An initial hypothesis is presented for modeling the wear rate of carbon carbon composites in the low energy regime. Brittle behavior is assumed for carbon/carbon composites because of their retention of mechanical properties to very high temperatures. A friction film is not included explicitly in the model, but the validity of the model is primarily intended to cover the range of friction operation in which stable friction films are not normally observed.


Heavy container storage yards,being the hinterland of a container terminal,play an important role in storage and transportation of containers.The paper indicates that selection of effective construction methods and proper arrangement of relevant construction procedures in construction of underground pipe network during the building of the heavy container storage yards are the top priorities to ensure the smooth implementation of the construction of the heavy container storage yard and to ensure the progress and quality of the works.


1. A medicament for treating Alzheimer's disease comprising as active ingredients a carbostyril derivative of the general formula! ! wherein A is a lower alkylene group, R is a cycloalkyl group, a bond between 3- and 4-positions karbostirilovogo skeleton is a single bond or a double bond, or a salt thereof; and donepezil or a salt thereof. ! 2. A medicament according to claim 1 wherein the carbostyril derivative is 6- [4- (1-cyclohexyl-1H-tetrazol-5-yl) butoxy] -3,4-digidroksikarbostirilom or its salt. ! 3. A medicament according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the salt of donepezil is donepezil hydrochloride. ! 4. Use of the carbostyril derivative or salt thereof as defined in claim 1 or 2, and donepezil or a salt thereof for preparing a medicament for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. ! 5. Use according to claim 4, wherein the salt of donepezil is donepezil hydrochloride. ! 6. A method of treating Alzheimer's disease which comprises administering an effective amount of the carbostyril derivative or salt thereof as defined in claim 1 or 2, and donepezil or a salt thereof to a patient in need of such treatment. ! 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the salt of donepezil is donepezil hydrochloride.


Current studies on Chinese industrial diplomacy have the following problems: (1) The studies in China are mainly in cases and events, or takes form of a detailed analysis of a region, which are lack of general description about Chinese industrial diplomacy (Chen Shengyong 2004 Yu Jianxing 2007); (2). Chinese industry association is a product of reform and opening up with short developing time, complex background and significant path dependent difference which is different from the association developing in western mature economy and that increases the difficulty in the study of the industry diplomacy; (3). The scope, approach and method of Chinese industrial diplomacy have not been fully legitimately established, with the lack of standardization leading to research difficulties.


Wireless communications allow for the application of a number of signal processing techniques. However, in many instances the success of the application depends on the proper accounting for the interaction of the signal processing problem with other disciplines such as propagation and channel modeling, communication and information theory, and processor circuit architectures. We discuss the incidence of propagation studies and channel modeling on channel correlation and hence on channel estimation performance (orthogonality of pilots), the interaction between modulation technique and the ease of training based channel estimation, the interaction between transmission scheme (continuous or block-wise) and temporal fading modeling and handling, modulation and signal processing (linear preceding) for diversity exploitation, approximate normal equation solutions for various signal types (speech vs CDMA, sparse significant correlations vs. dense weak correlations), interaction between channel modeling and CDMA receiver circuit architecture, higher-level adaptivity in adaptive filtering (filter order, temporal variation scale) and robustness in receiver design with estimated parameters.


The reaction of the flexible pyridyl dithioether ligand Bis(4-pyridylthio)methane (4-bpytm) with copper(II) formiate led to the formation of the coordination polymer [Cu(HCOO)2(4-bpytm)]n, which has been characterized structurally. The copper atom is in a square-planar environment and 4-bpytm acts as an N,N′-bis(monodentate) bridging ligand creating an onedimensional polymeric arrangement. The formiate ligand plays a key role in the supramolecular organization of the chains via CHformiate…Oformiate and CH4bpytm…Oformiate hydrogen bonds.


Background Thrombotic disorders remain a leading cause of death in the Western World. For decades, vitamin K antagonists used in the prevention of this pathology, such as warfarin or sintrom, were the only oral agents available for long-term anticoagulation, in spite of their disadvantages. Material and Methods An electronic database search was carried out on MedLine and The Cochrane Library Plus, without restrictions on the type of study nor dates, in English and Spanish. Abstracts were reviewed, and complete articles if necessary, considering all articles that included recommendations on DOACs and oral surgery. Results In recent years, the so-called "new oral anticoagulants" have been introduced in clinical practice to treat those patients whose medical conditions require long-term anticoagulant treatment, replacing traditional oral anticoagulants. Conclusions The new oral anticoagulants represent new therapeutic options, with a number of advantages such as poor interaction with food, minor drug interactions, and do not require periodic dose adjustments or routine controls. The purpose of this review is to establish an update on the new oral anticoagulants: Dabigatran, Rivarozaban, Apixaban and Edoxaban. Key words:Novel oral anticoagulants, Dabigatran, Rivaroxaban, Apixaban, Edoxaban, bleeding management, oral surgery, Anti-IIa, Anti Xa.


Road transport, which dominates in both passenger and freight transport in the Republic of Croatia, in comparison with other branches of transport mainly affects the environment. The biggest threat is the constant increase in greenhouse gases emissions that directly or indirectly affect global warming, climate change, and thus human health. Due to the increasing environmental impact in all sectors including transport great attention is given to its protection. In the Republic of Croatia the measures are defined in the National Plan for the Environment according to which the Programme to reduce the negative impact of transport on the environment was created. The first measure is the Reduction of road vehicle (N2, N3 and M3) emissions in accordance with the prescribed standards EURO 1, EURO 2, EURO 3, EURO 4 and EURO 5. The paper presents that co-financing of "clean" transportation projects in the Republic of Croatia through the state aid is an effective way to reduce emissions of road vehicles.


The purpose of the study is to understand the dynamic and relationship between market and society in South Lebanon by focusing on how rural weekly markets in South Lebanon are embedded within social, political, and economic relations. The study presents an ethnographic journey through the weekly markets in South Lebanon. It looks at two case examples of weekly markets: Monday Market in Nabatieh (Souk Tanein in Nabatieh) and Thursday Market in Bint Jbeil (Souk Khameis in Bint Jbeil), as well as draws on examples of other weekly markets in South Lebanon. The findings demonstrate that rural weekly markets in South Lebanon are not autonomous, but subordinate to social, political, and economic relations that have played a significant role in their existence and persistence over time. History, geography, social relations, political leadership, policy, and power play a critical role in their formation, growth, and sustainability. Their sustained existence over time is further driven by social and cultural factors such as norms, values, and practices found within the marketplace; this perception is found among sociologists and political economists, and is shared by local municipal leaders, vendors, and people who see these markets as economically inconsequential, but socially and culturally significant. Continuous existence of these weekly markets cannot be explained using classical economic theory, nor can they be analyzed using a single sociopolitical theory on markets. Instead, the historical, geographical, social, political, and cultural factors interact in a critical manner in their evolution and sustained existence over time.


