river diversions, quarrying and mining, development associated with energy industries, and anthropogenic climate changes. In this paper, the concentration is on warm desert landscapes, and on conservation of geomorphological features, rather than, for instance, sites of particular stratigraphic or paleontological value.


Airborne lidar point cloud filtering is the key of acquiring DSM and DEM with high precision. In this paper,several important filtering arithmetics are analyzed,and a new improved segmenting filtering method on the basis of slope based filtering arithmetic is brought out. The results shows that the method can classify the Point Cloud data efficiently.


Spigelian hernias are a rare subset of abdominal wall hernias that protrude through the transversus abdominus muscle [1] as an interparietal hernia. An incarcerated small bowel spigelian hernia is reported in this study. The presentation of a small bowel obstruction and inability to reduce the hernia preoperatively necessitated an acute laparoscopic surgical intervention. A typical hernial neck diameter would be 1-2 cm [1,2]. In this case the hernial neck diameter was 4.8 cm which would make this one of the largest documented spigelian hernias.


Modeling streamflows is challenging in snow dominated high altitude regions due to limited observations, harsh topographic conditions and complex snow physics. Different uncertainties arise from multiple sources in modeling and forecasting. The uncertainties of the initial conditions are mainly tackled with data assimilation techniques. On the other hand, the uncertainty of the model structure should also be considered since assimilation techniques can only use same model and parameter sets in each implementation. Generally, this uncertainty can be taken into account using multi-modelling methods that can produce ensemble set of parameters. In order to make use of this approach, this study aims the realization of a novel method that generates a probabilistic estimate of initial states using a multi-parametric modelling method with deterministic Variational Data Assimilation, as referred to the multi-parametric variational data assimilation, MP-VarDA. The study is accomplished for runoff predictions over the mountainous Eastern part of Turkey concerning the importance of snowmelt and the limited availability of observed data. The model pool is generated with Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) method with a calibrated hydrological model using HBV. The implementation of MP-VarDA assimilates both discharge and satellite snow observations on snow cover. The preliminary results having 3 model instances are promising to set a model pool for MP-VarDA method which can reduce model uncertainty. The model is also tested via hindcast experiments under close-loop mode in order to assimilate discharge and satellite snow data, and model results showed that runoff and snow state predictions are improved compared to conditional assimilation techniques.


The article considers the possibility of applying the principle of unbundling in the thermal calculations of onboard signal processing devices. It is established that when performing such calculations, the problem of large time expenditures inevitably arises, as well as the need for a large number of system resources. The estimation of machine time and system resources costs is made in the case of splitting a General task into a number of subtasks on the principle of unbundling. A method is proposed for moving from lower-level tasks to higher-level tasks, taking into account the docking parameters. The estimation of saving of machine time and system resources costs is made when using the proposed principle of unbundling.


ABSTRACT Both a liquid-solid fluidized bed separator (LSFBS) and a dense medium cyclone (DMC) are used for cleaning coal of -1+0.25 mm size. However, a comparison of LSFBS and DMC's performance in separation of difficult-to-separate coal has seldom been reported. Difficult-to-separate coarse coal from the Tangkou plant was processed using LSFBS and DMC. The products with the same ash content were analyzed by the float-sink tests to compare the separation efficiencies. According to the results, the concentrate yield and Ep value obtained by the DMC were 48.85% and 0.045, respectively, while the values obtained by LSFBS were 32.86% and 0.12, respectively. The results showed that DMC was more efficient than LSFBS for separating the Tangkou difficult-to-separate coal with a higher yield and a lower Ep value.


Objective To reduce drug withdrawal and promote the rational use of drugs in hospital through investigation of outpatient pharmacy / drug repercussion. Methods We summarized and analyzed the causes of 2 680 copies of prescribed drug withdrawal from January 2012 to December 2013 in Huaibei General Hospital for Mine Workers. Results The main causes of drug withdrawal were medication ordering errors,orders change,adverse drug reaction,patient refusal and wrong drug distribution etc. Conclusions Enhancing the medical staff's professional skills,reasonable medication and strengthening drug management can reduce the occurrence of drug withdrawal.


Synopsis: A new system for continuous measurement of concentration of NO3in the waste water discharged when stainless steel sheets are treated in pickling bath has been developed. This system is based on the principle that NO3is measured at 302 nm in the ultra violet region after the co-existing iron ion is eliminated as iron hydroxide. The measurement of NO3-in the proposed system is performed as follows: The waste water sample from the neutralization treatment bath is continuously filtered by a newly developed device and some hydroxide precipitates like iron hydroxide are removed. Then the sample is constantly passed through a debubbling device to flow-cell of an ultra violet monitor, and the absorbance of the sample is continuously measured at 302nm. Accuracy and responsibility of this system were good. This system was found to be suitable to continuous measueement of NO3in pickling waste water.


The works that must he carried out and the necessary steps to be taken regarding preservation and maintenance of the Puerta de los Apostoles in the cathedral of Valencia are thoroughly examined. They are the follow up of those carried out in 1992 by several firms and institutions working together.


A brief review of the electronic and vibrational structure of amorphous As is presented. Using the random network model as a proto‐type for the structure of the amorphous phase, theoretical electron and phonon densities of states are calculated. The influences of topology on these state densities are examined by using ''cluster‐Bethe‐lattice'' techniques. These results are then used to interpret the experimental X‐ray photomeission and infra‐red absorption measurements on amorphous As. It is shown that As is one of a small class of unique materials which exhibit an isomorphism between their electronic and vibrational excitations.


Transition metals improve the overall light output and the output in particular regions of the electroluminescent of a silicon carbide semiconductor device. These metals /impurities/ introduce levels that can be pumped electrically and affect the efficiency of the recombination process involved in emission of radiation.


A simple and rapid on-line flow injection precipitation-flame atomic absorption spectrometric method for the determination of diphenhydramine hydrochloride in drug formulations is established. It is based on the reaction of diphenhydramine hydrochloride with Bi~(3+) to form precipitate quantively in acidic condition. The amount of residual Bi~(3+) can be determined by stopped FI on-line filtration-dilution-AAS, and then the content of diphenhydramine hydrochloride can be determined indirectly. By a stopped-flow mode with a 15 s stopped-flow period, diphenhydramine hydrochloride can be determined in the range (2.5~50 μg·mL~(-1),) with a relative standard less than 3.5% and a sampling frequency of 60 h~(-1).The recovery is 98%~103%.


