The pace is hotting up. Reluctant as I have been to be swayed by the fashionable neologising of recent years, my title shows capitulation. Like many of you, since the early 1970sI have become used to the steady pluralisation of the noun English, in such phrases as 'new Englishes' or the journal title 'World Englishes'. Associated locutions, such as 'an English' and 'each English' are also now routine. 'The English languages' is a phrase which has been used for over a decade, most recently by McArthur (1998). 'Is English Really a Family of Languages?' was the title of an article in the International Herald Trib'une a few years ago (Rosen, 1994).And I have no doubt that we shall soon hear all the jargon of comparative philology turning up in the domain of ELTdaughter languages, sister languages, and the like. The question we all have to face, of course, is how a concept of 'best practice' smvives in the face of such massive and unprecedented innovation. But such a question can only be answered if we are clear in our theoretical thinking about what might be going on, and are clear about the facts of language change which motivate that thinking. Both levels of clarity are in short supply at the moment.


To be rewarding for both faculty and students, advising special populations of students requires understanding their needs and identifying strategies to facilitate their learning.


Background: Given the rapidly expanding size of the clinical trial literature for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) clinical trials, oncologists need tools that enable them to efficiently review the settings and results of previous studies. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and PubMed to identify clinical trials testing MBC drug therapies. Key eligibility criteria included >90% of patients enrolled in trial having MBC, therapeutic clinical trials, and Phase II or III studies with at least 10 patients at a dosage level. From each study, we extracted information about clinical benefit and toxicity of drug therapies, and we further estimated the costs of all drug therapies. We built a web-based visualization tool that presents the results of all studies testing a given drug combination, stratified based on patients9 receptor statuses and prior exposure to therapy. The tool presents both aggregate and study-level results, and reports both unadjusted study results and standardized results based on key patient characteristics in the study populations. Results: We included 1,783 studies containing 2,549 treatment arms and 170,515 patients in the visualization tool. The tool reports information on 77 HER-2-directed therapies, 101 hormonal therapies, and 675 undirected therapies. The visualization tool has been made publicly accessible for patients and doctors to access at http://cancertrials.info. Discussion: We believe this tool will make literature reviews significantly more efficient for oncologists, enabling them to better leverage insights from the clinical trial literature when making treatment decisions. Citation Format: Silberholz J, Vahdat L, Bertsimas D. Clinical benefit, toxicity, and cost of metastatic breast cancer drug therapies: Visualizing randomized and non-randomized evidence [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-15-03.


Background: of distal tibial fractures treated with percutaneous locking plates. Methods: classification and stabilized with medial tibial locking plate. Time to fracture union, complications, and outcomes were assessed with the American Orthopedic Footand Ankle So months. Results: Mean were 0.56±0.76. Mean operative time was 82.66±23.56 min while union was 4.98±1.58 months. 44(88%) patients gave satisfactory results. It was found that there is no sign satisfactory result were observed with gender, injury, fracture type, fibula fracture and fibula fixation. Conclusions: complications, and good function complication rates using locking plates.


IN the Mediterranean area pottery has been decorated with a red-painted slip from neolithic times. During the Roman period red-painted wares were made in NW. Europe, including England and the Rhineland. In England the technique did not appear again until the late medieval period, but in the Rhineland red-painted wares, made at Badorf and Pingsdorf, became a major industry from the 9th and loth century onwards. Lead-glazed pottery was first brought to NW. Europe in the Roman period and was made in England, France and the Rhineland. There was a clear break in production in the Rhineland until the 14th century, but lead-glazed pottery was reintroduced to England in the 9th century, and to the Low Countries by the r r th century. The basic question about the origins of these red-painted and lead-glazed wares in NW. Europe in the 9th century is whether there was continuity from the


Melanocytes serve as a protector of the skin against external stressors such as ultraviolet radiations. While melanocytes remain functional for nearly the entire lifespan of an individual, how they respond efficiently and survive such insults remain elusive. Here, we show the co-existence of multiple distinct states of normal human epidermal melanocytes (NHEMs). Using a progressive pigmentation model, we show that stochasticity in gene expression can lead to the co-existence of multiple melanocyte states. Using active enhancers and gene expression footprint, we identified state-specific transcription factors and constructed a gene regulatory network (GRN). The GRN couples pigmentation and cell cycle regulators and explains the co-existence and transitions of the melanocyte states. Finally, we show that NHEMs respond to external cues by altering the cell state dynamics. These results demonstrate that stochasticity in gene expression followed by epigenetic modification leads to the co-existence of multiple melanocyte states enabling an efficient response to environmental cues.


ABSTRACT
 The lipid classes and fatty acid profiles of oils extracted from male and female New Zealand Greenshell (Perna canaliculus) mussel samples either raw, or treated with heat or with high-pressure processing were compared. The Bligh and Dyer solvent extraction method was performed for mussel oil extraction. Iatroscan was used for lipid class determination, and gas chromatography—mass spectrometry was used for the fatty acid composition determination. Eight minutes of steaming time was required for the medium-size mussel meat placed as a single layer in a plastic pouch to achieve an internal temperature of at least 75°C. Female mussels had greater oil yield than male mussels on a dry weight basis, and female mussel oil extracts had a greater content of fatty acids than male mussels in general. No significant differences were observed in yield, lipid classes, and fatty acid compositions as a result of different treatments (raw, steamed, and high-pressure processing).


The paper presents a novel method of rational management of solid waste, namely an example of a modern landfill with enhanced leachate recirculation – a bioreactor landfill. The aim of the paper was to compare modern solutions concerning waste storage with traditional methods in terms of sustainability. The comparison was drawn as a result of conducting literature research and an independent analysis of the data obtained. A number of advantages was presented resulting from using technologies with enhanced leachate recirculation in environmental, social, and economic terms. The superiority of modern technologies of waste management over conventional technologies was clearly stated as a result of the analyses performed.


This paper examines the use of process maturity models for the evaluation and improvement of the development process of mechatronic products. It summarizes the characteristics of this process, before maturity models for process evaluation are selected and shortly described. The popular process assessment models CMMI and SPICE are compared to specific maturity models, which were especially developed for the realization of mechatronic products. The models are evaluated according to 24 criteria. With the information gained, potentials and weaknesses of the models are described. The main problems of managing development processes are their complexity and variety. It remains questionable if such kind of process can be managed by a universal maturity model. Finally, the paper gives recommendations how the models could be improved, to increase their benefit for the development process of mechatronic products.


The present study evaluates geocell reinforced slope behavior. A three dimensional analysis is carried out to simulate soil and geocell elastoplastic behavior using the finite difference software FLAC3D. In order to investigate the geocell reinforcement effect, the geocell aperture size, thickness, geocell placement condition and soil compaction had been considered as variable parameters. Moreover, a comparison is evaluated between geocell reinforcing system and conventional planar reinforcement. The obtained results showed that the pocket size, thickness and soil compaction have considerable influence on the geocell reinforcement slope performance. Moreover, it was found that the critical sliding surface was bounded by the first geocell reinforcement and the slope stability increases, by increasing the vertical space between geocell layers. In addition, the comparison between geocell and geogrid reinforcement indicates the efficiency of using cellular honeycomb geosynthetic reinforcement.


The objective of this research is to explain: 1)  basic values of biodiversity education; and  2) strategies and methods of  value-based instruction in the  education of the  biodiversity conservation. It is  a multi-case and –site phenomenological qualitative in nature. The location is determined based on the achievement of the pondok pesantren Annuqayah as  the receiver of the highest award from the government in the area of the  environment. The data were collected using interviews, participation-observation and document techniques. The data were analyzed using source and method triangulations. In the analysis, a flow model consisting of data collection, reduction, presentation, verification and  conclusion drawing was adopted. The research found out that the location of the activities of the biodiversity conservation education one of examples of the best practice because 1) the activities of the education are based on  strong spiritual values, 2) it has capability in translating the basic values into strategies and methods of instruction that may build knowledge and values so that they can changer behaviors. The spiritual values used as the basic foundation in the activities of the education of the  biodiversity conservation are human values as the caliph in maintaining the earth. The duty of the caliph is to fulfill any needs to survive by improving   the  supporting power of the environment and its conservation. Meanwhile the instructional methods adopted are modeling, lecturing,   deliberation and forcefulness. The conclusion of this present research is that  the spiritual value as the basic value and also objective may be realized through the application of the strategy of building awareness and togetherness. The strategy is implemented in the instruction that employs modeling, lecturing,  deliberation and forcefulness. Key words :  Instructional strategy and method,  Conservation education,  Spiritual values.


Large ice cream cone with an eye in ornate classical setting; Nothing Strikes Back was a popular University-area ice cream shop


We have performed measurements of the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity, specific heat, and magnetic susceptibility of polycrystalline samples of U 1 - x La x Pd 2 Al 3 . The antiferromagnetic order of the parent compound UPd 2 Al 3 is rapidly suppressed for small lanthanum concentrations 0≤x≤0.2. For samples with lanthanum concentrations 0.25≤x≤0.65, magnetic relaxation and ac magnetic-susceptibility measurements indicate the formation of a spin-glass state with a freezing temperature that extrapolates to T=0 K near x=0.8. Non-Fermi-liquid temperature dependences in the electrical resistivity ρ(T) and specific heat C(T) were observed for samples with x=0.8 and 0.9. The resistivity ρ(T) at low temperatures can he described by a power law ρ/ρ 0 = I - AT" for T< 10 K with n = 1.3′0. 1 for the samples with x=0.8 and 0.9. The electronic specific-heat coefficient ΔC/T has a logarithmic temperature dependence in the temperature ranges 3 K≤T ≤20 K (x=0.8) and 1 K≤T≤6 K (x=0.9).


