The authors discuss the lower life expectancy of Black men. They compare the life expectancy of Black men to Black women and White men and discuss social determinants and risk factors contributing to lower life expectancy, the importance of men's health, and the need to include and involve men in family health programs.


To make English classroom lively,we should change the role of teachers and students.Teachers and students should establish and maintain the harmonious relationship,which is the precondition for being lively.The scientific evaluation of students is the driving force.And the flexible teaching method is the key.


We analyzeN-body simulations of halo mergers to investigate the mechan isms responsible for driving mixing in phase-space and the evolution to dynamical equilibri um. We focus on mixing in energy and angular momentum and show that mixing occurs in step-like fashion fo llowing pericenter passages of the halos. This makes mixing during a merger unlike other well known mixing p rocesses such as phase mixing and chaotic mixing whose rates scale with local dynamical time. We concl ude that the mixing process that drives the system to equilibrium is primarily a response to energy and angu lar momentum redistribution that occurs due to impulsive tidal shocking and dynamical friction rather tha n a result of chaotic mixing in a changing potential. We also analyze the merger remnants to determine the degree o f mixing at various radii by monitoring changes in radius, energy and angular momentum of particles. We confi rm previous findings that show that the majority of particles retain strong memory of their original kinetic energies and angular momenta but do experience changes in their potential energies owing to the tidal shock s they experience during pericenter passages. Finally, we show that a significant fraction of mass ( ≈ 40%) in the merger remnant lies outside its formal virial radius and that this matter is ejected roughly uniformly fro m all radii outside the inner regions. This highlights the fact that mass, in its standard virial definition, is not a dditive in mergers. We discuss the implications of these results for our understanding of relaxation in collis i nless dynamical systems. Subject headings: cosmology: theory — dark matter:halos — galaxies: relaxati on — halos: structure — methods: numerical


The study of ancient Israel's texts and history has been a keystone of European scholarship since the Enlightenment. From the beginning of the 19th century, biblical exegesis contributed impressively to our understanding of these topics. Biblical archaeology joined in about a century later and provided critical evidence for the material culture of ancient Israel, shedding new light on its history. Yet, until recent years (and in certain circles up until today) biblical archaeology was dominated by a conservative interpretation of the texts and was not given a true independent role in recon-


Ordered molecular films of a blue-light-emitting material, 1,6-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl) pyridine boron complex [(dppy)BF], grown on the Ag(110) surface by means of organic molecular beam epitaxy, were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) under an ultrahigh vacuum. Two commensurate structures exist in the monolayer film grown at 300 K, as found by STM. In the monolayer film, two types of hydrogen bonds are formed between the molecules, which, in addition to the molecule-substrate interaction, essentially determine the monolayer structures. The structural evolution of the (dppy)BF films from submonolayer to three monolayers was monitored by LEED in situ and in real time. The results indicate that the growth of the first two monolayers is affected by the periodic potential on the substrate surface, while such a template effect is weakened beyond the second monolayer.


As a result of multiple energy sources, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) provide additional flexibility of the engine operating point, which enables optimization of fuel economy and emissions reduction. This paper introduces an energy management (EM) control strategy by an optimal control approach that jointly optimizes fuel consumption and various vehicle pollutant emissions. Engine thermal dynamics are modeled and integrated into the engine-out emission and fuel consumption models for enhanced modeling accuracy. The proposed method is formulated as an optimal control problem (OCP) that is benchmarked against a baseline EM strategy for fuel consumption only optimization. The proposed temperature sensitive emission and fuel consumption models enable a thorough investigation of engine temperature-emissions relationships, which provide important insights into the optimal power split during the engine preheating phase. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach and highlight the importance of analyzing the fuel consumption-emissions trade-off, as small compromises in fuel consumption lead to significant reductions in emissions.


Bone regeneration is a clinical challenge which requires multiple approaches. Sometimes, it also includes the development of new osteogenic and antibacterial biomaterials to treat the emergence of possible infection processes arising from surgery. This study evaluates the antibacterial properties of gelatin-coated meso-macroporous scaffolds based on the bioactive glass 80%SiO2-15%CaO-5%P2O5 (mol-%) before (BL-GE) and after being doped with 4% of ZnO (4ZN-GE) and loaded with both saturated and the minimal inhibitory concentrations of one of the antibiotics: levofloxacin (LEVO), vancomycin (VANCO), rifampicin (RIFAM) or gentamicin (GENTA). After physical-chemical characterization of materials, release studies of inorganic ions and antibiotics from the scaffolds were carried out. Moreover, molecular modelling allowed determining the electrostatic potential density maps and the hydrogen bonds of antibiotics and the glass matrix. Antibacterial in vitro studies (in planktonic, inhibition halos and biofilm destruction) with S. aureus and E. coli as bacteria models showed a synergistic effect of zinc ions and antibiotics. The effect was especially noticeable in planktonic cultures of S. aureus with 4ZN-GE scaffolds loaded with VANCO, LEVO or RIFAM and in E. coli cultures with LEVO or GENTA. Moreover, S. aureus biofilms were completely destroyed by 4ZN-GE scaffolds loaded with VANCO, LEVO or RIFAM and the E. coli biofilm total destruction was accomplished with 4ZN-GE scaffolds loaded with GENTA or LEVO. This approach could be an important step in the fight against microbial resistance and provide greatly needed options for bone infection treatment.


The utility model relates to a detection apparatus for an automatically regulated unintermittent power supply, composed of an EMI filter, a step transformer, a first, a second and a third relays, a voltage and frequency detection circuit, a microcomputer control circuit, a rectifying charging circuit, a battery pack, an alternating current output circuit, a load detection circuit, a DCTODC high voltage direct current generating circuit, a DCTOAC alternating current generating circuit, etc., and the units are connected. When mains voltage is from 15% to 30% higher or lower, the unintermittent power supply of high-frequency machines still has the function of automatically decreasing or increasing the mains voltage, so that the conditions of switching to a battery voltage mode, exhausted battery energy or in operation, etc. can not occur when the mains voltage is continuously used to supply for a computer and the periphery thereof.


The efficacy of cell therapy in patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is lower than expected. The aim of this study was to determine the injection accuracy rate both with transurethral and periurethral route.


The improvement in the research area of the implant by surface functionalization when correlated with the biological response is of major interest in the biomedical field. Based on the fact that the inflammatory response is directly involved in the ultimate response of the implant within the body, it is essential to study the macrophage-material interactions. Within this context, we have investigated the composite material-macrophage cell interactions and the inflammatory response to these composites with amorphous hydroxyapatite (HA), Lactoferrin (Lf), and polyethylene glycol-polycaprolactone (PEG-PCL) copolymer. All materials are obtained by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) technique and characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Macrophage-differentiated THP-1 cells proliferation and metabolic activity were assessed by qualitative and quantitative methods. The secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) cytokine, in the presence and absence of the inflammatory stimuli (bacterial endotoxin; lipopolysaccharide (LPS)), was measured using an ELISA assay. Our results revealed that the cellular response depended on the physical-chemical characteristics of the coatings. Copolymer-HA-Lf coatings led to low level of pro-inflammatory TNF-α, the increased level of anti-inflammatory IL-10, and the polarization of THP-1 cells towards an M2 pro-reparative phenotype in the presence of LPS. These findings could have important potential for the development of composite coatings in implant applications.


The FAG-Eberline 62I-N automatic beta-dust monitors operate within the
framework of the Netherlands National Air Quality Monitoring Network
(LML) to carry out PM10 measurements. A correction factor of 1.33 is
adopted to compensate the 25% underestimation when using the beta-method
compared to the PM10 reference method (e.g. Klein Filter Gerat).
Several series of laboratory and field experiments were performed to
determine quality of the PM10 measurements and to explain the use of the
correction factor.Inlet heating and sampling on a relative warm filter
causes some of the aerosol to vaporise. This seems to justify the
compensation for the loss of ammonia nitrate aerosol and organic aerosol.
However, the experiments also show the correction to be location
dependent. The factor of 1.33 is too high for agricultural areas, where
ammonia levels are relatively high and organic aerosol levels relatively
low, and too low for urban areas with considerable traffic. For this
reason we have taken the happy medium. The differences found between the
measurements and the models can thus be partially explained by this
discrepancy between agricultural and urban areas.