Zeolites are nano-porous crystalline aluminosilicates. Natural zeolites are non-toxic and safe for humans which expand their application in different fields. Clinoptilolite is the most abundant natural zeolite with high purity that occurs in many parts of the world. It has a frame structure in which the tetrahedra of silicon [SiO4/2] and aluminium [AlO4/2]- are interconnected with oxygen bridge. Cations like K+, Na+ and Ca2+ and water are located in its pores and large cavities. Zeolites have high ion exchange capacity, selective adsorption capacity and thermal and mechanical stability.In this paper, the characterization of the natural zeolite - clinoptilolite from Bulgaria is performed. The investigated clinoptilolite was characterized in terms of its chemical composition, particle size distribution, structural morphology (SEM, XRD, FTIR) and thermal analysis. The chemical analysis show that clinoptilolite contains 69.7% of SiO2 and 11.4% of Al2O3. As specific surface area is the most important characteristic of the materials when used as adsorbents (the most common application of the zeolite) the specific surface area of clinoptilolite was obtained from data of equilibrium adsorption of water vapor at 25oC and using the BET method with nitrogen. To enhance its adsorptive properties clinoptilolite was modified (mechanically activated) and its specific surface area was also determined.


The article mainly introduced the long-distance multichannel intelligence control system.This system's main control part is composed of the monolithic integrated circuit,simultaneously,The other main circuit part also is designed and its ' principle is analysed in the paper.This system can be widespreadly applicated to the domestic electric appliances and each kind of control devices in other places.


The viscoelastic properties of model stable colloidal dispersions are calculated using Brownian dynamics simulations with a free‐draining model for the hydrodynamic interactions. In this report we describe a number of alternative routes to the dynamic moduli, making a comparison of the relative merits of the approaches. These include the use of the Green‐Kubo formulas (used widely by the molecular simulation community but little used so far in colloid modeling), which gives the linear stress relaxation function from stress fluctuations in an unsheared model colloidal liquid. We also consider the direct application of an oscillating shear strain, as used in experiment, changing the frequency and strain amplitude in discrete jumps. This method is developed to consider a continuously varying sweep through frequency (constant strain amplitude) or strain amplitude (constant frequency). This route avoids problems associated with equilibration at each frequency. We avoid errors associated with truncation of the ...


BONES and teeth which have remained at rest and undisturbed in the dark, especially with access to a damp atmosphere, are apt to be covered with a growth of mould, which adheres to and penetrates theirsubstance in a varying degree, according to the length of time they have been subject to it. The growth can easily be seen by means of a hand lens, and will be found passing from the exterior by channels formerly occupied by blood-vessels, in the case of the bones, or through the pulp cavity or the dentine at the neck of the tooth or &ny exposed surface of cementum or dentine. Examined more closely the growth is found to belong to that class of bacteria called hyphomycete, which develops by means of spores. The general type of growth is as follows: Starting from a single spore, two or three threads begin to sprout from it, then elongate and form the mycelial threads which radiate from the spores and are of unequal length. From these primary threads lateral branches spring, forming a dense tangled mass of mycelium. The branching threads then segment, degeneration occurring -at intervals within the mycelial sheaf, and reveal rod-shaped segments. Fragmentation results in a mass of separate rod segments. Special spore formation, in which the spores are supported on stems or aerial


The article reports on wind turbine supplier Suzlon Energy's decision to substitute the four series of its foreign currency (FC) convertible bonds (CB) with new CB worth 547-million dollars due 2019 in India. Topics covered include the dependence of the restructuring on the balance of Indian lenders, foreign lenders, and foreign bondholders, the role of the Reserve Bank of India, and the importance of the deal to other Indian companies that have failed to pay their FCCB.


Multi-rotor and fixed-wing drones are extensively used to collect the data needed for producing large-scale topographic maps and plans. Several types of drone products are available, and the most important one for surveyors is an orthophoto. Flight planning, the quality of the control data, the assessment of drone products, and the image processing software need to be considered when using thes e drones. In this study, we explained these concepts and discussed their theoretical and practical importance in providing standards and tools that might help drone users, surveyors, and others, in obtaining the products they desire. We also proposed a detailed methodology for evaluating the accuracy of the image processing products of the drones as aerial triangulation and orthophoto. We discussed the importance of the Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) and the ground control points to assess the absolute accuracy of the aerial triangulation of the images and the importance of performing statistical tests before evaluating the absolute horizontal accuracy of the orthophoto. The checkpoints measured using more accurate methods than drone photogrammetry were used for the assessment. In this study, we evaluated the dependence of the differences between the coordinates of these points and the coordinates of the corresponding points measured on the orthophoto based on a normal distribution, and the correlation between them, before applying international standards for determining the absolute horizontal accuracy of the orthophoto. An orthophoto covering 6.57 hectares with a horizontal accuracy of 0.362


In new situation, demand of the information disclosure on construction quality and safety increases day by day, how to carry out the information disclosure in the wholesome law and standards system, which is an important issue to make sure to enhance the construction quality and safety management level at home. Based on the above consideration and work practice, from two aspects of disclosure in the industry and in the whole society, the content on problems of information disclosure, organization process and information disclosure management behavior standard is discussed.


An investigation of the way tourists' perceive and process a novel urban environment was conducted within a cognitive mapping frame work. Interest centred on identifying group patterns and common perceptual features that may have been influenced by the variables of sex, age and travel motivation. Differences in the sex and age of subjects was found to have a significant effect on the style of cognitive maps generated, and the frequency with which specific urban environmental features are focussed upon. However motivational characteristics failed to significantly influence mapping contents. In addition to the specific findings, a number of methodological issues relevant to tourism research, are canvassed. Overall, the emphasis of this study is exploratory rather than evaluative, with particular interest centred on identifying valuable information for use by marketing, planning, and tourist promotional bodies.


Mao Zedong wrote four instruction or comments for music issue besides Talking With Musicians from 1965 to the eve of Cultural Revolution,which influenced the Chinese music circle deeply.Mao Zedong pointed out the nationality direction for Chinese music:make the past serve the present,and make foreign things serve China.His music thoughts increased self-confidence of Chinese music,and sparkplug the formally innovation,and meanwhile he emphasized the political and instrumental function of the music that made the limited to the aesthetics and the result was a tragedy to the music career in the end.


Due to the properties of self-organization,behavior characteristics affect the reliability and performance in P2P file-sharing system significantly.In order to understand this nature,this paper investigated properties and distribution model of users' behavior characteristics in MAZE system through statistical methods.And the results indicate that upload and download traffic,upload and download bandwidth of users' can be modeled by lognormal mixture distribution;active time and transmission time of users' can be fitted using the lognormal distribution;while the number of requests and the requested number of users' are modeled by the mixed exponential distribution and Pareto distribution.


Poly (2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate) has been prepared by free radical bulk polymerization at 80°C and characterization of its microstructure has been carried out using one-dimensional ('H, 13 C{ 1 H}) and two-dimensional (HSQC, TOCSY and HMBC) NMR spectra. The methyl, methylene and carbonyl carbon resonance signals have been found to be sensitive to various configurational sequences. 2D TOCSY spectrum has been used to examine the coupling between bonded protons. 2D HMBC spectrum shows long range coupling between quaternary, methylene and carbonyl carbon with methyl protons.