In this paper we present an approach to address interaction styles from the start of a design process
using video as the main design tool. We argue that video with its visual and auditory richness, its
dynamic and temporal character, and its narrative structure, is a natural medium for the exploration
and generation of interaction styles. As part of an honours track within our regular industrial design
bachelor program, some 25 students participated in a short module, in which they were introduced to
the concept of designing interaction styles. Consisting of four workshops of four hours each, the aim
of the module was to have the students experience how they could go through a design process starting
from the "how" rather than from the "what" or "why". Throughout the module, video was consistently
used as the only means to document and present the results. Overall, the application of video turned
out to be insightful as well as critical. Through creating, reviewing and improving their videos,
students developed sensitivity for what is 'wrong' or 'right' when designing an interaction flow. Finetuning
this flow, however, proved to be quite difficult, having to master both video and audio editing
software to a considerable extent. Developing skills in preparing, shooting and processing video thus
turned out to be crucial, since these are required to get it 'just right'. Currently we are therefore
looking into options to create an exploration toolkit that would make the alignment and manipulation
of video and audio more accessible.


Novel methodology of laser sintering of mixture of mixture of bio-ceramics and metallic nanoparticles on metallic implants is introduced in current work. Feasibility of this method is demonstrated using a multiphysics numerical simulation. Treating laser beam as electromagnetic (EM) wave, EM module is coupled with heat transfer (HT) module. The EMHT scheme analyzes the interaction between laser-nanoparticles which ends up with temperature raise within the sample. As a demonstration, HAp and Ti nanoparticles are employed to be sintered on titanium substrate. Processing parameters such as laser power, beam radius, scan speed, and layer thickness are studied, and correlation between these parameters and final temperature is presented. Effects of mixing ratio and nanoparticle size are also examined. Considering effects of mixing ratios and particle sizes, the following coating scheme is proposed for future experiments: varying HAp concentration from 100% to 0% at 10% intervals from coating surface to coating/substrate interface, and meanwhile, varying particle diameters from 500 nm to 100 nm at 100 nm intervals.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


We measured the temperature of a single point using a uniform fiber Bragg grating (FBG) for the first time. A quasi- Gaussian temperature distribution pattern was achieved by heating at the midpoint of FBG, then the spectral characteristics, mainly including the central wavelength and amplitude of the resonance peaks were investigated in detail. Results show that the attenuation of each peaks accords well with the theoretical predictions, so the temperature of midpoint can be demodulated by the analysis of transmission spectra.


Karst rocky desertification (KRD) is a process of soil desertification, which leads to the decline of soil quality and biomass. We conducted a plant community survey in KRD areas in Chongqing, China. Our aims were to determine key soil properties that shape plant communities and to identify essential leaf functional traits (LFTs) in responding to the progression of KRD. The vegetation survey was carried in a total of twenty study sites (five replicates for four stages of KRD) in the Wushan County in Chongqing, China. Leaves were collected from all the species in every site and measured/calculated for five LFTs, namely, specific leaf area, leaf area, leaf thickness, leaf tissue density, and leaf dry matter content. Soil samples were collected in triplicates in each site to measure soil properties. We found that the overall richness and diversity of community decreased along with the progression of KRD. Phanerophytes predominated in all the KRD areas. Soil pH was the main determinant of vegetation structure. Leaves with lower area yet higher density had the optimal adaptability in KRD regions, which can be planted as pioneer vegetation to restore land in KRD regions.


Femigen forte (chlormadinone 3 mg + mestranol .1 mg) was administered to 90 women and Femigen mite (chlormadinone 2 mg + .084 mg of mestranol) was administered to 43 women, both groups aged 19-47 years, as a contraceptive and as therapy for endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, irregular and profuse menstruations, in the incipient phase of climax, and in diagnostics. Both drugs were observed to be 100% effective as contraceptives. Side effects such as nausea, intermenstrual bleedings, and absence of menstruation were most often observed with Femigen forte; about 30% of these users. Most side effects occurred in the first 2 cycles. Those using Femigen mite showed almost no side effects. No increase in the concentration of blood glucose was noted with either preparation. The effect of these drugs on the vaginal lining and on the endometrium was weak. No thromboembolic complications were observed. The low-dose preparation was recommended more for contraception. An estrogenic content of about .05 mg creates the same effect and decreases the occurrence of side effects.


This commentary critiques Kahn and Masons analysis of Easterlins hypothesis. The hypothesis claims that cohort size affects a cohort members well being (e.g. unemployment rates salaries and political alienation) throughout life. Kahn and Mason used a modified Age-Period-Cohort model of Mason Mason Winsborough and Poole. The modified model included not only dummy variables but also interactive terms for each of the youngest 3 age groups by their relative cohort size (RCS). This analysis was flawed because the focus is on the interactive effects of RCS while Easterlins theory describes RCSs main effects and because the statistical analysis had flaws in the interpretation of size of effect as well as a lack of significance tests. This commentary proceeds to evaluate Easterlins hypothesis by implementing an Age-Period-Relative Cohort Size (APRCS) model and then replicating Khan and Masons analysis by analyzing main effects. Unlike Kahn and Masons analysis which used unstandardized coefficients this article used standard regression analysis determination of RCS values using standard regression coefficients and their answer was a significant standard deviation with age and period relationships controlled. RCS is shown to have a considerable additive effect on alienation.


Abstract Weather Bureau Research Station, Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO), at an elevation of 11,150 ft. on the north slope of Mauna Loa, Hawaii, was dedicated in July 1956 and assigned a permanent staff one year later, in preparation for the International Geophysical Year. The historical background, physical setting, and facilities of the Observatory are described and the many and diverse scientific uses made of the site in the nearly six years of its existence reviewed. MLO's present effort lies principally in the continuous monitoring of solar radiation, carbon dioxide, total and surface ozone, and the meteorological elements, and in the analysis and interpretation of the data. Ice nucleus counts have been made during local volcanic eruptions and for other periods ranging from several weeks to a year or more. An extensive program in atmospheric electricity was recently completed. The motions and properties of the atmospheric envelope about Mauna Loa are being explored as a key to interpreting the observati...


