In this paper,a method based on thermal desorption/chemiluminescence was firstly applied to determine the concentration of trace butanone in the air.The effects of absorption properties of different kinds of adsorbents on butanone was studied,which found that the absorption of Tenax-TA(2,6-diphenyl-p-phenylene oxide) on butanone was with high stability.Under the optimized conditions(the wavelength of 490 nm,the temperature of 175 ℃ and the air flow rate of 71.4 mL/min),the linear range of CTL intensity versus concentration of butanone vapor was from 4.025 to 201.25 mg/m3(r=0.9978,n=10) with a detection limit of 1.34 mg/m3.This method was of short time-consuming and performance stability,which has been successfully applied to the online determination of butanone.


The article shows the potential of digitalization in the system of ensuring the competitiveness of oil and gas companies. The features and priorities of digital transformation of energy sector majors are revealed. The basic principles of using digitalization as a way to gain advantages in the world market are formulated.


The quantum of action $\hbar$, multiplying in certain powers perturbative vertices in 4D gauge theory, is related to the action of just-not-resolved selfdual and thermal gauge field configurations, calorons and anticalorons, of charge modulus unity. Appealing to the derivation of the effective theory for the deconfining phase of SU(2) Yang-Mills thermodynamics, we conclude that these vertex inducers convey a rapidly decreasing interaction strength between {\sl fundamental} plane waves when the momentum transfer is increased away from the scale of maximal, {\sl effective} resolution. This adds a deeper justification to the renormalization programme of perturbation theory which ignores the contribution to the partition function of nontrivially selfdual configurations. We also point out a connection between the QED fine-structure constant $\alpha$ and the electric-magnetically dual of the effective gauge coupling in the deconfining phase, and we illustrate the workings of effective loops in the expansion of the pressure.


The invention relates to a method for removing sulfur dioxide in a flue by using desulfurization liquor. In the method, in a horizontal flue at an outlet of a boiler flue gas tail gas draught fan, the desulfurization liquor is sprayed in a direction facing gas flows to perform a reaction for removing the sulfur dioxide, and a clean flue gas after removing the sulfur dioxide is discharged into theatmosphere, wherein the desulfurization liquor comprises the following components in percentage by weight: 50 to 80 percent of a quaternary ammonium base organic substance and 20 to 50 percent of organic solvent. The method can be used in a thermal power plant and various combustion boilers using oil and coal as fuels to remove the sulfur dioxide in the flue gas, reduce over 90 percent of emission pollution, and greatly improve the working efficiency. The method has a significant substantial effect. Besides, the method has a simple preparation process of the desulfurization liquor, a low input cost and high practicability.


The microwave surface impedance of granular high temperature superconductors is an important figure of merit for technological applications. Because the behavior of the granular materials deviates significantly from that of the ideal defect free superconductors, the loss mechanisms are not fully understood. This dissertation seeks to quantify the contribution of granularity to centimeter wave and millimeter wave losses. By understanding these losses, the superconductive coupling between neighboring grains can also be understood. The weakly coupled grain model is used as a phenomenological description of the microwave surface impedance. The granular superconducting surface is modelled as an effective resistively shunted Josephson junction. The measured surface impedance is compared to the model by plotting the normalized surface resistance versus the normalized surface reactance. The model offers a quantitative explanation of many features observed in the surface impedance data including a local maximum in the surface reactance versus static magnetic field. The model also predicts the weaker than quadratic BCS frequency dependence of the surface resistance. The surface impedance of granular superconductors is always observed to saturate in high static magnetic fields. From analysis with the weakly coupled grain model it is concluded that the saturation is due to superconducting microshorts with properties which are independent of magnetic field. Finally, measurement of surface resistance with an open Fabry-Perot resonator is treated within as a mini-dissertation. The loss mechanisms in the open resonator geometry are considered. The ohmic losses are computed numerically from a vector theory, and Bethe diffraction theory is used to compute a lower limit for losses arising from mode mixing.


Patient: Female, 6 Final Diagnosis: Allgrove syndrome Symptoms: Achalasia • adrenal insufficiency • alacrima Medication: — Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: Pediatrics and Neonatology Objective: Rare disease Background: Allgrove syndrome, or triple "A" syndrome (3A syndrome), is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome with variable phenotype, and an estimated prevalence of 1 per 1,000,000 individuals. Patients usually display the triad of achalasia, alacrima, and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) insensitive adrenal insufficiency, though the presentation is inconsistent. Case Report: Here, the authors report a case of Allgrove syndrome in a pediatric patient with delayed diagnosis in order to raise awareness of this potentially fatal disease as a differential diagnosis of alacrima. Conclusions: The prevalence of Allgrove syndrome may be much higher as a result of underdiagnosis and missed diagnosis due to the variable presentation and sudden unexplained childhood death from adrenal crisis. The authors review the characteristic symptoms of Allgrove syndrome in relation to the case study in order to avoid missed or delayed diagnosis, potentially decreasing morbidity, and mortality in those affected by this disease.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the current prevalence of asthma in children aged 6-12 years old in San Sebastian (Guipuzcoa, Spain).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
An observational, cross sectional study was performed in 6-12-year-old children in schools. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was employed. Bronchial hyperresponsiveness was investigated using the free running test, with peak expiratory flow (PEF) measured with a peak flow meter as the main measurement. The ISAAC questionnaire (n = 919) was distributed to 460 boys (50.1%) and 459 girls (49.9%) with a mean age of 8 years (SD 1.87). The response rate to the questionnaire was 93 % (n = 855). Participation in the free running test was 90.8% (n = 835). A total of 89.88% of the children (n = 826) completed both tests.

RESULTS
The questionnaire of symptoms and signs compatible with asthma revealed a current prevalence of asthma of 25.56% (n = 216) and a cumulative prevalence of 25.44% (n = 85). Nocturnal asthma was found in 29.37% (n = 47) and severe asthma in 9.27% (n = 14). Bronchial hyperresponsiveness was found in 23% of the participants. An epidemiological diagnosis of asthma (asthma-related symptoms plus bronchial hyperresponsiveness) was made in 6.54%.

CONCLUSIONS
The current prevalence of asthma in 6-12-year-old schoolchildren in San Sebastian, determined through symptoms and signs compatible with asthma in the previous year and a positive free running test, is similar to that reported in other national studies.


Autonomous vehicles (AVs) may significantly impact people's choice of residential locations and spatial structures. The impact may vary across different countries, but few studies have focused on it. This study drew on China and the United States (US) as two cases to study car drivers' knowledge of AVs and willingness to move farther if AVs were available by estimating ordered logistic regression models. The results showed that 42.3% of Chinese and 29.8% of US respondents were likely to consider moving farther away from the nearest city or the destination for the most frequent trip if they had an AV. The Chinese sample had less knowledge of AVs than the US sample, but they were more likely to consider a move. AVs may lead to a new round of urban sprawl, but the challenge may be greater for China. We captured the socio-economic and transport factors that affected this result.


Bucket failures have been known to occur on the later stages of industrial type steam turbines after prolonged opera tional life of as much as five or six years. All of these failures are characteristically fatigue in nature. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the reasons for these failures as related to the operating load and speed of the turbine and to the design of the buckets. Bucket banding can be used to minimize the possibili ty of failure.


Chromosome numbers of Cerastium alpinum, C. arcticum, and C. nigrescens were studied from the main part of their distribution area. No chromosome number variation was found within C. alpinum, which seems to be octoploid throughout its range. Dodecaploid chromosome numbers (2n = 108) were found in both C. arcticum and C. nigrescens. A higher, possibly aneuploid, chromosome number was reported for plants from Southwest Greenland, and the intermediate chromosome number of 2n = 90 was found in potential hybrids between C. alpinum and C. nigrescens. Despite sporadic reports of deviating chromosome numbers, the chromosome number variation within the C. alpinum-C. arcticum complex seems to be restricted mainly to the octo- and dodecaploid levels.


We present an approach to automatic classification of adjectives in German with respect to a range functional categories. The approach makes use of the grammatical evidence that (i) the functional category of an adjectival modifier determines its relative ordering in an NP, and (ii) only modifiers that belong to the same category may appear together in a coordination. The coordination context algorithm is discussed in detail. Experiments carried out with this algorithm are described and an evaluation of the experiments is presented.


During the International Society for Technology in Education's (ISTE) 2005 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), a group of educators began the process of forming a new ISTE Special Interest Group (SIG) on games and simulations. At the group's first meeting, over 100 participants shared their thoughts on games and simulations in education. The group then met online over the next several months and created a mission that encompassed the development and educational use of digital games and simulations with an emphasis on credible research supporting their value in the classroom. As part of their initial planning, the SIG founders discussed problems facing key stakeholders—parents, school administrators, and legislators—on implementing video games in the classroom. Consequently, some members of the proposed SIG recommended the creation of an open, online community of educators and game developers who would collaboratively explore the instructional benefits of video games. This article explores the current issues surrounding the limited use of video games in the classroom and outlines the anticipated online solution.