Forces produced by wind, wave, and current are the primary design loads on mobile drilling units and other offshore structures and are normally treated as quasi-static loads in designing such structures. Since the loads on the structure directly influence the weights, costs and design concepts considered, it is vital to accurately determine these dynamic, ever-changing forces which can rarely be expressed as a mathematical function of time. These forces are analyzed in the paper. Because of the importance of the loading calculations in the design of a structure, this portion of the design phase receives considerably attention. The load force calculations are carefully reviewed and compared against past experience. To design for loads which are ultraconservative adds unnecessary expense to the structure; to design for loads which are not conservative could result in loss of the structure.


Evidence is presented showing that the presence of the commonly used antireflection coating material, Ta2O5, on the free surface of contact metallization can either suppress or enhance, depending on the system, the interaction that takes place at elevated temperatures between the metallization and the underlying silicon. The Ta2O5 layer is shown to suppress both the generation and the annihilation of vacancies at the metal free surface which are necessary to support metal-silicon interactions. It is also shown that the mechanical condition of the free metal surface has a significant effect on the passivating ability of the Ta2O5 layer.


The increase in the energy consumption of machines when operating in unsteady modes is caused by many reasons, the main of which are deviation from the calculated operating modes and braking of the machine with irretrievable energy losses. When driving cars from electric motors, the recovery of braking energy can be carried out by switching them to the electric generator mode and returning the braking energy to the general power supply network. However, the absence of parallel consumers in the general power supply network requires the presence of an electric energy accumulator to recover braking energy. Effective recovery of braking energy can be carried out in a flywheel energy storage device with a high service life and high specific indicators of stored energy per unit weight of the storage device using differential gear mechanisms having two degrees of freedom.


The screw of twin-screw plastic extruder is complex,its structure and parameters determine extrusion process. The main configuration and technical parameter of the screw are analyzed. Adopting Visual Basic program language,parameterized design system is exploited based on operation requirements of the use,output,extrusion material,and it can realize fleetly the CAD process of twin-screw parameterized design,and can make the partial adjustment expediently for certain special request.


This paper constructs the index system of tourist satisfaction on tourism resources taking 20 tourist resources of North Anhui as the research object. This system includes 20 indexes. The author gets data by random sampling. Based on exploratory factor analysis and principal component regression analysis,by using importance- performance perception model,this case study reveals the perception of satisfaction on tourism resources of North Anhui. The study extracts 4 common factors,namely,tourism resources environment,characteristics of tourism resources,tourism resources development and tourism service by factor analysis.Regression analysis results show that the most significant factor is the development of tourism resources,tourism resources and the tourism resources characteristics are in the second row,while the tourism service is in the last.


The heavy traffic introduced by Gigabit networks can result in a significant performance degradation of network hosts. This degradation happens as a result of the interrupt overhead associated with the high rate of packet arrivals. NAPI, a packet reception mechanism integrated into the latest version of Linux networking subsystem, was designed to improve Linux performance to suit today's Gigabit traffic. NAPI is definitely a major step up from earlier reception mechanisms; however, NAPI has shortcomings and its performance can be further enhanced. A hybrid packet reception scheme that switches between interrupt disabling-enabling (DE) and polling (NAPI) can better improve the performance of Gigabit network hosts. In this paper we prove experimentally that the hybrid scheme can boost under different traffic load conditions the performance of general-purpose network desktops or servers running network I/O-bound applications. The implementation of the hybrid scheme is done in the latest version of Linux kernel 2.6.15.


Considers the pluralistic cultures which exist within a nation and outlines the history of previous research into this field. Introduces the concept of embeddedness which means that the society within which a person lives will influence their behaviour. Discusses intracultural differences and presents some research strategies for looking at the ethnic consumer.


We have expanded our model of photodissociation regions (PDRs) to
 include the freezing of O- and C-bearing species on dust grains,
 simple grain surface chemistry, and desorption processes, including
 photodesorption, that may be important in the surface layers of
 diffuse, translucent, and dense molecular clouds. The main result of
 including these processes is that a number of important gas-phase
 species, including H 2 O and O 2 , peak in abundance at A V ~ few into the cloud. Most of the gas-phase column, and most of
 the emission, from these species arises in the peak. Closer to the
 surface, H 2 O and O 2 are photodissociated, while deeper into
 the cloud, they freeze out onto grain surfaces. The result is H 2 O
 and O 2 column densities that are nearly constant for a wide range
 of gas densities, n , and for FUV fields G 0 $\lesssim$
 500. The roughly
 constant column densities of these species provides an explanation
 for the low line-of-sight average abundances of H 2 O observed
 toward GMCs. The model results also suggest that regions of high FUV
 field are the best places to search for O 2 .


In modern conditions of the development of society and the formation of a market economy, the success of each person, and hence the prosperity of society as a whole, is possible only if the majority of people consciously, based on traditions and personal experience, act in accordance with objectively existing laws. To ensure their future in the new market conditions, completely new requirements are being put forward for preparing the future generation to participate in production and forming a willingness to be included in modern forms of economic relations, which is possible subject to studying the theory and practice of economics and shaping the economic thinking of the younger generation. This is also indicated in the concept of economic education in a secondary vocational school.


Radio labeling is a variation of Hale's channel assign- ment problem, in which one seeks to assign positive integers to the vertices of a graph G subject to certain constraints involving the distances between the vertices. Specifically, a radio labeling of a connected graph G is a function c : V (G) ! Z+ such that d(u,v) + |c(u) c(v)| � 1 + diam(G) for every two distinct vertices u and v of G (where d(u,v) is the dis- tance between u and v). The span of a radio labeling is the maximum integer assigned to a vertex. The radio number of a graph G is the minimum span, taken over all radio labelings of G. This paper es- tablishes the radio number of the Cartesian product of a cycle graph with itself (i.e. of CnCn.)


This publication is part of a series that provides an overview of the presence of invasive plant species monitored on an extensive systematic network of plots measured by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station (NRS). Each research note features one of the invasive plants monitored on forested plots by NRS FIA in the 24 states of the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) is an herbaceous perennial in the Aster family. Since its arrival to North America from Europe in the early 1600s via contaminated crop seed, it has caused considerable impact by displacing native plants and reducing crop and pasture productivity (Czarapata 2005, Kaufman and Kaufman 2007).


Introduction: Across disciplines, the practice of education continues to evolve. Supporting organizations such as the library are responding by reworking existing practices while developing new ones. With roots grounded deeply in constructivist learning theory, the emerging practice of makerspaces in libraries is proving an effective step in that evolution. The article was written in the year 2016 at the University of Nevada, Reno. Methodology: Examples of associated active learning activity at one such library —an early adopter and first mover among academic libraries in adopting and integrating makerspace in libraries— are presented. Results and Conclusions: The product of leveraging technology as catalyst for active learning and engagement within and beyond the physical commons of the library, a blending of formal and informal learning, leading to increased innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration across disciplinary and organizational boundaries, appears a natural result.