Bushmanship: the explorers' silent partner J.M.R. Cameron,L McLaren & W. Cooper Bushmanship, or the competence to interact meaningfully with newly encountered environments in the achievement of predetermined goals, is a factor overlooked in analyses of land-based exploration. The importance of bushmanship is examined in this paper through a comparison of George Grey's inept exploration of north-western Australia in 183637 with Edward Eyre's increasingly successful overlanding ventures in south-eastern Australia at approximately the same time. Grey's impetuosity, inexperience and lack of competence contrast sharply with Eyre's growing confidence to handle unfamiliar conditions. The comparison reveals many of the factors that differentiate externally initiated expeditions such as Grey's from forays by settlers determined to wrest a living from newly settled territories. Australian Geographer, Vol. 30, No. 3, Nov, 1999 Exploitation or 'Wise Use' of the Coongie Lakes, South Australia: issues arising from a petroleum exploration proposal T. Jenkin The exploitation of natural resources within areas that are valued for their environmental qualities raises competing emotions. This paper considers a proposal to under-take petroleum exploration in an area of recognised environmental value, namely, the Coongie Lakes of far north-ease South Australia. In development cases such as this, the level of inquiry needs to address environmental, social, cultural and economic issues such as this, the level of inquiry needs to be address environmental, social, cultural and economic issues from a range of interest groups; therefore, the process of assessment is a crucial factor in minimising conflict and meeting the wishes of the stakeholders. In the example of Coongie Lakes, the chosen method failed. This paper discusses the perspectives of the major stake holders, the process of assessment undertaken, and the criticisms directed at this process. The apparent inadequacies of the assessment process undertaken are then highlighted, and an alternative assessment procedure suggested. Australian Geographer, Vol. 30, No. 3, Nov, 1999 Community, Place and Cyberspace DJ. Walmsley It is over 30 years since the concept of community without propinquity was first proposed. According to this concept, communities might be spatially far-flung, but nevertheless close-knit, imtimate and held together by shared interests and values, rather than by geographical proximity. Although the idea of community without propinquity has been heavily criticised, the advent of advanced telecommunications and the emergence of cyberspace mean that a reappraisal of the concept, and of the changing nature of community generally, is warranted. The paper undertakes such a reappraisal. A review of the literature on cyberspace reveals several reasons why the social effects of advanced telecommunications and 56 THE AUSTRALIAN SURVEYOR Vol. 45 No. 1 the Internet might be less than is sometimes predicted. Setting this discussion in the context of other social science discourses on new urbanism, consumption rarther than production as a basis for city life, postmodernism, and 'the third way' in politics, shows that place and local community are, and will continue to be, fundamental to the functioning of society. Cyberspace might have annihilated distance but not place. Australian Geographer, Vol. 31, No. 1, March 2000 Coastal Changes Over the Past 200 Years Around Ovalau and Moturiki Islands, Fiji: implications for coastal zone management P.D. Nunn The islands Ovalau and Moturiki in central Fiji are selected for the investigation of coastal change over the past c.200 years. Although having coastal environments typical of many tropical Pacific Islands, Ovalau and Moturiki are also atypical because they experienced urban and infrastructural developments before most other parts. The associated records enable recent coastal changes to be discerned more clearly here than has been possible elsewhere. The islands are surrounded by coral reef, the configuration of which accounts for variations in vulnerability of their coasts to erosion. Interviews were conducted in each of 22 settlements along the islands' coasts and information obtained about recent coastal change. Mangroves are concentrated along leeward coasts, although they have been cleared from many windward coasts in the last 40+ years, causing shoreline erosion to be initiated/accelerated. Most shoreline-protection initiatives (vegetation planting and seawall construction) have failed. Three major management implications of the study are discussed. Firstly, there is a need to redefine the nature of the interactions between coastal inhabitants and coastal ecosystems, so that environments are sustainably developed; and specially that reefs are conserved and shoreline vegetation (especially mangroves) is effectively replanted. Secondly, information about appropriate design and composition of artificial structures for shoreline protection needs to be made available to the local communities who construct most of them. Thirdly, alternative sources of sand and rock aggregate to those whose extraction aggravates shoreline erosions should be sought. Australian Geographer, Vol. 31, No. 1, March 2000 A Late Holocene Vegetation and Environment Record from Byenup Lagoon, South-western Australia J.R. Dodson & J.J. Lu South-western Australia has a Mediterranean-type climate and its infertile soils support a highly diverse angiosperm flora. Little is known of the vegetation history of this region, and this means that little can be said of the roles of environmental stability, climate change, or human impact on the maintenance or development of the high biodiversity of the region. This study presents a pollen and fossil charcoal record from two peat profiles from a freshwater lagoon region near Lake Muir, east of Munjimup, in south-western Australia. The record shows a glimpse of an early Holocene where a mix of Casuarina and eucalypts with an understorey of health and some open herbaceous vegetation, including chenopods, occurred. Fire was not an important factor at this THE AUSTRALIAN SURVEYOR Vol. 45 No. 1 time. The main record begins from about 4800 BP, and shows a vegetation mix of Corymbia calophylla and Eucalyptus marginata, with the latter becoming dominant by about 3500 BP. Corymbia calophylla again becomes prominent in the last few centuries. A healthy understorey is present thoughout the last 4800 years, but was apparently less dense during phases when C. calophylla was more prominent. Melaleuca woodland has been the main vegetation type around the wetland areas and areas of inundation since the rnid-Holocene. Major fire periods at Byenup, around 4200 BP and between about 3000 and 2000 BP, did not result in major vegetation changes. An analysis of cation content in the sediments suggests that weathering and erosion rates have been relatively stable throughout the record, but an increase in phosphorus and possibly organic matter in the surface layers suggests that agricultural practices have led to changes in the chemistry of sediments. It is hypothesised that and increase in effective precipitation about 4800 BP led to the initiation of the continuous part of the sediment record at Byenup. This increase most likely resulted from a more effective westerly wind stream. Changes since this time are more likely a result of changing fire regime and the interaction of species, rather than climate shifts. Australian Geographer, Vol. 31, No. 1, March 2000 City vs Country: the demise of the brewing industry in country New South Wales, c.1898-1932 B.J. Stubbs At the end of the 1880s, eight in ten breweries in the colony of New South Wales were located in country (nonmetropolitan) areas, and these accounted for about 25 per cent of total colonial beer production. The number of country breweries experienced a dramatic decline after the 1880s, reaching only two by 1932. This process occurred in the three more-or-less discrete states: until about 1900, when internal restructuring reduced the number from about 65 to about 40; a decade or two after 1900 when, facilitated by the Sydney-centred railway network. city competition further reduced the number; and a period, mainly in the 1920s, typified by takeovers of country by city breweries. Additionally, the elimination of border duties after Federation introduced Melbourne competition to brewers in the southern part of the State. Australian Geographer, Vol. 31, No. 1, March 2000 Land Cover Change and its Environmental Significance in the Herbert River Catchment, North-east Queensland A.K.L Johnson, S.P. Ebert & A.E. Murray There has been considerable recent concern over the amount of vegetation clearance in the wet tropics of northern Australia. This paper reports on the results of a case study undertaken in the lower Herbert River catchment in northeast Queensland, which utilisied remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess both spatial and temporal changes in land cover since European settlment in the mid-nineteenth century. We demonstrate that since European settlement there has been a substantial reduction in the area of Melaleuca, rainforest, and eucalyptus-dominated land-cover patterns. We also provide a range of quantitative measures to show that the landscape diversity, integrity and Abstracts JUNE 2000 quality of these ecosystems have also declined between the 1860s and 1996. We conclude that reform is required at policy, planning and enterprise levels if the ecological, economic and social values of these systems are to be maintained in the future. Australian Geographer, Vo!. 31, No. 1, March 2000 Ecologically Sustainable Fishing in Theory and Practice: individual transferable quotas in Australia's South East Fishery G Waitt & K Hartig In 1988, responding to international legislation that requires sustainable fishery management, the Australian Fishery Management Aut


As a result of this study, the purpose of which is to establish on the material of various discourses (lexicographic, artistic, associative, advertising, Internet discourse) the actual composition of color terms used in cowberry's coloristic descriptions, a coloristic spectrum of plant descriptions has been identified, including more than 30 basic color terms, and also lexemes with the meaning 'to be in bloom', 'not ripe' / 'ripe', with a 'light' seme; a number of color composites testifying to the importance of subtle color differentiation of cowberry in the native speaker linguistic consciousness.
Other important results of the study are: 1) the identification of the cowberry's descriptions color dominant (red), confirming the status of the plant as a standard sample of red and manifesting mass color stereotype of its perception; 2) the description of the periphery of cowberry's color nominations, which made it possible to designate the range of individual author's characteristics of the plant (more than 20 nominations, according to an associative experiment); 3) the identification of the functional potential of cowberry's color descriptions, which is manifested in the ontological function, in the function of the aestheticization of reality, cultural-marking, ethnolinguocultural, advertising; 4) the establishment of new color terms, based on floristic nomination, production mechanisms, the lexicography and functionality study which will make some contribution to the Russian color conceptosphere description.


Methanotrophic bacteria were isolated and characterized from sediment from alkaline Lonar Lake. Four bacterial strains were isolated using minimal salt media to study the methanotrophs of Lonar Lake and selected bacterial strains were further characterized, screened on the basis of the temperature, and salt tolerance. Bacterial isolates were subjected to morphological, biochemical characterization and 16S rRNA sequencing. Isolates were related to the phylum proteobacteria contains different genera such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Achromobactor xylosoxidans and Ochromobactrum tritici. These results clearly showed that the Lonar lake ecosystem harbors unexplored methanotrophs which can be used to control global warming as well methanol remediation.


We studied chemical compositions and crystal-preferred orientations of serpentinized peridotites in Mineoka belt, Boso peninsula, Honshu island, Japan. The chemical compositions of both olivine and spinel are in the range of the olivine-spinel mantle array of Arai (1994, Chemical Geology). Spinel Cr# can be divided into two groups: high Cr# (0.5-0.6) and low Cr# (0.3-0.4). Moreover, we found that olivine crystal-fabrics in these peridotites have two types along with the two chemical compositions: A type with the low Cr# to the west and D type with the high Cr# to the east of the Mineoka belt. The chemical compositions are compatible with those of Parece Vela Rift (Ohara et al., 2003, G3). We suggest that the peridotites in the Mineoka belt could be derived from backarc environment and they have not so dismembered at present, since both structural and petrological characteristics are correlated to their spatial distribution in the Mineoka belt.


E ach year, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) Annual Meeting provides an excellent platform for researchers world-wide to present their state-of-the-art research in quality and reliability. The objective of this Special Issue is to introduce the recent advancements in quality and reliability methodological studies as well as applications in a form of full-length papers expanded from the presentations in the INFORMS 2015 Annual Meeting (November 1–4, Philadelphia, PA). We are very grateful for the contributions of the authors who submitted papers. After two to three rounds of rigorous reviews, 10 papers were accepted for publication. Among them, five papers focus on process monitoring and fault identification. The paper by Turkoz et al. proposes a new fault identification method when a high dimensional process is out-of-control. The proposed method combines the support vector data description-based test statistic with an adaptive step-down procedure to identify the faults. By using a nonparametric one-class classification method, the proposed approach does not rely on any distribution assumption. Compared with the existing distribution free methods, the proposed method has much more stable performance when the number of faults is more than one. The paper by Choe et al. focuses on the off-line change-point detection problem for time-series data. It adopts the Thresholded Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) techniques to control the false positives. The authors demonstrated the superior performance of the proposed method by comparing with several benchmark methods based on both simulations and a case study related to solar panel performance. The paper proposed by Zang, Wang, and Jin is handling with the issue of monitoring of processes based on unaligned profiles. While existing works focus on monitoring of well-aligned profiles, this paper develops new algorithms for monitoring unaligned profiles with varying sampling points. For this, they propose a robust dynamic time warping algorithm for profile alignment that are robust to noises and shift signals. And then, they propose a penalization-based charting algorithm that gives more effective performance in shift detection. In order to illustrate their proposed framework, they applied it for unaligned profile monitoring to the ingot growth process and monitoring heating power profiles. The paper by Abdella et al. proposes the double Exponentially Weighted Moving Average based procedure to evaluate the quality of a process based on polynomial quality profiles. The simulations studies have revealed the distinctive performance of their proposed double Exponentially Weighted Moving Average based control charts in quickly detecting changes in the second-order polynomial profiles. Their extensive simulation studies are based on two shift patterns in the polynomial quality profiles: changes in the coefficients of the regression parameters and changes in the process variability. Timely detection of whether a data stream reaches the steady state is critical in various fields. The paper by Hou, Wu, and Chen presents a new online steady state detection algorithm under the Bayesian framework based on a multiple change-point state space formulation and the sequential Monte Carlo methods. In order to reduce the variance of Monte Carlo estimation and enhance the computational efficiency, they propose a Rao-Blackwellization technique. Both artificially simulated signals and a real data example from the ultrasonic-cavitation based nanoparticle dispersion process are used to demonstrate the robustness of their proposed algorithms for various types of signals with different levels of noises. Five other papers address other important quality and reliability issues such as forecasting, maintenance, and robust design. The paper by Xiang and Coit proposes a multi-criteria optimization model to jointly minimize the burning and maintenance costs of a product with heterogeneous subpopulations. The preventive maintenance is allowed to be imperfect. Two papers in this special issue use hybrid models for forecasting. The paper by Xu et al. develops a hybrid Autoregressive integrated moving average-Linear regression (ARIMA-LR) method that combines the ARIMA model and the linear regression model in a sequential manner to capture both the seasonal trend and effects of predictors in time series data. Real-world case studies regarding two Chinese emergence departments are conducted to illustrate the forecasting performance of the developed method. The paper by Xin et al. proposes a hybrid model of singular spectrum analysis and support vector regression to predict failure time series. A stepwise grid search algorithm is used to find optimal tuning parameters in the hybrid model. The paper by Soh, Kim, and Yum develops a multivariate loss function approach to multi-characteristic robust design problems with an appropriately defined signal-to-noise (SN) ratio. Existing methods do not properly consider the variance–covariance structures among performance characteristics and/or do not preserve the original properties of the Taguchi SN ratio. The paper by Zhang, Yang, and Xin proposes a semi-parametric microstructure modeling method that can capture the variation across different microstructure samples. Existing methods only consider a single microstructure sample, while the unit-to-unit variability among different samples is ignored. Their proposed model can be used for both isotropic materials, and anisotropic materials in which the microstructure properties in the vertical direction and those in the horizontal direction are different. They illustrate their proposed methods by applying them for the quality control of real-life dual phase steels.