[Abstract] Service-learning as an experiential pedagogy has been gaining attention and support from technical programs in recent years. The realization of the impact of service-learning to traditional engineering programs requires a pragmatic model with a comprehensive plan leading to the synergistic integration of service-learning in an engineering pedagogical framework. The nature of engineering service-learning activities is interdisciplinary. Participating students are required to possess good knowledge in common engineering subjects, such as engineering mechanics, electromechanical systems, automatic control, and design. The proposed pragmatic model and the inter-relationships of the individual parties in the model were presented to depict an integrated approach that provides students' opportunities to develop intellectual capacity and capabilities beyond what traditional engineering curricula could achieve. Examples of community-based engineering service-learning activities were presented. Strategies and challenges for implementation were discussed. [Keywords] Experiential engineering education; engineering service-learning; engineering education; pedagogy; interdisciplinary engineering; activities; community-based; synergistic integration; engineering students; community engagement Introduction Contemporary engineering programs emphasize experiential education that helps students achieve a higher degree of understanding of abstract theories through the experiences of applying the theories to real applications in industry. Among many different forms of experiential engineering education, such as laboratory experiments, field trips and internships, capstone design projects are most noticeable for the culminating experiences that students can obtain before they begin their professional careers. The primary focus of these experiential pedagogies is to raise students' technical competence level and softer skills in the areas like teamwork and communication. As the society is becoming more dynamic with the fast evolving technology, it faces more challenging issues that require technically competent citizens to resolve issues with newer technologies. Engineering students can expand their role to help a community meet its demands by proactively engaging in needed community services. Their rigorous technical training, growing engineering knowledge and the supervision of faculty experts can benefit a community with such service learning projects. Engineering schools have been engaged with the community beyond the campus boundaries through technical assistance programs, university extension, and consultancy of individual faculty to local community organizations. However, the community engagement is usually not systematically integrated within the engineering curriculum. Most programs tend to be focusing more on students' professional development, rather than on their becoming socially responsible engineers who are prepared to address the needs of increasingly complex societies and communities using contemporary technologies in a cost-effective way. Engineering service-learning as an experiential education pedagogy rests on the premise of reciprocal learning (Sigmon, 1979). This appears to be an attractive alternative to address the issues aforementioned and helps meeting many of the program outcomes as stipulated in Criterion 3 of Engineering Criteria 2000: (ABET, 2004) "... Engineering programs must demonstrate that their students attain: a) An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering b) An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data c) An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability d) An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams e) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems f) An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility g) An ability to communicate effectively h) The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context i) A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning j) A knowledge of contemporary issues k) An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice. …


At the risk of producing "encore un autre ouvrage sur les rébellions de 1837 et 1838" (Rheault and Aubin, p. 7), the authors of these two volumes have offered a further glimpse into the Lower Canadian Rebellions of 1837 and 1838, illustrating the essential roles played by both doctors and notaries, including a collection of biographical information pertaining to the individuals of their respective professions during this often studied episode in Canadian history. While Marcel Rheault and Georges Aubin demonstrate the central role played by doctors in the rebellions, as well as in the political realm in the years leading to the uprising, Julien Mackay has chosen to focus his work on notaries in general during the uprisings, not exclusively on those who were involved in the rebellions. Rheault, a retired surgeon and historian, having previously published a related work, La médecine en Nouvelle-France (Septentrion, 2004), has collaborated with Aubin, a scholar well versed in the history of the Parti Patriote, to produce Médecins et patriotes, 1837–1838. Mackay, a professional notary and history enthusiast, has offered Notaires et patriotes, 1837–1838 as his fourth work on the subject of notaries in Quebec. Though the works bear a striking resemblance in title, cover art, and overall theme, they differ quite substantially in their historical contextualization as a result of the slight variation in their approach to related topics. Mackay acknowledges that his work is not that of an historian and instead was produced to assemble the abundance of information concerning notaries in the archival material and historiography of the rebellions. The first 50 pages of the book are divided into five separate sections, three of which written by Mackay himself: the introduction and sections entitled « Jules Verne et sa vision des patriotes » and « La nomination des notaires », in which the author provides a general historical background for notaries in Lower Canada. Essentially a summary of Jean-Paul Bernard's Les Rébellions de 1837–1838 and Allan Greer's Habitants et patriotes, the section entitled « Contexte sociopolitique des rébellions » was produced by Jean-Philippe Tremblay, and there is also a « Liste des notaires en fonction en 1837–1838 ». The bulk of Mackay's book is its final section, composed of approximately 125 alphabetized biographical entries of varying lengths. Though some are as short as one sentence, where information has been available, these entries include dates of birth and death, as well as information concerning marriages, children, and education, and usually conclude with a summation of the notary's involvement in the rebellions. Primarily collected through the use of other biographical secondary sources, including the Dictionnaire biographique du Canada and Alain Messier's Dictionnaire encyclopédique et historique des Patriotes de 1837–1838, Mackay's biographies also benefit from additional primary sources taken from the Événements de 1837–1838 collection at the Archives nationales du Québec. 632 Histoire sociale / Social History


PROFESSOR FREDERICK'S presentation of the data presumed to measure the magnitude of the industrial market during the year 1935 is both interesting and instructive. He deserves special commendation for his attempt to correlate facts from two different sources based on separate and totally different inquiries. There is urgent need for more of this type of work. On the score of the detailed analysis made by Professor Frederick there can be no special criticism. He has brought together for us some pertinent data from two different studies of the Bureau of the Census, which, together, throw needed light on the composition of the industrial market from the standpoint of (I) lines of merchandise and (2) types of marketing organizations engaged in industrial marketing. But, in my opinion, these data do not exactly measure the magnitude of the industrial market. It seems to me that the industrial market can be measured in two ways, depending upon the objective sought. One method is to ascertain the proportion of all goods marketed that is destined for industrial consumption. Table I shows that in I935 the value of all goods marketed was $53,627,770,000. These goods came from factories, farms, mines, quarries, oil wells, forests, fisheries, hunting and trapping, and in the form of imports from abroad. The amounts contributed by each source are shown in that table, and the values are f.o.b. point of production or import and hence include no margins for marketing agencies nor the full costs of transporting the goods in the process of marketing. (see Table I) Table II shows the propbrtion of these goods absorbed by industrial consumers. The method of computing the percentage of manufactured goods intended for industrial use is identical with that used by the author and Dr. N. H. Engle for the construction of the flow chart appearing in Volume II, Wholesale Distribution, covering wholesale census data for 1929, except that 1935 statistics were used for purposes of Table II.


We examine under which conditions a cap-and-trade mechanism can deliver a dynamically efficient abatement pathway and contribute to a robust investment framework. For this we develop a numerical dynamic partial-equilibrium model that includes differentiated objective functions of different market participants for holding emission allowances based on their banking strategy. If the surplus of allowances is large, as currently observed in the European Union Emissions Trading System, the equilibrium market outcome can deviate from an efficient abatement pathway and performance of the policy is reduced against a set of key criteria (dynamic efficiency, price credibility, price consistency, and robustness to shocks). The model is applied to assess design options of quantity and price based market stability reserves as discussed in Europe. Both price and quantity based mechanisms can improve the performance of the EU ETS against key criteria.


OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to develop five different supervised machine learning classifier models using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques and to compare their performance for cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) analysis. A clinical decision support system (CDSS) was developed for more objective results.

METHODS
A total of 647 digital lateral cephalometric radiographs with visible C2, C3, C4 and C5 vertebrae were chosen. Newly developed software was used for manually labelling the samples, with the integrated CDSS developed by evaluation of 100 radiographs. On each radiograph, 26 points were marked, and the CDSS generated a suggestion according to the points and CVM analysis performed by the human observer. For each sample, 54 features were saved in text format and classified using logistic regression, support vector machine, random forest, artificial neural network and decision tree models. The weighted κ (κ) coefficient was used to evaluate the concordance of classification and expert visual evaluation results.

RESULTS
Among the CVM stage classifier models, the best result was achieved using the artificial neural network model (κ = 0.926). Among cervical vertebrae morphology classifier models, the best result was achieved using the logistic regression model (κ = 0.968) for the presence of concavity, and the decision tree model (κ = 0.949) for vertebral body shapes.

CONCLUSIONS
This study has proposed machine learning models for CVM assessment on lateral cephalometric radiographs, which can be used for the prediction of cervical vertebrae morphology. Further studies should be done especially of forensic applications of AI models through CVM evaluations.


The pressure‐induced fundamental infrared absorption band of chlorine gas at 298° and 369°K has been investigated. The frequency of the maximum absorption of the band has been found to agree with that calculated for the free molecule when the effects of the three isotopic species 35Cl2, and 35Cl 37Cl, and 37Cl2 are considered. The binary absorption coefficient has been measured and using it with the theory of Van Kranendonk a value of 57a02 ± 25% has been derived for the rate of change of polarizability with internuclear distance. The temperature dependence of the binary absorption coefficient indicates the possible presence of bound states (Cl2)2 at room temperature.