It is well known that most mines located in the Andes Mountains are limited by the availability of water, and much effort is applied to delivering water supplies from surface, sometime using costly water dams, and groundwater sources, as desalted and seawater is also being considered at elevated costs. A large number of geothermal resources have been identified in the vicinity of existing and planned mines, and some of these geothermal systems have been assessed to have potential to provide large volumes (925 l/s) of industrial water. The areas of the Andes Mountains that are marked by geological alteration, including volcanic activity, also host many geothermal systems. Magma emplaced close to the surface (5-7 km depth) can induce a convective regimen in the deep groundwater creating a geothermal reservoir. These systems may have localized upflow zones covering a few km 2 located above the heat source, and may also have outflow aquifers that extend as long as 20 km. The fluid which typically circulates through these hydrothermal systems is dilute brine of near-neutral pH, having salinity of onetenth to one quarter of seawater and some dissolved gases, as well as large energy reserves. These geothermal reservoirs are usually isolated from shallower meteoric ground waters by a deep clay layer (smectite-illite/smectite) created by thermal alteration within and above the geothermal system. Therefore, geothermal wells are drilled much deeper than most ground water wells and specifically case off shallow ground waters to depths of typically 500 to 1000m. Effectively, these wells tap into aquifers which are not currently utilized and almost certainly have not been accounted for by the mine operators and local communities.


The toxic effects and anaphylactic reactions from the intravenous injection of the arsphenamines in the treatment of syphilis are well known. The reactions may manifest themselves in various forms, but rarely is the upper part of the respiratory tract involved as in an attack of asthma. De Beyrouth 1 reported a reaction in a syphilitic patient, aged 38, without a previous history of asthma. During the third injection of 0.75 Gm. of neoarsphenamine the patient experienced an attack of asthma, which disappeared when the injection was stopped. The next attack followed the injection of 0.45 Gm. and lasted four days. As little as 0.05 Gm. of neoarsphenamine produced a reaction. Treatment was entirely discontinued after a violent attack occurred in the course of the administration of 0.3 Gm. of neoarsphenamine. Of even less frequent occurrence are anaphylactic reactions from local contact with the drug or from its inhalation. Klauder 2


At the and of the 20th century and at turn of the 21st century low and very low fertility is one of the key demographic and policy chalanges in all European countries. The concept of the second demographic transition has relevance for explaining the ongoing changes in fertility patterns across Europe. The widespread transition from high to low fertility was strongly pronounced in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Among others, one of the purposes of this paper is to supplement the ongoing debate about the `true`nature of the income - fertility and urbanization – fertility nexus with evidence from panel dataset of 109 municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the early 1990s there has been a marked shift in circumstances for reproductive behaviour in Bosnia and Herzegovina reflecting a move from a satisfactory and a more or less stable socio-economic and living environment to more impoverished living conditions with regard to each segment of life. The principal changes in fertility trends occuring in Bosnia and Herzegovina was in focus. The analysis presented here are based on statistical data from population censuses, more recent estimates from official sources and via fieldwork.


Travel time estimation is the core element for Advanced Transportation Management and Information Systems (ATMIS) as well as determining network efficiency. Consequently, minimizing travel time and delay have attracted many researchers and traffic/transportation operators. In a signalized network, signal coordination is applied as one of the methods to achieve this goal of reducing travel time. In this paper, the existing conditions and post study of the Signal Coordination is presented by conducting a case study of major arterial networks in the City of Irvine, CA. Optimal signal bandwidth and offset are generated by applying SYNCHRO software and applied to real-world signal coordination system. Traffic coordination methods, analysis results, and associated signal coordination benefits are also discussed. With the encouraging results from the proposed paper, this study can be greatly utilized in not only measuring intersection performance but also supporting intersection control.


Honeycomb sandwich panels are used because of their high stiffness, good fatigue resistance and low weight. These panels are used in a variety of applications, but particularly in the aerospace industry. When this is the case a simple knowledge of the static properties is not sufficient and additional information about the fatigue properties is required. In real situations these panels can be affected by manufacturing defects and impacts, and it is important to know the effects of these defects and the behaviour of the damaged panel; it also important to determine the location of the defect. In our investigation these defects will be simulated by a blind hole in the centre of the lower face sheet. Static and fatigue tests (four-point bending) with acoustic-emission monitoring were carried out on sandwich panels with defects. The load/displacement and the S-N fatigue curves are presented and analyzed.


The Westend Holstein herd at Westend Landgoed near Morgenzon in Mpumalanga, is owned by Hannes and Hano Lombard and managed by Johan Pretorius. This MPO member is one of the proud finalists in the Master Dairymen North competition and one of the model farms of the Highveld.


The racemic 1,2-secomicrominutinin (25) was synthesized employing the intramolecular cycloaddition reaction of an (alkenyloxy)ketene, prepared from the corresponding tosylate. The (alkenyloxy)ketene undergoes intramolecular [2+2] cycloaddition to give tricyclic benzocyclobutafuranone (16), which by Baeyer-Villiger oxidation gives a benzofuranofuranone (17). Reaction of the latter compound with methyl propiolate, catalyzed by triphenylphosphine, produced the cinnamic ester derivative (25).


* General Counsel, Building Industry Association of Washington; B.A. 1989, University of Washington; J.D. 1993, Seattle University School of Law. •* B.A. 1994, Pepperdine University; J.D. 1999, Seattle University School of Law; Clerk, The Hon. Gerry Alexander, Washington State Supreme Court, 2000-2001. The views expressed herein are solely those of the authors. The Authors warmly thank Charles Klinge, of Groen Stephens & Klinge, LLP, and Galen Schuler, of Perkins Coie, LLP, for their very helpful suggestions on drafts of this Article. The Authors wish to extend special thanks to Professor Richard Settle for his extremely important suggestions. This Article would never have happened without him. 1. The vested rights doctrine addressed in this Article applies only to the development of real property. Other kinds of rights "vest," such as the point in time in which an employee's right to receive a pension accrues, but these general rights are not part of the land developmentrelated vested rights discussed in this Article. See generally Godfrey v. State, 84 Wash. 2d 959, 962-63, 530 P.2d 630, 632 (1975) (discussing the general concept of the vesting of nonland development-related rights). 2. A vested right is different from a "grandfather" clause. A grandfather clause is merely a "[p]rovision in a new law or regulation exempting those already in or a part of the existing system which is being regulated." BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY 699 (6th ed. 1990). A grandfather clause is the result of "legislative grace," meaning that a local government chooses to allow citizens to benefit from the previous standard. Grayson P. Hanes & J. Randall Minchew, On Vested Rights to Land Use and Development, 46 WASH. & LEE. L. REV. 373, 379 (1989). In contrast to a grandfather clause, a vested right is not a local government's choice, but rather a legal protection against government action. A vested right is different from a nonconforming use. Westside Business Park v. Pierce County, 100 Wash. App. 599, 5 P.3d 713 (2000), rev. denied, 141 Wash. 2d 1023, 10 P.3d 1075 (2000) (distinguishing vested rights from nonconforming uses). "A nonconforming use is a use which lawfully existed prior to the enactment of a zoning ordinance, and which is maintained after the effective date of the ordinance, although it does not comply with the zoning restrictions applicable to the district in which it is situated." Rhod-A-Zalea & 35th, Inc. v. Snohomish County, 136 Wash. 2d 1, 6, 959 P.2d 1024, 1027 (1998). The fundamental difference is that a vested right allows the establishment of a use of property that is lawful at the time of application; the law of nonconforming uses involves the continuation of a now unlawful use. See Weyerhaeu-