Description Logics (DLs) are a family of knowledge representation formalisms used to represent and reason about an application's domain elements. They are applicable in the semantic web as they provide the basis for the Web Ontology Language (OWL). Decision procedures for expressive DLs enabling both nominals and QCRs were published in [10] with very weak optimizations if any (no DL reasoner was able to classify the WINE3 ontology until recent efforts [15]). Nominals are challenging in reasoning because in order to preserve their semantics, each nominal must be interpreted as exactly one individual, whereas a concept is interpreted as a set of individuals. Another challenge is that ontologies that use nominals no longer enjoy the quasi-tree model property which has always been advantageous for tableau. Major inefficiency sources can be due to (i) the high degree of non-determinism introduced by the use of GCIs or when merging domain elements is necessary, (ii) the construction of large models, or (iii) the interaction between constructors. The worst case occurs when nominals interact with inverse roles (I) and QCRs. Each of these constructs alone is challenging to reason with and needs special optimization techniques. Resolution-based reasoning procedures were proposed in [18] without being well suited in dealing with large numbers in QCRs. Hypertableaux [13] were recently studied to minimize non-determinism in DL reasoning with no special treatment for QCRs. Combining tableau and algebraic reasoning dramatically improved performance with QCRs [5]. In this paper, we extend our previous work in [3] to additionally allow nominals and unfoldable TBoxes. With nominals, the handling of numerical restrictions becomes more challenging since numerical restrictions imposed by nominals interact with restrictions specified with QCRs. The algorithm is based on the assumption that domain elements consists of a set of individuals divided into subsets depending on their role filler membership and/or concept membership. Also nominals can be seen as singleton sets and the at-least and at-most restrictions expressed in QCRs represent cardinality restrictions on the corresponding sets of role fillers. These restrictions on sets are encoded as linear inequations solved by a linear programming (LP) algorithm (such as simplex) with the objective of minimizing the sum of all cardinalities. If no solution for the inequations is possible, this means that the individuals cannot be distributed between sets without violating the cardinality restrictions. When a solution is returned, a


Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most severe manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Both the condition and its treatments are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality [1] with 33% of those with class IV disease reaching end-stage renal failure (ESRF) at 10 years [2]. However, earlier diagnosis and initiation of treatment are associated with better outcomes [3]. In this NDT Digest, we will discuss the classification of LN, the approaches to treatment based on guidelines and new evidence suggesting alternative strategies.


G12 PedalVision is an instrument multi effects system designed to be an alternate to the fully digital boards utilizing digital signal processing, and the pricey single analog effects on the market. Specifically the G12 PedalVision was designed to have the more desirable aspects of both analog and digital effects while offering versatility and expandability, while maintaining low weight and ease of portability. In addition to the multiple audio effects, the G12 PedalVision will have an led feedback matrix display that will allow for the audio signal to be translated to into a multitude of colors and blinking patterns depending on the current settings. Index Terms — Audio, digital signal processing, instrument, feedback, led, matrix


An outgassing jet model is presented in support of spacecraft navigation for future missions to comets. The outgassing jet is modelled as an emission cone while the comet is modelled as a uniform density triaxial ellipsoid. The comet's motion about the Sun is included in the model. This model is used for simulation and estimation of the physical outgassing properties of jets at and near the surface of a comet.


In this paper, the random Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation with additive noise is studied numerically, using the finite difference method to simulate the effect of different amplitude of noise on the solitary wave. And numerical experiments show that the white noise does not affect the propagation of the solitary wave, but can increase the amplitude of the solitary wave.


In Kuang wenli's representative works of "Zuoyexifeng" and "Baici",they portray educated youth's life and inner world in specific environmental conditions in the 1960s and 1970s,and seriously reflect western society,history and culture.etc.


subsequent historians) later reported them to be, but rather provided him with significant training in geology and mineralogy, exposed him to the controversies at the heart of then current theories of the Earth, and also "used to finish up with lectures on the origin of the species of Animals" (p. 59). Grant, whose outburst in favor of Lamarckism Darwin later dismissed, was also more influential than has hitherto been acknowledged. Indeed, there was significant discussion of transmutation at Cambridge, where Darwin's studies took him next. In light of recent historiography, it is of note that Thomson's Darwin remains anxious, sick (the author favors Crohn's disease), and deeply concerned for the opinion not only of his scientific colleagues, but of his devoted and religious wife, Emma. In summary, Thomson's eminently readable Darwin was ambitious but guarded, determined not to have his achievements forestalled. He might have downplayed his early influences, but was also the genius who brought diverse observations in then disparate fields together under the ultimately convincing explanatory framework that formed the basis of the modern life sciences. Piers J. Hale, History of Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma


Over the last few years, efforts have been made to reduce noise emission caused by road-tyre contact on concrete roads. The use of porous asphaltic concrete gives a lower noise emission compared with dense asphaltic concrete. During the last few years experiments have been undertaken with concrete mixtures which look like porous asphaltic concrete. The cause of noise on road surfaces has also been investigated. The CUR (Netherlands Committee for Concrete Research) commission and Intron have focused on design and construction of porous concrete road surfaces. Two mixtures with a polymer emulsion were developed. When the thickness of the wearing course is 40 mm the maximum noise absorption is gained with traffic speed above 100 km/hour. An optimal adhesion between porous concrete and the sub-base can be made by applying the top layer to the uncured sub-base. Field tests gave good results when the top layer was applied after 2-3 hours. Contacts with institutes in Spain and Germany have led to a united investigation into porous concrete.


Building skin as the direct carrier for individual architecture and external environment communication,embody the internal natural properties and external social attribute of buildings.With the development of technology,the two attribute of building skin have been used in architectural design creation.This paper combines the example,induction and summarization the cultural ;article ;ecological and technological of high-tech architecture by building skin,some important means and skill are used in high-tech architecture'creation has been displayed,in order to enlighten architect on design and creation.


Tallis states that it is a fundamental principle of medicine "that you should be allowed to determine what is in your own best interest when you are of sound mind."1 This is the consumerist view and not fundamental. The fundamental principles …


The Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) is characterized by neo-liberal thinking on cooperative security and ideational contributions to regional security. Its discussions are less focused on ongoing tensions or conflicts in the region. Despite the fact that CSCAP does not get involved in resolving any particular conflict, the inclusion of non-like-minded security actors in a dialogue process suggests a possible role in conflict prevention. During the decade of cold peace (1999-2008), when official/semi-official contacts across the Taiwan Strait were limited to managing the politico-diplomatic tension, CSCAP was a stable channel through which delegations from Beijing and Taipei could exchange views on regional security. This study takes a close look at the case of cross-Strait participation in CSCAP during that period from the perspective of conflict prevention and explores the theoretical limitations of a multilateral track two approach to pre-conflict prevention.


We discussed the sampling issues for delayed-shot migration and plane-wave migration in a marine single streamer environment. For delayed-shot migration, when the migration input data has unaliased receiver records with enough cable length, there is sufficient coupling between shots in the inline direction for a physically realizable line source to be synthesized, and we can use fewer px's to produce good images than would be required to construct unaliased impulse response images. On the other hand, conventional narrow swath marine acquisition presents an additional aliasing problem in the post-migration stack step for plane-wave migration, requiring a larger number of py-values. Delayed-shot migration seems more attractive for current narrow azimuth marine acquisition. However, a 3-D plane-wave migration may be a good candidate for migrating wide azimuth data.


The problem of didactic activity in higher education is provided. Teaching in institutes of higher education is conceived of as a development of the teaching role with its implications for classroom routine and undergraduate academic life. Further, Didactics in Action Program (PRODEA), undertaken by the Pro-Rectory of Extension and Cultural Affairs of the Unicentro since 2001, is also introduced and discussed. The program has provided assistance to teachers involved in higher education in Guarapuava-PR-Brazil and neighboring towns with regard to important issues related to the organization of teaching in higher education. Besides the constant assistance to university professors, the project offers study groups, research and several courses that motivate university professors and make them aware of the need for developing teaching skills in Didactics.