Summary Methods for the small scale synthesis of I-131 labelled iodine species relevant to severe nuclear accidents in light water reactors have been developed. The introduced methods allow the synthesis of impurity free, volatile, inorganic elemental iodine and volatile, organic iodides such as methyl- and ethyl iodide, as well as butyl iodide, chloroiodomethane, allyl iodide and benzyl iodide with ease. The radioactive iodine containing products are sufficiently stable to allow their storage for later use. Due to their volatility the liquid species can be easily converted into gaseous species and thus can be used in research in liquid and gaseous phase. The primary motivation for the development of these synthesis methods is to study the behaviour of volatile iodine species under the conditions of a severe nuclear accident in a light water reactor. Thus, the chemicals involved in the synthesis are chosen in a way to not generate impurities (chlorine and organic solvents) in the products which interfere with competing reactions relevant during a severe nuclear accident. Teknopox Aqua VA epoxy paint, which is used in Swedish light water reactor containments, and its reactions with the produced iodine species are described. The synthesised iodine species undergo chemisorption on paint films. Different to elemental iodine, the organic iodides are non-reactive with copper surfaces. The sorbed iodine species are partly re-released mainly in form of organic iodides and not as elemental iodine when the exposed paint films are heat treated. The partitioning and hydrolysis behaviour of gaseous methyl- and ethyl iodide between containment gas phase and water pools is found to be similar. The methods have been designed to minimise the use of harmful materials and the production of radioactive waste.


Becker B K, Egler C A G Brazil: A New Regional Power in the World-economy 998 Berstam M S see Davis K Bird J The Changing Worlds of Geography: A Critical Guide to Concepts and Methods 1169 Black R, Robinson V (Eds) Geography and Refugees: Patterns and Processes of Change 1324 Blakely E J, Stimson R J New Cities of the Pacific Rim 660 Bormann F H, Kellert S R Ecology, Economics, Ethics: The Broken Circle 1650 Braatz S Conserving Biological Diversity: A Strategy for Protected Areas in the Asia-Pacific Region 832 Brower M Cool Energy: Renewable Solutions to Environmental Problems (revised edition) 493 Brown S Retail Location: A Micro-scale Perspective 162 Brumfield W C, Ruble B A (Eds) Russian Housing in the Modern Age: Design and Social History 489 Buchan D Europe: The Strange Superpower 493


72548 was one of several blue-gray breccias (LSIC 17, 1973) collected in the fast rake sample from Station 2, adjacent to. Boulder 2. It is 4.1 x 2.5 x 2.0 cm and medium dark gray (N4) (Keil et al., 1974). It is subrounded and coherent, with a few non-penetrative fractures; it broke up during processing (Fig. 1). It lacks cavities, but has a few zap pits. Matrix material (mainly less than 100 micron grain size) was estimated to compose 94% of the rock (Keil et al., 1974). Most of the clast material is feldspathic.


The terminal ballistic model was established according to the classical empirical formula that commonly used at home and abroad.On the basis of this model,the numerical simulation was carried out and the simulation results agreed with experimental data,so that the correctness of the model and the feasibility of the algorithm were validated.Then took the lethal area for the enemy combatant on the ground as the optimization goal,the charge structure,thickness of the shell and initiating conditions as optimization parameters,the constraint conditions of optimization variables determined by the design criterion of the projectile,the optimization model was established adopted genetic algorithm.The methods and results of the optimal design will provide reference for the design of whole trajectory of high explosive projectile.


Elaborates the principle of the Web service realization,through the example description in enterprise's practical application,unifies ASP.NET and MS SQL Server,realizes the Web service foundation,the test and the transfer entire process,presents ASP.NET creation,deployment and uses the strong function.


We discuss the possibility of observing distant accelerators of ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) in synchrotron gamma rays. Protons propagating away from their acceleration site produce extremely energetic electrons during photopion interactions with cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons. If the magnetic field close to the accelerator is at the nG level, the synchrotron radiation from these electrons appears to a distant observer as a point‐like GeV source.


Mechanisms of Action of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) in Colon Cancer. (August 2012) Satya Sreehari Pathi, B.V.M., Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University, India; M.S., Texas A&M University, Kingsville Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Stephen H. Safe Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and their NO derivatives (NONSAIDs), and synthetic analogs are highly effective as anticancer agents that exhibit relatively low toxicity compared to most clinically used drugs. However, the mechanisms of action for NSAIDs and NO-NSAIDs are not well defined and this has restricted their clinical applications and applications for combined therapies. Earlier studies from our laboratory reported that specificity protein (Sp) transcription factors (Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4) are overexpressed in several types of human cancers including colon cancer and many Sp-regulated genes are pro-oncogenic and individual targets for cancer chemotherapy. Based on published results showing that NSAIDs downregulate several putative Spregulated genes, we hypothesized that the anticancer properties of NSAIDs may be due, in part, to downregulation of Sp transcription factors. NSAIDs and nitro derivatives of NSAIDs have been investigated in colon cancer cells and in vivo xenograft models. Aspirin and TA induced apoptosis and decreased colon cancer cell growth and tumor growth in vivo and downregulated genes associated with cell growth, survival, and angiogenesis. Previous RNA interference studies in this laboratory have shown that many of these genes are regulated, in part, by Sp


Abstract Purpose: There are many requirements to assess and support individuals with auditory processing disorder (APD); however, there are a few questionnaires that can be employed to detect the listening difficulties experienced by adults who are suspected to have APD. In the present study, we developed a questionnaire to assess the specific listening difficulties of adults and examined the possibility of standardizing this questionnaire in clinical situations. Method: This study included 164 APD adults who had normal hearing, but who complained about listening difficulties encountered during everyday life, and 70 adults who had normal hearing and no complaints about listening difficulties during everyday life. We added four items of the psychological domain to the shortened versions of the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ-12) for the purpose of assessing the psychological and social reactions to listening difficulties, and we administered it to subjects. Results: The results demonstrated that the questionnaire was a highly sensitive and specific approach and that it was useful in assessing adults with and without APD. This tendency especially increased by combining questions from the SSQ-12 with the psychological domain questions. Conclusion: We suggest that the questionnaire would be used to screen patients in clinical situations and that the results would provide useful information that can aid in understanding the auditory characteristics of people with APD.


Provided for controlling a discharge outlet (206) connected to the plurality of variable displacement hydraulic pump (102, 103) a method and apparatus for the discharge pressure and the pump displacement. Each pump (102, 103) includes a control valve inclination angle of the swash plate (302) of the swash plate (104) for controlling. Determining a first desired pump displacement for a first pump (102) of the control law for determining a second pump and a second pump (103) of the desired discharge pressure control law. A first intermediate control law for determining a first control variable. The second control law for determining a second intermediate control variable. Using the first and second intermediate control variable controls the first and second pumps (102, 103) combined. A first control valve used in conjunction with the first and second intermediate control variables and the first control law for determining a first desired pump control valve (302) is provided. A second control valve intermediate the first and second control variables used in combination and the second control law for determining the desired second pump control valve (302) is provided.


As a teacher educator, the author believes that he must prepare teachers to go forth into schools with a deep understanding of the subjects they will teach, an appreciation for how students learn, and a repertoire of instructional strategies that will help them make learning come alive for their students. As they develop these skills, they must simultaneously work on resolving four inescapable challenges: First, they have to figure out what it means to be a novice. Second, although teaching is intellectually challenging, it is also chock full of emotional drama. How students negotiate the emotional terrain of teaching is a critical element of their experience. Third, the author thinks about how a primary challenge for teachers is to secure the genuine attention of students. Fourth, the author considers what it means for young teachers to take care of their health and spirit amid the stress that marks the 1st year of teaching.


It has been observed that highly-proliferating cells, such as cancer cells, rely mainly on glycolysis for ATP production, regardless of presence of oxygen. This effect, however, can be reversed by changing the main energy substrate in the medium from glucose to galactose. The oxidation of galactose in glycolysis yields less net ATP, presumably forcing the cell into OXPHOS. This has been established in many cell lines, including HeLA, HepG2, and skeletal muscle cells. As of yet, this has not been reproduced in neuronal cells. Using Neuro2a, a murine neuroblastoma cell line, this study exposes neuronal cells to galactose medium, and measures effect on neurite outgrowth, cell proliferation, and other indicators of metabolic function. An increase in neurite length and overall growth was observed in galactose-grown cells, as was an increase in doubling time (n = 3, p < .05). Oxygen consumption shows an increase of 20% in galactose grown cells (n=5-10, p < .05). Mitochondrial protein shows an increase in galactose-grown cells {n=3, p < .05).


Following successful operation of a developmental flywheel energy storage system in fiscal year 2000, researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center began developing a flight design of a flywheel system for the International Space Station (ISS). In such an application, a two-flywheel system can replace one of the nickel-hydrogen battery strings in the ISS power system. The development unit, sized at approximately one-eighth the size needed for ISS was run at 60,000 rpm. The design point for the flight unit is a larger composite flywheel, approximately 17 in. long and 13 in. in diameter, running at 53,000 rpm when fully charged. A single flywheel system stores 2.8 kW-hr of useable energy, enough to light a 100-W light bulb for over 24 hr. When housed in an ISS orbital replacement unit, the flywheel would provide energy storage with approximately 3 times the service life of the nickel-hydrogen battery currently in use.


We propose a model based on the interplay between the type-II seesaw and scotogenic neutrino mass generation mechanisms. The setup features a $\mathbb{Z}_8$ discrete flavour symmetry which is broken down to a residual $\mathbb{Z}_2$ responsible for stabilising dark matter. A singlet scalar field is introduced to implement spontaneous CP violation. The effective neutrino mass matrix two-texture zero structure leads to sharp neutrino sector predictions. We analyse the constraints imposed on the model by current and future charged lepton flavour violation experiments. This framework provides two viable dark matter candidates, scalar or fermion. We investigate the scalar dark matter scenario considering relic density, direct-detection and collider constraints.