- Abstract. Analysis of the 1993-4 eclipse in the slow symbiotic nova PU Vul (4900-d binary orbital period) and 1995-9 photoelectric observations in V and R bandpasses show that the cool component of this object is pulsating AGB variable with a 215-d pulsation period. Basic properties of the components of the system are discussed. Photoelectric V, R observations of PU Vul obtained in 1995-9 with the 0.6-m telescopes at the Skalnate Pleso (SP) and Stara Lesna (SL) observatories of the Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences exhibit pulsational variability with the period 215±20 d, suggesting that the cool component of spectral type M4 (Rudy et al. 1999) is pulsating AGB star (Chochol, Pribulla, & Tamura 1998). Its luminosity calculated from the period-luminosity rela tion of Hughes & Wood (1990) is L c = 3780 £®. The corresponding radius and mass determined using the Stephan-Boltzmann law and the standard pul sation equation are R c = 282 RQ and M c = 0.78 M®, respectively. Vogel & Nussbaumer (1992) found the ratio of luminosities L^/'L c = 2.6, so the lumi nosity of the hot component is L^ = 9830 £®. The corresponding mass of the hot CO degenerate dwarf determined from the relation of Paczyriski (1971) is Mh = 0.69 M@. Kepler's third law and the masses of the components lead to a binary separation a = 1380 -ft®. The photometric data from the 1993-4 eclipse were used by Chochol et al. (1997) for


ABSTRACT Correlations between O/C and cloud condensation nucleus activity, represented by κ, are a computationally efficient approach to estimate the impact of aerosol aging on cloud formation and climate; however, previously reported correlations between these two variables are empirical and vary widely in their slopes and extrapolations to high O/C values. This study proposes a theoretical framework that bridges elemental ratios, volatility, solubility, and κ. The framework estimates intrinsic κ based on molecular formulas of organics composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen that partition to condensed phase, and then it estimates apparent κ considering solubility distribution parameterized by O/C. This article applied the new framework to the two-dimensional volatility basis set (2D-VBS) and found that distribution of O/C and molecular size play key roles in determining apparent κ. For highly soluble organics, κ is dictated by gas-particle partitioning and it is unlikely for κ of organics to go beyond 0.3 in typical ambient organic material loadings. Sensitivity analysis showed that surface-active compounds are not likely to profoundly alter the overall trend within a reasonable range of surface activity. This framework provides a simple yet plausible explanation of why κ would and would not correlate with O/C; distributions of OA in the 2D-VBS as well as the presence of inorganic salts determine the trend. The framework opens up new opportunities to evaluate two-dimensional representations of organic aerosol aging using κ, a significant advancement from the current empirical linear fits to κ and O/C. Copyright © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research


An image sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention, the active pixel sensor and the optical black pixel sensor pixel sensor array comprising a first analog converting the first sensing signals provided by the active pixel sensor to the first digital signal to digital converter, and the optical black pixel converts the second sensing signal provided from the sensor into a second digital signal, said first analog-to-digital converter and the second analogue has a different noise characteristic-to-digital converter, and the first digital signal and wherein an output buffer for temporarily storing and outputting the second digital signal.


English has long become an international language. Therefore, the ability to communicate in English becomes important. Not all students are able to talk English in public because they are afraid of making mistake, shy and under pressure. As a result, they cannot improve their speaking ability effectively. It requires attention to use other techniques to improve students' speaking ability. This study concerns the effect of storytelling chain on students' speaking ability. The purpose of this study is to find out whether there is any effect of using storytelling chain on the speaking achievement of eight graders.
The instruments of the speaking test were pre-test and post-test. The population of this study was eight graders of private junior high school in Surabaya consisting of 38 students. This pre-experimental study was done by choosing one class between two classes which had lower speaking score.
The class were given same speaking test for the pre-test and post-test. There were 10 speaking situations. The time allocation of both tests were 2x40 minutes. The students formed pairs. Each pair had to make a dialogue based on speaking situations that they had chosen before. They were given time for practicing before they did the test.
The treatments were given three times. The time allocation for each treatment was 2x40 minutes. The students formed heterogeneous groups according to their speaking score. There were 6 groups consists of 6-7 students. Each group was given a story.
The result of this study showed there was a significant difference between the speaking achievements of eight graders before and after they were taught using storytelling chain. Moreover, the students who had been taught using storytelling chain speak with more confidence.


Purpose
To map the corneal epithelium using a map measuring 9 mm in diameter and view the effects of age, sex, and axial length. Additionally, we wanted to demonstrate the reproducibility of this technique.

Methods
We calculated the epithelial thickness in 220 individuals using an SD-OCT machine with the newly released commercially available algorithm. We included normal eyes with refractive errors between +5 and -6 diopters (D). We excluded patients with an intraocular pressure of >22 mm Hg, history of cataract, previous ocular surgery, or disease and those with corneal pathology. Additionally, we excluded patients with evidence of systemic disease or pregnancy. Lastly, reproducibility was measured in 50 individuals.

Results
We found the center of the corneal epithelium to be thicker than the peripheral in all zones except the nasal (P = 0.124). The superior quadrant was found to be the thinnest while the inferior was the thickest. Males had a thicker epithelium in all locations except the superior outer section (P = 0.123). Three zones had a weak correlation with age: outer superior (P = 0.039, R = -0.152); outer temporal (P = 0.042, R = -0.150); and outer superior temporal (P = 0.011, R = -0.187). There was no significant relationship with the axial length. We found good to excellent reproducibility when using this technique in the central as well as the peripheral cornea.

Conclusions
We provide a comprehensive study in healthy, normal eyes using a novel algorithm to map the corneal epithelium with a wide diameter. This study can be used as a reference for future research.


Governments around the world have gathered masses of personal information on their citizens as part of the fight against the Covid pandemic. Citizens, willingly for the most part, yielded such data in order to protect the public good and safety of society.  Focusing on personal data gathering, processing and protection for public good, the authors consider how far citizens are willing to accept that their personal data can be collected by governments during a public health crisis. The situation in Europe and in China shall be compared, showing how the "public interest" during Covid-19 was understood very differently in different jurisdictions.


Introduction Sodium fluoride (NaF) shows an anti-curare action in the frog skeletal muscle1), facilitating neuromuscular transmission2,3). However, actions of fluorides other than NaF have never been investigated on skeletal muscle in vitro. In our previous study3), we found that some fluorides except for NaF also commonly enhance the twitch of bullfrog sartorius muscle. Thus, in the present study, we have furthered our investigation on the effects of selected fluorides on frog muscle, this time examining their effects on unstimulated muscle, and tetanus tension. Also the effect of stannous fluoride on the time course of the twitch tension was checked in order to ensure that fluorides commonly excites the skeletal muscle. The tested fluorides were as follows: diammine silver fluoride [Ag (NH3)2F], potassium fluoride (KF), NaF, sodium silico fluoride (Na2SiF6), and stannous fluoride (SnF2). Materials and methods Sciatic nerve-sartorius muscle preparations from the bullfrog Rana catesbeiana weighing between 100 and 200 g were used as the material. The material was vertically fixed on the bottom of a Magnus tube (volume: 10 ml) containing aerated Ringer's solution. Twitch and tetanus were evoked by electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve. The nerve was stimulated with a suction electrode (voltage, 5 V; duration, 0.1 msec; frequency, 0.1 or 50 Hz in the case of twitch or tetanus, respectively). Direct stimulation of the muscle was done transversely by field stimulation with platinum plates (200 V, 1.1-1.0 msec, 0.1 Hz). Tensions in the muscle were measured isometrically by means of a force-displacement transducer (SB-1 T, Nihon Kohden). The drugs under test were dissolved in 0.6 % NaCl solution and introduced into the Magnus tube. The composition of normal Ringer's solution (in mM) was as follows: NaCI, 110; KC1, 0.9; CaC12, 1.1 NaH2PO4, 0.5; NaHC08, 2.4; and glucose, 5.6. The pH was adjusted to 7.3. All experiments were carried out at room temperature (20-25 •Ž. Chemicals: Ag (NH3)2F (Toho Pharmaceut.); KF, NaF, Na2SiF6, and SnF2 (Nakarai Chem.).


Over the past three years, Solar Turbines International, an Operating Group of International Harvester, has been engaged in characterizing the NOx emissions and operation of two particular types of lean, premixed combustors, namely the Jet Induced Circulation (JIC) and Vortex Air Blast (VAB) configurations and was concerned primarily with the NOx emissions at a simulated high-altitude, supersonic cruise condition. The VAB combustor demonstrated the capability of meeting the NOx goal of 1.0 g NO2/kg fuel at the cruise condition (Tin = 833 K, Pin = 5 atm, Tout = 1778 K). In addition, the program served to demonstrate the limited low-emissions range available from the lean, premixed combustor. A follow-on effort, the results of which form the basis of this paper, was concerned with the problem of operating these lean, premixed combustors with acceptable emissions at simulated engine idle conditions. Various techniques have been demonstrated that allow satisfactory operation on both the JIC and VAB combustors at idle (Tin = 422 K, Pin = 3 atm, Tout = 917 K) with CO emissions below 20 g/kg fuel. These include degrees of variable geometry, fuel switching and fuel-staging designs. The VAB combustor was limited by flashback/autoignition phenomena at the cruise conditions to a pressure of 8 atm. The JIC combustor was operated up to the full design cruise pressure of 14 atm without encountering an autoignition limitation, although the NOx levels, in the 2 to 3 g NO2/kg fuel range, exceeded the program goal.Copyright © 1978 by ASME


In this study, microstructure and surface properties of low carbon steels (St52) treated by pulse plasma were investigated. The surfaces of samples were modi ed by pulse plasma technique. Four di erent plasma gun nozzle distances as 50 mm, 60 mm, 70 mm, and 80 mm and one battery capacity were chosen for surface modi cation. Cross-section microstructures of samples were investigated and modi ed layer thicknesses were measured by optical microscope. The thickness values of modi ed layer were obtained in a range from 10 μm to 41 μm. The samples were immersed into liquid nitrogen and then breaked in a Charpy machine. The fractured surfaces were exposed to scanning electron microscopy analyses. At the end of the study, thin grains and small tungsten grains coming from tungsten electrode were detected. After pulse plasma treatment, new structures and new phases and high hardness values were obtained.


ABSTRACT If a large oil spill occurred in the Great Barrier Reef there would be significant environmental damage to an asset worth over $1 billion each year to the Australian economy. Preventing an oil spill from occurring is the best protection for the Great Barrier Reef To this end the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has been working closely with other agencies to reduce the risk of a spill. Measures taken to date include development of an oil spill contingency plan for the Great Barrier Reef, having the Reef declared the world's first Particularly Sensitive Area, introducing compulsory pilotage in parts of the reef, undertaking education and awareness campaigns and widely promoting the view that an emphasis on prevention is preferable to cleanup.