The essential oils extracted by the two cultivars were classified as "linalool type" due to their chemical compositional characteristics. The enantiomeric analysis was performed on six compounds of the essential oil (sabinene, β-pinene, limonene, linalool, 4-terpineol, α-terpineol). Among these, the linalool resulted the most abundant compound, with a enantiomeric distribution of the form (-) predominant on the (+) one, with values above 99% for both basil cultivars.


Simple theoretical equations were proposed for water 1H T2 (T2obs,W) observed in wide-line NMR experiments with three cases of food gels in which polysaccharides or protein polymers have the conformations of random coils or ordered structures (case A), both random coils and ordered structures (case B), or random coils, ordered structures and aggregated structures (case C). On the basis of the equations, the temperature dependencies of T2obs,W were calculated for solutions with polymers in random coils and ordered structures. The steep change of T2obs,W around the conformational transition temperature, which is frequently seen for food gels, was reproduced by changing the ratio of polymers with the random coils and ordered structures. The formation of aggregated structures was also described. Experimental results of T2obs,W for a gelatin solution and carrageenan solutions were demonstrated and compared with the theoretical values given by the equations. The temperature dependencies of the T2obs,W values were well related with the conformational changes of the polymers in those solutions.


Twenty five groundnut genotypes were field screened for leaf miner and defoliator incidence. The study was conducted at Dryland Agricultural Research Station, Chettinad during Kharif 2011and Rabi 2011-12. Periodic observations on leaf miner and defoliator damage were recorded in all the genotypes. Incidence of leaf miner was increased with raise in maximum temperature and decrease in relative humidity, rainfall and leaf wetness. The field screening results revealed that less leaf miner incidence was recorded in the genotypes viz., ICGV 06424, ICGV 07220, ICGV 07222, ICGV 07240, ICGV 07245, ICGV 07247, ICGV 07268, ICGS 11 and VRI (Gn) 6 in both the seasons. To identify the resistant genotypes to leaf miner, further screening studies under in vitro conditions with the identified genotypes with less incidence of leaf miner are required.


Flame-spray synthesis was used to produce nanoparticulate X-ray amorphous tricalcium phosphate. Upon heating, the material crystallized at temperatures between 525° and 600°C, yielding α-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) with minor amounts of β-TCP and hydroxyapatite (HA). Further heating induced a gradual transformation of α- to β-TCP accompanied by crystallite growth and particle fusion. α-TCP was completely transformed into β-TCP at 950°C. The high-temperature polymorph α′-TCP was not observed. In transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction analyses, the raw material appeared completely amorphous and samples heated previously to 600° and 700°C comprised single-crystalline particles of α-, β-TCP, and HA. The results of this study demonstrate that nanoparticulate α-TCP can be obtained from flame-spray-synthesized amorphous nanoparticles at temperatures where sintering effects such as particle growth and fusion are moderate, if not negligible.


This study explores the mechanisms responsible for valley precipitation enhancement over Da-Tun Mountain under the prevailing northeasterly monsoonal flow. Da-Tun Mountain, located adjacent to the northern coast of Taiwan, is a small-scale (15 km), concave-like terrain feature with two ridge arms and a funnel-shaped valley. A typical valley precipitation enhancement event that occurred on 13 December 2018 was chosen for detailed analyses. Upstream conditions were characterized by the absence of convective available potential energy with a large Froude number (> 1) flow regime. Observational and modeling results indicate a consistent, important signature of flow splitting due to partial blocking as the low-level northeasterly flow encountered the ridge arms. Fine-scale structures of airflow and precipitation evident from the simulations further reveal that the deflected flows over the two ridge arms interacted with each other to produce lateral convergence and enhanced precipitation inside the valley. The smaller-scale splitting flows tended to occur over the ridge arms as upstream moist Froude number decreased from relatively higher (5–11) to lower (3–5) values due to the temporal change in moist static stability. Quantitative diagnoses of vertical velocities performed over the region of primary precipitation support that upward motions associated with lateral convergence greatly overwhelmed the upslope-forced lifting over the valley region during the valley precipitation enhancement periods. However, vertical motions over the ridge arms with steeper slopes were dominantly contributed by the upslope forcing, but their intensities were also modulated by the flow-splitting-induced divergence.


This paper discusses the strong resemblance of near-death experiences (NDEs) to complex hallucinations associated with limbic lobe dysfunction. The paper presents the hypothesis that neurohormones with the capacity to influence hippocampal activity may also cause characteristics of NDE limbic lobe syndrome.


Background: Medical students face high levels of academic stress. Its early identification might prevent future mental health problems. The stressors may be perceived differently by students, depending on their family support, experience and coping skills. Objective: To evaluate and compare perceived stress among preclinical vs paraclinical students and to find an association of perceived stress with socio demographic variables like age, sex, residency, medical family background and native state. Methods: Observational cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 192 undergraduate medical students of 2 nd and 5 th semester between January-April 2020 at Subbaiah Medical College, Shivamogga. The response rate was 92.7%. Perceived stress scale (PSS 14) was used to assess stress level. Informed consent was taken and student's personal details were kept confidential. Results: By inclusion exclusion criteria 78 were male, 86 were female out of total 164 students with overall mean age 19.84± 0.90 years were included. There was statistically significant differences in mean stress levels as per PSS14 score between preclinical vs. paraclinical students and Kannadigas vs. non kannadigas group, students with or without medical family background. But there were no significant differences in group comparison across gender, residence and age stratified groups. The proportion of mild, moderate and severe stress was 61.6%, 36.6% 1.8% respectively. Distraction and humor were the frequent coping strategies reported. Conclusion: In our study, though majority of the students were stressed, only 1.8 % were severely stressed. Preclinical, non-Karnataka students exhibited more stress levels than their counterparts.


In attempts to increase the specificity of the CA 12‐5 test the ratio of CA 12‐5 and CEA concentrations has been determined in 155 cancer patients, all of whom had an increased serum CA 12‐5. The patients included 47 with epithelial ovarian cancer, 38 with colorectal cancer, 24 with cervical cancer, 20 with lung cancer, 17 with gastric cancer, and 9 with pancreatic cancer. The CA 12‐5/CEA ratio in serum of patients with ovarian cancer ranged from 30 to 920 (mean 251), whereas in other types of cancer the highest ratio was 240 and the mean was 13. All 47 patients with ovarian cancer, but only 7 of the 108 patients with other types of cancer, showed a CA 12‐5/CEA ratio greater than 25. About 10% of the patients with gastric or colorectal cancer but none of those with other types of cancer showed an increased ratio. As the predictive value of a CA 12‐/CEA ratio of less than 25 excluding ovarian cancer is 100%, we recommend measuring the CEA concentration in all those with increased CA 12‐5 and calculation of the CA 12‐5/CEA ratio.


Oil was first discovered in the Masila area of Yemen in the late 1990s, with about 90% of the reserves found in the Lower Qishn Clastic Member of the Qishn Formation. The porosity determinations of the Lower Qishn Clastic are relatively high and the permeability ranges from 103 to 374 md. This paper tries to evaluate the hydrocarbons in the porous zones encountered in the Lower Cretaceous formations, which were penetrated by the eight wells in the study area. The water saturation shows low values, while the hydrocarbon saturation is in a reverse relation, i.e., the hydrocarbon increases where the water saturation decreases. Different cross-plots such as Rho-PHIN, Rho-DTN, and M-N were used in lithological identification for the two studied formations (Saar and Qishn) in the studied wells. Formation evaluation and presentation forms of the obtained petrophysical parameters have frequently proven that the formations have high hydrocarbon saturation in this area and contain many pay zones. On of the main targets of this paper is to build a detailed 3D geological modeling of the Lower Cretaceous Sequence conducted through an integrated study.


The historical background of contractual choice of law is still hardly discussed in the
literature of Indonesian private international law. The available literature merely
focuses on the scope and limitation of the choice of law. The choice of law is accepted
and discussed as a widely acknowledged doctrine without sufficiently addressing its
origin and evolvement until it became the concept as we understand to date.
Employing an exposition through the academic literature, this article studies the
narrative that began the idea of contractual choice of law up to the end of the 19th
century as an intricate idea in private international law.


QQ has found being widely used in references of university library,but it does not have a systematic management of messages because it's only an IM software.A systematic management software of QQ messages was proposed and implemented after the analysis of the QQ backup file format,and provided a solution to solve this problem for the university library.


Abstract Necrotizing hepatopancreatitis (NHP) has been an important disease of shrimp mariculture in Texas since it was first recognized in 1985. This disease has resulted in mass mortalities of Penaeus vannamei in commercial growout ponds. Though the cause has remained an enigma, results of a recent morphologic study suggested that the etiology was of one or possibly two intracellular bacteria. The predominant organism associated with necrotic hepatopancreatic tubules was a small, pleomorphic rod, while small numbers of a unique helical organism was sometimes also present. In the present study, successful transmission of necrotizing hepatopancreatitis was accomplished in P. vannamei. Shrimp were injected with a suspension of small, pleomorphic, Gram-negative organisms isolated from spontaneously infected farmed shrimp. Experimentally infected shrimp demonstrated characteristic histologic lesions of NHP and intracellular bacteria in hepatopancreatic epithelial cells. Ultrastructurally, moderate numbers of small pleomorphic rods were demonstrated within hepatopancreatic cells of four infected shrimp, while only a single helical organism was identified. The findings indicate that NHP is the result of a bacterial infection and that the small, pleomorphic, Gram-negative bacterium plays a major role in the pathogenesis of the disease. The relationship of the helical organism in development of the disease and its relationship to the pleomorphic bacterium could not be determined from this study. Shrimp maintained for 20 weeks in a tank that had previously held NHP-infected shrimp failed to develop histologic evidence of hepatopancreatic intracellular infection or evidence of disease. The findings suggest that transmission of this intracellular bacterium may involve a reservoir host and/or that it requires specific environmental conditions.