Age-related changes in arterial stiffness are ascribed to collagen and elastin content in the aorta (Ao) which is modulated by the matrix metalloprotienases(MMPs). However, no study has directly compared arte- rial stiffness and arterial structure in man. Aortic and internal mammary artery(IMA) tissue were obtained from 10 patients(62 (cid:2) 1 years, 2 female) undergoing coronary artery bypass graf-ting(CABG). Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured prior to CABG. Collagen content was assessed in tissue sections using Sirius Red stain-ing and elastin by ACCUSTAIN. Elastin fragmentation in the Ao media was graded; increasing in severity from 1 to 4. MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity was quantified in the Ao using gelatine zymography. Results are expressed as mean (cid:2) SEM , p < 0.05 considered significant. associated with Ao medial collagen content and the degree of elastin fragmentation in man. Methods: Longitudinal data on BF (sum of 4 skinfolds e SSKF) and CF (VO2max) were derived from the AGAHLS ( n Z 372 , 197 women; 8 follow-up measures at the ages of 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 27, 32 and 36 yrs). Arterial stiff- ness (i.e. carotid, brachial and femoral distensibility and compliance coeffi-cients) was assessed by non-invasive ultrasonography when subjects were 36-yrs-old; a stiffness score (average of the z-scores of these 6 estimates) was calculated. We used generalized estimating equations to compare the patterns of development of SSKF and VO2max levels (adjusted for each other and for potential confounders) over the 24-yr follow-up period between those subjects with 'higher' (i.e. lowest sex-specific quartile) vs . 'normal' (higher 3 quartiles) levels of stiffness score at the age of 36 yrs. Results: In all subjects, SSKF increased and VO2max decreased between the ages of 13 and 36 (p < 0.001); higher increases in SSKF during adolescence and decreased levels of VO2max in recent but not early years characterized in-dividuals with higher arterial stiffness at the of age 36 as compared to their 'normal' counterparts (Figure). Conclusion: Increases in body fatness rather than decreases in cardiopul- monary fitness during adolescence impact on arterial stiffness later in life; lifestyle interventions in the young should therefore target weight control. Method: Two distension waveforms, spaced at 16.4mm, were simultaneously obtained in the left CCA of 12 young subjects with dual M-line The second derivatives of the distension waveforms were calculated to identify the opening of the aortic valve (AVO) and the inflection point before systolic peak pressure (IP). The time-delay ( D T) between both time points, either AVO or IP, in the proximal and distal waveform was calculated to obtain the direction of propagation. Results: Mean time difference between AVO and IP was 38 (cid:2) 8ms. There was a significant time difference in AVO (p < 0.0001) and IP (p Z 0.0012) between proximal and distal waveform. AVO had a positive delay D T AvO Z 3.3 (cid:2) 1.0ms. In contrast IP had a negative delay D T IP Z (cid:3) 3.6 (cid:2) 3.1ms. Discussion: Time-delay of AVO and IP are comparable but opposite in sign. Measurements were performed on the CCA, which is a small straight arterial segment without branches, therefore the effect of dispersion or tapering can be ignored and the direction of propagation of IP can only be explained by reflections. Using the time difference between AVO and IP and assuming constant wave-speed, the distance between reflection and measurement site was estimated at 12cm, pointing at the circle of Willis or the capillary bed of the facial musculature as distal reflection sites. Background: Despite overwhelming evidence associating cigarette smoking with arterial stiffening, the precise mechanisms involved in this relationship are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that nicotine could increase aortic wave reflection and that this would be accompanied by an alteration in skin blood flow reactivity and a reduction in myocardial perfusion. Materials and methods: We conducted a prospective study, divided into two experimental settings, in 21 healthy, non-smoker, male subjects. In the first setting (n Z 11), subjects received a placebo and a 2 mg nicotine tab, according to a randomized, double-blind, cross-over design. Each subject underwent measurements at baseline and for 1 hour post-nicotine or placebo, using the augmentation index (AIx) of the aortic pressure waveform to assess wave reflection. Endothelial function was evaluated twice, at baseline and 40 minutes after nicotine or placebo intake, using two hyperemic tests: skin heating (SkBF-H) and acetylcholine iontophoresis (SkBF-Ach). In the second experimental setting (n Z 10), subjects underwent an N-13 positron emission tomography (PET) study before and 60 minutes after 2 mg of nicotine, in order to quantify myocardial perfusion. Results: Nicotine administration was associated with an increase in heart rate (HR) (P < 0.001) and AIx corrected for HR (p Z 0.013) throughout the study. No microcirculatory effects of nicotine were observed on endothelial function as assessed by SkBF-h or SkBF-Ach. The subendocardial viability ratio was decreased (p Z 0.006), suggesting an impairment in myocardial perfusion induced by nicotine. This was confirmed by the N-13 PET studies, which revealed a reduction in resting myocardial perfusion (from 0.96 (cid:2) 0.07 to 0.84 (cid:2) 0.06 ml/min/g, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Nicotine does not impair endothelium-dependent microvascu- lar vasomotricity. Nevertheless, exposure to small amounts of nicotine increase aortic wave reflection and reduces resting myocardial perfusion in non-smokers. Calculated intake of vitamic C and E was similar in HT patients and in NT subjects (Vitamin C median 146.4 (cid:2) 68.7 mg/day and 149.1 (cid:2) 84.0 mg/day, Vitamin E median 8.68 (cid:2) 2.7 mg/day and 8.63 (cid:2) 2.9 mg/day, respectively). Multivariate analyses were controlled for smoking, physical activity status and total caloric intake. In both groups, levels of Vitamin C or E intake were not significant predictors for AIx. Finally, in both groups, levels of Vitamin C or E intake were not significant predictors for FMD. Conclusions: No association exists between normal levels of regular food antioxidant intake, augmentation index and endothelial function in un- treated essential hypertensive patients and normotensive subjects. This suggests that supplementation with vitamin C and E is necessary to show an effect on vascular function in this population. and PP were shown for men and women (whole group), and in all age groups (except 31-40 yrs). PWV (adjusted for BP, obesity) was overall higher (p < 0.001) in men than women, also in most age groups. Only the eldest female group showed a trend to have higher C-P PWV than men. Conclusion: Africans show contrasting results compared to Caucasians, namely significant gender differences in distensibility of the peripheral arterial tree, which seems to disappear after menopause. [1] Smulyan et al. JACC 2001; 37:1374-80.


This paper reports results of a study on the provision and outcomes of the reproductive health services in 4 counties of Yunnan Province as a part of a rather comprehensive three--year study namely A Study of The Financing Provision and Utilization of the Reproductive Health Services in Rural China which has been undertaken in Yunnan Province. (authors)


Since the late 70's the LHOVRA technique, from being an experimental initiative by the National Road Administration, has became a more or less standard technique at Swedish signal controlled junctions. The LHOVRA is no longer only a technique used in rural roads but is widespread in urban areas. The paper outlines the LHOVRA functions, its geometric design, and its traffic safety and mobility effects.


We study two types of bright solitons in an attractive Bose–Einstein condensate with a spin–orbit interaction. By solving the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations with the variational method and the imaginary time evolution method, fundamental properties of solitons are carefully investigated in different parameter regimes. It is shown that the detuning between the Raman beam and energy states of the atoms dominates the ground state type and spin polarization strength. The soliton dynamics is also studied for various moving velocities for zero and nonzero detuning cases. We find that the shape of individual component solitons can be maintained when the moving speed of solitons is low and the detuning is small in the coupled harmonically trapped pseudo-spin polarization Bose–Einstein condensate.


Microwave local heating was used to join silicon nitride. Glass was placed at the joint between two silicon nitride pipes and a silicon carbide susceptor was placed around the joint. The susceptor was locally heated by absorbing the microwave radiation. On heating to 1500°C, the glass melted and filled the space between the pipes, thereby joining the two pipes. Average strength of the specimen cut out from the joined pipe was 446 MPa. This demonstrates the potential of microwave local heating for joining silicon nitride.


ABSTRACT This article offers an updated overview of the 'Muslim question' in Italy read through the prism of the right to religious freedom. In particular, the article examines the main acquisitions introduced in the last year of the XVII legislature and, in particular, the 'National Pact for Italian Islam' of February 2017.


We conducted an experimental investigation of chemical CO lasers that oscillate in the spectral region corresponding to an overtone of the CO molecule. We observed and identified four vibrational-rotational transitions in the 2.6–2.7-μm spectral band. We obtained laser radiation power levels of 4–10 W at flow rates of the CS2-N2O-O2 gas mixture in the range 10–14 g/s.


Mosses are sensitive and precise bioindicators of heavy metals contamination of the environment. They accumulate in their tissues large amounts of these elements than do higher plants. The aim of this study was to present the influence of environmental pollution on quantitative relations of heavy metals and cationic equilibrium in tissues of mosses: Pleurozium schreberi , Hylocomium splendens and Hypnum cupressiforme . Twelve sampling sites were selected in the area of Lower Silesia (Poland), diverse in respect of pollution degree determined for dust fall and contents of metals in dust. The contents of Ca, K, Na, Mg, Al, Mn, Fe, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd, and Zn have been examined in the mosses. Significant differences in the elements contents of mosses between the examined sites, and between moss species were found. This differentiation affects the cationic equilibrium. It is expressed by weighed sum of square roots of relative cation concentrations. The quantitative relations between contents of elements in mosses depended on species and pollution level. These relations and accumulation of metals in moss tissues is the indicator of environmental pollution, which influences the ecological condition of mosses and their occurrence in the given area. The air contaminated by heavy metals causes stress and the decline of moss populations, and can be of significance for their survival. The results of this type of investigations are of importance for the active protection of mosses and their biotopes.


This paper presents the results of a computational study of the efficiency of various methods of heat transfer intensification in model channels containing various types of intensifiers. The following methods of intensification of convective heat transfer are considered: acoustic, the intensifiers twisted tape, wire spiral, and joint intensifier of a wire spiral and twisted tape. The study of thermal and hydraulic processes in the channels is carried out using computer modeling based on the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations averaged by Reynolds, the energy and state equations supplemented by the turbulence model. The thermal and hydraulic characteristics of various methods of heat transfer intensification are determined in the range of Reynolds numbers from 10000 to 60,000, and the efficiency of the intensification is determined based on the author's criterion. The characteristics of a smooth channel in the above-mentioned range of Reynolds numbers are considered as reference thermal and hydraulic characteristics. Comparative analysis has shown that the acoustic method of heat transfer intensification is most effective in the range of Reynolds numbers, where different modes of self-sustaining acoustic oscillations occur. The presented results may be used in the development and design of heat exchangers.


A vertical cyclonic spray chamber/Nafion membrane-based desolvation system was used to eliminate the nitric acid interference in inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Three different matrices were studied: plain water and solutions containing 0.9 and 3.6 mol l−1 of nitric acid. The liquid flow rate ranged between 20 and 600 µl min−1. The cyclonic spray chamber was heated at 100 °C and the membrane at 60 °C, using air as dryer gas. The new desolvation system was robust since it accepted a nitric acid concentration change up to 3.6 mol l−1 without a change in the emission signal, regardless of the element and line. Hence, elements in these matrices could be calibrated with standards prepared with de-ionized water. In order to test the plasma excitation conditions, the Cr II 267.716 nm to Cr I 357.869 nm line intensity ratio was measured for each combination of desolvation
system and matrix. Standard configurations of desolvation systems were also evaluated, and the nitric acid depressive effect could only be eliminated when working at a high spray chamber temperature and/or low liquid flow.


The cycloacylation of oxalic amidines 7 with bis-imidoylchlorides 6 furnished the dihydropyrazine derivatives 8. Due to their vicinal amino-imino substructures, they provide good preconditions for a double intramolecular ring closure reaction. An alternative synthesis for hexaaza-pentacenes 1 was developed using potassium carbonate as the base and lead tetraacetate as the oxidizing agent. Graphical Abstract Novel Dihydropyrazines and their Double ortho-Annulation to Hexaazapentacenes


The work is a 3D third person overlooking shooting game. The game is made by unity game engine combined with the latest DOTS multi line program data-oriented technology stack. Because of the use of ECS + JOBS working mode, the game can run stably with thousands of game entities


AbstractA more accurate method of calculating end-thickening of stretch-reduced tubes is presented. The fundamental equations and the method for the calculation of steady-state roll speed are described; the method of calculation for changes in inter-stand tension and wall thickness in a transient state is also described. The model for the calculation contains the following variables: the steady-state roll speed, the dimensions of the entry and finished tube, the roll-groove dimensions for successive passes, the deformation resistance of the rolled material, the coefficient of friction, and the stand spacing. An example is analysed and compared with experimental results.