Abstract This paper concentrates on some aspects of fertility cult among the Nabataeans and their social significant. It will shed more light on fertility deities represented on sculptural reliefs, fertility symbols depicted on different kinds of Nabataean art, and cult objects used in ritual purposes and offered to the deities in religious fertility ceremonies.


To help understanding tongue shape and motions, I made a figure model of tongue using viscoelastic material of urethane rubber gel in the following procedure. At first, an original model of tongue was formed by baking clay which is hardened by heating. The shape of tongue was decided with multiple references of anatomy books, MRI images, educational models, and our real tongues. Next, a mold was made with silicon using the original model of tongue. Then, the final figure models were molded and duplicated with urethane rubber gel whose hardness is near to human skin. The model includes intrinsic and extrinsic tongue muscles, although the current version was made as a whole shape model of tongue body consisting of combined muscles. Compared to the current materials used in speech science education, such as drawings, pictures, videos, or human body models, the proposed tongue figure model is useful for understanding three dimensional tongue shape and internal and external tongue muscles' positions and motions, too. Because students can hold and touch the realistic tongue model and make it move and deform by pushing and pulling this viscoelastic tongue body. Pictures and explanatory texts do not make sense but the proposed model can help for students to understand anatomical structures and functions of speech articulation intuitively. From questionnaires from students in a speech science seminar, it is founded that the proposed model is an effective tool for understanding speech articulation. It can be applied not only to teach speech science, but also to elucidate speech articulation by scientists and engineers, and also to develop a tongue actuator for speaking robots.


SUMMARY For a quantal response situation involving a total of n subjects, expressions are derived for biases correct to order n-1 and covariances correct to order n-2. These are applied to the standard probit model and it is shown that in this situation, first order biases can be appreciable, even for moderate n, and that the usual asymptotic results for variances can be considerably in error.


The differences in performance between the coral reef sand,mechanism sand and natural sand were studied,and microscopic test methods were used to investigate the chemical composition and microstructure of different sands.The results showed that,the fineness module of the coral reef sand was small,and it was light and porous.The water absorption was high.The main lithofacies of the coral reef sand was calcite carbonatite,and the main composition was calcium carbonate.The surface of the coral reef sand was rough and existed a lot of pores.The water consumption and the dosage of additive of the coral reef sand concrete were higher,and density was lower than that of natural sand.


Need for developing efficient non-destructive damage detection procedures for civil engineering structures is growing rapidly. This paper presents a methodology for detection and quantification of structural damage using modal information obtained from transfer matrix technique. Vibration characteristics of beam-like structure have been determined using the computer program developed based on the formulations presented in the paper. It has been noted from reported literature that detection and quantification of damage using mode shape information is difficult and further, extraction of mode shape information has practical difficulties and limitations. Hence, a methodology for detection and quantification of damage in structure using tranfer matrix technique based on the changes in the natural frequencies has been developed. With an assumption of damage at a particular segment of the beam-like structure, an iterative procedure has been formulated to converge the calculated and measured frequencies by adjusting flexural rigidity of elements and then, the intersections are used for detection and quantification of damage. Eventhough the developed methodology is iterative, computational effort is reduced considerably by using transfer matrix technique. It is observed that the methodology is capable of predicting the location and magnitude of damage quite accurately.


In this paper,a three-dimensional turbulence analysis on heat transfer and fluid flow of a tube fitted with helical twisted tape without core-rod inserts is performed by numerical simulation. The simulation results show that the overall performance of the tube fitted with helical twisted tape has improved efficiently,and the PEC value of the helical twisted tape inserts of different width varies between 1.60 and 2.40 in the range of Reynold number 3000~12000.


Alienation is an inevitable aspect of the modern life. Due to the rapid changes in culture, societies, technology and most importantly, psychological science, myriads of people in the contemporary era are alienated. However, the phenomenon of alienation is not new, it has been there for quite a while, but was not given or announced publicly. Anytime anyone oppresses some of their desires and/or attempts to hide aspects of their real lives, they feel alienated and isolated from this world. Further, the more conspicuous consequences of alienation and the name came to prominence after the ruthless process of colonization. It was owing to this heartless segregation among the races and cultural or ethnic discrimination that alienation surfaced publically and the authors and/or intellectuals commenced to address it. Among them Lahiri deserves a lion's share for her novel the Namesake. She logically and smartly portrays the psychological status of her characters and shows the bitter consequences of alienation through her depiction of the novel's main characters. The paper thus attempts to focus on the problems of alienation and how the characters in the Namesake experience it.


Introduction: In the recent decade in which organizations have recognized the new way of using Data Warehouse Technology, for solving decision related problems, due to highly unstructured and semi-structured situations. In-fact decision making are made at all levels of Management. Even though decision making at top levels remains always crucial. Today's Executive Decision Maker is more interested in predicting the future, future opportunities, as well as problems which are going to incur in near future. So, that well in advance they can prepare to grab the opportunity or to tackle with the Problem situation. Thus to solve any type of problem the decision making is required , and to make decisions Information is needed which is made available by the Technology called Data Warehousing Technology. The strategic use of data, which can be refereed as a separate discipline, as that from operational use. The operational databases have been basically designed to meet mission critical requirements of the On-Line Transaction Processing and Batch Processing. The strategic data usage is basically require On-Line Query Processing or Batch-intelligence gathering for decision support.


Adversity quotient is the capacity to adjust with the adversities in life. A person with good Adversity quotient can achieve the goal by fighting against all odds. It is also related to many other factors like self esteem, motivation, fighting spirit, creativity, sincerity, positive attitude, optimism, emotional stability etc. Adversity quotient is also related to the Academic problems of students. This study is conducted to find out the level of academic problems and adversity quotient among student teachers. The study also analyses the relationship between adversity quotient and academic problems among student teachers. A teacher can transfer his/her ability to the next generation and inculcate such qualities in the students. The method used was survey and the sample was a random sample of 300 student teachers from Kerala state in India. The value of correlation co-efficient obtained for adversity quotient and academic problems (r = -0.52, significant at 0,01 level) shows that the two variables are closely related.


The reform of collective forest property right system of Mojiang county has already launched in the beginning of 2007.Focus on the questions from the basic administrative staff and forest farmers about the objective,roles,significance and achievement of forest administration in the initial period of the reform practice,the paper mainly analyzes similarities and differences between this reform and " Three Orientation" in 1980s.In detail,whether is there contradiction between mountain allocation to household and scale management or not? Whether can we obtain the achievements which are predicted? It is concerned that the clear partition of collective forest property will promote the income growth of forest farmers,strive for forest economic development,increase the total amount of forest resources and improve the quality as well.


The invention provides an Si/TiOx heterojunction-based double-sided crystalline silicon solar cell, which comprises a front electrode, a TiOx layer, a crystalline silicon absorption layer, a p-type crystalline silicon heavily doped layer, a passivation layer and a metal gate electrode, wherein the structure of the Si/TiOx heterojunction-based double-sided crystalline silicon solar cell is the front electrode, the TiOx layer, the crystalline silicon absorption layer, the p-type crystalline silicon heavily doped layer, the passivation layer and the metal gate electrode in sequence from a light facing surface; and an n-type doped TiOx and crystalline silicon are utilized by the light facing surface to form a heterojunction while a traditional crystalline silicon preparation technology based on diffusion is utilized by a back surface. The TiOx can well passivate the surface of a silicon wafer, and the TiOx and silicon form a good heterojunction, so that improvement of the open-circuit voltage and the conversion efficiency of the heterojunction cell is facilitated. Existing crystalline silicon solar cell production equipment can be fully utilized by a traditional crystalline silicon preparation technology of the back surface. The sunlight can be fully utilized by the double-sided structure; the actual generating capacity is increased; and the photovoltaic power generation cost is reduced.


Amartya Sen, on his work the Poverty Index is based, comments: "It is amazing how smug and inactive most societies are about the prevalence of the unshared burden of disability, from which purely income-based views of poverty… only distract attention." Helen Keller said that "Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings."


We study how the employment effects of enterprise zones vary with their location, implementation, and administration, based on evidence from California. We use new establishment-level data and geographic mapping methods, coupled with a survey of enterprise zone administrators. Overall, the evidence indicates that enterprise zones do not increase employment. However, the evidence also suggests that the enterprise zone program has a more favorable effect on employment in zones that have a lower share of manufacturing and in zones where managers report doing more marketing and outreach activities. On the other hand, devoting more effort to helping firms get hiring tax credits reduces or eliminates any positive employment effects, which may be attributable to idiosyncrasies of California's enterprise zone program during the period we study. © 2010 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.


The traditional view that α-glycine is preferentially nucleated from aqueous solution due to the presence of glycine cyclic dimers as precursors in the solution has been refuted in recent studies, which suggest that glycine molecules are present mainly as monomers in the solution. Our present work investigates the clustering behavior of glycine molecules in supersaturated aqueous solutions using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and our results show that glycine molecules exist predominantly as monomers at all concentrations studied for hydrogen-bond criteria of 2.2 A/160° but that there are always at least 12% of glycine molecules existing as open dimers. Further, MD simulations are performed to study the effect of different building units on the growth of α-glycine crystal in supersaturated solutions. Our results suggest glycine open dimers to be the most favorable growth unit for α-glycine crystal. The presence of open dimers and the predominant monomers that are able to form open dimers in solution ...