The authors present the AT&T IN (intelligent network) architecture and the services it can provide. A queuing network model of a simple architecture having most of the significant IN service features is presented for the performance analysis of intelligent networks which are undeployed, partially deployed, or fully operational. When the input parameters to the model are approximate, the corresponding results will also be approximate. Nevertheless, the framework is still valid and is a good guide for engineering decisions.<<ETX>>


Mathematical modeling of three-way catalytic converter (3WCC) operation is increasingly employed in automotive catalyst and converter systems optimization. Oxygen storage is known to strongly affect catalytic converter operation under real world transient operating conditions. This paper presents a modeling approach embodying a comprehensive oxygen storage and release submodel into an existing 3WCC quasi-steady model. The dynamic model developed according to this approach is validated against previously published experimental data. The model sensitivity to each of the oxygen storage parameters is examined. The results of this investigation encourage further application of mathematical modeling in areas such as air-to-fuel (A/F) ratio control strategy optimization, which lie beyond the scope of traditional kinetic 3WCC models.


Author(s): Korgaonkar, Sanket Ashok | Advisor(s): Wallace, Nancy | Abstract: The Great Recession renewed focus on various stages of a mortgage's life---how they are originated, why borrowers default on them, and how default is ultimately resolved. More specifically, the chapters of this dissertation shed light on the factors determining the success of mortgage renegotiation, and on the rise in the origination of complex mortgage instruments. Features of the securitized mortgage market are either explicitly studied, or provide the foundation for the empirical methodologies I develop.During the housing crisis regulators faced impediments in their unprecedented intervention to promote large-scale mortgage renegotiation. What hampered renegotiation in the wake of the crisis? To answer this question, in Chapter 1, The Limited Benefits of Mortgage Renegotiation, I study the expected gains from renegotiation for both sides of a mortgage contract: investors and borrowers. To overcome selection bias, I use plausibly exogenous variation in the propensity of intermediaries to renegotiate mortgages. I find that loan modification helped investors recover 3.5% more of the principal balance outstanding at the time of delinquency relative to foreclosing upon the borrower. However, there was substantial variation around this mean---a 12.5% (3.6 times the mean) standard deviation---which highlights the high degree of uncertainty about the realization of these gains. Thus, despite expected gains to borrowers---higher credit scores and a $115 increase in monthly consumption---regulators' attempts to promote mortgage renegotiation have proven to be ineffective, exacerbating debt overhang and its consequences.The setting of Residential Mortgage Backed Securitization (RMBS) provides an ideal testing ground for theories of debt-structure, agency problems and their effect on debt renegotiation. Via the tranching of cash flows from underlying mortgages, an RMBS transaction creates multiple securities with claims to the underlying collateral. Moreover, tax law mandates the hiring of an agent, the Servicer, to manage the underlying collateral. In Chapter 2, Multiple Tranches, Information Asymettry and the Impediments to Mortgage Renegotiation, I first develop a simple conceptual framework to outline the channels via which multiple claim-holders induce fewer than optimal loan modification by worsening the agency problem between mortgage Servicers and RMBS Sponsors. Then, using within deal variation in the number and structure of tranches, I find that loans in pools collateralizing fewer tranches are more likely to be modified conditional upon being seriously delinquent. I also find that modified loans in such loan pools were likely to receive more aggressive loan modifications. The results provide evidence for one channel via which the securitization of mortgages inhibited the renegotiation of delinquent mortgages in the wake of the housing crisis, and complement the results of Chapter 1.In Chapter 3, Partial Deregulation and Competition: Evidence from Risky Mortgage Origination, co-authored with Amir Kermani (University of California, Berkeley) and Marco Di Maggio (Harvard University), we exploit the OCC's preemption of national banks from state laws against predatory lending as a quasi-experiment to study the effect of deregulation and its interaction with competition on the supply of complex mortgages. Following the preemption ruling, national banks significantly increased their origination of loans with prepayment penalties by comparison with national banks in states without predatory-lending laws. We highlight a competition channel: in counties where OCC-regulated lenders had larger market shares, non-OCC lenders responded by increasing their use of riskier contract features, such as deferred amortization, adjustable rates and interest-only payments, which were not restricted by the state predatory-lending laws.


Abstract State of the art is presented in the field of structure analysis of aperiodic crystals. Based on the superspace theory that recovers translation periodicity of aperiodic crystals in a (3 + d)-dimensional space, generalized crystallographic methods have been developed that work analogous to standard tools in the classical crystallography. After introducing the basic types of modulations their combination and possible discontinuity is discussed as well as the basic concepts of composite structures. The ways of solution of modulated structures are described with special emphasis to the heavy atom method as an instructive example. The potential of the refinement methods is perspicuous in the example of hexagonal perovskite structure with discontinuous modulation functions and modulated anharmonic ADP. Finally we describe the basic features of the computing system Jana2000 that is the most used program in the field.


As the Reagan Administration imposes a new embargo on Libya, it continues to look the other way as commercial and third-party trade in weapons and apartheid-enforcement technology undermines the U.N. embargo on South Africa.


Summary A series of sympathomimetic and parasympathomimetic agents were administered chronically to rats. At 3 and 10 days, the effects of these agents [the β-adrenergic drug, ISO; the primarily α-adrenergic drugs, epinephrine and phenylephrine, and the parasympathomimetic agents, pilocarpine (PC) and Urecholine (UR)] on parotid gland weight, and size and mitotic activity of acinar cells were examined. It was found that mitotic activity was observed only under those conditions where activity of β-adrenergic receptors could be implicated (ISO, PC, and UR), and the β-blocking agent, Inderal, was used to demonstrate this point. Increases in cell and gland size more generally accompanied β-adrenergic activity and were evident even in the absence of a distinct mitotic response; α-mediated effects, however, produced no mitotic effects but instead decreased cell and gland size. Secretory activity was not necessarily involved in any of the β-adrenergically mediated increases in gland size, acinar cell size or number.


This research aimed to predict how projected climate change will affect the quantity of water needed for irrigation. The case study focused on the Iraqi cities of Anbar and Babylon, located in the Euphrates River Basin (ERB). The CROPWAT model was fed by current and future climate data. Three climate change scenarios for the reference period from 1995-2014, SSP1-2.6 (2020-2039) and SSP2- 4.5 (2040-2059), were implemented in this research. The obtained results showed that annual increases in the temperature for Anbar are 1.1 and 1.85 °C, and for Babylon, they are 0.9 and 1.88 °C for the two scenarios SSP1- 2.6 and SSP2-4.5 concerning the reference period scenario. In addition, the annual decrease in precipitation is 3.61 and 4.63 mm for Anbar and 3.61 and 2.66 mm for Babylon Province. The average annual reference evapotranspiration for the three climate scenarios is 157, 202, and 206 mm for Anbar and 187.5, 195.6, and 224 mm for Babylon Province. The total annual irrigation water requirements for the crop growth cycle are 1.10, 1.43, and 1.46 for Anbar and 3.96, 4.13, and 4.76 billion cubic meters for Babylon.


The retrospective study was carried out for 19 patients who use lower extremitas abduction brace after total hip arthroplasty.To introduce the correct method of use in nursing of rotating.No early dislocation happen to all the patients who use lower extremitas abduction brace.And the correct method use of lower extremitas abduction trace is cheap and generalization for use


The qualitative and quantitative composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of Aloysia virgata var. plathyphylla (Verbenaceae) has been investigated for the first time. This species grows naturally in northeast Argentina, where is employed in folk medicine. The essential oils were obtained by steam distillation of leaves and young stems at different stages and analyzed by GC-MS. The oil composition showed quantitative variation during the period of sampling (spring–summer–autumn): sabinene, 1.8–2.4%; δ-elemene, 4.6–8.4%; β-caryophyllene, 16.3–18.1%; germacrene D, 16.0–27.1%; and bicyclogermacrene, 17.6–29.3%. The characterization of Aloysia virgata var. plathyphylla by enantioselective gas chromatography was performed by evaluation of the enantiomeric ratio of sabinene and germacrene D. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Significance Step emulsification is one of the few methods that enables upscaled production of droplets with a monodispersity desired for many industrial processes. However, the physical mechanisms of the droplet formation process are poorly understood. We study the droplet breakup by experiments and simulations and find a simple theory predicting the transition from dripping to jetting and the minimal contact angle of α = 2π/3 = 120° for which droplets form. These results have important consequences for the development and design of novel microfluidic systems and reactors that address the growing demand for tools to manipulate fluids at the submillimeter scale. The formation of droplets is ubiquitous in many natural and industrial processes and has reached an unprecedented level of control with the emergence of milli- and microfluidics. Although important insight into the mechanisms of droplet formation has been gained over the past decades, a sound understanding of the physics underlying this phenomenon and the effect of the fluid's flow and wetting properties on the droplet size and production rate is still missing, especially for the widely applied method of step emulsification. In this work, we elucidate the physical controls of microdroplet formation in step emulsification by using the wetting of fluidic channels as a tunable parameter to explore a broad set of emulsification conditions. With the help of high-speed measurements, we unequivocally show that the final droplet pinch-off is triggered by a Rayleigh–Plateau-type instability. The droplet size, however, is not determined by the Rayleigh–Plateau breakup, but by the initial wetting regime, where the fluid's contact angle plays a crucial role. We develop a physical theory for the wetting process, which closely describes our experimental measurements without invoking any free fit parameter. Our theory predicts the initiation of the Rayleigh–Plateau breakup and the transition from dripping to jetting as a function of the fluid's contact angle. Additionally, the theory solves the conundrum why there is a minimal contact angle of α = 2π/3 = 120° for which droplets can form.