The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit calls for concerted action by all countries to foster economic growth, social equity and environmental protection. In the context of developing agricultural mechanization, it is critically important to ensure that technologies are environmental sound and address social dimensions, while delivering economic benefits in order to help effectively tackle issues related to food security and nutrition, agro-enterprise development and poverty reduction.


Penetration depths of atoms with kinetic energy provided by photodissociation of parent molecules in the top layer of a multilayer sample are determined from the probability to cross a spacer layer of thickness d and to arrive at the interface to a substrate. Top layer growth up to a final thickness s corresponds to a continuous increase of the effective spacer layer thickness. Modeling of growth and comparison with sample-to-sample variation of d allows us to determine separately and in a consistent way the precursors' dissociation cross section q⋅σ and the mean penetration depth d0 of the fragments together with elimination of contaminated samples. For F atoms with 4.3 eV kinetic energy from F2 dissociation values of q⋅σ=3×10−17 cm2 and d0=2.1 nm (8 to 9 monolayers) are derived for Ar spacers. A strong increase of d0 in the case of unintentional multistep excitation of F fragments is demonstrated.


Introduction- Hepatic osteodystrophy is an important complication of chronic liver disease. It is rather a common yet underdiagnosed entity. It leads to significant morbidity. Exact prevalence of hepatic osteodystrophy is not known but varies depending on etiology of chronic liver disease.

Aims- To measure bone mineral density by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan, to measure level of serum 25(OH) vitamin D3 in patients with chronic liver disease and also to measure frequency of osteodystrophy in chronic liver disease.

Methodology- A cross sectional study on total fifty diagnosed patients with chronic liver disease (34 males within age 39.8±10.3 and 16 females within age 33.5±5.3) was done to determine frequency of hepatic osteodystrophy. Patients had undergone clinical and laboratory investigation for diagnosis of chronic liver disease and to exclude other comorbid conditions that may cause osteodystrophy. Severity of chronic liver disease was measured in terms of Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scoring. Each patient had undergone DEXA scanning to determine bone mineral density and also serum levels of 25(OH) vitamin D3 ,calcium and phosphate were measured. Patients with DEXA scan T score lower than -1 were diagnosed to have osteodystrophy.

Results- Out of 50 patients, 22 patients (44%) had alcoholic liver disease, 6 patients (12%) had chronic hepatitis B, 2 patients (4%) had autoimmune hepatitis and 20 patients (40%) had cryptogenic chronic liver disease. In our study 18 patients had osteopenia and 15 patients had osteoporosis. So out of 50 patients 33 patients had osteodystrophy and frequency of osteodystrophy in our study was 66%. Importantly severity of osteodystrophy had positive correlation with severity of chronic liver disease.

Conclusions- Hepatic osteodystrophy is a common complication of chronic liver disease and mostly asymptomatic. Severity of osteodystrophy increases with severity of chronic liver disease.


Ureteroinguinal herniation is a rare event, usually diagnosed during the surgical repair of inguinal hernias and most reported cases have occurred in obese men during the fifth and sixth decades of life. Here, we describe the first case of unilateral renal and spermatic cord agenesis accompanying to the ureteral inguinal herniation in an infant.


Polyethylene glycol (PEG) in aqueous solution was decomposed by treating O3 microbubbles and O3 water. The molecular weight of PEG treated with O3 microbubbles became lower, and the PEG degradation was enhanced in alkaline condition. PEG in aqueous solution was efficiently decomposed by reactive oxygen species generated by O3 decomposition, and O3 microbubbles promoted the O3 decomposition in the interface of O3 gas and surrounding water in which OH anion localized. PEG in aqueous solution was decomposed to inorganic oxygen by advanced oxidation process (AOP) of O3 microbubbles and H2O2, and the reduction rate of total organic carbon (TOC) was over 70%.


Coronary atherosclerosis,the principal cause of death in atherosclerosis,and the cardiovascular protective properties of RES,a polyphenol compounds,have been explained by a substantial body of evidence in cell,animal and clinical research.Which through it's biological pleiotropy,inhibit oxidative stress,reduce cytokines,then activate the inhibition of platelets aggregation,anti-proliferation,anti-oxidant,anti-inflammatory and vasodilatation. However,the discrepancy between laboratory and clinical call for further investigation. The review will summarize the novel mechanisms of RES on CAS.


In the present study, a rare familial case of severe thalassemia with compound spontaneous mutations is reported. A 2.5-year-old boy, who suffered from severe anemia with yellowish skin, enlarged liver and spleen, was provided with a blood transfusion every 20 days to maintain hemoglobin levels between 90 and 100 g/l. Sanger sequencing combined with reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Gap-PCR revealed that the proband was a carrier of 4 compound heterozygous mutations: Hemoglobin subunit β (HBB):IVS-II-654(C>T)β+; Southeast Asian-type-hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (SEA-HPFH); HBB:c316-148G>T; hemoglobin subunit α2 (HBA2):c.46G>A. The father of the proband was identified as a carrier of the heterozygous SEA-HPFH mutation, the mother was a carrier of compound heterozygous mutations of HBB:IVS-II-654(C>T) and HBA2:c.46G>A, and the elder sister was heterozygous for HBB:IVS-II-654(C>T)β+. Based on these genetic results, it was determined that the proband had both of heavy β-thalassemia and α-thalassemia. Upon human leukocyte antigen matching, bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was successfully performed on the proband by selecting his HLA-compatible sister as a donor. Following treatment, the proband was revealed to only carry the IVS-II-654(C>T)β+ heterozygous mutation, and further regular blood transfusions have been avoided; BMT results remained normal at six months follow-up.


The Keggin-type TBA4H2[BW11Mn(H2O)O39].H2O (BW11Mn) compound was isolated and characterized. The first sphere of coordination for the manganese atom was determined by EXAFS analysis. Six oxygen atoms were found in the range of 1.80-2.64 A from the manganese. BW11Mn showed to be an active, efficient and selective catalyst for cis-cyclooctene (1a) epoxidation in the presence of stoichiometric quantities of H2O2. After 5 h of reaction almost complete conversion was achieved (86% of conversion). Selectivity was always 100 % for the epoxide.


A B S T R A C T These days, financial institutions usually develop fraud detection systems targeted to their own asset bases. Fraud detection systems are most prevalent in credit card transactions, telecommunications, network intrusions, finance and insurance, and scientific applications. In recent years the number of fraud cases has been on a rise. The traditional and age-old system of intelligence and fraud record maintenance has failed to live up to the requirements of the existing fraud scenario. There are many discussions about frauds and fraudulent activities in different industries. Hence fraudulent activities in the areas of businesses and our daily lives, have now become an important area of research. There are various Hybrid approaches for the Fraud Detection, like through classification, clustering, regression, association etc. In this paper, the researcher is concentrating on a hybrid approach based on danger theory and support vector machine (SVM) which takes advantages of Danger theory to remove fraud transactions and then SVM support to classify these transactions.


In this study, we fabricated a sapphire based fiber-optic radiation sensor. To evaluate the fiber- optic radiation sensor, we measured the spectrum and intensity of the luminescence generated from the fiber-optic radiation sensor according to the thickness of the PMMA block by irradiation of gamma rays emitted from a Co-60 source. And the result was compared with the value calculated from the formula of Lambert-Beer.


Abstract Principles for cybernetic generation of algorithms are applied to a specific problem class in order to gain insight needed for the development of a general design methodology. The principles are formalized and implemented in a working program. Specifically, the family of problems considered consists of those where instances consist of finite sequences of distinct elements chosen from some linearly ordered set and the operation among elements is the comparison. The results obtained with the program indicate that the program can provide many insights into problem solution. Problems inherent in the cybernetic algorithm design process are discussed and applications to other types of problems are suggested.


Most of the literature on sharecropping deals with the reasons for the adoption of an allegedly irrational contract. Empirical testing of theoretical hypotheses is comparatively under-developed and the data on the worldwide diffusion of sharecropping are very scarce. This article argues that sharecropping is much less common than is sometimes assumed and that its share of total land has been decreasing. These 'stylized facts' are the 'real' puzzle that economic historians and theorists should try to explain.


The immune system serves to protect the host from a diverse array of pathogens that evolve rapidly in an effort to breach immune security checkpoints. These defense mechanisms operate continuously to keep exogenous pathogens from propagating their own species, although this heightened security has unintended and detrimental consequences to the host.1 Although this maladaptive immune response is classically associated with noninfectious diseases, such as arthritis, gout, and lupus, uncontrolled inflammation is emerging as a causative factor in the development of cardiovascular disease as well.