The COVID-19 lockdown adversely impacted the continuation of syllabi. Most pedagogical activities were halted as instructors lacked the knowledge, revised pedagogy, or resources to transition and continue these activities online and remotely. The study aims to outline procedures that can simulate contact lessons and assessments whilst minimizing student dishonesty and maximizing instructor mediation per Feuerstein's theory of mediated learning. Furthermore, the study aims to demonstrate the functionality of Blackboard in teaching and assessment activities. The study seeks to answer the question of what comprehensive strategies can be used to offer students an effective alternative to classroom lectures and assessments, in which student integrity is maintained, and instructor mediation is optimized? Blackboard was used as the learning management system in a second-year undergraduate chemical engineering module in 2020. Simulated lectures were created using the text-to-speech application. Discussion forums were created to allow students to address their queries and ask questions. Informal tutorial sessions were held over WhatsApp. Advanced adaptive releases ensured that students completed lectures per the outlined chronology. Tests were implemented in Blackboard using various measures to minimize student dishonesty. These measures included randomized question sets, and numerical variations in calculation questions. The "Invigilator" application was also piloted to maintain assessment integrity by recording audio and preventing communication during the tests. The results showed that students were highly satisfied with the adopted pedagogy and assessment practices in this study. The online pedagogy ensured that students effectively processed the module content with adequate mediation from the instructor and tutors. Based on these results, an empirical framework was formulated to adapt traditional contact teaching and assessment approaches to online and remote practices. Despite the end of the lockdown, online and remote pedagogical practices are still used as they save time and travel costs for students and instructors. This framework can be universally applied to optimize and streamline current strategies to ensure practical, effective, and honest assessments online and remotely.


The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolation of post-operative wound and its susceptibility pattern to commonly used antibiotics. During a twoyear period from November 2006 to December 2008, 260 clinical specimens were received as post-operative wound swabs, in Department of Microbiology, Agroha (Hisar), Haryana, India. Of the 260 bacterial isolates, 72 (27.7%) were P. aeruginosa, followed by Escherichia coli (53, 20.4%), Klebsiella spp. (43, 16.5%), Staphylococcus aureus (41, 15.7%), Proteus spp. (14, 5.3%), Acinetobacter spp. (10, 3.8%), and Citrobacter freundii (2, 0.8%). There was no growth in 25 (9.6%) specimens. P. aeruginosa isolation was higher in male patients and most common in the age group of 16-40 years. The susceptibility pattern showed the organism to be most commonly susceptible to imipenem, followed by meropenem, cefoperazone/sulbactam, ticarcillin/clavulanate, and amikacin. (J Infect Dis Antimicrob Agents 2009;26:43-8.) Department of Microbiology, Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha (Hisar), Haryana, India. Received for publication: March 17, 2009 Reprint request: Kiran Ruhil, Department of Microbiology, Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha (Hisar), Haryana, India.


Hypertension is one of the major risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, in addition to hypercholesterolemia and diabetes mellitus. Approximately 95% cases of hypertension in Indonesia is essential hypertension that remains unknown for the etiology and tends to be multifactorial causes. Electrolyte imbalance is thought as one of the prominent underlying mechanisms of hypertension. Electrolyte imbalance can cause serious and life-threatening cardiovascular problems. This study aimed to find out the association between electrolytes levels (serum sodium, potassium, chloride, and total calcium) and blood pressure in hypertensive patients. This was a cross-sectional study that conducted on June-August 2019 at Noongan Regional General Hospital, Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Demographic data such as age, sex, symptoms, salt diet, and consumption of antihypertensive drugs were collected, and then physical examinations including systolic and diastolic blood pressures and body mass index (BMI) were performed. One Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Spearman Rank tests were used for bivariate analysis. There is significant dirrect correlation between serum sodium levels and systolic blood pressure, and an inverse relationship with diastolic blood pressure. As for potassium, there is an inverse relationship between serum potassium levels with systolic and diastolic blood pressures, but not significant. There is a direct correlation between serum chloride levels and systolic blood pressure, and an inverse relationship with diastolic pressure, but not significant. For total calcium, there is a direct correlation between serum total calcium levels and systolic and diastolic blood pressures, but not significant. In this study, we found out only sodium has a significant correlation with blood pressure, while other electrolytes have a correlation but are not significant.


Abnormal accumulation of extracellular matrix can cause pathological changes in renal parenchyma,thereby causing a variety of kidney diseases.Matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9),as an important member in matrix metalloproteinase,is the most critical enzyme for extracellular matrix degradation,and plays an important role in the development of kidney disease.Here is to make a review on MMP-9 and its abnormal expression effect on the development and progress of kidney disease.


The aim of this study is that from a gender perspective, highlighting how investigating social workers assess and justify the decisions concerning youth with socially destructive behavior. The focu ...


The title complex, {[Ag(C2H8N2)](CF3SO3)}n, is a mononuclear silver(I) compound. The AgI atom lies on a mirror plane and is bicoordinated in a linear configuration by two N atoms from two ethane-1,2-diamine ligands, giving zigzag polymeric chains with an [—Ag—N—C—C—N—]n backbone running along the b axis. These chains are interconnected by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving the trifluoromethanesulfonate anions (which also lie on mirror planes), forming a three-dimensional network.


A new XAFS beamline which uses a pair of bent conical mirrors for collimation and focusing is under construction. A double crystal monochromator is placed between the two mirrors. This beamline is to provide high flux without sacrificing the energy resolution. Ray-trace results indicate that a bent conical mirror is not only a good approximation of a rotating paraboloidal, but also that of rotating ellipsoidal, mirror.


We consider spherical data $X_i$ noised by a random rotation $\varepsilon_i\in$ SO(3) so that only the sample $Z_i=\varepsilon_iX_i$, $i=1,\dots, N$ is observed. We define a nonparametric test procedure to distinguish $H_0:$ ''the density $f$ of $X_i$ is the uniform density $f_0$ on the sphere'' and $H_1:$ ''$\|f-f_0\|_2^2\geq \C\psi_N$ and $f$ is in a Sobolev space with smoothness $s$''. For a noise density $f_\varepsilon$ with smoothness index $\nu$, we show that an adaptive procedure (i.e. $s$ is not assumed to be known) cannot have a faster rate of separation than $\psi_N^{ad}(s)=(N/\sqrt{\log\log(N)})^{-2s/(2s+2\nu+1)}$ and we provide a procedure which reaches this rate. We also deal with the case of super smooth noise. We illustrate the theory by implementing our test procedure for various kinds of noise on SO(3) and by comparing it to other procedures. Applications to real data in astrophysics and paleomagnetism are provided.


British ITE(Initial Teacher Education) pays much more attention to its normal, social and practical nature, and highlights the cultivation of the students' personality and creativity, which are carried out through the education process.To explore the ITE's essence as well as some of its training methods and ways, will be conductive to widening our thought in the education reform of Higher Normal Schools.


With national and state-based energy efficiency schemes dropped in recent months, industry feedback suggests it would be better to tweak than axe in some cases.


Science is the foundation for a wide range of activities, including evaluation, innovation, and technology, which in turn support management. Without good science, resource management in regions such as the estuary is handicapped, and must proceed with outdated conceptual models, operating strategies, and technologies. At the same time, we recognize that poor communication can interfere with conversations between scientists and managers, even when high-quality data and publications are available. In this essay, we have tried to address an important part of this issue: helping scientists to understand how to produce actionable science. Our hope is that these suggestions will, at the least, help improve dialog between scientists and the managers responsible for the estuary's resources.


The present disclosure, the nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons, is a three-way catalyst capable of simultaneously converting a low toxic compound. The present disclosure is a three-way catalyst formulations containing palladium (Pd) containing the oxygen storage material. In some embodiments, the three-way catalyst formulations of the present invention is free of rhodium. A further disclosure is an improved method for producing Pd-containing oxygen storage material. Methods of making and using the three-way catalyst formulations of the present invention. .The 11


This paper tried to learn about the dynamics of the five types of coastal protection forest in Jinjiang of Fujian province from the landscape perspective.Four remote sensing images(taken in 1989,1993,2001,2008 respectively) were acquired,and the landscape thematic maps were also produced by using the techniques of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System and field survey.Landscape Indexes were calculated by means of Fragstats,a landscape pattern analysis software.The result showed that during the years from 1989 to 2001,the area of the forests declined and patch density increased,so the fragmentation of the forest landscape was much more servere.During the years from 1993 to 2001,the fragmentation was worsened,especially the farmland shelter belts.During the years from 2001 to 2008,the landscape of the coastal protection forests was improved except the coastal shelterbelts.All those mentioned above came to the conclusion that once the coastal shelterbelts were damaged,they could hardly be restored.Thus,much attention should be paid to protection and development of coastal shelterbelts.


Since the 1990s, the legion of prose writers has been unprecedentedly augmented and the number of prose works has increased dramatically, but the superficial flourish of prose writing has revealed emptiness in content and imbalance in values. The causes lie in the fact that in prose writing, the human spirit has declined and the passion to transcend oneself has lost, with the result that prose writing tends to be commercialized, snack-like and stereotyped, with a characteristic of being outwardly strong and inwardly feeble. Only when prose writers acquire a new modern outlook, go among the masses and have in-depth understanding of the times can a splendid artistic spirit be reborn in contemporary prose writing.


This paper presents a rotor position estimation method based on multiple saliencies tracking for interior permanent magnet synchronous motor(IPMSM)using high frequency signal injection.The modeling,measurement and analysis of the multiple saliencies are discussed and decoupling observers of multiple saliencies are designed for compensating their effects on position estimation.The multiple saliencies tracking method presented in this paper is tested on an IPMSM.The experiments results show that the proposed method can estimate the rotor position of PMSM at low speed and zero speed and it is insensitive to motor parameters.The position estimation error has been reduced by compensating the effect of the multiple saliencies to the rotor position.The method proposed has improved the precision of rotor position estimation.


Through using the method of literature review,questionnaire and interview,this paper made survey on outdoor sports clubs in Wenzhou.The result shows that the outdoor sports clubs are small-sized,the operation and the management are weak,the clubs are short of the educated professionals,and some problems are exist.Furthermore,this paper provided in-depth analysis and research on existing problems and proposed several development strategies.