The invention relates to spicy kelp meat paste and a preparation method thereof. The kelp meat paste comprises the following components in percentage by weight: 30 to 45 percent of kelp, 15 to 25 percent of peanut oil, 15 to 20 percent of pork, 1 to 3 percent of chili powder, 5 to 10 percent of soybean paste, 10 to 20 percent of water, 0.5 to 1.5 percent of salt, 1 to 3 percent of scallion and ginger powder, and 0.1 to 0.8 percent of chicken powder. The method for preparing the kelp meat paste comprises the following steps of: selecting and pretreating raw materials; deodorizing; cooking at high temperature; pulping; boiling; and bottling, sealing, and sterilizing. The spicy kelp meat paste and the preparation method thereof have the advantages that: after the kelp and meat are cooked, the taste is fresh and soft; by combining the chili for frying, the kelp meat paste is favorable for appetizing; meanwhile, the kelp taste is more tasteful through deodorization, and is popular with consumers. The spicy kelp meat paste and the preparation method thereof have the advantages of strict material selection, scientific formula, reasonable technology, strong operability, and suitability for mass production.


Proboscis monkeys' (Nasalis larvatus) river crossing behavior was examined as a potential behavioral response to predation threat. N. larvatus' major predator at the Tanjung Puting National Park in Kalimantan Tengah, Indonesia, appeared to be the false gavial (Tomistoma schlegeli), a crocodilian. An adolescent female proboscis monkey was captured and drowned by a false gavial during this study. The monkeys crossed the river at its more narrow points, with several individuals or groups crossing simultaneously. Increased vigilance prior to crossing and leaping as far across the river as possible were also observed. Proboscis monkey groups often associate at their sleeping sites at the river's edge. A potential function of these associations may be to allow groups to synchronize their movement with other groups during river crossings.


The subgenera of Eoparastaffella have been studied together
with morphologically very close Eoendothyranopsis in profiles
of the Tournaisian-Visean boundary beds in the Mokra quarries
(Moravia, Czech Republic). The profiles are composed both of
the alternation of limestones and red to green shales and the
alternation of biodetrital and biomicritic limestones with thin
shale intercalations. The joint presence of shallow water
bioclasts (foraminifers, algae, calcispheres, crinoids, rugose
corals etc.) and deeper water fauna (conodonts - abundant
gnathodids, Scaliognathus, trilobites) as well as apparent
gradations suggest that most of the limestones can be regarded
as calciturbidites. The sediments correspond to different parts
of a halfgraben basin; they were deposited in the beginning of
a compression regime cycle and represent a transition to
overlying typical flysch sequences. The different facies are
folded and convergent in complicated overthrust tectonics. The
shales contain locally abundant trilobites and brachiopods,
ammonites are less frequent. In the lower part of the
sequences, biodetrital often sandy limestones predominate, the
proportion of biomicritic limestones increases to the top of
the profile. Dominant microfacies are packstones and
wackestones; grainstones are less frequent. The matrix of
grainstones consists of microsparite and pseudosparite, partly
resulting of the recristallization of the original micritic
matrix. Crinoids are the most abundant bioclasts, foraminifers,
grains of quartz, calcispheres, ostracodes, red algae
(Solenoporaceae), moravamminids, brachiopods, bryozoans,
trilobites, blue-green algae, trilobites, bivalves, intraclasts
and conodonts occur as well. The quite frequent conodont taxa
belong to the Scaliognathus anchoralis Zone and the Gnathodus
texanus Zone of the standard conodont zonation. Nevertheless,
neither Gnathodus texanus (ROUNDY, 1926) nor Gnathodus
homopunctatus ZIEGLER, 1962 have been found so far and
Mestognathus beckmanni BISCHOFF, 1957 represents the only
typical Visean species. In the uppermost Tournaisian part of
the profile Eoendothyranopsis and Eoparastaffellina is frequent
while Eoparastaffella representatives predominate in the
Visean. Eoparastaffella simplex VDOVENKO, 1954 is the most
frequent species coexisting with E. ovalis VDOVENKO, 1954 and
E. iljtchiensis POSTOJALKO, 1975. E. evoluta VDOVENKO, 1971 and
E. pseudochomata VDOVENKO were determined from older samples.
Among evolutionary older eoparastaffellins Eoparastaffellina
rotunda VDOVENKO, 1971 was distinguished both below and above
the Tournaisian-Visean boundary. The taxonomic assignment of
some eoparastaffellins as well as the distinction between some
eoparastaffellins and Eoendothyranopsis (Ninella) is still a
matter of research. The following species of Ninella have been
recognized in the profiles: E. (Ninella) donica BRAZHNIKOVA et
ROSTOVTSEVA, 1964, E. (Ninella) lebedevae SOLOVIEVA, 1967, E.
(Ninella) moravica ONDRACKOVA, 2001, E. (Ninella) aksarsaica
MICHNO, 1975, E. (Ninella) transita LIPINA, 1955. The first
occurrence of Mestognathus beckmanni BISCHOFF, 1957. has been
recently found, contrary to the previous data of Kalvoda &
Ondrackova (1999), below the entry of E. simplex VDOVENKO,
1954. Between the first occurrence of Mestognathus beckmanni
BISCHOFF, 1957 and the last occurrence of Scaliognathus
anchoralis BRANSON & MEHL, 1941 stratigraphically diagnostic
species are lacking. The conodont fauna at this level is
characterized by the abundance of Gnathodus (Gnathodus Horizon
- see Fig. 1). A similar horizon can be distinguished also in
the Pengchong section (Guangxi Autonomous Region, South China)
(Sevastopulo et al. 2002).


As one of the most popular high speed networks, InfiniBand demonstrates several enhanced features, such as RDMA and zero-copy mechanisms, which offer high bandwidth and low latency. Communication stacks IPoIB and SDP (Sockets Direct Protocol) have been proposed on InfiniBand for sockets based applications to take advantage of these features. However, these protocols are inefficient to utilize the performance capabilities provided by the physical network. In order to fully exploit the high performance of InfiniBand, we present uStream, a relatively simple and efficient protocol on the user-level socket layer with a stream interface to enable RDMA capability and zero-copy mechanism. Experiment results have shown that the performance of uStream is comparable to raw InfiniBand Verbs/RDMA interface, and uStream outperforms SDP with 7.9µs minimum latency and 10.4Gbps peak bandwidth in our testbed. In addition, a Java communication library, jStream, is built upon uStream to enable Java to use RDMA directly. Preliminary results have shown Java clusters communication performance has been improved to a level similar to C programs over InfiniBand through combined uStream and jStream.


Reservoir geochemistry is a rising offset subject of geochemistry, and plays an important role in exploration and development of oil and gas. This paper illustrates theory base from heterogeneity, filling history and fluid/rock interaction.


Introduction: Plantar vein thrombosis is a rare condition that can lead to pain, edema, and walking difficulties. It presents a series of predisposing factors, such as recent surgeries, the use of oral contraceptives, and local trauma, among others. Imaging tests are essential for the right diagnosis, and ultrasonography is the modality of choice. As for treatment, there is no consensus in the literature. Report: Case of a 30-year-old patient who sought emergency medical care complaining of sudden severe pain in the plantar region of her right foot with walking difficulties. On physical examination, hyperalgesia was observed in the plantar region, irradiating to the calf, associated with swelling. Color Doppler imaging identified an acute thrombus in the medial plantar vein. Rivaroxaban was initially prescribed and replaced by acetylsalicylic acid after three months. The treatment was effective, and the patient was discharged after 11 months. Conclusion: Plantar vein thrombosis is a rare condition and has a wide range of differential diagnoses so physicians must maintain a high level of clinical suspicion. To improve diagnosis and treatment, it would be necessary to include plantar veins in the investigation protocols of patients suspected of having Deep Venous Thrombosis, besides additional clinical research for improving treatment.


Abstract Sixty Ss participated in a disjunctive reaction time study designed to test the effects of hypnosis on performance. It was hypothesized that the improvement which does take place under hypnosis is due to the positively motivating conditions, which may be implicit in the hypnotic induction procedure, and to variables such as relaxation, rather than to the effects of deep trance. Ss were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: Hypnotic induction procedure with motivation instructions; hypnotic induction procedure without motivation instructions; motivation instructions; and no hypnotic nor motivation instructions. The reaction times of the motivation group and the hypnotic plus motivation group were not significantly different. Both groups did significantly better than the control group. The reaction times of the control group were significantly faster than those of the hypnotic without motivation group. High motivation was thought to account for the faster reaction times when hyp...


Storage systems may be compared on the basis of the required number of buffers to be adequate at the same level of probability. The extreme cases of individual as against shared-line buffering are analyzed under the assumption of exponentially distributed message lengths. Finally, a method is indicated for increasing the accuracy of estimates of required storage capacity when the distribution of message lengths is known.


This paper will present a historical overview of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S) from its inception in 1952 to the present times. As there is a vast amount of activities to cover, this paper will just provide a high-level summary of some of the more notable activities and trends. The paper will be organized on a decade-by-decade basis. In each decade, there will be coverage of the major activities of MTT-S by following the actions of the Administrative Committee, the conferences and symposiums, the publications, and the growth of the membership and chapter activities. Additionally, there will be brief discussions on the key relationships that MTT-S had with other professional groups inside and outside of the IEEE and of the key technologies that the MTT-S community was involved with at the time. For brevity, individual names will generally be left out but pointers to internet listings of major contributors will be provided.


The effect of a two-cell meridional circulation pattern on the fluxtransport type of solar dynamo is briefly discussed. We consider a positive αeffect located in the overshoot layer. Our preliminary investigation supports the possibility that the location of the dynamo action is at the interface between equatorwards and polewards motions near the base of the convection zone.