Atherosclerosis is a widely known condition in which the immune system causes harm to the host. Classically defined as a disease that is initiated by alterations in cholesterol metabolism and the subendothelial retention of low-density lipoproteins (LDL),2 we now know that activation of both innate and adaptive immunity participate in atherogenesis.3 Advanced atherosclerotic plaques are characterized by highly inflammatory lesions that can both impede blood flow and precipitate thrombosis because of plaque rupture, leading ultimately to the clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis: myocardial infarction, and stroke. The progression of atherosclerosis in humans is associated with increased circulating levels of proinflammatory C-reactive protein, as well as increased white blood cell count.3,4

A considerable amount of evidence implicates the innate immune system in the progression of atherosclerosis.5 Recent studies suggest that polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) drive the accumulation of monocytes in atherosclerotic lesions in a manner dependent on PMN granule proteins, such as the cathelicidins (ie, cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide).6–9 Other comorbidities, such as hyperglycemia, also contribute to the mobilization of PMNs from the bone marrow during atherosclerosis progression.10 Interestingly, the PMN/lymphocyte ratio may have value in predicting future cardiovascular events over the white blood cell count alone.11 Although the role of PMNs in atherogenesis is emerging, the roles …


Objective: Previous publications from our institutions have shown that minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting (MICS CABG) is safe, widely applicable, and associated with fewer infections, less transfusions, and better recovery than standard CABG. However, graft patency rates are unknown. The MICS CABG Patency Study prospectively evaluated angiographic bypass graft patency at 6 months after MICS CABG. Methods: In this dual-center study, 61 patients were prospectively enrolled and underwent MICS CABG through a 4-7cm left thoracotomy approach, where the left internal thoracic artery (LITA), the ascending aorta for proximal anastomoses, and all distal coronary targets were accessed without endoscopic or robotic assistance. The primary outcome was graft patency at 6 months, using 64-slice CT angiography. Secondary outcomes included conversions to sternotomy and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). (Clinical Trial RegistrationUnique identifier: NCT01334866) Results: Mean age was 64.1±8.1 year...


In this study, we investigated how to achieve differentiation for the ISM (Internet Shopping Mall) to improve profitability, which is required for survival in the fiercely competitive ISM industry. We analyzed implementation level key managerial factors that could contribute to the differentiation of the ISM. The research model is constructed through integration of two distinctive research streams of e-commerce. The one is B2C differentiation strategy research, most of which are conceptual and conducted at a strategy level, and the other is empirical research analyzing the antecedents of customer satisfaction at the ISM. This study is organized as follows. First, we draw upon transaction cost theory to organize constructs representing customer value associated with the customer buying decision process. Next, after reviewing comprehensive managerial factors that could impact on customer value, we selected 15 managerial factors that could contribute to the differentiation of the ISM to deliver value to customers. Finally, the resulting structural model is validated through empirical analyses. The results provide insights for future studies on ISM differentiation.


Article represents experience of essayistic researches of Gnostic motives in L. Durrel"s «The Avignon quintet». The author spends thought on insufficiency of rationality in Durrel"s Gnosticism versions.


Parkinson's disease (PD)‐associated Pink1 and Parkin proteins are believed to function in a common pathway controlling mitochondrial clearance and trafficking. Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and its signaling receptor Ret are neuroprotective in toxin‐based animal models of PD. However, the mechanism by which GDNF/Ret protects cells from degenerating remains unclear. We investigated whether the Drosophila homolog of Ret can rescue Pink1 and park mutant phenotypes. We report that a signaling active version of Ret (RetMEN2B) rescues muscle degeneration, disintegration of mitochondria and ATP content of Pink1 mutants. Interestingly, corresponding phenotypes of park mutants were not rescued, suggesting that the phenotypes of Pink1 and park mutants have partially different origins. In human neuroblastoma cells, GDNF treatment rescues morphological defects of PINK1 knockdown, without inducing mitophagy or Parkin recruitment. GDNF also rescues bioenergetic deficits of PINK knockdown cells. Furthermore, overexpression of RetMEN2B significantly improves electron transport chain complex I function in Pink1 mutant Drosophila. These results provide a novel mechanism underlying Ret‐mediated cell protection in a situation relevant for human PD.


This study aimed to measure the efficiency scores of 75 dairy buffalo farms in the province of Nueva Ecija, Central Luzon, Philippines, using an input-oriented, variable-return-to-scale Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. The farmer-informants or decision-making units (DMUs) were categorized as smallholders, family modules, and semi-commercial in operations. Personal interviews using structured questionnaires were done to gather various information on the socio-economic and management practices of the DMUs. Output in the form of volume and value of milk produced and inputs such as quantities and costs of biologics, feeds, forage, and labor were also collected and evaluated among individual DMUs. The efficiency scores were computed using PIM-DEA software, which identified fully efficient DMUs lying on the frontier line (scores of 1.0) and those enveloped by it (inefficient DMUs with scores of less than 1.0). The overall mean Technical Efficiency (TE), Allocative Efficiency (AE), and Economic Efficiency (EE) scores among the DMUs were 0.80, 0.81, and 0.65, respectively. Most of the inefficient DMUs were in the smallholder category. In sum, smallholder DMUs classified under low and moderate TE clusters should reduce their inputs by 53.31% and 40.01%, respectively, to become fully efficient. Likewise, higher lambda values among efficient peer DMUs indicate the best practice frontiers that the inefficient peer DMUs can benchmark with. Extension and advisory services can help promote the best management practices of the frontiers to improve the TE, AE, and EE of the inefficient DMUs.


The carbon chemical shielding of carboxylate groups in microcrystalline amino acids has been measured and correlated with the protonation state. As had been observed in solution NMR studies, there is a small but reproducible change in the isotropic chemical shift upon protonation for any given amino acid with a magnitude of -4±2 ppm; however, the environmentally-induced shifts and generally poor resolution in solid-state spectra would prevent interpretation of such a small shift in typical applications. More interestingly, the anisotropy as manifested in the shape of the envelope of sideband intensities for low speed spinning spectra is obviously different for protonated and deprotonated salts even without data fitting


PurposeThis study examines the mediating role of the fairness of performance appraisal on the association between the extent of use of strategic performance measurement systems (SPMSs) with SPMS effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using an online survey distributed to 656 Australian middle and lower level managers.FindingsThe findings reveal that informational fairness mediates the association between SPMSs (link to value drivers and the use of multidimensional performance measures) with performance-related outcomes; procedural fairness mediates the association between SPMSs (link to strategy and the use of multidimensional performance measures) with staff-related outcomes and distributive fairness mediates the association between the use of SPMSs (all three types) with both performance and staff-related outcomes.Originality/valueThe study provides a unique insight into the importance of fairness (the distributive, informational and procedural fairness of the performance appraisal system) in mediating the associations between the extent of use of SPMSs and SPMS effectiveness. The findings contribute to the human resource management (HRM) "black box" literature by providing an insight into the behavioural mechanism through which a specific human resource management practice (i.e. the SPMS) influences organisational performance.


Ship detection with polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) has received increasing attention for its wide usage in maritime applications. However, extracting discriminative features to implement ship detection is still a challenging problem. In this paper, we propose a novel ship detection method for PolSAR images via task-driven discriminative dictionary learning (TDDDL). An assumption that ship and clutter information are sparsely coded under two separate dictionaries is made. Contextual information is considered by imposing superpixel-level joint sparsity constraints. In order to amplify the discrimination of the ship and clutter, we impose incoherence constraints between the two sub-dictionaries in the objective of feature coding. The discriminative dictionary is trained jointly with a linear classifier in task-driven dictionary learning (TDDL) framework. Based on the learnt dictionary and classifier, we extract discriminative features by sparse coding, and obtain robust detection results through binary classification. Different from previous methods, our ship detection cue is obtained through active learning strategies rather than artificially designed rules, and thus, is more adaptive, effective and robust. Experiments performed on synthetic images and two RADARSAT-2 images demonstrate that our method outperforms other comparative methods. In addition, the proposed method yields better shape-preserving ability and lower computation cost.


Double‐stranded cDNA was synthesized from B component RNA of cowpea mosaic virus and cloned into appropriate vectors. Using four clones, together representing the entire B RNA sequence, a full‐length DNA copy was constructed and subsequently positioned downstream of a phage SP6 or T7 promoter. RNA molecules transcribed from this full‐size DNA copy using SP6 or T7 RNA polymerase were efficiently translated in rabbit reticulocyte lysates into a 200‐kd polypeptide similar to RNA isolated from viral B components. Moreover this polypeptide was rapidly cleaved into 32‐kd and 170‐kd polypeptides, exactly like the 200‐kd polypeptide encoded by viral B RNA. In vitro transcription and translation of a DNA copy in which an 87‐bp‐long deletion in the coding sequence for the 24‐kd polypeptide was introduced revealed that the 24‐kd polypeptide bears the proteolytic activity involved in the primary cleavage of the B RNA‐encoded polyprotein.