A half-life of 7.8 plus or minus 0.3 mu sec has been measured for the 59.9 kev E2 transition in Bi/sup 206/. Delayed coincidence studies show that all strong gamma rays from the decay of Po//s precede the 59.9 kev transition. The spins of the levels in Bi/sup 206/ are discussed. (auth)


The working paper argues for the need of a re-conceptualization of the peace building approach in the context of the South Caucasus. In this regard, using the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a case study, it is argued that peace strategies based on a sequential approach (i.e., conflict settlement followed by peacebuilding) is harmful for positive conflict transformation, both in terms of sustainability of the settlement and longterm structural change especially in protracted conflict settlement. Therefore, peacebuilding should take place in accordance with concrete and feasible goals to be achieved; this implies that peacebuilding can be supportive in a protracted, or ''frozen,'' pre-settlement phase (''no peace, no war'') and can facilitate the peacemaking/conflict settlement process through positive transformation. Hence, peace building is suggested to be linked to conflict management and reconciliation goals. By analysing the nature of conflict transformation in the case of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict the corresponding entry points for peacebuilding activities with a special focus on socio-cultural and political aspects are recommended by the author. Arbei tspapiere Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozia l forschung 103


The ULIA-1 Conference, a scientific initiative of Antonio Giulietti, was the first of the ULIA Euroconferences Series, from the Istituto di Fisica Atomicae Molecolare (IFAM), Pisa, Italy. It was held in Elounda, Crete, Greece, May 7-11, 1999, one of the most attractive Mediterranean spots, characterized by beautiful surroundings rich with suggestions of the ancient Minoan civilization.


It is critical to estimate the orientation field in Automatic Fingerprint Identification System(AFIS). Gradient-based method is widely used to estimate orientation field. An improved method is proposed. First, four directional gradient components are used to compute the gradient and direction of each pixels. Then a template with adaptive size and coefficients is used to smooth the orientation field of fingerprints with different quality, and two smooth orientation fields of different scale are synthesized to reduce noise further while preserving the details. A different smoothing method is used in the core or delta areas to preserve the orientation details in these areas. The experiment results show the accuracy of the improved method and the improvement in removing noise.


Therapy for deep digital sepsis (DDS) can be both challenging and rewarding. It can be as routine as digit amputation or as complex as invasive corrective surgery. The precise mode of therapy will be dictated by numerous factors including the structures involved, value of the animal, its intended use and expected longevity, body size, and the experience and facilities available to the veterinarian. This discussion will be limited to techniques applicable to being performed on a tilt table under local/regional anesthesia rather than more advanced techniques involving arthroscopy/tenoscopy that require general anesthesia, expensive equipment, and considerable training to implement. Description of the methods for differentiation of various causes of deep digital sepsis are reviewed in an earlier manuscript in this volume (see Deep digital sepsis in cattle - clinical differentiation). Additionally, techniques for digit salvage via facilitated ankylosis of the distal interphalangeal joint may be mentioned but not fully detailed.


The remaining galvanizing layer thicknesses were measured on a selection of towers in the local Brisbane area. The galvanized steel members of the electricity transmission towers in the local area have large remaining galvanizing layer thicknesses. The measured local zinc corrosion rate of 0.18 μm per year was small compared to the data scatter of measured galvanizing layer thicknesses, and was consistent with the low expected zinc corrosion rate of 0.1–4 μm per year. The remaining galvanizing layer is expected to last over 20 years.


We present projected constraints on modified gravity models from the observational technique known as 21 cm intensity mapping, where cosmic structure is detected without resolving individual galaxies. The resulting map is sensitive to both baryon acoustic oscillations and weak lensing, two of the most powerful cosmological probes. It is found that a 200  m × 200  m cylindrical telescope, sensitive out to z=2.5, would be able to distinguish Dvali, Gabadadze, and Porrati from most dark energy models, and constrain the Hu and Sawicki f(R) model to |f_(R0)|<9×10^(-6) at 95% confidence. The latter constraint makes extensive use of the lensing spectrum in the nonlinear regime. These results show that 21 cm intensity mapping is not only sensitive to modifications of the standard model's expansion history, but also to structure growth. This makes intensity mapping a powerful and economical technique, achievable on much shorter time scales than optical experiments that would probe the same era.


Seminar Overview: The course examines trends in poverty and income inequality and social welfare programs and policies that affect the nonelderly poor in the United States. It analyzes the evolution of the labor market and social welfare policies since the War on Poverty was declared by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and how current programs and policies might be reformed to further reduce poverty. The course emphasizes understanding what we know from social science research about the strengths and weaknesses and the intended and unintended effects of current and proposed policies. The goal is to help the student become a policy analyst who understands the tradeoffs that are involved in choosing one policy option over another. The course does not address the political process or policy advocacy. The course begins by addressing some basic questions about the nature of poverty, how economic and demographic changes affect poverty, and the scope of current social welfare programs and poverty. These include: What is poverty? How do we measure it? What does it mean to be poor in the U.S. today? How does economic growth affect poverty–does a rising tide lift all boats? How does the extent of poverty and the scope of social welfare programs in the U.S. compare to those in other industrialized countries? Then, we review changes in social welfare programs and policies from the War on Poverty to the present. Particular attention will be given to understanding trends in poverty and inequality, the origins and consequences of the War on Poverty and a range of successful and unsuccessful welfare reform proposals leading up to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996. We will evaluate the legacy of the 1996 reform and the operation and effects of the new program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. We will analyze how it affected the work effort and economic well-being of current and former recipients and others who are not steadily employed or are employed at low wage rates.


An experiment "to test the efficacy of the two factors--head position and position of the object in the visual field--in making a localizing arm reaction to a fixated object." When the head was turned to the right of the line of sight the object was localized (by pointing) to the right of the true position, and when turned to the left the localizations were to the left. Least errors were made when the objects were in the central retinal position. The size of the errors increased in the periphery, the direction of the error corresponding to the position of the object in the visual field. No quantitative relations are given. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)


Smart transformer (ST)-based meshed hybrid microgrid is an attractive solution for interfacing various energy sources and loads, while achieving improved power management features. In the islanded operation of such ST-based meshed grid, battery energy storage system (BESS) maintains the low voltage (LV) dc link voltage and acts like a slack bus. During sudden changes in load like charging of electric vehicles (EVs), such a system can become unstable due to slower system response owing to right half plane zero, which is inherently present in BESS converters. This article proposes a method of stabilizing an ST-based islanded meshed hybrid microgrid during transients arising from EV charging. To maintain the system stability during such load transients, the meshed nature of the system is exploited by controlling the LVac voltage using ST LV converter operating in grid forming mode. This in turn enables a control of the total load in the LVac grid. The proposed scheme provides a simple yet effective method to stabilize meshed islanded system in spite of slower system dynamics. The design and stability analysis of the converters are presented to study the system performance with the proposed method. Simulation and experimental results verify the proposed control scheme.


The study aims to compare the income and provit also to know
the advisibility of organic rice and anorganic rice farming. The location of the
study choose in purposive and the withdrawal of the farmers sample used non
proportional random sampling, organic rice farmer are 46 people and anorganic
rice farmer are 78 people, each organic and anorganic farmer are took 30
respondents with the result that the total of the respondents are 60 farmers. The
analysis used is descriptive and t test. The study result indicated that the income
of the rice per 1500 m
2
 that are Rp 4.452.860 for organic rice and Rp 3.418. 849
for anorganic rice. The profit of organic rice are Rp 2.257.725 and anorganic
rice are Rp 1.677.257. Organic rice farming need the cost amount of
Rp 3.882.737 and anorganic rice farming need the cost amount of Rp 3.290.073.
Organic rice and anorganic rice farming is advisible to cultivated, this matter
looked from R/C, land productivity, labor productivity, financial capital
productivity. R/C of organic rice farming are 1,59 and anorganic rice farming are
1,51. Land productivity of organic rice farming amount of Rp 2.240/m
 and
anorganic rice farming amount of Rp 1.635/m
xii

2
 that are bigger than lease of land
that valid in the location of the study. Labor productivuty of organic rice farming
are Rp 172.604/HKO and anorganic rice are Rp 140.686/HKO. Financial capital
of organic rice farming are 163% and anorganic rice farming are 113% are
bigger than interest rates on loans that valid in location of the study.


ABSTRACT Objective Immunization data are vital to support responses to vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. The Oregon Immunization Program developed a unique prototype instrument—the Rapid Response Tool (RRT)—that provides population data to local responders within 2 hours of a request. Data outputs include vaccination coverage by age group and zip code; percentages of students with nonmedical exemptions to vaccination requirements, by school; and current, comprehensive lists of local vaccination providers. Methods The RRT was demonstrated to staff at 7 Oregon counties and feedback was solicited via comments and a structured survey. Results The RRT received strong support. Attendees identified several uses for RRT data, including outbreak response and ongoing intervention efforts, and they pointed to areas for further development. Conclusions The success of the RRT demonstrations illustrates that a well-populated immunization information system can contribute to preparedness work well beyond current standards. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:682–685)


The incorporation of prior knowledge into the ma-chine learning pipeline is subject of informed machine learning. Spatial invariances constitute a class of prior knowledge that can be taken into account especially in the design of model architectures or through virtual training examples. In this contribution, we investigate fully connected neural network architectures that are equivariant with respect to the dihedral group of order eight. This is practically motivated by the application of leakage detection in vacuum bagging which plays an important role in the manufacturing of fiber composite components. Our approach for the derivation of an equivariant architecture is constructive and transferable to other symmetry groups. It starts from a standard network architecture and results in a specific kind of weight sharing in each layer. In numerical experiments, we compare equivariant and standard networks on a novel leakage detection dataset. Our results indicate that group equivariant networks can capture the application specific prior knowledge much better than standard networks, even if the latter are trained on augmented data.