Composition comprising a highly reactive linear polydiorganosiloxane and polydiorganosiloxane - its application for use in the preparation of polyorganosiloxanes block copolymer.


Carbon monoxide (CO) is a major pollutant, impacting air quality and contributing to the greenhouse effect. Buchholz et al. [1] used a multiple linear regression model to link CO anomalies in the atmosphere to variability in the climate. Measurements of total column CO were retrieved from the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument onboard the Terra satellite. Anomalies generated by these measurements are used as the response variable in this model. Climate mode indices represent regional variability in the climate, and these indices at various time lags are used as the predictor variables. Buchholz et al. [1] performed this analysis in MATLAB using serial algorithms in non-functionalized scripts. Simonson et al. [2] refactored the MATLAB codebase, improving both code interpretability and generality and adding parallelization options. In this technical note, we present further updates to the codebase used in the atmospheric CO analysis from Buchholz et al. [1]. These updates stem from four primary objectives. First, transfer the codebase into an R package that is available to researchers without a MATLAB license. Second, allow for a single climate index to appear in the model multiple times with different lag values. Third, implement an exhaustive variable selection algorithm. Finally, improve upon the non-exhaustive variable selection algorithm implemented in the MATLAB code. These updates are discussed, and the accuracy and timing of the new variable selection algorithms are compared.


The author believes that the Ser.Ds (addiction services) play a key role within a global operating system where also NGOs belonging to the Civil Society considerably interact. Notwithstanding the "linear cuts" to the National Health System which progressively reduced staff and performances, the Ser.ds got credibility because of their close reference to scientific evidence and human rights which on the one hand influenced methods of intervention and on the other protected users from authoritarian measures. The continuous changes occurring in the consumption of psycho-active substances require the Ser.ds to review their strategies according to a new perspective where the healthcare dimension is included in the wider social issue with the support of education.


To explore why school administrators have only a limit d base of knowledge of the laws and cases affecting education, the Informational Resource Questionnaire (IRQ) was designed to study attitudes about legal knowledge. The IRQ focuses on school demographics, which resources administrators most commonly use to obtain both general and legal information, and administrator opinions about how well-versed a particular group should be in school law. From a random sample of 75 school superintendents (Ss), 75 secondary school principals (SPs), and 75 elementary school principals (EPs) in the Massachusetts Public Schools, 142 questionnaires were returned from 59 Ss, 40 SPs, and 43 EPs. Four major findings were: (1) newspapers are often read by scnuol administrators; (2) administr,tors rely on one another for information; (3) professional organizations at the state level are a more frequent source than are national organizations; and (4) Ss use a wider variety of resources to a greater extent than do principals. The school lawyer was identified as a key person in providing legal knowledge. Pressing issues were teacher evaluation, liability, and special education. Administrators almost unanimously expressed a need for school officials to nave some knowledge of education law. The knowledge void existing among administrators is not due to attitudinal indifference. Ten data tables are provided. The IRQ, the cover letter mailed to the study sample, and the followup letter to nonrespondents are appended. (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. **U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of I'ducationat Research and Improvement EDUCATIONA, RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) GlkIris document has been reproduced as received from the person or oroanizafion onspnaring Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Pc.ntS of view or opintons stated in MS dOCu ment do not necessarily represent official OE RI position or policy "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMAT'ON CENTER (ERIC)" SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS' LEGAL KNOWLEDGE: INFORMATION SOURCES AND PERCEIVED NEEDS Susan J. Hillman, Ph.D. Education Department, North Adams State College Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association's Annual Meeting, New Orleans, April 1988. 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE


Introduction: Sepsis is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the neonatal period. It affects both term and pre-term newborns (NB), but the latter are the most vulnerable group, where incidence can reach 25%. Sepsis accounts for approximately half of all deaths in the neonatal period in developed countries. The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological behavior of newborns hospitalized with early neonatal sepsis and mortality risks in three consecutive years. Methods: A retrospective study of newborns weighing more than 500 grams hospitalized from 2008 to 2010 in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Sepsis was diagnosed by clinical and laboratory data and was considered as early sepsis when diagnosed before 48 hours of life. Results: The number of hospitalized newborns was 163 in 2008, 149 in 2009 and 154 in 2010. The overall neonatal mortality in the NICU was 25 deaths in 2008, 20 in 2009 and 12 in 2010, but differences were not statistically signifi cant. The number of deaths resulting from early sepsis was 16 in 2008, 09 in 2009 and 04 in 2010, statistically signifi cant differences between 2008 and 2010. Conclusion: The decrease in neonatal mortality was accompanied by a decrease in cases of death by early sepsis.


Biology of a newly recorded insect pest on dried Aerua lanata (Polpala.) a herbal tea prepared for the export market was investigated as this pest affected the quality of the product adversely. The pest was identified as Liposcelis bostrychophila (Badonnel, 1931) a Psocopteran species belonging to family Liposcelidae. The adult is about 1mm long had four nymphal ins tars and life cycle was completed within 30-40 days at mean temperature of 2 -r C and 90% RH. They reproduce parthenogenetically resulting in a rapid increase of pest population. The present study revealed that this infestation was originated in the warehouse. Maintenance of strict hygienic conditions in the warehouse, further solar drying of the final product for 30 minutes before the preparation of dipping bags were recommended as suitable non chemical methods to control the build up of pest population within the warehouse and the development of the pest in the final product.