Case Report Described at the beginning of the 19th century by Shekleton, aortic dissection is a serious and life-threatening disease [1]. The diagnosis of dissection of the aorta is suspected by the presence of the classic triad: Severe abrupt chest pain, difference in upper extremity blood pressure and mediastinal widening on chest X ray. We report the case of 55 years old man with history of arterial hypertension presenting in the emergency department with the symptomatology of complicated aortic dissection. The diagnosis of mediastinal mass was retained.


The AFX2 Bifurcated Endograft System has improved handling features and enhanced visibility to provide greater control and ease of use. The integrated 0.035" contralateral wire obviates 0.014" guidewire exchange. Gate cannulation is not needed, and the standardized deployment sequence includes single-step contralateral limb deployment through a 7Fr sheath. The device also has a robust valve designed to minimize blood loss and is color-coded for easy identification. In addition to the anatomical fixation, bifurcation preservation, and largest on-IFU oversizing range offered by the AFX, the AFX2 delivery system further advances the platform by creating a standardized, streamlined procedure and improved user experience.


We present a new proxy-based system to allow public use handheld devices to access instantly to the Low Resolution Picture Taking (LRPT) satellite weather image data and display regional weather image. First the location-based transcoding is done from non frame based satellite image to frame based CIF/QCIF image for handheld device. GPS information from expansion module is used in the location of the region of interest. A robust fixed-length joint source and channel coding scheme is then implemented to achieve robust wireless transmission. Experimental results show that the proposed system is suitable to the time varying, low bandwidth wireless channel and power constraint on wireless handheld devices.


The faults of the medium voltage cross-linked polyethylene(XLPE) cable system(cable accessories) are mostly attributed to the partial defects caused by the production manufacturing and the improper installation technology.The joint defects caused by the improper installation technology were described,seven kinds of 35 kV XLPE joints artificial defects were made in the laboratory,and typical discharge maps were obtained.This provided the defects sample date for the diagnosis of the on-line detected the discharged map.


Infrared image emulation is useful in the development of infrared systems. To get a full theoretical model of infrared image emulation, the mechanism of those four parts such as object and background radiation's emulation, atmosphere's emulation, optical system's emulation and staring detector's emulation is further analysed. Finally, an emulation picture is generated to show the effectiveness of the emulation model. To get good effectiveness, the ununiformity and diffraction effect are especially considered in the emulation picture.


In this article, we consider a class of decentralized resource allocation problems over directed networks, where each node only communicates with its in-neighbors and attempts to minimize its own cost when network-wide resource constraints as well as local capacity limits are satisfied. Decentralized optimization to solve this problem has been a significant focus within engineering research due to its advantages in scalability, robustness, and flexibility. Most existing methods are synchronous while few works are devoted to asynchronously solving the problem. The problem becomes even more challenging when the networks are directed. To address the resource allocation problem when the above issues are considered, we propose a novel decentralized asynchronous algorithm based on the gossip-based communication protocol and epigraph strategy. An important feature of the algorithm is that it is implemented in a completely decentralized manner in the case of asynchronous communication and directed networks. We provide theoretical proof to guarantee the convergence of the proposed algorithm, which indicates that it can successfully allocate the optimal resource. When solving the resource allocation problem over time-varying directed networks, we further discuss a related decentralized asynchronous algorithm according to the random sleep protocol. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the viability and performance of the algorithms.


The spermatogenesis, including the spermiogenesis, in Urodeles contains the meiotic process and the morphological differentiation of the spermatids developing the sperma tozoa as in the rest of vertebrates. However, in Urodeles, there are essential differences in the structure of the testis, as a lobular structure; the distribution of the spermatogenic cells, in cephalocaudal progression in the testis; and the cystic condition of the develop - ing spermatogenic cells in synchronous groups bounded by Sertoli cells. All the sper matogenic cells are situated in parallel position with the heads directed to the same side. The big size and elongated morphology of the spermatozoa also characterized this type of spermiogenesis. Spermiation occurs at the caudal portion of the testis to the efferent duct system, which includes the mesonephric nephrones.


AbstractThis paper presents a meta-tag suggestion tool that selects topics from a given taxonomy of categories. It works by extracting keyphrases from the textual content of electronic data and using them as entry points to search for appropriate topics in a hierarchically-organized taxonomy. The keyphrase extraction module, based on the Kea system, has the functionality to use prebuilt Kea models or create new Kea models on the fly, thereby providing flexibility in controlling keyphrase extraction. Terms in each keyphrase are stemmed and used as a query to search for appropriate topics in the taxonomy. All taxonomy topics retrieved by repeated searching are considered as candidate meta-tags. They are ranked based on the significance of keyphrase(s) matching the topic, the significance of the type of hit, and the specificity of the matching topic based on its position in the taxonomy.


The influences of SiO_2 and PE-g-MAH on the properties of PPB(block PP) were investigated.As a result,the properties of PPB were improved through the filling of SiO_2,which was surface treated by HMDS(hexamethyldisilane).The addition of PE-g-MAH further improved the impact property of the composite.The(analysis) of IR showed that the hydroxyl group of SiO_2 surface decreased,and the polarity was weakened,so the compatibility of PPB matrix was enhanced.The POM picture and DSC curve showed that the SiO_2 acted as the heterogeneous nucleation increased the compatibility of PPB.When the addition of PE-g-MAH as compatibilizer the grain of the composite became smaller,and the crystallizing point was improved.The SEM of the impact part showed that the composite presented an obvious tough break.


The present investigation is concerned with the use of classical and nonparametric techniques in the analysis of experiments. Occasionally biometricians are confronted with results arising from an experiment with data which do not necessarily satisfy the assumption of Normality, the basis of the classical analysis of variance methods. Sometimes the biometrician handles such a situation by transformation of the observations and applying the classical techniques. Although this attack may lead to a satisfactory analysis, the results may be questionable in a number of cases. In analyzing continuous data without the Normality assumption nonparametric methods provide realistic alternatives. In this paper a number of problems will be discussed with and without the Normality assumption resulting in the well-known classical analysis and its nonparametric counterparts. Most of the nonparametric procedures to be discussed are based on ranks.


The invention discloses a preparation process of inorganic salt hydrate phase-change energy-storage material, comprises the following steps that adding 40-60g inorganic salt particles and 3-5g overcooling- resistance agent in 100g water, stirring and mixing to prepare hydrating inorganic salt solution, adding 5-10g poly-sodium acrylate in the hydrating inorganic salt solution, and stirring and mixing to prepare viscous hydrating inorganic salt mixed solution. The preparation process of hydrating inorganic salt phase-change material which is provided by the invention is added with overcooling- resistance agent and poly-sodium acrylate in the preparation process, which can effectively avoid the hydrating inorganic salt phase-change material from generating the phenomenon of over-cooling and phase separation in the phase change process, and ensures hydrating inorganic salt phase-change material to keep uniformity after repeated circulating.


A field experiment was conducted to study the response of summer okra (cv. Phule Utkarsha) to iron, zinc and boron in Inceptisol at Regional Fruit Research Station, Ganeshkhind, Pune (M.S.) during 2007-08. The objective of experiment was to study the effect of iron, zinc and boron on growth, yield, quality, nutrient uptake of okra and soil properties after harvest of okra. There were twelve treatments viz., water spray, foliar spray FeSO4 (0.5 %), foliar spray ZnSO4 (0.5 %), foliar spray boric acid (0.2 %), foliar spray FeSO4+ ZnSO4 (0.5 % each), foliar spray FeSO4 (0.5 %) + boric acid (0.2 %), foliar spray ZnSO4 (0.5 %) + boric acid (0.2 %), foliar spray FeSO4 + ZnSO4 (0.5 % each) + boric acid (0.2%), soil application of FeSO4@ 20 kg ha-1, soil application of ZnSO4@ 20 kg ha-1, soil application of FeSO4+ ZnSO4@ 20 kg ha-1 each and soil application of FeSO4 + ZnSO4@ 20 kg ha-1 each + borax @ 5 kg ha-1. The experiment was laid in Randomized Block Design with three replications. The foliar sprays of micronutrients were done at 30 days and 45 days after sowing of okra. The soil application of micronutrients were done at the time of sowing. The results of experiment indicated that the soil application of FeSO4+ ZnSO4@ 20 kg ha-1each + borax @ 5 kg ha-1 registered significantly higher plant height (155.64cm), higher number of nodes per plant (24.96), higher number of days to 50 % flowering (43.67). The higher average fruit diameter (1.60 cm), higher fruit length (11.30 cm) and average fruit weight (11.67 g) were found in T11. The micronutrient application to okra helped to improve yield parameters. The soil application of FeSO4+ ZnSO4@ 20 kg ha-1 each + borax @ 5 kg ha-1 yielded significantly higher yield (205.8 q ha-1) and was at par with foliar spray FeSO4 + ZnSO4 (0.5 % each) + boric acid (0.2%) (196.4 q ha-1), soil application of FeSO4 + ZnSO4@ 20 kg ha-1 each (191.2 q ha-1) and foliar spray FeSO4 + ZnSO4 (0.5 % each) (191.2 q ha-1). In general the combined application of FeSO4+ ZnSO4@ 20 kg ha-1 each + borax@ 5 kg ha-1 as soil application and foliar sprays of FeSO4 (0.5 %) + ZnSO4 (0.5 %) + boric acid (0.2%), both treatments were found significantly effective in increasing the yield of okra and maintained soil properties. The uptake of nitrogen was significantly higher due to soil application of FeSO4 + ZnSO4 + borax (48.03 kg ha-1) and at par with foliar spray FeSO4 + ZnSO4+ boric acid (45.84 kg ha-1) and soil application of FeSO4+ ZnSO4@ 20 kg ha-1each (45.61 kg ha-1). The similar treatment showed significantly higher uptake of phosphorus and potassium. The application of FeSO4, ZnSO4 and borax either alone or in combination helped to increase the uptake of iron, zinc, boron, manganese and copper by okra.