The invention discloses a system used for automatically machining a workpiece. The system comprises a base, a worktable, multiple clamps, a first rotating shaft, two executing mechanisms, a power mechanism, a position sensor and a controller. A guide rail is arranged on the base. The guide rail is horizontally arranged. The worktable is movably installed on the guide rail. The multiple clamps are installed on the upper surface of the worktable and are evenly distributed in the length direction of the guide rail. The first rotating shaft is arranged on one side of the worktable and is arranged in the vertical direction. The first rotating shaft is rotationally installed on the base. The two executing mechanisms are installed on the first rotating shaft and are symmetric about the first rotating shaft. The two executing mechanisms are arranged above the clamps. The power mechanism is used for driving the worktable to move in the length direction of the guide rail, and the power mechanism is used for driving the executing mechanisms to enter or disengage from projection areas of the clamps on the worktable. The system is high in workpiece machining precision and good in effect.


Background and purpose: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral disease. In Iran human cases of the disease were reported in some regions including Nur County (Mazandaran Province, northern Iran). Therefore, this study investigated high risk behavior of people involved in meat industry and animal husbandry in different districts of Nur County. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted in 314 livestock and meat industry workers including shepherds and animal keepers, butchers, slaughters, chefs, veterinary physicians and veterinary staff to monitor their high risk behaviors regarding CCHF from July to December 2012 in Nur County. Statistical analyses were performed using Chi-square and binary regression test at 0.05 significance level. Results: Two hundred eighty nine individuals were interviewed and filled out the questionnaire with an average age of 43.7 ± 14.4 of whom 84.4% were male. Odds ratio (OR) of high risk practices including slaughtering and contact with fresh flesh and blood of livestock of males compared with females was 3.35 (OR = 3.35, CI 95%: 1.73-6.47). High risk individuals living in rural and mountainous areas of Baladeh had significantly longer history of contact with livestock and had more high risk behaviors including slaughtering and contact with fresh flesh and blood of livestock, eating raw liver, and removing ticks from animals' body or squashing them with unprotected hand (P < 0.001). Lack of protective clothing in high risk individuals in highland areas (OR = 9.24, CI 95%: 2.66-32.13) and Baladeh district (OR = 9.80, CI 95%: 2.78-34.53) was significantly higher than the rest of the studied areas. Conclusion: The results clearly showed extensive high risk practice in individuals involved in livestock in Nur County. Such behaviors and lack of management programs may increase the occurrence and epidemics of CCHF in the region especially in West of Mazandaran Province where current CCHF cases are reported.


This paper summarizes the technique to characterize quarter wavelength lines of rectangular waveguides as measurement standards for scattering parameters. The scattering parameters and their uncertainties were theoretically calculated using their dimensions. The SI traceability was established for the standard in the frequency range of W-band (from 75 GHz to 110 GHz) and D-band (from 110 GHz to 170 GHz).


Trauma has the potential to undermine both the educational and personal achievement of students. This article will provide a review and an integration of theoretical and empirical literature on the prevention and treatment of stress disorders, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and teens. An initial review of the biopsychosocial factors related to the development of stress disorders is followed by a comprehensive model of preventive intervention. Recommendations for best practices to prevent and treat PTSD in the school setting are guided by existing treatment-outcome literature. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 461–470, 2006.


We studied the association between intake of non-prescription analgesics and semen quality and male reproductive hormone levels in a cross-sectional study among 1493 men. The men provided one semen (n = 1493) and blood sample (n = 1056) and filled in questionnaires on use of non-prescription analgesics (paracetamol, NSAIDs and combination drugs (yes/no)). Adjusting for age, study and other covariates, we observed no association between intake of non-prescription analgesics and markers of semen quality. Adjusting for age and time of day of blood sampling, users of non-prescription analgesics had a 10.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 4.0–17.1%) higher testosterone level than non-users. When we stratified by med- ication type, the association between analgesics and higher testosterone was observed between users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and combination drugs but not paracetamol. This study suggests that use of non-prescription analgesics is associated with slightly higher serum testosterone levels than non-use. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). tation index (DFI), LH, FSH, Inhibin B, SHBG, testosterone and estradiol were continuous. We evaluated the model fit by visual inspection of residuals versus predicted values. To improve nor-mality and homogeneity of variance of the residuals in the tested associations, all outcomes were ln-transformed. Generalized multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the associations between use of analgesic and the markers of semen quality and reproductive hormones. The main results are pooled analysis of all three study populations. The results from the multiple regression analyses were back-transformed and are presented as percentage differences with 95% confidence intervals (CI) on the original scale. The multivariate semen models all included age (continuous), and disease in the reproductive organs (including: chlamydia infec-tion, gonorrhea, syphilis, cryptorchidism, epididymitis, mumps in adulthood, orchitis, testicular cyst, testicular cancer and surgery because of varicocele) (yes/no), fever during the past three months (yes/no) and sexual abstinence time (continuous, days). Sperm concentration, motility and morphology were additionally adjusted for spillage during collection of the semen sample (yes/no). More-over, analysis of motility only included samples analysed within one hour of collection, and total sperm count and semen volume only included samples from individuals reporting no spillage. In analyses of sperm concentration and total sperm count, only samples >0 were included in the models since all exposures were ln-transformed. All pooled models were in addition adjusted for sub-study (categorical).


A simplified analysis model of geocell reinfocement incooperating subbase and subgrade's shear effects is proposed to investigate the deformation behaviour of geocell reinforcement subject to pavement surface loads and to reveal the load transmission procedure from geocell reinforcement to subgrade.The Pasternak model,instead of the conventional Winkler model,is applied to describe the behavior of subbase layer and subgrade soil to account for stress spreading in these two layers.Geocell reinforcement is simplified as a finite-length beam embedded in ground to consider its bending stiffness.The differential equations governing pavement and geocell reinforcement's deformations are solved using eigen decomposition technique,and a semi-analytical solution is obtained for geocell reforcement's bending moment and shear force.The proposed model converges to the geocell reinforced pavement model with Winkler spring support when soil's shear stiffness is reduced to sufficiently small.Compuation results show that soil's shear stiffness is essential for accurately evaluating geocell reinforcement's deformation.In addition,it's found that geocell reinforcement has better performance when subgrade soil is weak.


A full understanding of the specificity of the linguistic c oncept of "meaning" is required to study a statement's meaning. The word "meaning" is multi-faceted: meaning as sense or senses; meaning as significance; and also in French, meaning can be understood in a physical sense, as a "direction", to show the way. The ALCESTE method takes these three facets into account by studying a statement as if three locks of hair were forming one plait. The analysis of the "Reveries du promeneur solitaire" (J-J Rousseau) shows how this work is an intermeshing of three points of view. Resume Etudier le sens d'un enonce, d'un discours, presuppose que l'on tienne c ompte d'une specificite du sens : il est trinitaire : sens comme sensation (Imaginaire), sens comme direction (action : Reel) et sens comme signification (Symbolique). Notre these : le sens d'un enonce se construit comme une tresse avec trois brins. L'auteur montre comment sa methode "Alceste" prend en compte cette specificite trinitaire du sens. L'analyse des « Reveries du promeneur solitaire »(J-J Rousseau) discrimine trois classes d'enonces refletant le tressage de ces trois " topoi".


Mix the different proportion of the column and epoxy resin and shake,then apply the mixture to the surface of the SLS sintered parts,the curing time and curing strength of SLS of sintered parts were tested.Then put the smeared SLS sintered part into oven the influence of the sintered parts under the different temperature is studied.The experiment result shows that the amount of curing agent and the curing ambient temperature have a certain impact of the sintered parts.


17 18 Plant communities arranged along a gradient are a product of underlying physico19 chemical drivers that vary on both spatial and temporal scales. Spatial variation in the 20 underlying drivers along the gradient usually results in the formation of boundaries between 21 adjacent plant communities. However, the structure and composition of these communities may 22 change over time resulting in boundary shifts. In the Everglades, tree islands are complex 23 ecosystems, where plant communities are arranged along hydrologic and soil nutrient gradients. 24 In these islands, temporal changes in hydrologic regime often result in a spatial shift in 25 community composition along the gradient and determine the trajectory of community 26 succession. We examined the interaction between hydrology and vegetation over a 12-year 27 period in three southern Everglades tree islands. We hypothesized that drier conditions in recent 28 decades would result in an increase in the dominance of flood in-tolerant woody plants over 29 herbaceous and flood-tolerant woody species, ultimately causing a shift in the boundaries 30 between plant communities. The boundary between adjacent communities varied from sharp, 31


Objective: Ascertain the best harvest time and preliminary processing method of the roots,leaves and fruits of Macleaya cordata( Willd.) R. Br. Methods: RP-HPLC was applied to quantify the index components simultaneously. Results: The data indicated that late May,June and late August to early September were suggested to be the best harvest time for the roots,leaves and the fruits. To comprehensively utilize M. cordata,the leaves and fruits should harvest firstly,and then the roots. The contents of M. cordata leaves and fruits dried in the above methods had no obvious difference except the roots. The best drying method was stove at 45 ℃, and the sum of index components of the roots dried at 45 ℃ was 1. 52 times higher than dried at 85 ℃. Conclusion: This study indicated that the best preliminary processing procedures: harvesting at appropriate time→ selecting → washing or wiping → the roots and fruits may properly stove at 45 ℃ ~ 65 ℃ or drying in the sun,and the leaves may properly stove at 45 ℃,stove in the sun or dry in the shade.