The proximal and distal segments of the colon are known to differ considerably in their ion transport functions and their responses to Na+ depletion. We examined the distribution of absorptive ion transporters in surface epithelial cells (SEC) of the cecum and colon (proximal, middle, distal) by confocal IF microscopy and Western blot of female CD‐1 mice maintained on a standard or low‐Na+ diet for 8 days. Mucosal layers were probed with antibodies selective for H,K‐ATPase‐α2 (H,K), K‐Cl cotransporter‐3 and ‐4 (KCC3, KCC4) and anion exchangers AE1, AE2, and DRA. H,K was restricted to the apical margin of SEC in the mid and distal colon, and its abundance increased >15‐fold with Na+ deprivation. Apical DRA and basolateral KCC3 and KCC4 expression increased distally along the colonic axis with augmented expression (~40%) in the mid to distal colon of Na+ restricted mice. Cecal SEC also highly expressed DRA, KCC3 and KCC4, and Na+ deprivation strongly reduced expression. AE1 was highly expressed in the distal colon and AE2 in the proximal colon; Na+ deprivation diminished expression of both these transporters. Our findings implicate coordinate expression of apical H,K and DRA together with basolateral KCC3/4 in distal colon transport (KCl absorption and/or NH4+ secretion), and establish the cecum as a target of divergent aldosterone control.


Goal: The goal of this bulletin is to provide information on issues of adulteration of turmeric (Curcuma longa) root, turmeric extracts, and curcuminoids, in particular with zedoary (Curcuma zedoaria, syn. C. malabarica), yellow colorants, and synthetic curcumin†. Also discussed is the mislabeling of previously extracted (spent) underground parts of turmeric as genuine turmeric root and rhizome. The bulletin may serve as guidance for quality control personnel, the international herbal products industry, and extended natural products community in general. It is also intended to present a summary of the scientific data and methods on the occurrence of species substitution, adulteration, the market situation, and economic and safety consequences for the consumer and the industry.


Testing and evaluation of supportability is summarized on equipment. The related concepts and research of testing and evaluation of supportability are summarized, and the key technologies are analyzed. Finally, the development of the test and evaluation of supportability on our military is summarized and prospected.


1. During the Second World War a famous American linguist – Zellig S. Harris (with the collaboration of Charles A. Ferguson) – published an article about Moroccan phonology entitled The phonemes of Moroccan Arabic . Some years later, the French dialectologist Jean Cantineau wrote a crushing review of this article listing all errors and misunderstandings of the authors, especially those concerning vocalism. Both scholars justified themselves arguing that during the war in New York they could not find more than a couple of Moroccan native speakers (a lady from Casablanca and her husband from Berrechid) . 2.1. This anecdote is representative of the situation of research on Moroccan dialects (Arabic or Berber): an important part of the publications on this subject has been written for practical purposes (for instance, handbooks meant for French, Spanish or German colonial policy , cultural and technical cooperation with Western coun tries, tourism, etc.). That means that accurate philological descriptions were not the main goal of such studies . As a result of this peculiarity, until few decades ago we did almost not dispose of detailed and precise descriptions of Moroccan dialects : a really


The prospect of a career in Commerce is quite a good and demanding. This is a career that is not only satisfying in terms of the money being earned but is also one that teaches a lot. The concept of commerce consists of a wide range of interdisciplinary branches including Accountancy, Business Administration, E-Commerce, Finance, Economics and Marketing etc. Since the Indian economy is one of the fastest growing economies among the third world countries, the need for talented professionals, who can contribute towards the growth of the economy, is increasing. This article focuses on the main career options available to the students.


In this paper, we study the problem of bilateral bargaining under uncertainty. The problem is cast in an interactive decision-theoretic framework, in which the seller and the buyer agents are equipped with the ability to represent and reason with (probabilistic) beliefs about strategically relevant parameters, the other agent's beliefs, the other agent's beliefs about the current agent's beliefs, and so on up to finite levels. The inescapable intractability of solving such models is characterized. We present a realization of the paradigm of ( resource) bounded rationalityby achieving a trade-off between optimality and efficiency as a function of the discretization resolution of the infinite action space. Memoization is used to further mitigate complexity and is realized here through disk-based caching. In addition, the inevitability of model extinction that arises in such settings is dealt with by indicating an intuitive realization of the absolute continuity conditionbased on maintaining an ensemble model, for e.g. a random model, that accounts for all actions not already accounted for by other models. Our results clearly demonstrate an operationalizable scheme for devising computationally efficient anytime algorithms on interactive decision-theoretic foundations for modeling (higher-order) epistemic dynamics and sequential decision making in multi agent domains with uncertainty.


Modern optimization strategies such as evolutionary algorithms, ant colony algorithms, Bayesian optimization techniques, etc. come with several parameters that steer their behavior during the optimization process. To obtain high-performing algorithm instances, automated algorithm configuration techniques have been developed. One of the most popular tools is irace, which evaluates configurations in sequential races, at the end of which a statistical test is used to determine the set of survivor configurations. It then selects up to five elite configurations from this set, via greedy truncation selection. We demonstrate that an alternative selection of the elites can improve the performance of irace. Our strategy keeps the best survivor and selects the remaining configurations uniformly at random from the set of survivors.We apply this alternative selection method to tune ant colony optimization algorithms for traveling salesperson problems and to configure an exact tree search solver for satisfiability problems. We also experiment with two non-elitist selection criteria, based on entropy and Gower's distance, respectively. Both methods provide more diverse configurations than irace, making them an interesting approach for exploring a wide range of solutions and understanding algorithms' performance. Moreover, the entropybased selection performs better on our benchmarks than the default selection of irace.


This Erratum corrects two aspects of the publication by Román-Sainz. Firstly, the Authors would like to thank Dr. Didac Barco, dermatologist, for teaching us this technique and kindly sharing his knowledge with us and we apologize to Dr. Barco for missing this acknowledgement in the original submitted article. Secondly, Dr. Vargas has been removed from the author list as she did not participate in any way in the research, analysis or writing of this article, thus did not fulfil the authorship requirements for this manuscript. The complete list of the author is provided below: Jorge Román-Sainz, Belén Romero-Jiménez, Fernando Gruber-Velasco, Nicolás Silvestre-Torner, and Adrián Imbern on-Moya. The online version has been corrected.


This paper presents the comparative analysis of the specifics of the U.S. and U.K. strategies in the Balkans and the post-Soviet area with the definition and explanation of the differences in the political agenda of these two states. The political decisions of the U.S. and U.K. governments were supposed to create a global Euro-Atlantic security system by the enlargement of NATO and the management of the local conflicts. The transition from unipolar moment to multipolar international system determined U.S. withdrawal from liberal internationalism of the 1990s and its return to the containment strategy of political realism after the annexation of Crimea. The Russian geopolitical position was also analysed as important for understanding the current situation in international relations. The paper consists of five parts which include introduction, an analysis of U.S. and U.K. approaches towards the Balkan wars and Russia, escalation of tensions between the West and Russia caused by these events followed by some conclusions.


Thermostable β‐galactosidase from Bacillus coagulans RCS3 was purified by successive column chromatography using DEAE‐cellulose and Sephadex G‐50. Immobilization of the purified enzyme was studied with DEAE‐cellulose and calcium alginate. The efficiency of β‐galactosidase retention was 87 % with DEAE‐cellulose (17 mg protein/mL of matrix) and 80 % with calcium alginate (2.2 mg protein/g bead). Comparative studies of immobilization displayed a shift in the optimum temperature from 65 °C to 70 °C provoked by DEAE‐cellulose, although no effect was observed with calcium alginate. The heat inactivation curve revealed an improvement in the stability (t1/2 of 14.5 h for the immobilized enzyme as compared to 2 h for the free enzyme at 65 °C) in a calcium alginate system. This immobilized enzyme has a wide pH stability range (6.5–11). β‐Galactosidase immobilized by DEAE‐cellulose and calcium alginate allowed a 57 and 70 % lactose hydrolysis, respectively, to be achieved within 48 h after repeated use for twenty times.


LiDAR-based semantic perception tasks are critical yet challenging for autonomous driving. Due to the motion of objects and static/dynamic occlusion, temporal information plays an essential role in reinforcing perception by enhancing and completing single-frame knowledge. Previous approaches either directly stack historical frames to the current frame or build a 4D spatio-temporal neighborhood using KNN, which duplicates computation and hinders realtime performance. Based on our observation that stacking all the historical points would damage performance due to a large amount of redundant and misleading information, we propose the Sparse Voxel-Adjacent Query Network (SVQNet) for 4D LiDAR semantic segmentation. To take full advantage of the historical frames high-efficiently, we shunt the historical points into two groups with reference to the current points. One is the Voxel-Adjacent Neighborhood carrying local enhancing knowledge. The other is the Historical Context completing the global knowledge. Then we propose new modules to select and extract the instructive features from the two groups. Our SVQNet achieves state-of-the-art performance in LiDAR semantic segmentation of the SemanticKITTI benchmark and the nuScenes dataset.


In the light of the problems existing in the budge management of university,this paper advances some corresponding countermeasures,and expounds the budget method combining the performance budgeting and the zero-based budgeting.