This work focuses on monitoring the COD removal by anaerobic digestion of liquid textile wastewater under controlled conditions. A laboratory scale models of anaerobic digester of 8L capacity, with gas collecting bottles were setup to treat textile industry wastewater. The performance of the reactor in removing COD, Total Solids and Alkalinity were studied, with reference to different organic loading rates of 0.01, 0.02, 0.03 kg COD/m3.d. The highest yield of alkalinity, percentage COD removal and total solid is 1123.28mg/L, 62.49% and 89.28% respectively.


The article shows the needed procedure to obtain the dynamic model of a robot, with the purpose of being able to follow a planned path using the control law "CTC" Computed Torque Control. The robot was designed in a simple way for didactic reasons, this robot has three degrees of freedom, four links and three joints to move around in the work place. Two out of these joints are rotatory joints meanwhile the third one is a prismatic joint. The dynamic model of the robot is obtained using the Jacobians and Christoffel symbols of the center of mas of each link. Also including the Gravitational vector and the frictions of each joint. The objective of the dynamic model is to be able to simulate the robot in "Simulink" and test different paths using the computed torque control in which the gains of the control will be manipulated until a value that satisfies the desired path is found


This paper expounds concept of Virtual Reality technology,outlines its application in construction machinery management and develops a construction machinery management system based on VR technology.There is significant difference between construction machinery management enterprises,therefore,development of the management systems for specific applications is a tough task and reusability of the developed management software is bad.In respones to these,a solution based on component technology is provided,which is a new way to develop VR-based construction machinery management system.


The present work shows the design and implementation of a position control by artificial vision for the focus system of a desalination robot by solar distillation, in order to provide conditions of operation, safety and monitoring to carry out the process Of distillation. In such a way that the limits of displacement and the position of the container are established in real time by crossing two permissible curves, one defined in relation to the process temperature and another in terms of safety. The control is validated through experimental tests.


Abstract The bulk of Leonard Bernstein's first book, The Joy of Music (1959), consists of three imaginary conversations and seven scripts of Omnibus lectures intended for the education of lay audiences. These texts have long been admired for their pedagogy but have largely been ignored as reflections of Bernstein's aesthetic views. This article proposes that The Joy of Music functions not only as a pedagogical document but also as an aesthetic manifesto preparing Bernstein's audiences for some of his best compositions—especially the Third Symphony (Kaddish; 1963, rev. 1977) and West Side Story (1957). In the context of The Joy of Music, Kaddish appears as the fulfillment of "the real American symphonic form" and West Side Story as the ultimate American musical stage work, that is, a work that is as sophisticated as opera but rooted in the American musical.


The consequences of the climatic upheavals in the Arctic have created strategic and economic opportunities that have not gone unnoticed by the riparian States. China, without direct access to the region, adopted a very careful official attitude. However, its diplomatic, economic, political and scientific efforts in this region arouse negative reactions among western media. They often draw up a portrait of an ambitious and arrogant China, ready to push aside the sovereignty of the Arctic countries to defend its interests in the region. From this perspective, it seems relevant to analyze China's activities in the region and try to assess its related strategy.


The Cholame section of the San Andreas Fault (SAF), which has been considered locked since 1857, has been little studied using geodetic methods. In this study, we propose to use Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to contribute to the improvement of the knowledge of this section of the SAF. In particular, the objective of this work is to provide a description of the transition between the Parkfield and Cholame-Carrizo segments further southeast by producing an estimate of the locking depth of the Cholame segment by combining ERS2 (European Remote Sensing) and Envisat Advanced SAR (ASAR) satellites data. Our results indicate that the locking depth between the Parkfield and the Cholame-Carrizo segments deepens to the southeast. We then use these results as a hint to refine the tectonic loading on this section of the SAF.


There are four features about the compensation system of tort in the Civil Law of Russian Federation:the victims of personal injury to be strictly protected by law;full compensation to those suffering health damages;adequate protection to those dependents in need of nurturing in death compensation;and relinquishment of defense against the development risks in defective,which demonstrate justice,humane and rationality in the legislation.Those features bring about enlightenment to improvement of the tort law in our country,such as,the compensation system of our country should maintain that protection of life and health are supreme value of law;full compensation should be given to victims of personal injury;in case of death of victim,benefits of dependents should be well concerned;and the defense against the development risks in product liability should be completely relinquished.


A study on the effect of genetic parameters is carried out in order to find the optimum value of the parameters in genetic algorithms for solving personal communication service network planning problems. As for any genetic algorithm, one of the problems is its convergence behavior which is affected by many factors including the genetic parameters. The selection of these genetic parameters is generally quite ad hoc. However, we find in this study that proper parameter selection is critical because they significantly affect the convergence and optimality of the solution obtained.


Discussion: Most cases of CES af ter spinal anesthesia have been reported following administration of 5% lidocaine. There are a few reported cases with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine, finding in some of them predisposing factors. There are many hypothesis as to why patients with no predisposing factors develop CES. It is believed that local anesthetic's toxicity may be favoured due to the sacral nerve roots are longer, they lack some coatings, and given their position in the thecal sac, they are the most exposed to anesthetic accumulation. To the date no clear association has been established between 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine and CES.


Objective To evaluate the training effects of health appropriate techniques in rural areas of Jiangxi province.Method Using field epidemiology,we conducted a questionnaire survey directed to medical personnel who have had health appropriate techniques training of 5 model counties.Results ①Training needs:Requirements rate of medical personnel on the appropriate technical from high to low were the Western medicine techniques,family planning techniques,Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques.The ranking first of Western medicine techniques was "asthma diagnosis and standardized treatment of children"(90.00%),and the first in family planning techniques was "gynecologic therapeutic equipment techniques"(75.00%).②Training effects:After the training,the scores of medical personnel mastered three kinds of technologies was significantly higher than before(all P0.05),The scores of medical personnel came from county and Town was significantly higher than before(all P0.05),but The scores of medical personnel came from village did not increased significantly(P0.05).③Training satisfaction: the training satisfaction of medical staff on the evaluation of the organization and management,expert teaching method were 83% and 87%.Conclusion The training of health appropriate techniques in rural areas of Jiangxi province was well increased the level of health technologies in rural areas in Jiangxi,and the level of health care in rural areas of model counties improved significantly.While it needed to continue to strengthen the technical training of medical personnel came from village.


A precast concrete plank connecting and fixing structure comprises a plurality of precast concrete planks, wherein step structures are arranged on the side faces of the two ends of each precast concrete plank, the step structures of every two adjacent precast concrete planks are connected in a jointing mode, rigid precast connecting pieces are embedded around the precast concrete planks, the adjacent precast concrete planks are fixed together through connection between the precast connecting pieces after being connected in a butting mode, the precast connecting pieces and precast concrete plank bar-mat reinforcements are welded together and all embedded in the precast concrete planks, each precast connecting piece comprises a body with one end open, and a connecting plate provided with wing plates on two sides is fixed to the opening of each body. By the adoption of the structure, water leakage and seepage caused by expansion and shrinkage of joints can be effectively avoided, and water resistance is achieved all through the life cycle; meanwhile, connecting strength is high, and repeated mounting and dismounting can be achieved; construction is convenient and quick, and field operation time can be shortened greatly.


The extraction technology of total flavonoids from supercritical CO2 extraction residue of Humulus lupulus was optimized by using singel factor and orthogonal test.The optimal extraction conditions are determined as follows:50% ethanol as extraction solvent,the ratio of materiel to 50% ethanol 1:25(g/ml),circumfluence temperature 70℃,and circumfluence time 2.5 h,and extraction rate reaches 68.09 mg/g dry Humulus lupulus under the above conditions.The results of antioxidative experiment showed that the flavonoids extracts has stronger DPPH freed radical scavenging activity(IC50 5.73 μg/ml) than ascorbic acid(IC50 8.79 μg/ml) and rutin(14.84 μg/ml),and it has stronger reducing capacity(EC50 0.158 mg/ml) than rutin(0.252 mg/ml),but weaker than ascorbic acid(0.103 mg/ml);It also has stronger inhibition rate on MDA produced by lipid-peroxidation induced by Fe2+-H2O2 in mouse liver homogenate than rutin.As a conclusion,the total flavonoids from supercritical CO2 extraction residue of Humulus lupulus has strong antioxdant capacity.


The territory of Romania is characterized by a large variety of natural conditions, mainly determined by the existence of the Carpathians. It makes the mountainous zones to concentrate in the central part of the territory of the country. Thus this aspect determines a certain specific of the process of the agricultural production both on the level of productivity and the problems they raise on the development of private households in the area. The development of agriculture in the mountainous area is of great importance not only for agriculture as a whole, but also for tourism and especially for sustainable rural agriculture. Without a proper management applied to agriculture we cannot ensure an equilibrium between this kind of agriculture and the environment and cannot create the economic conditions meant to ensure the thrift of the inhabitants of these places. The undergone study wants to diagnose the situation of agriculture in the mountainous zone of Bacau county, an area which has a series of specific peculiarities determined by the lack of co-operative process before 1989 as well as the existence of powerful industrial center near the zone.


In laboratory trials diapause was prevented in larvae of Adoxophyes orana by a supplementary 7‐h light period of irradiance 2.4 mW/m2 from a fluorescent tube to a light‐dark cycle (LD) of 10: 14 h. When the supplement was given as a light‐break the irradiance needed, decreased as the duration increased. The most effective wavelengths were 460–480 nm. The best moment for a light‐break was 3 h after dusk with LD 14: 10 or 12: 12. With LD 10: 14, the strongest effect was with the break 4 h after dusk.