We address the problem of quantitative evaluation of the absorption S0-S1 peaks &lgr; max of biological chromophores in vacuo by using the state-of-art computational methods of quantum theory. In particularly, we rely on the second order multiconfigurational quasidegenerate perturbation theory (MCQDPT2) following the complete active space selfconsistent field (CASSCF) calculations. The use of augmented effective Hamiltonian operators in the MCQDPT2 framework allows us to correct deficiencies of the standard multistate approaches and to obtain stable saturated solutions for the target low-lying excited states. A high accuracy of the proposed methodology is illustrated for several photoactive protein chromophores in the gas phase including all-trans retinal, green fluorescent protein type chromophores and photoactive yellow protein chromophores. It is shown that our approach provides correct ordering of states and predicts maxima of absorption bands for the S0-S1 transitions within only a few nanometers from experimental data.


LAWRENCE J. KAMM developed the &dquo;MACON&dquo; described in this paper when he went to General Dynamics Convair in 1956 to develop computer input and output devices. He later transferred to General Dynamics Astronautics to do proposal and preliminary design work in space vehicles. Here he invented the &dquo;VERTISTAT&dquo; gravity gradient orientation device co-authored the proposal that sold the &dquo;ARENTS&dquo; satellite, and did other develop, ment work on orientation and temperature control devices. In 1961 he founded Numerical Control Corporation, of which he is president. At N/C Corporation he directed the development of a mechanical tape-controlled contouring system for machine tools, a space-vehicle visual environment simulator for GD ~ Astronautics, automation equipment, and many special electro-mechanical devices for consulting clients. His career started with a B.S. in E.E. from Columbia University in 1941, and work on electro-mechanical devices at Signal Engineering and Teleregister Corporations. After a night school M.S. in E.E. from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, he did consulting engineering as an independent, then for Schatzki Engineering Company and Rabinow Engineering Company before joining Convair.


This book represents a concise summary of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics for physics students at the university level. The text covers essential topics, from general mathematical formalism to specific applications. The formulation of quantum theory is explained and supported with illustrations of the general concepts of elementary quantum systems. In addition to traditional topics of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics - including single-particle dynamics, symmetries, semiclassical and perturbative approximations, density-matrix formalism, scattering theory, and the theory of angular momentum - the book also covers modern issues, among them quantum entanglement, decoherence, measurement, nonlocality, and quantum information. Historical context and chronology of basic achievements is also outlined in explanatory notes. Ideal as a supplement to classroom lectures, the book can also serve as a compact and comprehensible refresher of elementary quantum theory for more advanced students.


The seismic design of major linear constructions, such as high-pressure gas pipelines, requires the reliable assessment of the levels of acceleration and velocity at the ground surface along the pipeline routing. Since seismic hazard studies provide the acceleration levels at the seismic bedrock or at the rock outcrop, the aforementioned assessment may be based either on simplistic empirical relationships with limited reliability or on ground response analyses that can realistically take into consideration the local soil conditions. The reliability of the ground response analyses depends on the shear-wave velocity (VS) assessment, which is a very demanding and expensive task, especially in the case of a pipeline project of hundreds of kilometers, that usually crosses areas of various geological and geotechnical conditions. Τhe present study presents a novel methodology, relying on the joint use of shallow geotechnical information, collected during the pipeline FEED phase, with the inversion of single-station microtremor data (for which the data collection is extremely timeand cost-efficient), in order to determine the local one-dimensional (1D) soil (VS) profiles required for the ground response analyses. This methodology is applied for a large number of data collected along the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). TAP crosses several basins in Greece and Albania, where the seismic bedrock depth is unknown (not sampled by the relatively shallow geotechnical survey boreholes), especially in large thickness sedimentary deposits. The assessment of the VS profiles and the results of the ground response analysis demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.


neoliberal human rights were created to secure and procreate market capitalism, on the other hand, the functioning of the free market has also depended on the rule of law and recognition of human rights, especially in the face of political challenges. Neoliberalism is not only about structural reforms, but also a social reconfiguration that models the society in the image of competitive market. The Morals of the Market puts forth that neoliberal approaches were founded on morality and politics rather than pure economics and that it would be unwise to explain neoliberal governmentality only from the perspective of economic ideas of the free market.


Pyrex-filtered irradiation of a thermally inert complex [CoH[PPh(OMe)2]4] dissociated PPh(OMe)2 from cobalt without cleavage of a hydrido–cobalt bond, yielding an active species "CoH[PPh(OMe)2]3". The photogenerated species caused double-bond migration of 3-phenylpropene to (E)- and (Z)-1-phenylpropenes.


Abstract : Calculations were performed to determine the efficiency of integral bow and stern propellers for a body of revolution. Such a propulsion system leads to propellers with large hubs relative to the tip diameter and a large number of blades. The calculations were carried out for a propeller with 13 blades with various tip diameters, blade areas, and rpm's. The series results are presented, analyzed, and applied to computing the propulsion performance of a hypothetical 250-foot tandem propeller submarine.


The invention relates to a method for producing a radiation-emitting semiconductor chip comprising a thin-layer element (11) based on III-V nitride semiconductor material. According to the inventive method, a series of layers of the thin-layer element (11) is deposited onto an epitaxial substrate (100), the thin-layer element is joined to a support (5), and the epitaxial substrate (100) is removed from the thin-layer element. The epitaxial substrate (100) comprises a substrate body (1), which is made of PolySiC or PolyGaN or of SiC, GaN or sapphire and which is joined to an epitaxial growth layer (2) by means of an adhesive layer (3), and the series of layers of the thin-layer element is epitaxially deposited on said epitaxial growth layer. The invention also relates to a radiation-emitting semiconductor chip that is produced in the aforementioned manner.


This paper analyses the personal structure of Quanzhou Normal University Library,points out that the quality education of the librians is high which can satisfy the conditions of the subject system.As for the practising measures,According to analysing and discussing the following four aspects: the selection of subject librian,the working of subject librian,the function of subject librian,and the management of subject librian,this paper gives the effective administration measures.


Transforming Teachers into Teacher Researchers: How to become information literate teacher researchers and model information literacy for student researchers Information literacy is one of the major areas emphasized by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). According to NCATE, all candidates in school settings must be able to systematically integrate information literacy in Pre-K and K-12 school curriculum to assist student learning. The 21st century requires information literate teacher-researchers who are capable of meeting the standards set by the professional organizations such as (NCATE), the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). Teaching is no longer finite knowledge distributed by the teacher and returned upon demand. Critical thinking, evaluation of information and ethical use of information are taking the lead in the education of our children. Information literate teacher researchers develop data driven, informed solutions for improved student learning and development. Information literate teacher researchers are able to identify authentic and standards mapped resources. In addition, information literate teacher researchers model information literacy behavior for students. What does an information literate teacher researcher look like? How does a teacher become an information literate teacher researcher? This paper will examine the characteristics of an information literate teacher researcher as described by appropriate professional organizations. It will also provide options for learning about information literacy and a list of exemplary information literacy resources. Presenters: Susan L. Kendall Mary H. Nino Lorene R. Sisson Who are Teacher Researchers? • "Teachers who engage in educational research, generally to improve their own classroom practices" (ERIC Thesaurus) Why Become a Teacher Researcher? To Improve: – Classroom Practice – Teacher Professional skills – Student Learning What does Teacher Research accomplish? • Bridges the gap between theory and practice • Empowers teachers to become agents of change • Enhances the professional growth and development of teachers. Johnson, A. A short guide to action research. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2002, p. 18 Effective Teacher Researchers are Information Literate. NCATE 2000 Unit Standard 1 "Teachers cannot prepare their students to be information literate unless they themselves understand how to find and use information." Carr, Joanne. Information Literacy and Teacher Education. ERIC Digest ED424231 1998. p. 3 Information Literate Teacher Researchers: • Know how to learn • Know how information is organized • How to find information • How to use information so that others can learn from them From ERIC Document: Information Literacy and Teacher Education ED424231 How do teachers become Information Literate Teacher Researchers? • Collaboration with Librarian


Background: Hearing impairment either congenital or prelingual has marked effects on the articulatory movements. Children with hearing impairment have problems in coordination of tongue and jaw movements and can be analysed acoustically by constructing vowel space area. Even though some studies on vowel space area in speech of children with hearing impairment have been carried out, most of these studies are hardly conclusive. Aim of the study: The present study aimed at documenting the difference across formant frequencies and vowel working space area between children with hearing impairment and age-matched control


Lumbar hernia IS a rare form of abdominal wall "' hernia. They are classified as congenital and acquired. The acquired is also subclassified as primary and secondary to trauma. They are also classified according to location - superior lumbar triangle of Grynfellt and inferior lumbar triangle of Le Petite'. This entity may be asymptomatic except for the cosmetic effect but may present with acute intestinal obstruction.
We report an obstructed Grynfellt hernia in an 80yr old man in which ultrasonography plays an important role in preoperative diagnosis and determination of its con- tent as well as surgical planning.