The concept of Free Flight (FF) refers to an increase in autonomous decision making by pilots, pertaining to changes in aircraft flight parameters, for enhanced economic efficiency within the confines of safety, For such autonomy to exist, display of air traffic information in the cockpit may become imperative. This study dealt with a novel concept for cockpit display of traffic information in a simulated FF environment.The concept is analogous to the Minkowski 'space-time' diagram (Hawking, 1988) which is generally used to explain the four-dimensional space-time construct in cosmology and theoretical physics. For this study, a volume of airspace around ownship was theoretically selected and projected in future time, to define a region of 'space-time'. Aircraft flight parameters consisting of three dimensions of space, and one dimension of time were treated as 'events in space-time'. All 'events' having a probability of occurrence within the pre-defined region of 'space-time' were depicted by aircraft shapes, with collision threats marked by vectors. Using this paradigm, a pseudo-three dimengional (pseudo-3D) low-fidelity display animation was created and tested with two other two-dimensional paradigms: a distance-fromownship based depiction, and a time-from-ownship based depiction of air traffic. 18 undergraduate student pilots were asked to indicate in various scenarios, whether a maneuver was required to avoid a collision, the initial direction for such a maneuver, and the most imminent collision threat. Percentage correct responses and response times were recorded and analyzed for each display type. Response times were found to be the least for the pseudo-3D 'space-time' display. Results suggest that the presentation of spatio-temporal air traffic information, using the 'space-time' paradigm, may be an effective decision aid for pilots in FF environments.


Reframing as pastoral-therapeutic concept In the article the authors firstly look into the way in which the different family therapy models utilize reframing as a therapeutic method. Then the relationship between frames of reference and reframing is considered. The therapeutic process through which reframing can be used is dealt with extensively. The concept of reframing is also evaluated as a theological concept and the authors conclude that it is a useful method within a pastoral context.


This work investigates the resolving power of 2,3-dihydroxypropyl-beta-CD (2,3-DHP-beta-CD) and 3-hydroxypropyl-beta-CD (3-HP-beta-CD) as chiral mobile phase additives (CMPAs) using CE. The effects of experimental parameters (CD concentration, buffer pH, and buffer concentration) on enantiorecognition were investigated. More than 20 basic chiral drugs were resolved with satisfactory enantioselectivity. Comparison with 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-CD (2-HP-beta-CD) showed that one or both of the two new chiral selectors show enhanced enantiorecognition for several molecules with bulky substitutes, such as Zopiclone and Mianserin, however, 2-HP-beta-CD has higher enantiorecognition for most of the analytes. Further studies on the structures of analytes and CMPAs showed that the OH moiety on the propyl spacer plays an important role in the separation of some chiral drugs.


In a recent research, a pseudo point-source model, which is a simplified version of the conventional characterized source model, was proposed and it was verified that the source model can be applied to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, Japan. In the source model, the spatio-temporal distribution of slip within each subevent is not modeled. Instead, the source spectrum associated with the rupture of each subevent is modeled. For the future application of the source model, it is important to investigate its applicability to other destructive earthquakes. In this study, the off Miyagi intraslab earthquake on May 26, 2003 is taken as an example, and the applicability of the pseudo point-source model is investigated. It was revealed that the source model can reproduce the waveforms and the Fourier spectra at least as well as the conventional characterized source model.


This paper proposes a new approach to achieve stable force reflecting teleoperation control under time delay-fuzzy sliding control (FSC). FSC is based on the conventional sliding mode control which has been proved robust and stable. The design methodology of FSC includes the following major parts: a fuzzy sliding control law, rule tuning in the phase plane, and soft boundary layer tuning. Stable force reflecting control has been a popular research topic in telerobotics since the 1960s. Because of the stability and robustness of FSC, and the linguistic inference style of fuzzy control, FSC can be easily modified and applied to deal with the uncertainties and human interactions in teleoperation. In our research, a novel control structure which consists of a FSC and a fuzzy supervisor has been implemented in a high bandwidth master-slave telerobotic system. It has been shown that this approach has stable force reflecting and good tracking accuracy for loop delays up to seconds. Experiment results are described in the paper.


This paper studies the resource discovery problem in a grid system, in which global trust values play a crucial role. Resource discovery is initiated by a network application to find suitable resources within the grid. Simple matchmaking rules are used to identify each resource as a part of a certain technical category and the distance travelled in hops is calculated for a certain request. If the resource that matches the requirements of the user is found out in lesser time, then that resource can be immediately allocated to the user's request and the execution states. This paper deals with the reduction in the time taken for matching the resources with user's request. Also, the resource information stored in the routers play an important role. As the number of system increases in the grid, the resource information on the router also increases. To lessen the burden on the routers, partial information of virtual organization is stored in the routers. This results in efficient memory utilization on the routers.


This paper aims to give updated information on the lessepsian fish fauna of Cyprus. Specifically, an overview of the phenomenon of the lessepsian migration is given, together with a correlation of this phenomenon in relation to the mean annual temperature of the Mediterranean. Finally, the status of the lessepsian fish migrants in Cyprus is analysed, while some emerging information gaps are highlighted. Key-Words: Cyprus, lessepsian fish fauna, climate change


L AND VALUES SHAPE the patterns of land use in a city. Land values are also linked to such vital urban problems as transportation, neighborhood development, and tax equity. To understand why land values have such a broad influence on urban development and urban problems some knowledge of the relationship between land values and improvement values is necessary. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to analyze the association between residential land values and improvement values in a central city, taking into consideration such locational factors as neighborhood environment and distance from the central business district.


Microwave and infrared measurements have been made for the van der Waals complexes N2–CH3CCH and CO–CH3CCH, and their isotopomers. The infrared spectra are complicated by the effects of a slightly hindered internal rotation of the propyne unit. Tunneling motions arising from the N2 or CO molecules are not apparent in the infrared spectra, but in the case of N2 are seen in the microwave spectra. Analysis of the spectral data shows that the dimers are near slipped parallel in structure. Their dipole moments are almost parallel to the dimer b axis, with center‐of‐mass separations of 3.756(1) A for CO–CH3CCH and 3.708(2) A for N2–CH3CCH. (The uncertainties shown in parentheses are two standard deviations.) A simple model based on electrostatic interactions between rigid monomers gives dimer structures in agreement with the experimental assignments, and in conjunction with an approximate model of dispersion energy allows estimation of barriers to internal rotation.


Background: Illicit drug use is common in the United States. The degree of substance abuse among pregnant women, its prevention, and treatment are currently matters of great concern. Methods: We conducted a blinded cross-sectional study on the prevalence of cocaine and marijuana metabolites in the urines of an obstetric population served by a military community hospital. Ninety percent of patients screened were nonactive-duty family members. Results: An overall illicit drug use prevalence of 1.6 percent was found. This contrasts to prevalences of 10 to 15 percent reported in civilian obstetric populations. Conclusions: Job site drug screening of the active-duty soldier may be the reason for differences between the military and nonmilitary populations.


Objective To explore the effective method for treatment of fracture of scapular neck.Methods A retrospective analysis of 40 patients with fractures of scapular neck was done.The patients were treated by operation or non-operation from August 1995 to August 2005.According to the degree of displacement,40 cases included 22 mild displaced fractures(≤10 mm,≤40°),and 18 severe displaced fractures (>10 mm,>40°),26 cases were non-operation and 14 cases by operation.Herscovici score was adopted.Results Forty patients were followed up for 1-3 years.Among 26 patients treated by non-operation,Herscovici score showed that 16 cases achieved the excellent result,2 cases good,3 cases fair and 5 cases poor.of 14 patients treated by operation,Herscovici score showed that 12 cases achieved the excellent result,2 cases good. Conclusion Fractures of scapular neck with mild displacement can be treated by non-operation while fractures of scapular with severe displacement or associated with ipsilateral clavical fractures should be treated by operation to reconstruct the stabihty of shoulder and minimize the complications.

Key words:
Scapular; Fracture fixation,internal; Therapy


The main aim of this study is to analyze the connection between financial liberalization and financial crises in historical context. The global economy is experiencing crisis which has been hailed as the most devastating crisis of capitalism since the great depression of 1929. Post World War II economic history can be thought of as evolving within two distinct political-economic regimes. The high growth Golden Age or Keynesian Regime was based on socially or politically 'embedded' domestic markets, government responsibility for aggregate demand growth, and state control over cross-border economic activity. It lasted until the early 1970s, to be replaced, after a decade of turbulence, by the Neoliberal Regime, built on deregulation, liberalization, privatization, and ever-tighter global integration. The Neoliberal Regime took root in the 1980s and consolidated in the 1990s.Financialization which is a major phenomenon of neoliberal regime, means the increasing role of financial motives, financial markets, financial actors and financial institutions in the operation of domestic and international economies. In this period, many developed and developing countries have liberalized their financial markets. The financial liberalization opens up new opportunity for financial sectors often resulting in excessive risk taking because of lack of adequate regulation particularly emerging economies. After liberalization of period, most countries tend to go though a "boom-bust" cycle especially in the case of external liberalization. As a result, currency and banking crises (twin crises) are closely linked in aftermath of liberalization. In this paper, policy framework is also discussed from developing countries perspective.


Hypertension is called a silent killer because it rarely provides symptoms before it damages the heart, brain or kidney. It is an important public health challenge in both economically developing and developed countries. It has been estimated that hypertension accounts for 6% of deaths of worldwide. Ayurvedic classics don't provide any direct reference regarding essential hypertension. But still on the basis of etiology, pathogenesis and symptoms it can be correlated with Raktadushti in Ayurveda. For the clinical study a compound formulation named 'Raktadushtihar Yoga' (containing Sariva, Musta, Katuka, Patha and Patola) was selected. Total 47 patients of essential hypertension were selected from the OPD and IPD of Basic principles department, IPGT & RA, Jamnagar. Raktadushtihar Yoga (tablet) was given in the dose of 2 grams twice a day for the duration of one month. After one month of treatment 12.90% fall was observed in systolic blood pressure whereas diastolic blood pressure was fallen by 11.19%. Among symptoms of essential hypertension Shirashula (86.09%) Tamodarshana (88.51%), Bhrama (80.80%) and Krodhaprachurata (53.13 %) showed statistically highly significant results. Hence it can be concluded that the compound drug 'Raktadushtihar Yoga' was found as an excellent remedy for mild to moderate hypertension.