This study will examine a multiple regression analysis of the relationship between the rate of deforestation, economic, institutional and social variables in a cross-section of countries. This study will use OLS (Ordinary Least Square) regression and correlation analysis to develop strong model of how the variation of independent variable explain the dependent variable (deforestation). The suggested independent variable in this study are rural population growth, human poverty index, corruption perception index, external national debt, growth of GDP and GDP per capita. Based on the result of multiple regression analysis, a conclusion can be drawn, that the model is very weak to explain the rate of deforestation. One of the answer for this problem is the p- value of ovtest is low which is 0,034, it is lower than 5%, meaning that there are some important variables are not included in this model. Another reason is because of hettest value is low as well which is 0.023, it is lower than 5%, indicate that the heteroskedasticity is present. Key words: rural population growth, human poverty index, corruption perception index, external national debt, growth of GDP and GDP per capita.


Ependymoma is a type of glial tumor that arises from the ependymal lining of the ventricular system of the central nervous system. These tumors may present as a rare extraspinal variety at the sacrococcygeal region, and may be misdiagnosed as pilonidal disease in the post-sacral area or present with mass-effect symptoms on the bowel or bladder in the pre-sacral region. This is a case of soft tissue swelling at the post-sacral area that, after clinical examination, was diagnosed as pilonidal disease. Surgical excision and pathologic examination revealed a subcutaneous sacrococcygeal ependymoma.


ARA typically uses the acenaphthene sublimation technique for boundary layer transition detection in its Transonic Wind Tunnel facility. However, recent advances in optical techniques and paints for the purpose of pressure and temperature measurements have opened up the possibilities for using the TSP paints for this purpose. The ARA Civil Reference Model has been used at ARA for over 20 years to check the tunnel flow quality and to trial and develop new equipment or test techniques. As such there is a large database of test data for this model to compare results against. The model itself is a simplistic representation of a civil transport aircraft in clean wing configuration (Figure 1), with pressure tappings on the upper surface of the port wing and lower surface of the starboard wing (total of 400 pressure taps). Results from this model have been consistent since it was first tested in 1998 and therefore any differences found when investigating new techniques can be confidently attributed to the technique in question. Fig 1 The ARA civil reference model installed in the ARA TWT.


The sparse distribution of thin, principally unmyelinated sensory axons confined largely to the planar tunica vasculosa of the testis provides a suitable model for examining the fine structure of electrophysiologically characterized nerve fiber terminals. The marked sites of polymodal receptors of canine testis using the in vitro preparation devised by Kumazawa et al. (1987) were examined in serial sections traced to the terminal with the electron microscope, revealing the first micrographs of a characterized polymodal receptor ending. The inferred role of these terminals in nociception, their organelle content, and the problems encountered in interpreting our initial findings are considered in the context of the variety of morphological patterns and functional roles of thin sensory axons.


Mobile robots adapted to omni rollers are required to have efficient mobility in areas like logistics. Since such systems are easily controlled and provide omnidirectional locomotion. However, theoretical research regarding the motion efficiency has not been conducted. In this study, to evaluate roller arrangements with respect to speed efficiency, a mechanism where the roller placement position can be changed arbitrarily on a round shape mechanism and evaluate the robot speed efficiency is designed. We consider existence domain of the robot speed vector using the theory of linear transformation


This research work was aimed to investigate USE OF THE CORNERS OF GAME WORK AND ITS IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CREATIVITY AND CHILDREN OF INITIAL EDUCATION PRONEPE "NINO JESUS" PERIOD 2013 - 2014, whose objective was to determine the overall using Corners Play Work and its impact on the development of creativity of children Education PRONEPE Asking "Nino Jesus".
For the development of this research work methods were used, the scientific, analytic-synthetic, inductive -deductive, statistical and bibliographical. In conducting the research technique used was: the survey was directed to the teacher and guide observation was applied to children.
The field research was developed with a total of 21 girls, 23 children and 2 teachers, after applying the tools and analyze the data arrive at the following conclusion: Teachers for the use of the Game Corners Labour, implemented according the need or planning have been proposed. In addition it was observed after applying activities that children differ in the development of creativity in a small percentage of girls.
Thus it is concluded that the corners of play work positively affects the development of creativity due to the techniques and strategies used by the teacher in the teaching-learning process.


In the history of the organisation of public health of the 18th century the territory of Anhalt-Dessau takes a remarkable place. There the ideas of enlightenment and philanthropism induced a model, the details of which were determined above all by the activities of the physician Friedrich Samuel Kretschmar. A carefully worked out system of social welfare was particularly for the benefit of the poor population and included prophylactic measures, which also oriented to the variolisation.


In part two of this series, the article looks at podcasting, wikis, public message boards, social networking and product review sites.


Background and context: A global cancer epidemic is developing (GLOBOCAN 2012). In the case of low- and-middle-income countries, difficulties are cumulative: inadequate health systems, lack of training for professionals. Drastic decisions have to be taken in a very complex field. Good decision needs good information. What about information dedicated to policy-makers: to decide a question, they need specific information, marked by these features: synthetic, clear, scientifically validated. Actually, this is not easy to find. Moreover policy-makers can't really benefit from: 1. Information for health professionals which is complex and overabundant (the request "cancer" on PubMed "out" nearly 1.5 millions references). 2. Documents or testimonials for patients. Written by scientific societies or patients' associations, they mostly focus on 2 topics "understand your disease" and "how to cope with". 3. Information from the Web, not always reliable in terms of quality. Strategy/Tactics: While policy advisors and international organizations provide appropriate studies and reports, mostly focused on "what should be done", we believe that knowledge of basic cancer data are necessary to understand the proposals. We talk about issues like "what is cancer", "what exactly cover radiotherapy, oncological surgery…". Regarding French speaking Africa, Alliance Ligues Africaines and Méditérranéennes (ALIAM) and The French League have produced targeted information for decision-makers. The document was presented in Brazzaville in June 2017. Access to this book is free: www.livre-cancer.aliam.org . The editorial method was discussed and we made the choice to write short sheets, to quickly understand the useful definitions and problems. Rather than comprehensiveness, a pedagogical will and a desire for clarity guided the writing. Diagrams and photos had to be abundant to facilitate understanding. Moreover, this format allows a permanent update of the subjects and the introduction of new topics as needed. What was learned: On the basis of this experience, ALIAM and the league are convinced that a pedagogic document with an international vocation would be useful for all policy makers. Proposal for action: UICC would be the perfect organizer of a working group to produce such a document. The goal would be to develop a consensus text which resume essential data on all common themes of cancer. About 25 themes could be identified, e.g., definition and mechanisms of development of cancers, risk factors, screening and early diagnosis, anatomic pathology and telepathology, molecular biology, imaging and interventional radiology, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and innovative therapies, palliative care etc. Moreover, focus on specific location of cancer (breast, cervix, lung…) and pediatric cancers should be developed. Then, it would be easier for any world regions to supplement this validated information with additional specific data describing the local situation. Hierarchizing action priorities would be facilitated.