Basically,knowledge creation is the main source of original innovation.Beginning with the classification of basic research into pure basic research and applied basic research,this paper decomposes the original innovation into two interdependent pans,pure basic research based original innovation (P-OI) and applied basic research based original innovation (A -OI).Moreover,we pro- pose a generating mechanism of original innovation based on two deferent knowledge creation modes.


Barium tetrametaphosphate hydrate Ba2(P4O12)&n8729;3.5H2O was synthesized as a single-phase crystalline powder starting from an aqueous solution of barium hydroxide and phosphorus pentoxide at 300 K. Ba2(P4O12)&n8729;3.5H2O crystallizes in a new structure type in which the Ba2+ ions form a distorted hexagonal diamond-like arrangement with the (P4O12)4– anions in the trigonal prismatic voids (Ba2(P4O12)&n8729;3.5H2O, C2/c, Z = 4, a = 777.3(2), b = 1297.6(2), c = 1346.1(3) pm, b = 95.38(2)°, wR2 = 0.071, R1 = 0.018, 1180 reflections, 118 parameters). The vibrational spectra of Ba2(P4O12)&n8729;3.5H2O and its thermal behavior up to 720 K are also reported.


Dua, Jatin. 2019. Captured at sea: Piracy and protection in the Indian Ocean. Oakland, CA: University of California Press.
Appel, Hannah. 2019. The licit life of capitalism. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Sopranzetti, Claudio. 2018. Owners of the map: Motorcycle taxi drivers, mobility, and politics in Bangkok. Oakland, CA: University of California Press.


A computer design system featuring modular architecture and local processing power permits natural interaction between the designer and the computer-based product model.


In this paper, we discuss the uncertain portfolio selection problem where the asset returns are represented by interval data. Since the parameters are interval values, the gain of returns is interval value as well. A new multiperiod mean semi-absolute deviation interval portfolio selection model with the transaction costs, borrowing constraints, threshold constraints and diversification degree of portfolio has been proposed, where the return and risk are characterized by the interval mean and interval semi-absolute deviation of return, respectively. The diversification degree of portfolio is measured by the presented possibilistic entropy. Threshold constraints limit the amount of capital to be invested in each stock and prevent very small investments in any stock. Based on interval theories, the model is converted to a dynamic optimization problem. Because of the transaction costs, the model is a dynamic optimization problem with path dependence. The discrete approximate iteration method is designed to obtain the optimal portfolio strategy. Finally, the comparison analysis of differently desired number of assets and different preference coefficients are provided by numerical examples to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed approach and the designed algorithm.


We studied on the "acellular mineral deposition" preceding bone induction by bone matrix gelatin (BMG). It was thought that "acellular mineral deposition" was formed by accumulation of calcium and phosphate without osteogenic cells and matrix vesicles, and may be significant for differentiation of osteoblast. Several new methods were developed to study "acellular mineral deposition". New bone, uncalcified BMG and cartilage could easily be distinguished by differences in their staining intensities with hematoxylin and eosin. Calcified areas of epoxy sections could be stained with alizarin red S by heating and drying at 120°C. Toluidine blue, basic fuchsin and methylene blue, and various other stains were used for the study of bone induction in epoxy sections. Simple methods involving electron probe X-ray microanalysis, electron diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were developed for the analysis of minerals in sections prepared for histological observation.


Conventional SU-8 lithography process for fabricating microfluidic devices ofthe uses silicon or glass as wafer materials. Since silicon and glass are hard and brittle, drilling fluid access holes or dicing the wafers into individual devies are difficult. We investigated the use of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as a new wafer material. PMMA, an amorphous thermoplastic, was chosen for being easy to drill or cut, biocompatible, transparent, and much cheaper than silicon or glass wafers. Moreover, is thermal expansion coefficient ideally matches that of SU-8. PMMA poorly resists solvents, and has low glass transition temperature (105°C). Thus, the conventional process needed to be modified. The wafer was only cleaned with isopropyl alcohol and deionized water. The baking temperature was lowered to 90°C. In addition, a "base layer" of SU-8, helping to achieve a high quality structural pattern, was coated before coating the actual structural SU-8 layer. A Tesla valve, a non-moving part microfluidic valve, was successfully fabricated in SU-8 using thr presented process,. However, the PMMA wafer bowed ue to the thermal residual during baking steps. Despite the bowing which can be solved by increasing wafer thickness, we conclude that PMMA is a promising wafer material for a SU-8 process.


Aim of the work:  there is an increased interest in the role of magnesium ions in clinical medicine, nutrition and physiology. Magnesium affects many cellular functions, including transport of potassium and calcium ions and modulates signal transduction, energy metabolism and cell proliferation. Magnesium deficiency is not uncommon among the general population: its intake has decreased over the years. Magnesium derangement results in various symptoms and signs; magnesium supplementation or intravenous infusion may be beneficial in various diseased states; so this review aimed to highlight the physiology of magnesium in humans, the derangement of magnesium in the form of hyper and hypomagnesemia , their clinical picture and the clinical and therapeutic uses of magnesium in the critical ill patients  .
Methods: references were obtained from Medline, Google Scholar and Ovid from 1960 to 2017. All categories of articles (clinical trials, reviews, or metaanalyses) on this topic were selected.
Conclusion: magnesium is a critical physiological ion; it has many known indications in anesthesiology and intensive care because of its interactions with drugs used in intensive care. Intensive care specialists need to have a clear understanding of the role of this important cation. Magnesium is gaining recognition as a clinically important electrolyte in intensive care and emergency medicine .Recent clinical trials and case reports increase interest of magnesium as an effective therapeutic agent for potentially life-threatening problems such as torsade de pointes, digitalis toxicity, bronchospasm and alcohol withdrawal, subarachnoid hemorrhage, acute myocardial infarction, preecalmsia , eclamsia ,hypertension , diabetes , metabolic syndrome and cardiac arrhthymias  .


The dynamic performance of scarf adhesive joints (SAJs) in fiber-reinforced polymer composites is a new topic that is not available in the literature yet; introducing it is one of the objectives of...


In this work the use of an inoculation tower for resistance screening in rose genotypes was compared to field infection. Furthermore, a method to evaluate powdery mildew resistance on seedlings in a greenhouse by use of inoculated plants was evaluated. The resistance of these seedlings in the greenhouse was compared to the field performance of the genotypes in the second year of selection after multiplication of the seedlings.


Kaipainen, Lauri Effects of psd2 on Security Architecture of Mobile Banking: A Review of Literature. Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2017, 49 p. Information System Sciences, Master's Thesis Supervisor: Siponen, Mikko This thesis aims to find out the changes that the Payment Service Directive (PSD2) will bring to the security architecture of mobile banking. PSD2 will create a situation where security mechanisms are separated from the actual banking application. Payment service providers must provide their Application Programming Interface for third party developers to give them access to authentication of payment transactions. PSD2 requires payments service providers to offer strong customer authentication with separate authentication mechanism from the banking application. This thesis found that academic literature about the security architecture of mobile banking does not provide a model where a separate authentication mechanism should communicate separately from the mobile banking application. Academic research could however, provide solution to use the Public Key Infrastructure of a certificateless asymmetric encryption to achieve demand of PSD2 to offer strong encryption and means to check the integrity of data and make transactions non-reputable. The research in this thesis was conducted as a systematic literature review, which found 22 academic publications about the security architecture. The comparison between the demands of PSD2 with the academic literature was done by listing security demands and responsibilities of PSD2 and comparing them with themes found from the research material.


A novel method called alternating convex optimization is presented to synthesize unequally spaced linear arrays with minimum element spacing constraint. In this method, the problem of synthesizing an unequally spaced array is formulated as a sequence of alternating convex optimization problems, and the excitation vector and auxiliary weighting vector are alternately chosen as the optimization variables. The minimum spacing constraint for considering the physical element antenna size can be easily imposed in this alternating optimization process. Two examples for synthesizing unequally spaced linear arrays with focused and shaped patterns are provided to validate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed method.