This chapter examines the debates surrounding the rise and decline of the secularization thesis, and discusses the ways that the emergence of the New Atheists provides evidence that both supports and contradicts it. The periodization presented offers the reader an introduction of sorts that will help contextualize the current influx of the New Atheist polemics. Though social scientists have been debating the secularization thesis for over a century, there still remains little consensus about its merits and efficacy. The New Atheists, on one hand, seem to support the secularization thesis, showing how religious authority has decreased to a point where Science can fill the void. On the other hand, we see how much people have held on to their religions as the primary source of meaning and order. If we actually lived in a 'Secular Age,' then, like God, the New Atheists would cease to exist. Keywords: new atheism; religious authority; scientific knowledge; secularization thesis


Human eosinophils produce upon treatment with 5-oxo-eicosatetraenoic acid or (5S,15S)-dihydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid a potent eosinophil-chemotactic eicosanoid, 5-oxo-15-hydroxy-(6E,8Z,11Z,13E)-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-oxo-15-HETE). 5-Oxo-15-HETE induces human eosinophil (Eo) chemotaxis at nanomolar concentrations with an efficacy in vitro comparable to that seen for platelet activating factor. Comparison of Eo chemotactic activities of several structurally related eicosanoids with different substituents and/or double bound geometry led to the conclusion that maximal potency and efficacy of eosinophil-chemotactic and chemokinetic activity is present in 5-oxo-(6E,8Z,11Z,14Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-oxo-ETE). The presence of a hydroxyl group at position C-15 is not necessary for potent chemotactic activity, whereas a geometric isomer having trans instead of cis double bond at C-atom 8, as well as esterified 5-oxo-ETE usually show a 5-10-fold lower potency. 5-Oxo-eicosanoids elicit a dose-dependent transient rise of intracellular Ca levels in human Eos, however, in contrast to some other Eo chemotaxins do not induce degranulation. Cross-desensitization of Ca mobilization and Eo chemotaxis revealed that the geometric isomers of 5-oxo-eicosanoids, 5(S)-HETE, and (5S,15S)-diHETE cross-deactivate Eo responses to each other, whereas other, unrelated stimuli did not interfere with these lipids indicating that 5-oxo-eicosanoids activate Eos via a separate receptor.


Objective We preconditioned the rat donor livers by heating and ischemic method to compare the protecting function of the donor liver ischemic damage and then to appraise the mechanisms of tolerance of ischemic liver cells.Methods 48 SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: whole liver ischemic preconditioning group, partial liver ischemic preconditioning group, spleen ischemic preconditioning group, heat and ischemic preconditioning group and control group. ALT was determined in the perfusion fluid of liver graft with observation of morphological changes. Results The protective function of the combined preconditioning of heat shock and ischemic method was obviously lower than that by heat shock or ischemic preconditioning alone. Ischemic preconditioning of spleen could also protect the ischemic liver graft. Conclusion Different preconditioning methods possess the value for further investigation. Ischemic and heat shock preconditioning might present partial common pathway in hepatic protective function. (Shanghai Med J, 2004,27:821-823)


Non-linear interaction of ultrasound waves can be applied to reproduce audible sound with parametric loudspeaker. This can be explained with the self- demodulation property of finite amplitude ultrasonic waves. A special characteristic of the reproduced sound waves using parametric loudspeaker is its high directivity. However, the distortion of the demodulated signal is highly dependent on the preprocessing techniques used. From our simulation results, we have shown that the distortion of the demodulated signal is significantly reduced with an orthogonal carrier.


Many a times the warning sign on the road sides becomes difficult to watch for the drivers and the driver may sometimes miss the warning notes. These warning notes may be speed breaker ahead or narrow bridge or even accident zone etc. This becomes tedious during rainy seasons and at nights. Sometimes the boards may be so dirty and the driver may not read anything and even if he tries to read it with a wide eye there is a chance for the drive to lose concentration on the road. For this a portable unit is placed inside the vehicles and it communicates with the roadside systems at all times. So the position of each vehicle can be very easily known by the roadside system and also the system has all the details of roads and emergency station such as hospitals stored in it. So whenever the information is needed such information is automatically passed on to the vehicle from roadside system and the driver in the vehicle can get a clear idea of the contents received. The microcontroller used is a high Speed PIC microcontroller for fault free operation. It has a variety of advantages over conventional old microcontrollers such as RISC architecture, larger memory word, fast operation and a host of inbuilt features such as ADC, communication protocols etc.,. A GPS system is placed along with the microcontroller. The GPS system gives the exact position of the vehicle by giving out its latitude and longitude. The microcontroller at all times receives the information and displays the information using the dedicated LCD display. Further the same is used to announce to the driver about the hurdles such as speed breakers. This voice alerting system helps the drivers to concentrate on the road without even worrying about the sign boards near the road.


Detecting small objects is often impeded by blurriness and low resolution, which poses substantial challenges for accurately detecting and localizing such objects. In addition, conventional feature extraction methods usually face difficulties in capturing effective representations for these entities, as down-sampling and convolutional operations contribute to the blurring of small object details. To tackle these challenges, this study introduces an approach for detecting tiny objects through ensemble fusion, which leverages the advantages of multiple diverse model variants and combines their predictions. Experimental results reveal that the proposed method effectively harnesses the strengths of each model via ensemble fusion, leading to enhanced accuracy and robustness in small object detection. Our model achieves the highest score of 0.776 in terms of average precision (AP) at an IoU threshold of 0.5 in the MVA Challenge on Small Object Detection for Birds.


Immunotherapy with serum obtained from immunized volunteers with Escherichia Coli J5 vaccine was shown to decrease the mortality from Gram-negative shock. We analyzed the effect of anti-J5 plasma on the course and mortality of severe infectious purpura. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of sepsis wiwth purpuric lesions were enrolled if they were in shock. They received either anti-J5 plasma or control plasma. Before the administration of the plasma, 6 hours after and after 5 days of evolution, serum levels of anti-J5 antibodies, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and elastase-al-antiprotease complexes were determined. 73 patients were randomized, 40 in the anti-J5 and 33 in the control group. Clinical and biological risk factors were similar in the two groups. However, TNF serum concentrations were 974±173pg/ml versus 473±85pg/ml, (p=0.023) and IL-6 serum concentrations were 129±45 versus 19±5ng/ml, (p=0.005) in the control group and in the treated group respectively. The duration of hypotension, of vasopressor therapy and of respiratory assistance and the occurrence of systemic complications were similar in the 2 groups. The mortality rate was 36 % in the control group and 25% in the treated group (p=0.317), (risk ratio:0.58;95% confidence interval:0.19-1.79). This trend disappeared after correction for imbalances at randomization using a logistic regression model. Anti-J5 plasma did not change the course and the mortality of severe infectious purpura in children.


Abstract : The American prepared culture medium has shown itself in tests conducted up to this point as a poor medium for cultivating, and therefore also for the detection, of bacteria. This negative result is probably due to the age of the material tested. A final statement as to its suitability or unsuitability is therefore possible only after testing material of most recent manufacture. The US vacuum pump used in conjunction with the Impinger effect is well suited for taking air samples. The identification of aerified bacteria (Serratia marcescens) was accomplished satisfactorily.


In this paper, a complete optical crosstalk characterization of a Geiger-mode pixelated avalanche detector for particle tracking application is presented. The device is composed of two tiers of CMOS-integrated avalanche detectors bump bonded with pixel-level interconnects, with each layer containing a 16 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $\times$</tex-math></inline-formula> 48 detector array. On-chip coincidence detection circuits, designed to discriminate between particle-triggered detection events and dark counts, have been used to acquire direct crosstalk measurements. Crosstalk measurements as a function of excess bias voltage and distance between two different avalanche diodes is presented. The effect of substrate thickness is evaluated measuring dies with three different thicknesses: 280, 50, and 25 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu$</tex-math></inline-formula>m. Experimental results confirm the role of reflected photons at the bottom surface of the device, with the silicon substrate acting as a 2-D waveguide for thinner samples. The global effect of crosstalk observed when all the pixels in the array are enabled is reported, showing a substantial increase of the Dark Count Rate (DCR) distributions. Pairs of vertically aligned unshielded pixels are employed to characterize intertier optical crosstalk.


In a non-stationary numerical experiment, it is shown that introducing the reflections at the ends of the slow wave structure of a relativistic backward-wave oscillator operating in the superradiance mode provides the conditions for the formation of a sequence powerful ultrashort microwave pulses during a single pulse of the current. The conversion factor, defined as the ratio of the peak power of an ultrashort pulse to the power of an electron beam, is about 3 for the first (main) pulse and decreases to ≈ 2 for subsequent pulses


Objective To investigate the changes of serum fibrosis markers of lamivudine-treated patients with chronic hepatitis B.Methods 81 patients with chronic hepatitis B were randomly divided into treatment group and control group.The treatment group(42 patients) were treated with lamivudine,while the control group(39 patients) were treated with liver-protecting drugs.The levels of serum byaluronic acid(HA),laminin(LN),type Ⅲ procollagen(PCⅢ) and type Ⅳ collagen(ⅣC) of each group were detected before and after treatment.Results The level of serum HA,LN,PCⅢ and ⅣC significantly decreased after the treatment of lamivudine(P0.01) and the level of serum HA,LN,PCⅢ and ⅣC of treatment group was obviously different from that of comtrol group after the treatment of lamivudine(P0.01).Conclusion Lamivudine could obviously decrease the serum hepatic fibrosis index in patients with chronic hepatitis B.


Large pre-trained Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) models have begun to perform better in low-resource languages due to the availability of data and transfer learning. However, a few languages have sufficient resources to benefit from transfer learning. This paper contributes to expanding speech recognition resources for under-represented languages. We release two new datasets to the research community: Lingala Read Speech Corpus consisting of 4 hours of labelled audio clips and Congolese Speech Radio Corpus containing 741 hours of unlabeled audio in 4 major spoken languages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Additionally, we obtain benchmark results for Congolese wav2vec2. We observe an average decrease of 2% in WER when a Congolese multilingual pre-trained model is used for finetuning on Lingala. Importantly, our study is the first attempt towards benchmarking speech recognition systems for Lingala and the first-ever multilingual model for 4 Congolese languages spoken by 65 million people. Our data and models will be publicly available, and we hope they help advance research in ASR for low-resource languages.