Path planning is one of the key technologies to support the autonomous and safe navigation of unmanned surface vessel (USV). In order to solve the problems of slow convergence speed, many iterations, and unstable convergence results when the traditional reinforcement learning algorithm is applied to the path planning of the USV. In this paper, an improved hybrid path planning method based on Dyna architecture(IDH) is proposed. The Dyna architecture constructed based on model learning and direct reinforcement learning can give full play to the advantages of both and has good robustness in dealing with uncertain existing problems. The path searching method combining Q-learning and heuristic algorithm can learn quickly according to different environmental conditions and search for safe paths that meet the planning objectives (such as shortest path and lowest energy consumption, etc.). In this paper, the kinematic characteristics of target distance, distance to closest point of approach(DCPA), time to closest point of approach(TCPA), and steering angle are comprehensively considered when constructing the reward and punishment strategy and action selection rules of Q-Learning. Then the post smoother was developed to improve the performance of the generated route, reducing unnecessary 'jags'. Taking the actual environment maps as examples, the proposed planning method is simulated and verified. The Q-Learning, Dyna-Q and Rapid-exploration Random Tree(RRT) algorithm are chosen as the comparison method. Experiments show that the proposed improved path planning method has the best adaptability and robustness under the influence of actual environment maps. The performance of the proposed approach in term of total distance is superior over the other algorithm. In addition, the search speed is faster than the other two reinforcement learning algorithms.


Introduction. The study of the population formation processes of the city of Vladimir, the capital of the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, is an important task for archaeologists, historians, linguists and anthropologists. However, materials on the anthropology of the ancient Russian population of this city began appearing relatively recently. The purpose of this work is to publish and analyze data on the pre-Mongolian population of ancient Vladimir. Materials and methods. The work is based on craniological data obtained during the study of a sample from a 13th-century sanitary burial in the historical center of Vladimir. 43 adults of both sexes were studied. Demographic and craniological indicators, as well as skull injuries were analyzed to understand the circumstances of the appearance of a mass grave. Results. The studied complex is a one-time burial of a large number of individuals in the household utility basement of a ground building. The archaeological context of the sanitary burial allows us to confidently date it to the first half of the 13th century. It has been established that 58% of individuals have injuries to the skull bones, which either caused death or were inflicted shortly before death. A comparative statistical analysis involving craniological data from 24 synchronous samples revealed a great similarity of the male studied group with the Balts and Slavs of the Upper Dnieper region. At the same time, a strong difference from rural population of neighboring territories was found. Conclusions. The location and characteristics of the burial, as well as fatal injuries, indicate that the citizens died as a result of a military conflict. The traumatic injuries are similar in nature to those found during the study of other mass graves in ancient Russian cities. Comparative analyzes of craniological features make it possible to link the origin of this population group with the territory of the Upper Dnieper region, through which two waves of migration of Slavic settlers passed during first millennium AD. No influence of migrants from the territory of the Novgorod lands was found. Influence of the local Finnish component on the studied group is also absent.


Institute of Theoretical Physics, Warsaw UniversityHoza 69, 00-681 Warsaw, Polande-mail: email@example.com(Received November 9, 2004)Dedicated to Andrzej Staruszkiewicz on the occasion of his 65th birthdayThe eight inequivalent spinorial double covers of the full Lorentz groupL are described explicitly. Two among them include the antilinear represen-tations of space and time reflections on two-component spinors, discoveredin 1976 by Staruszkiewicz. The group of all inequivalent central extensionsof L by Z


Photograph of the Laredo Bayanihan Dancers performing at the Texas Folklife Festival in San Antonio, Texas. They are all female, dressed in white blouses, yellow head wraps and green and yellow horizontally-striped skirts.


Summary— Actin microfilaments were localized in quail oviduct ciliated cells using decoration with myosin subfragment S1 and immunogold labeling. These polarized epithelial cells show a well developed cytoskeleton due to the prosence of numerous cilia and microvilli at their apical pole. Most S1‐decorated microfilaments extend from the microvilli downward towards the upper part of the ciliary striated rootlets with which they are connected. From the microvillous roots, a few microfilaments connect the proximal part of the basal body or the basal foot associated with the basal body. Microfilament polarity is shown by S1 arrowheads pointing away from the microvillous tip to the cell body. Furthermore, short microfilaments are attached to the plasma membrane at the anchoring sites of basal bodies and run along the basal body. The polarity of these short microfilaments is directed from the basal body anchoring fibers downward to the cytoplasm. At the cell periphery, microfilaments from microvillous roots and ciliary apparatus are connected with those of the circumferential actin belt which is associated with the apical zonula adhaerens.


A novel second-order cascaded Delta - Sigma modulator concept is presented. The first integrator is extracted, and implemented by an FM oscillator. The result is a simple, extended multibit Delta - Sigma modulator with no component matching restrictions, and a high sampling frequency potential. Without the oscillator, the modulator becomes a second-order Delta - Sigma F/D converter.


The aim of this study is to offer a quantitative analysis of the time needed by students to understand different types of oral comprehension items involved in second language (L2) listening processes. The duration data models will allow us to focus on this fundamental variable, analyzing the time and degree of acquisition of the different linguistic oral comprehension items. Also, this approach lets us identify those subskills which take longer to be understood and some factors conditioning the time needed in these processes. Consequently, knowing the time required by learners to successfully achieve effective comprehension could potentially have important implications for the language teaching/learning processes.


abstract:The restructuring of unemployment and welfare benefits under Hartz IV hit former East Germans already suffering economically since unification particularly hard, forcing many into a condition of precarity for which the governing ideology held them responsible. Frustrated in her search for suitable work, Ilka Bessin adapted the self-management model advocated by the reforms to transform her story of marginalization and failure into a comedy success as Ossi trash princess Cindy aus Marzahn. Cultivated by commercial television, Bessin's Cindy was a product, purveyor, and critic of Germany's neoliberal economic policies, illustrating the fraught, collusive relationship between politics and popular culture.


Objective: To provide anatomical data for submandiblar and retropharyngeal approach in dealing with the lesions of the ventral craniocervical junction. Methods: We made microsurgical dissecting in 15 cadaveric heads (30 sides) according to the operative procedure of submandiblar and retropharyngeal approach,and made some measuring at the same time. Results: The important anatomical structures in the superficial fascia were all in their own fascial layer, and we could identify each fascial layer by regarding those structures as anatomic makers, which could also conduct the operation. The top limit of this approach was pharyngeal tubercle, and the horizontal distance from the midline to the inner margin of those anatomic structures which limited the lateral exposed areas was lateral atlantoaxial joint (left7.78±1.03 mm, right 7.81±1.01 mm), atlantooccipital joint (left 9.27±1.86mm, right 9.22±1.69 mm), endostoma of hypoglossal canal (left 12.76±2.77mm,right 12.81 ±2.53 mm) and vertebral artery (at C2 level left 18.36±2.27mm, right 18.47±2.14 mm; at C1 level left 25.35±2.31mm, right 25.18±2.33 mm; through the dura mater left 12.69±2.42 mm, right 12.72±2.39 mm), respectively. Conclusions: The submandiblar and retropharyngeal approach could be divided into three layers (superficial layer; deep layer; bone, ligament and dura mater layer) roughly, in point of anatomy. Handling the anatomical characteristics and operative highlights of those three layers adeptly, that could help us to expose and deal with the lesions of the ventral craniocervical junction, sufficiently and safely.