Caval syndrome is a life threatening condition caused by heavy worm burden in right cardiac chambers including right atrium, right ventricle, and vena cava and results in mechanical interference in tricuspid valvular excursion and blood flow to lower pulmonary arteries. A mechanical worm removal is the choice of option for treating this condition in dogs. In this study, we developed a new mechanical worm removal method using modified extraction brushes for treating dogs with caval syndrome. With this newly developed method, we successfully removed heartworms in two dogs with caval syndrome. Although the number of cases applied was small, authors found this method can be a good alternative retrieval method for mechanical worm removal in dogs.


Femi Osofisan. 2016. The Muse of Anomy: Essays on Literature and the Humanities in Nigeria. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press. 297 pp. Nigerian literature has been haunted by the specter of identity politics in the last two decades. This crisis, materialized in the present desire of some writers to break free from Western gatekeepers and write for local audiences, is arguably best evident in the inability of scholars in the field to clearly delineate the imbrications of literary voices and temperaments across generations. For instance, some writers in Nigeria's so-called third-generation could easily fit into a contemporary epoch that boasts of writers such as Teju Cole, Chimamanda Adichie, and Lola Shoneyin producing authentic works that recall the poetics and styles of even much earlier generations dating back to Chinua Achebe. The reterritorialization of the literary imagination from (the University of) Ibadan to Freedom Park is a symptom to be probed, for it shows how a politics of space is mapped by the struggle between a romanticized cosmopolitanism of Ibadan and the emergent Afropolitan vibes from modern Lagos for a new literary identity for the country. Femi Osofisan's latest offering, The Muse of Anomy, is therefore a timely volume that facilitates that investigation as it eloquently frames the shift and continuities in Nigerian literary and cultural discourses through an intervention organized around storytelling and humor. Aside the brilliant juxtaposition of writers and generations as disparate as Amos Tutuola and Elnathan John, the book offers a rich melange of ideas that unsettles "an experience of life and history" defined by "unceasing anarchy" (p. 5). Beginning with an insightful, even if belabored, introduction, the text projects the critical musings of a Nigerian writer whose oeuvre, burdened with a neo-Marxist urgency, has been an essential articulation for the recentering of indigenous epistemologies, subaltern agency, and radical politics in Nigeria. In thirteen finely cathected chapters reproduced from several lectures and seminars, Osofisan charts the varied locations and relocations of Nigerian literature and performance traditions from the 1950s, with Ibadan positioned as the initial artistic hub from which a hermeneutic of cultural resistance and humanism was birthed in Nigerian literature. The author's reprobation of contemporary intellectual practice in Nigeria recalls the Gramscian notion of "organic intellectuals," describing scholars committed to winning the consent of the working-class to counter-hegemonic ideas and values. Precisely because of what Osofisan identifies as a parlous absence of such an intellectual body, committed to both a genuine intellectual culture and a radical commitment to knowledge and enquiry on behalf of non-dominant groups, he implicates Nigerian intellectuals in what he calls a tragic betrayal of the people. …


We present a possible orbit for the Southern Stream of stars in M31, which connects it to the Northern Spur. Support for this model comes from the dynamics of planetary nebulae (PNe) in the disc of M31: analysis of a new sample of 2611 PNe obtained using the Planetary Nebula Spectrograph reveals ∼20 objects with kinematics inconsistent with the normal components of the galaxy, but which lie at the right positions and velocities to connect the two photometric features via this orbit. The satellite galaxy M32 is coincident with the stream both in position and velocity, adding weight to the hypothesis that the stream comprises its tidal debris.


The research literature provides few examples of memory biases for threat-related material in anxious subjects. Those studies which do show effects have used a priming methodology with sub-clinically anxious individuals. The present study reports two experiments examining the memory performance of non-anxious individuals which are designed to investigate whether the use of a prime alone (in the absence of an anxious state) is sufficient to produce a threat-related memory bias. The results provide strong evidence for such a bias using a priming methodology. The theoretical implications of these data are discussed.


According to the records of the relevant documents of Soviet Russia and the Comintern, several "Revolutionary Bureaus" once occurred in Shanghai and some other big cities in China during the period of 1920-1921. With respect to what the organizations were, some historians who study the history of the CCP have expressed different opinions so far, respectively considering the "Revolutionary Bureaus" as the CCP sponsor group in Shanghai and other Communist groups, the leading body of the Socialists' League, the organizations of united front, and the RCP(b)'s organizations in China. However, the above view-points are open to question. From the original text of the Russian documents, and through the examination of the Revolutionary Bureaus' name, the organizational system they belonged to, their internal structure, their functions and tasks, it is not hard to perceive that Shanghai Revolutionary Bureau established in summer 1920 was the Comintern's East Asian Secretariat's subsidiary body, which was in charge of the work of the Communist movement in China; and the other Revolutionary Bureaus were the branches of the "Central Bureau" in Shanghai. Afterwards, there were some changes in what they subordinated to and in their organizational structure, but the Revolutionary Bureaus' attribute as Comintern's organs in China had never changed. The Revolutionary Bureaus played an important role in the work such as directing the setup of Communist parties in China, promoting the activities of various revolutionary organizations, and conducting Communist propaganda. With the accomplishment of their main tasks and the establishment of the CCP, the Revolutionary Bureaus were brought to an end.


In the article issues concerning the sustainability of biofuel were briefly discussed. Special attention was paid to aspects of biofuel certification, especially in relation to the condition of the polish market. The main part of the article was dedicated to the KZR INiG System – the polish certification scheme for the sustainable production of biofuel and bioliquids, recognized by the European Commission.


The invention discloses a micro-torque sensor calibrator based on a magnetic suspension effect. A microtorque sensor to be calibrated is fixed on a base by a positioning block and a clasping block; a moment arm with a circular arc side is installed on a rotating shaft; the bottom surface of the base is provided with a height adjusting support pin, and a guide column and a guide rail are installed on the height adjusting support pin; a bearing frame is installed on the guide rail, the edge of the bearing frame is slotted, and a micro-bearing is installed in a groove; a lead penetrates through the groove on the bearing frame and is hung on the micro-bearing, one end is fixed at the circular arc sides at both ends of the moment arm, and a weight is hung on the other end; a magnetic seat is installed on the guide column; and the central position of the moment arm and the central position of the magnetic seat are respectively provided with disk-shaped magnets. The invention can eliminate the bending moment applied to the rotating shaft of the microtorque sensor to be calibrated by moment arm weight during horizontal arrangement, realize pure torque loading, ensure that the torque is a constant value and meanwhile lead the moment arm to be in a suspension state, has the characteristics of simple structure, high precision and high stability and more favorably meets the calibrating requirement of the microtorque sensor.


Constructing digital library is an enormous system engineering which involves many problems The article shows some attitudes in some aspects such as technique exploitation,information resource construction,knowledge property rights,legal system,regulation construction and staff quality of digital library


The present paper is a tribute to Professor Sergio Luiz de Castilho Fernandes. It is divided into three parts. The first one presents the author's view on the concepts of "quality" and "quantity". It contrasts the numerical sense with the qualitative sense of difference by examining the concept of "duration". He then examines the idea that there is an "I" that remains identical to itself over time. Finally, the article exposes Sergio Fernandes' theory of the "diaphanous character" of consciousness through what the author calls "Myth of the Game of Light".


Platinium(IV) hydrazone complexes derived from oxaloyldihydrazide and selected aldehydes, namely salicyaldehyde (L 1 ), 2-hydroxynaphthaldehyde (L 2 ), o-hydroxyacetophenone (L 3 ) and o-methoxybenzaldehyde (L 4 ) have been synthesized and characterized. The mode of bonding as well as the structure of the isolated compounds have been ascertained on the basis of emental analyses and spectral (UV-Vis., IR, mass, 1 H NMR) measurements. The synthesized dihydrazones coordinate to the metal center either dibasic or tetrabasic hexadentate ligands forming binuclear complexes in all cases. The metal center in all investigated complexes has octahedral stereochemistry. Ligands L 1 and L 3 bind with Pt(IV) ion in diketo forms while L 2 and L 4 employed their dienol skeletons. Optical transmission spectra were recorded in the range 190–2100 nm and some optical parameters such as indirect optical band gap and refractive index have been determined. The inhibitive and adsorptive properties of all ligands for the corrosion of carbon-steel in 1 M HCl solutions were investigated using weight loss technique. The results pointed out that the ligands have reasonable inhibitions towards the corrosion of carbon-steel. The adsorption of the inhibitors on metal surface was found to be spontaneous and consistent with the mechanism of physical adsorption. The adsorption data fitted well to Freundlich, Langmuir and Frumkin adsorption isotherms.


The Bayer Process is the hydrometallurgical treatment of bauxite ore for the extraction of alumina. Globally this process produces in excess of 64 millions of tonnes per annum of alumina (IAI, 2011). This extraction also results in a nonextracted residue called red mud. CSIRO (2011) report an estimated 120 million tonnes per annum of red mud production. This product is typically highly alkaline and needs to be contained in long-term secure storage facilities. It could however, be considered an underutilised resource. Karl Bayer's original patent outlined many possible uses for bauxite residue (Bayer, 1889) and research has been conducted towards that outcome almost continuously since. In that time, very few products have entered the market and most are only of small volume. This thesis assesses a variety of possible Bayer process by-products, and their subsequent utilisation. The focus is upon production of high volume commodity products that are made to specification and are suitable for multiple applications. This work includes pilot plant production and field demonstration trials. This thesis reports on four key products that could make significant impact upon utilisation of wasted resources. These products are, • Carbonated Red Mud and Alkaloam® produced from the fine bauxite residue commonly termed red mud; • Red SandTM manufactured from coarse bauxite residue; • Red LimeTM a by-product of liquor causticisation; • Bayer-derived geopolymers a cement replacement made from processed Bayer liquor. These four products have been assessed and demonstrate significant benefit in their potential use.