This study investigated the relationship between counselor attire and: (a) client disclosure and (£>) client perception of counselor attractiveness in an initial interview analogue. Each of 50 subjects took part in a 20-minute interview with either a professionally or casually attired counselor and then responded to the Disclosure scale and the Counselor Attractiveness Rating Scale. Analyses of variance revealed no significant differences (p > .05) between mean scores on these instruments. Counselor attire has little effect on client disclosure and client perception of counselor attractiveness in an initial interview.


Section 1. Chemistry and the Philosophy of Chemistry.- 1. Davis Baird, Lee McIntyre, Eric Scerri, By Way of an Introduction: The Overwhelming Invisibility of Chemistry.- 2. Joachim Schummer, The Philosophy of Chemistry: From Infancy Toward Maturity.- Section 2. Chemistry and the History and Philosophy of Science.- 3. Paul Needham, Aristotle's Theory of Chemical Reaction and Chemical Substances.- 4. Jaap van Brakel, Kant's Legacy for the Philosophy of Chemistry.- Section 3. Chemistry and Current Philosophy of Science.- 5. Otto Ted Benfey, The Conceptual Structure of the Sciences: Reemergence of the Human Dimension.- 6. Eric Scerri, Normative and Descriptive Philosophy of Science and the Role of Chemistry.- 7. Johannes Hunger, How Classical Models of Explanation Fail to Cope with Chemistry The Case of Molecular Modeling.- 8. Jeffrey Kovac, Professional Ethics in Science.- Section 4. Chemistry and Physics.- 9. Robin Hendry, Is There Downward Causation in Chemistry?.- 10. G.K. Vemulapalli, Physics in the Crucible of Chemistry.- Section 5. Chemical Theory and Foundational Questions.- 11. Joseph Early, Some Philosophical Implications of Chemical Symmetry.- 12. Ray Hefferlin, The Periodic Systems of Molecules: Presuppositions, Problems and Prospects.- 13. Jack Woodyard, A New Paradigm for Schrodinger and Kohn.- Section 6. Chemistry and its Tools of Representation.- 14. Ann Johnson, Virtual Tools: The Epistemological and Social Issues Computer-Aided Chemical Process Design.- 15. Sara Vollmer, Space in Molecular Representations Or How Pictures Represent Objects.- 16. Daniel Rothbart and John Schreifels, Visualizing Instrumental Techniques of Surface Chemistry.- Section 7. Chemistry and Ontology.- 17. Nalini Bhushan, Are Chemical Kinds Natural Kinds?.- 18. Michael Weisberg, Water is Not H2O.- 19. Alfred Nordmann, From Metaphysics to Metachemistry.


Objective: In this study, we aimed to analyze the length of stay (LOS) and direct medical costs (DMC) for psychogeriatric inpatients in Taiwan. Methods: We obtained the data from the Psychiatric Inpatient Medical Claim database of Taiwan's National Health Insurance. LOS and DMC of different mental illnesses were analyzed. Results: The average LOS of our study patients was 43.53 days, and the mean DMC was 2,576 US dollars. Dementia was the most common psychiatric diagnosis. Average LOS and DMC were significantly higher in male patients than female (p < 0.001 and p = 0.022, respectively). Over 90% of DMC were non-drug expenses (NDE). The LOS of patients with dementia and major depression was significantly higher for males than for females (p < 0.001). Patients' LOS and DMC showed differences among gender, diagnosis, and type of hospital. The LOS of dementia and delusional disorders and the DMC of major depressive disorders had heterogeneities across hospital types. The results of regression analysis indicated the LOS and the DMC of schizophrenic patients were significantly higher than those of dementia patients (p < 0.001); the LOS of community hospitals was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than that of general hospitals (medical centers and regional hospitals), with the opposite being true for DMC. Compared to public hospitals, the drug expense (DE) was significantly higher in private hospitals (p < 0.04), but LOS and NDE were lower. Conclusion: The determinants affecting differences of LOS and DMC of psychogeriatric inpatients were gender, psychiatric diagnosis, and type of hospital. The DE and NDE of DMC were about 10% and 90%, respectively, but only the NDE showed significant difference based on gender.


The first Born approximation (FBA) is applied to the calculation of single-electron-loss cross sections for various ions and atoms containing from one to seven electrons. Screened hydrogenic wave functions are used for the states of the electron ejected from the projectile, and Hartree-Fock elastic and incoherent scattering factors are used to describe the target. The effect of the target atom on the scaling of projectile ionization cross sections with repect to the projectile nuclear charge is explored in the case of hydrogenlike ions. Also examined is the scaling of the cross section with respect to the target nuclear charge for electron loss by ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{+25}$ in collision with neutral atoms ranging from H to Fe. These results are compared to those of the binary-encounter approximation (BEA) and to the FBA for the case of ionization by completely stripped target ions. Electron-loss cross sections are also calculated for the ions ${\mathrm{O}}^{+i}(i=3\ensuremath{-}7)$ and ${\mathrm{N}}^{+i}(i=0\ensuremath{-}6)$ in collision with He targets in the energy range of \ensuremath{\sim}0.1 to 100 MeV/nucleon. These results are found to be in excellent agreement with the available data near the peak of the ionization cross section.


Based on the traditional search model,combining the concept of ontology,this paper proposes a thematic network crawling model based on ontology semantic tree.Unlike the traditional Keywords-based subject description methods,the model can describe a subject with semantic concept tree with which it is simple to describe the semantic relationships between concepts.On this basis,the paper presents a method to calculate the relevance of HTML pages and the topic.When analyzing the relevance of URL,it does not only analyze the relevance of link anchor text and the topic,but also analyzes the relevance of the link with an improved PageRank algorithm.Only when the relevance does not reach a given threshold will it download the page corresponding to the URL.This calculation method can greatly reduce unnecessary computational overhead,and make fully use of anchor text and link importance of information.Finally,it calculates the relevance of a web page which is not sure whether it is related to the topic,and ultimately determines whether this page should be collected or not.


We investigate the infinitesimally trivial deformations of a smooth projective hypersurface which are tangentially trivial and those of a singular projective hypersurface which give a smooth hypersurface.


We recommend checking "routine labs" on a 4am-4pm cycle (every 12 hours) on ALL stable ICU patients. Other phlebotomy draws should only be performed when clinically indicated; we must become more efficient with our use and interpretation of laboratory values. Depending on the underlying abnormality, aggressive replacement will be expected. During the pre-rounds at 6am, house-staff begin addressing any underlying fluid or electrolyte deficiencies. We then review the "morning labs" as a team during the 7am rounds and decide further treatment. Urine electrolytes should also be followed as deemed necessary by clinical judgment.


The assembly process of optical components consists of two phases – the alignment and the bonding phase. Precision - or better process repeatability - is limited by the latter one. The limitation of the alignment precision is given by the measurement equipment and the manipulation technology applied. Today's micromanipulators in combination with beam imaging setups allow for an alignment in the range of far below 100nm. However, once precisely aligned optics need to be fixed in their position. State o f the art in optics bonding for laser systems is adhesive bonding with UV-curing adhesives. Adhesive bonding is a multi-factorial process and thus subject to statistical process deviations. As a matter of fact, UV-curing adhesives inherit shrinkage effects during their curing process, making offsets for shrinkage compensation mandatory. Enhancing the process control of the adhesive bonding process is the major goal of the activities described in this paper. To improve the precision of shrinkage compensation a dynamic shrinkage prediction is envisioned by Fraunhofer IPT. Intense research activities are being practiced to gather a deeper understanding of the parameters influencing adhesive shrinkage behavior. These effects are of different nature – obviously being the raw adhesive material itself as well as its condition, the bonding geometry, environmental parameters like surrounding temperature and of course process parameters such as curing properties. Understanding the major parameters and linking them in a model-based shrinkage-prediction environment is the basis for improved process control. Results are being deployed by Fraunhofer in prototyping, as well as volume production solutions for laser systems.


We consider the path planning problem for a robot that pushes a disk shaped object in an environment among obstacles. Instead of only allowing the object to move through the free space, we also allow the object to slide along the boundaries of the environment using compliance, extending the possibilities for the robot to find a push path. We present an exact algorithm that, given a path for the object consisting of k sections, preprocesses the environment consisting of n non-intersecting line segments in O(n/sup 2/ log n) and reports a push path in O(kn log n) time or reports failure if no path exists. Under the weak assumption of low obstacle density, the query time is reduced to O((k + n) log n).


The article deals with nomination performed by English idioms. The author makes an attempt to analyze English idioms of known origin and classify them according to transformation of plane of expression given in original phrases. She gives specific examples of classified idioms and provides results of the linguistic experiment with native English speakers.


Crack propagation in real aircraft engine components calculated by the in-house software CRACKTRACER3D frequently exhibits Mode-II and Mode-III effects, i.e. the cracks do not stay in-plane. Validation, however, is quite difficult since few experimental results are available. The present contribution uses mixed-mode experimental evidence from MTU and the literature in order to verify the predictions of CRACKTRACER3D. The tests include the propagation of a slanted crack in a 4-point bending specimen, a Compact Tension Shear Rotation Specimen under mode-III loading and a biaxial test of a square specimen with holes. It is shown that the results are on the conservative side due to the neglection of friction between the crack faces.


This paper examines the obsolescence of the "Reliability Prediction of Electronic Equipment" handbook (MIL-HDBK-217) under both technical and operative points of view, evaluating its strengths and its weaknesses. Practically the handbook is no more applicable, so it is necessary to trace the philosophy for a new method that overcomes the '217 problems: new scenarios for the reliability calculation of electronic components.