Objective To investigate the clinical effects of cerebellar fastigial nucleus electrical stimulation(FNS) in the treatment of vascular cognitive impairment(VCI)of varying degrees.Methods 60 VCI patients admitted to our hospital from January 2009 to June 2011 were selected.The patients were divided into vascular cognitive impairment but no dementia(VCIND group) and vascular dementia(VaD group) with each group 30 cases.All the patients were given FNS treatment on the basis of conventional treatment.The event-related potentials P300(ERP-P300) and Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA)of all patients were observed and compared before and after the treatment.Results After treatment,the scores of MoCA and the latency period and amplitude of ERP-P300 of the VCIND group showed statistically significant differences compared with those before the treatment(t=18.58,26.88,10.06,P0.01).The scores of MoCA and the latency period and amplitude of ERP-P300 of the VaD group also showed statistically significant differences compared with those before the treatment(t=2.54,2.81,2.81,P0.01).The differences of the scores of MoCA and the latency period and amplitude of ERP-P300 between VCIND group and VaD group were statistically significant(t=9.81,20.12,30.16,P0.01).Conclusion FNS can improve cognitive function of VCI patients and is more effective for VCIND patients.


Natural polysaccharides remain overlooked as part of naturally occurring bioactive molecules. The current knowledge results in numerous clinical trials, from first observations of their effects on various diseases to precise chemical characterization and decades of biological evaluation. The aim of this report is to summarize historical perspective of the route from the first anecdotical observation to the current position, with emphasis on some crucial turning points.


ABSTRACT Discussions about diverse economies have often been positioned in opposition to profit-focused global economic activity, whereas local communities are often assumed to be sites of diverse economies that embrace economic and non-economic exchanges. We argue that the perceived binary between global profit-focused economic activity and diverse economic/non-economic exchanges based on local community values should be challenged. Major companies, such as airlines, can create diverse models of economic exchange and participate in the diverse economies dialogue. Using Air New Zealand as a case study, this research provides tangible examples of how diverse economies can be operationalised. Employing qualitative content analysis from 35 online documents concerning the airline, it is argued that diverse economies can be actively co-created by large organisations by activating different stakeholder interests. This paper contributes to the re-framing of diverse economies thinking, which generally focuses on local communities, towards the global business environment, and offers a perspective on how large global businesses that are significantly regulated and focused on market capitalisation, might also progress diverse economies.


This paper examines the perception of users on the value relevance of intellectual capital (IC) information for decision-making. The data were collected through questionnaires distributed to Qatari companies. The paper found that users perceive that IC information, internal capital information, and external capital information are relevant for decision-making. Thus, it has value relevance. Human capital was not perceived as relevant. The findings are useful for companies to better understand the needs of information users. They assist regulatory bodies in Qatar towards developing guidelines and standards for better corporate disclosure of IC, thereby helping in decision-making. This is the first research that examines the value relevance of IC information in Qatar.


Simple Summary Veterinarians are commonly required to euthanise dogs in the course of their work. The way euthanasia is performed can impact the welfare of dogs, the wellbeing of the client, and the wellbeing of the veterinary team members involved. There are published guidelines regarding humane euthanasia techniques, but there are few reports on how veterinarians actually perform euthanasia, in both non-emergency and emergency contexts. We surveyed Australian veterinarians on the techniques they used, including whether they used premedication or sedation prior to euthanasia of dogs. We found that almost all veterinarians used barbiturates to euthanise dogs. The majority provided some form of premedication or sedation prior to euthanasia in non-emergency contexts, compared with just under half in emergency situations. The type of premedication or sedation varied. Factors associated with administering a premedication or sedation included the gender of the veterinarian, their location and the type of practice they worked in. Veterinarians had differing practices and views about the way in which canine euthanasia should be performed. These findings will be useful to allow individual veterinarians to benchmark and improve their own euthanasia practices and may assist in the development and refinement of canine euthanasia protocols. Abstract Euthanasia techniques utilised by veterinarians impact the welfare of many dogs in their final moments. Despite euthanasia guidelines, little is known about euthanasia techniques used in practice. We administered an online survey of Australian veterinarians who had euthanised at least one dog in the previous 12 months. We found that 668 (96.8%) had euthanised a dog in the previous 12 months, almost all using intravenous pentobarbitone sodium (n = 651, 99.7%). For non-emergency euthanasia (n = 653), the majority (n = 442, 67.7%) administered a premedication or sedation prior to euthanasia versus less than half for emergency euthanasia (n = 286, 46.4%). Practices and views about euthanasia varied. Female veterinarians and veterinarians located in metropolitan regions were more likely to administer a premedication or sedation prior to non-emergency euthanasia (p < 0.05). Veterinarians in private mixed animal practices were less likely to administer a premedication or sedation prior to a non-emergency euthanasia (p < 0.05). For non-emergency and emergency euthanasia, veterinarians who worked in "other" practice types were more likely to administer a premedication or sedation than private companion animal practices (p < 0.05). The possible reasons for differences in euthanasia practices are explored, and scope for refinement is identified.


The gravity model states that trade between any two countries is proportional, other things equal, to the product of the two countries' GDPs, and diminishes with the distance between the two countries. The logic is that larger economies tend to spend large amounts on imports and attract large share of other countries spending (exports) because they produce large quantity and variety of goods and services. Distance, on the other hand, tends to lessen trade between countries because of transportation costs and other intangible barriers, such as language, geography, and historic colonial relationships. The following specific hypotheses from the gravity model of trade are tested with respect to African countries alone: The amount of exports by one African country to another is inversely related to the distance between the two countries, The amount of exports by one African country to another reflects the GDP of the country to whom the exports are sent, The amount of exports directly reflects a country's own GDP, and Countries associated with the same colonial power experience greater trade. Each of these hypotheses is tested with logarithmic forms of the variables in the hypotheses. While the resulting logarithmic model works is statistically significant and bears the correct signs, it does not show colonial patterns to be a strong as those found in other studies that are focused on inter-continental trade relationships. The significance of colonization in other studies may be a surrogate for the degree of development of nations. Since trade grows less than proportionately both with respect to the GDP of the importing nation and with respect to the GDP of the exporter, this study shows a disappointing trade impact of growth in the developing world on the potential development of Africa through export growth.