We analyzed the effect of phase-mismatch and material absorption on the terahertz-wave difference-frequency generation from GaSe theoretically. We calculated the best length of crystal and the corresponding terahertz power under four different conditions and the effect of angle-mismatch on phase-mismatch. The result provided a theoretical basis and reference to nonlinear optical difference-frequency experiments.


Cryostat injuries are not uncommon. Most involve minor cuts in which the main concern is microbial contamination. Cryostats are now designed with blade safety guards to prevent such injuries (Figure 1A and B). In our laboratory, an experienced technician suffered a substantial distal avulsion injury from a cryostat blade while cleaning the cryostat. This case highlights the importance of safety while cleaning a cryostat and reports the successful outcome of a fingertip reattached as a composite graft after amputation and freezing.


Safe and bilingual tours to the many attractions in and around the city. The best way to discover the magic of Distrito Federal.


The policy of the New York City Department of Transportation on the use of pedestrian crossing speeds is intended to provide sufficient time for pedestrians to cross the street and, thus, to support pedestrian safety at signalized intersections. This policy adheres to current guidelines provided in the Highway Capacity Manual 2010 and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which generally recommend the use of a fixed walking speed; however, pedestrian walking speeds at crosswalks vary depending on pedestrian density. As crosswalks become more crowded, pedestrian walking speeds become slower. The purpose of the study described in this paper, therefore, was to identify the need for and recommend a guideline for dynamic pedestrian walking speeds during pedestrian clearance intervals that fluctuated on the basis of how pedestrians behaved in crosswalks with various pedestrian densities. Such control could help provide appropriate pedestrian clearance intervals at crosswalks with distinctively high densities. This study modeled the relationships between pedestrian walking speeds and densities and between speeds and the proportions of pedestrian flows by direction at signalized intersections with heavy pedestrian volumes, as in central business district locations in New York City. On the basis of the relationships analyzed, speed and density levels were identified as measures of safety and congestion levels. Furthermore, the study showed that pedestrian crossing speeds within high-density crosswalks were affected by opposing pedestrian flows.


Folklore known to all walks of life throughout the archipelago. Folklore part of traditional literature. In folklore contained a moral message. There are many types of folklore. One of them is a myth. The myth has always been associated with real life. Understanding the myth not only to understand the past life, but understanding the myth also means to understand contemporary life. People believe the myth behind the story contained a variety of grades of life in it. In this article will be assessed story "Laran I Balian Way" (the science of disaster shaman magic), because in the story "Laran I Balian Way" implied values of life that can be used as a guideline to pursue a life. Key Words: Study, Stories, Laran I Balian Sakti.


The article studies the influence of prenatal exposure of rats with I on their behavioral activity and anxiety using the open field test, an elevated raised cross-shaped maze, black and white and shuttle box. It is determined that prenatal exposure of rats with I has led to increased research activity, but did not cause significant changes in the levels of animals' anxiety. There has been also an decrease in the number of conditioned reflexes and prolongation of the latent periods of reflex reactions, indicating that there is some suppression of CNS due to exposure conditions.


Biosafety of insecticide, emamectin benzoate 1.9 EC against spider predator in okra in vilacherri, Madurai of Tamil Nadu during 2015 and 2016. The new formulation of Emamectin benzoate 1.9 EC at different doses (5.00, 6.75, 8.50 and 11.00 g.ai ha -1 ) against the standard check, Pyridalyl 10 EC (50 g a. i. ha -1 ) and Lamda cyhalothrin 5 CS (15 g a.i. ha -1 ) for their safety to spider predators in okra eco-system were studied. The spider population were recorded prior to spraying and at 3, 7, 10 and 14 days of each spraying from ten randomly selected plants in each all the treatments. Emamectin benzoate 1.9 EC was found to be safer to spiders at all concentrations tested and the highest population was recorded in plots treated with emamectin benzoate 1.9 EC at 5.00 g a.i. ha -1 followed by emamectin benzoate 1.9 EC at 6.75,8.50 and 11.00 g a.i. ha -1 respectively.


The autoregressive model for cointegrated variables is analyzed with respect to the role of the constant and linear terms. Various models for 1(1) variables defined by restrictions on the deterministic terms are discussed, and it is shown that statistical inference can be performed by reduced rank regression. The asymptotic distributions of the test statistics and estimators are found. A similar analysis is given for models for 1(2) variables with a constant term.


The utility model discloses a novel ultra-high pressure gear oil pump, which consists of a drive gear, an internal circlip, a groove ball bearing, a pressure-resistant oil seal, a front cover, two needle bearings, two positioning pins, floating side plates, a pressure plate, fixed side plates, a pump body, a driven gear and bolts; the novel ultra-high pressure gear oil pump is characterized in that two needle bearings, the drive gear and the driven gear are arranged in the pump body; the two end surfaces of the drive gear and the driven gear are respectively provided with one floating side plate and one fixed side plate; a seal ring and the pressure plate are arranged between the floating side plates and the fixed side plates; a rectangle rubber seal ring is arranged in the seal slot of the end surface of the front cover; the inside of the front cover is provided with the two needle bearings, the pressure-resistant oil seal, the check ring of the oil seal, the groove ball bearing and the internal circlip; the combined pump body and the front cover are connected together by the two positioning pins, and then are tightened by four bolts and spring gaskets to form a single-chain gearoil pump. The novel ultra-high pressure gear oil pump has the advantages that the pressure gear oil pump can improve the working stability of the gear, reduce the internal leakage of the pump, reducedthe abrasion of the pump, improve the volumetric efficiency of the pump, and prolong the service life.


Previous work on restorable networks has shown experimentally that one can support 100% restoration with an optimized set of closed cycles of spare capacity while requiring little or no increase in spare capacity relative to a span-restorable mesh network. This is important and unexpected because it implies that future restoration schemes could be as capacity efficient as a mesh network, while being as fast as ring-based networks because there is no real-time work at any nodes other than the two failure nodes. This paper complements the prior work by giving a greater theoretical basis and insight to support the prior results. We are able to show in a bounding-type of argument that the proposed protection cycles ("p-cycles") have as high a restoration efficiency as it is possible to expect for any type of preconfigured pattern, and are categorically superior to preconfigured linear segments or trees. We are also able to show that the capacity efficiency of a fully preconfigured p-cycle network has the same well-known lower bound as that of a span restorable mesh network which is cross-connected on-demand. These results provide a theoretical underpinning for the efficiency of p-cycles and confirmation of the experimental observations.


One of the major obstacles of porphyrins is the aggregation‐caused quenching (ACQ) of photoluminescence due to the strong intermolecular π–π interaction of the planar porphyrin core in the solid state. However, ACQ leads to the nonradiative deactivation of the photoexcited states which results in short‐lived charge‐separated states and thus low photoluminescence and singlet quantum yields. This phenomenon would limit the utilization of porphyrins in near‐infrared fluorescent bioimaging, photodynamic therapy, photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, electrochemiluminescence, and chiroptical applications. Hence, to address the ACQ property of porphyrins and enhance the performance of the above applications, a limited number of AIEgen‐decorated porphyrins have been designed, synthesized, and tested for their applications. It has been found that the introduction of AIEgens, such as tetraphenylethylene, diphenylacrylonitrile, (3,6‐bis‐(1‐methyl‐4‐vinylpyridinium)‐carbazole diiodide, and iridium motif into the porphyrin core, transformed the porphyrins from ACQ to aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) in their solid state due to the reduced strong intermolecular π–π stacking of porphyrins. Consequently, such porphyrins containing AIE features are employed as potential candidates in the above‐mentioned applications. In this review, we summarize the AIEgen‐decorated porphyrins which have been published to date, and also discuss the benefits of converting porphyrins from ACQ to AIE for enhanced performance within each application. As far as we know, there is no review that summarizes the structures and applications of AIEgen‐decorated porphyrins to date. Therefore, we presume that this review would be helpful to design more efficient AIEgen‐decorated porphyrins for a wide range of applications in the future.


Fertilizer N recommendations in the Great Plains and Western USA are commonly based on soil NO₃⁻ tests, although NO₃⁻ content within soil profiles is subject to rapid change. The purpose of this study was to evaluate NO₃⁻ distribution within diverse soil profiles and determine NO₃⁻ changes occurring overwinter. Twenty-six irrigated farm fields were systematically sampled in 1974 and 1975 by dividing them into 61 × 61 m grids (0.37 ha) and sampling to a 120-cm depth by 30-cm increments. Eleven fields were re-sampled for fall vs. spring comparisons. Nitrate content tended to be greatest in the surface 30-cm and decrease with depth; only three fields deviated markedly from the general pattern. Nitrate contents in the O to 30-cm and O to 60-cm depths were both highly correlated at the 0.01 level with that in O to 120 cm (r² = 0.80 and 0.91, respectively), and actual NO₃-N content (O to 120 cm) was within 30 kg/ha of the regression lines for 25 of 26 fields. All fields significantly increased in NO₃,-N from fall to the following spring, ranging from 8.1 to 68.9 kg/ha. Greatest increases occurred in the surface 30 cm. These increases were significantly related at the 0.05 level to decreases in NH₄⁺ (r² = 0.37), fall NO₃⁻ level (r² = 0.43), and fall NO₃⁻ plus NH₄⁺ level (r² = 0.42), but not to organic matter or total N. There was a highly significant relation at the 0.01 level between fall - and spring NO₃⁻ content of each sampled depth, ranging from r² = 0.60 to 0.86. The above relationships should be useful in determining appropriate scil sampling depths for N fertilizer recommendations and developing calibrations based on sampling date.


In this work the synthesis of visible ZnO quantum dots (QDs) functionalized/stabilized with oleic acid and core-shelled with SiO2 is presented. A colloidal route was followed to synthesize ZnO QDs with 5 nm average size. Several characterizations were done to identify and assure the core, the stabilization, grain size and QDs emission characteristics. Techniques like FT-IR, XRD, TEM, SEM, UV-Vis, PL and an UV lamp were used to test composition, structural, morphological and emission of the as obtained quantum dots. After the structural and morphological characterization of the particles, they were functionalized with (3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane (APTMS).  It was observed that the size and morphology are unchanged but the stability depends directly on the APTMS oversaturation which is due to the formation of a thick SiO2 layer. From the PL characterization results it was noticed that the strong green emission is related to the APTMS content and directly related to the shell formation, this emission decreases as the core-shell thickness increases.


Every living organism depends on functional macromolecules assembled in aqueous solution via noncovalent interactions. Hydrophobic forces are particularly stable among other noncovalent interactions, which led to the development of amphiphilic synthetic (macro)molecules able to self-assemble into various structures for diverse applications ranging from nanotechnology to medicine. Amphiphilic block copolymers are especially advantageous due to the control over their properties achieved via tuning the chemical composition and superior stability of the self-assembled structures compared to the ones formed by low molecular weight surfactants and lipids. Particularly, structures formed by biocompatible and/or biodegradable amphiphilic block copolymers possess required properties for drug delivery applications.
Self-assembly of various AB (A – hydrophilic, B – hydrophobic) copolymers has been explicitly investigated with respect to the packing geometry of individual polymer molecules and conditions of self-assembly. Introduction of the third C block increases the level of complexity of self-assembly behavior of ABC copolymers. ABC copolymers provide possibility for developing programmable materials based on asymmetric structures with spatially separated domains possessing different chemical and physical properties. For example, multicompartment morphologies, i.e. assemblies bearing domains in the core, can be obtained in a solvent which selectively solubilizes A block, whereas B and C blocks undergo phase separation in the core. ABC copolymers with A and C soluble blocks are advantageous for creating structures with surface bearing domains in the corona, but the principles of self-assembly of such systems still lack deep understanding.
The ultimate goal of this thesis is to shed light on the complex morphological behavior of linear amphiphilic ABC copolymers with A and C water-soluble blocks targeting for biomedical applications. To approach this goal, synthesis of ABC copolymers bearing biocompatible blocks (poly(ethylene oxide) PEO, poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) PMOXA), biodegradable blocks (polycaprolactone PCL, poly(γ-methyl-e-caprolactone) PMCL), and cationic block for complexation of nucleic acids (poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) PDMAEMA) is developed. Then, the complex self-assembly behavior of synthesized copolymers is investigated. Details of the synthesis and self-assembly behavior are summarized in three publications and one section of this thesis.
The first publication presents an optimization of the seemingly well-known synthesis of PEO-b-PCL. The optimization was a necessary step for the development of the toxic-free synthesis of PEO-b-PCL-b-PMOXA copolymers. The procedure for obtaining PEO-b-PCL with narrow dispersity (ÐM < 1.1), its ω-tosylation, and the effect of aging of the catalyst, SnOct2, on this polymerization is described. In addition, we have shown that lowering the dispersity of PEO-b-PCL results in more uniform self-assembled structures.
The second publication describes the synthesis of PEO-b-PCL-b-PMOXA with fixed PEO and different PCL and PMOXA lengths. The self-assembly of these polymers was tested in aqueous solution using film rehydration method. PEO-b-PCL-b-PMOXA self-assembled into various structures, including polymersomes. The polymersomes possessed asymmetric membrane: a longer PEO block formed the outer corona, a shorter PMOXA block formed the inner corona. The asymmetry of the membrane was proven by two independent methods.
The third publication aims to elucidate the general principles of aqueous self-assembly of bis-hydrophilic PEO-b-PCL-b-PMOXA copolymers. Self-assembly was investigated with respect to different PCL and PMOXA lengths using three different preparation methods: film rehydration, solvent evaporation, and co-solvent. The diversity of the formed structures is discussed in terms of the packing geometry and thermodynamic/kinetic control.
Finally, the fourth section describes synthesis and self-assembly of PEO-b-PRCL-b-PDMAEMA copolymers, where R is methyl (M) or phenyl (Ph). The self-assembly regarding the hydrophobicity of the middle block was investigated. Different hydrophobicity did not affect the morphology of the assemblies, but led to the increased size of the structures formed by more hydrophobic PEO-b-PPhCL-b-PDMAEMA compared to PEO-b-PMCL-b-PDMAEMA. These polymers are of particular interest for gene delivery applications due to the presence of cationic PDMAEMA block.


We present a sensor setup based on acoustic pressure waves allowing the determination of the acoustic viscosity and sound velocity of liquids. Compared to previously presented planar transducer based approaches, the proposed setup does not require the correction of spurious diffraction effects. Beside the basic sensor setup, a 1D-model and experimental data obtained with a first prototype device are discussed.


Abstract The global coverage and the need for consensus explain why the UN Paris agreement, in several critical dimensions, is characterized by low levels of commitment and reciprocity. Hence, complementary designs are needed. This paper analyzes the parameters of such designs. New agreements should cover only nations that are willing to high levels of commitments and reciprocity. They should use measures that governments can control and be made accountable for. Commitments should be short-term and few-dimensional and they should incentivize efficient reductions, prevent leakages to outside nations and provide sanctions for noncompliance. Further, they should provide incentives to outsiders to reduce emissions and encourage them to join the agreement. A Climate Club that harmonizes minimum national carbon prices (i.e. carbon taxes), introduces a common carbon tariff, and welcomes new members to meet these criteria. Such a complementary design also has the potential to expand and, with time, provide a global price on carbon. Policy relevance The paper demonstrates the need to develop complementary international climate policies to the Paris agreement. It analyzes design flaws of the UN agreements and, as a complement, proposes a Climate Club among nations that are willing to introduce a price on carbon. By agreeing on a carbon tax and a carbon tariff, the club creates mechanisms that reduce emissions and enlarge the club, with the potential to provide a global price on carbon. Policy insight The Paris design includes all nations. Such a design will be insufficient. Nations with low ambitions are provided with a veto-right, which explains the flaws of the Paris agreements. A complementary design among nations with high ambitions is needed to compensate for the flaws of the Paris agreement. By agreeing to an internal minimum carbon price and an external carbon tariff, a Climate Club can create such a design.


In this thesis a special kind of differential equation will be analysed, namely the delay differential equation. For test equations the stability behaviour is analysed and there's checked whether there is a method to prove stability. Also, a full description is given, for the model submitted by INCAS3.


The paper considers a PSIM model of the seven-level cascaded H-bridge voltage source inverter, including a control circuits of its power switches (on the base signals' level). This simplified PSIM model is intended only for the investigation of the inverter output voltages and currents quality (the harmonic content, namely voltages' and currents' THD and voltages' weighted THD), since the used here first level of the model supposes a simple and strict correspondence between coordinates of specified space vectors' and the power switches' states. A way of using this kind of PSIM models with minimum changes for simulation of multilevel voltage source inverters (MLVSI) under both the carrier-based PWM and some kinds of space vector PWM is demonstrated. By way of illustration the dependences of some of the above mentioned harmonic coefficients on the amplitude modulation index are shown and the approach to supplementing the inverter model control circuit for the common-mode voltage minimization and the related waveforms are presented.


This research describes an intelligent method for differentiating coffee roasting levels based on Microwave Non- Destructive Testing (MNDT) data. The MNDT method collects s-parameter readings from several types of coffee (dark, medium, and light roast) by passing microwaves through them. Error-Correcting Output Coding Support Vector Machine (ECOC-SVM) was fed a multi-layer perceptron neural network to assess the degree of different coffee roasts. With a small number of hidden units, the ECOC-SVM could identify between the various roasts (with 6,400 data points per sample).


Cement manufacturing   pollutes atmosphere by release of greenhouse gases like carbondioxide and it depletes the ozone layer causing adverse affect on livings on earth by global warming. Due to this reason mineral  admixtures are added to concrete to reduce carbondioxide  emmision in  concrete.various type of mineral admixtures are available fly ash, silica fume, rice husk, sea shell and a cheaper  clay material  bentonite is considered and used in this project.This paper presents the result of an experimental investigation carried out to evaluate the properties of concrete with bentonite and steel fiber bentonite in which ordinary portland cement was partially replaced with bentonite by weight for a mix of M25 grade concrete. Replacing of cement by bentonite and bentonite with steel fiber was carrird out, concrete was casted and tested for the compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength. Mix of bentonite with conventional concrete for various percentage and the results have been tabulated and compared with conventional concrete. Then, the same properties were examined in concrete adding different percentages of crimed steel fiber by weight of concrete with constant amount of bentonite which in turn increases the strength of concrete


I contrasted the short-term and long-term effects of predation risk on snail habitat use and resource dynamics. Pulmonate snails (PkystUa gyrina) were placed into experimental pools and exposed to four levcb of predation risk while holding their density constant. Periphyton resources were made available in two habitats: open and covered. I hypothesized that a behavioral response by snails to predation risk would influence periphyton standing crop in the open and covered habitats. Snails responded to increasing predation risk by moving into safer (covered) habitats, and the magnitude of their response was sensitive to the actual level of risk: intermediate levels of risk resulted in intermediate habitat use. However, use of the risky (open) habitat by snails was time dependent Snails initially responded strongly to predation risk, but they exhibited similar patterns of habitat use at all risk levels by the end of the experiment Periphyton standing crop was positively related to predation risk. In contrast to snail habitat use, this response was initially weak and became stronger as the experiment progressed. Thus, the short-/and long-term responses of snail habitat use and periphyton standing crop contrasted sharply. I suggest that the changing patterns of snail habitat use over time are consistent with the idea that snails balance predation risk against foraging gains when selecting habitats and that the manner in which they balance foraging gains and predation risk determines the pattern of periphyton standing crops across habitats. Kty words: habitat selection, indirect effects, induced defenses, periphyton, PkystUa, predation risk, refuges, trade-offs, trophic cascades. [Behav Ecol 8:120-125 (1997)]