THE Raman effect in diamond has been studied by several investigators, viz., Ramaswamy (1930), Robertson and Fox (1930), Bhagavantam (1930), Robertson, Fox and MartŸ (1934) and Nayar (1941, 1942). They reported the existence of only a single sharp and intense Ramml line with a frequeney shift of 1332 cm. -1 corresponding to the triply degenerate vibration of the two Bravais lattices of carbon atoms with respect to each other. Investigations by Robeitson, Fox and Martin (1936) on the infla-red absorption spectrum and those by Nayar (1941 a, 1942 a) and by Miss /V[ani (1944) on the ]uminescence and absorption spectra of diamond, however, indieated that the lattice spectrum includes many more vibrations with discrete frequencies besides the one with the frequency shift of 1332cm. -1 so far recorded in the Raman spectrum. Ir Was therefore natural to expect that some of these vibrations would manifest themselves as second order Raman fines in ah intensely exposed spectrum of diamond. Aceordingly, the author (K,rishnan, 1944) undertook a re-enamination of the Raman effect in diamond. The technique of using the visible and near ultra-violet radiations of the mereury arc as exciter has been exploited to the limits of its utility by the investigators already referred to, and eonsequently no further useful informatŸ regarding the second order speetrum of diamond would be got by employing the same. Using the extremely intense 2536-5 mercury resonance radiation from a water-cooled magaet-controUed mercury aro as exciter and diamonds of the ultraviolet transparent type, the author suceeeded in recording a spectrum which exhibited besides the intense line with a frequeney shift of 1332 cm. -1, no fewer than ten Raman lines of comparatively feeble intensity, These constitute the Raman spectrum of the second order in diamond, the appearance of whieh Was predicted on the basis of the Raman dynamics of crystal lattices. In the preliminary investigation the results of which were published in the ear!ier symposium (Krishnan, 1944), the author had used a quartz spectrograph of small dispersion. Because of this and also due to imperfect reproduction, the second order Raman lines are not


Informal food vending has grown as a form of employment in South Africa's cities and rural districts, particularly post 1994. For many, participating in informal food vending is the only option to earn a livelihood. The aim of this study was to describe the conditions of women who live on the margins of society and struggle as informal food vendors. Through purposive sampling, 12 qualitative in depth interviews were conducted with black African women in the Durban central business district. Findings show the majority of participants lack support from their male spouses despite the labour intensive work that they are forced to do. Unorthodox cooking skills are required to prepare meals for customers and efficiency in production and marketing is required as the sales contribute to family livelihoods. Findings highlight the abuse and exploitation these vendors are exposed to by unscrupulous municipal officials and the lack of municipal and organised labour assistance to address their economic marginalisation and social repression. This study highlights the challenges that these women face in the informal economy and their negative perceptions (as 'foreigners') of civic organisations in Durban, South Africa. (186 words)


The guide highlights some of the most important developments in 2010 affecting family caregivers, including legislative and policy changes; research focused on caregivers; and media coverage of family caregiving. The majority of the report is not original content and the primary sources are cited and hyper-linked throughout the report.


The following research paper gives a different type of voltage mode multifunction filter which is of first order, which consist of only one OTRA block that is operational transresistance amplifier and few of the passive components. This structure can be used for employing different types of filter functions of 1st order. The proposed device is simulated with the parameters of 0.5µm CMOS which is defined by MOSIS (AGILENT). The results are verified using simulation software PSPICE.


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are reported to possess lower than normal levels of Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. The contribution of copper status to these low values has not been examined. To address this issue, blood samples were obtained from 10 RA patients before and after 28 days of daily oral copper supplementation (2 mg/day). All patients were receiving gold therapy. Each RA subject, before supplementation, displayed lower erythrocyte SOD values than any of 25 age matched controls. The mean value for the RA subjects was about 40% lower than the control mean, whether expressed as units per ml packed cells or per mg hemoglobin. Erythrocyte SOD activity levels were increased in all subjects by the 4 week copper supplementation, with 7 of the patients showing at least a 22% increase. Presupplement SOD activities showed no correlation with serum C-reactive protein contents, an indicator of acute phase response. Serum levels of the copper containing acute phase protein ceruloplasmin, showed variable responses to copper supplementation. The studies described here are currently being extended to include RA subjects not being treated with gold and to include supplemented controls.


Semitransparent materials are examined for their suitability as thermal calibrators in millimeter-wave radiometry. It is shown that at 75 GHz, a typical error of about 20°C is incurred in the calibration of a radiometer when the semitransparent material is assumed to be opaque.


Indiana: an Interpretation. By John Bartlow Martin. Introduction by James H. Madison. (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, [1992]. $32.50, cloth; $5.95, paper.) For obvious reasons, most reviews introduce new books, or newly published reissues. The present book was first published in 1947, and reprinted several years ago. The reason for this review is personal: the reviewer has only recently discovered it and, a great admirer of John Bartlow Martin's two-volume biography of Adlai E. Stevenson II, wishes to bring Indiana: an Interpretation to the attention of other enthusiasts for Illinois and Midwestern history who may have missed it. For the fact is that Martin (1915-1987) was an extraordinarily fine writer and, whether one agrees with his various positions or not, this book reflects his great gifts as an observer, an interpreter, and a stylist. He lived in Illinois for many years, and his longest and probably finest work was about Stevenson, a major figure in Illinois and national history. Fortunately, James H. Madison, himself an excellent historian of Indiana, has appreciated Martin's rare qualities, and provides a model introduction, containing the essentials of Martin's own life as well as a sensitive highlighting of the book's special characteristics. Before proceeding further, one must note the price of the paperback edition listed above. It is not a misprint. But it suggests that Indiana University Press is eager to sell off the rest of their edition. Now, it appears, is the time to buy! Most of the things this reviewer disagrees with in Martin's Indiana are characteristics of the dominant intellectual culture of the twentieth century, especially as manifested in those historians who extravagantly praised Democratic Progressives, New Dealers, reform Darwinists, and writers of pessimistic fiction. My ten years of higher education were shaped by history professors who loved to make Republicans seem like buffoons and Democrats like wise and noble statesmen; and Professors of American Literature who praised the dark imaginings of Hawthorne and Melville, while dismissing the devout and sentimental Mrs. Stowe as sub-literary. Professor Madison, comparing Martin to most of those who have cultivated state and local history for reasons of patriotism and boosterism, finds Martin's attitude bracingly different. In fact it was highly conventional, except that most of the literary intellectuals who saw things the way Martin did were not much given to writing state and local history; when they did write it, they had few readers. In Martin's case that is a shame. For even where he is most dogmatic, as in mourning the passing of the family farm, the rise of commercial agriculture, and above all the triumph of profit-driven industrial capitalism, he can not describe a villain (such as the antiSemite, anti-Communist, America Firster Court Asher) without filling in the details that make him a twisted human being, yet human still. …


Biconjugate Gradient Stabilized (BiCGStab) method is a popular iterative method for solving massive linear system of equations with sparse asymmetric coefficient matrix. Implementing methods of BiCGStab on CUDA-enabled GPU libraries are given in the paper. Performance comparisons are made. Different matrix storage formats were used in the implementations and the experiments. Based on the study, suggestions of solving different kinds of linear system of equations are given.


[From the introduction]. "Building security in our neighbourhood" is one of the three objectives of the European Security Strategy (ESS), the document approved by the European Council in December 2003 that defines the major threats and security objectives of the European Union. Among the three objectives identified - addressing the key threats (terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, regional conflicts, state failure, organised crime), building security in the neighbourhood, and building an international order based on effective multilateralism - two of them are linked to the EU's neighbourhood. The objective of addressing the key threats only indirectly relates to the areas surrounding the EU. Not all these security challenges coming from the EU's neighbourhood are peculiar to the region; however, the impact of these challenges on EU security, either real of perceived, can be still greater because of geographical proximity. On the other hand, the objective of building security in the neighbourhood is directly related to the areas surrounding the EU. This paper analyses whether the EU can be effective in building security in the Neighbourhood through the policy intiative that was launched specifically to achiece this goal: the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). In particular, the paper analyses whether the ENP is succeeding in meeting the security (sub)objectives laid out in the ESS. Finally some policy recommendations designed to make the ENP more effective in meeting these objectives will be made.


In this study that investigates a postmodern perspective of phenomenon of ____________________________________________________________________________ consumption has been focused to social meaning of consumption. Consumption plays a central role in the construction of social life in the postmodern period. In the postmodern approach ascribes to consumption a different meaning rather than an element of culture and it becomes a culture. Although the effectiveness and the prevalence of consumer culture is possible to specify that it has some contradictions. Postmodernism are used in a broad context until literature, art, economy, political ideologies. Postmodernism is usually focused on indicators of postmodernism rather than what it means. Consumer culture is one of the main indicators of postmodernism. Consumer culture uses consumer tools such as mass media tools, advertising, shopping malls and credit cards. In general, study has been adressed in two dimensions as the contradictions of consumer culture and consumer culture. It has been argues that come across as a culture of consumption from postmodern perspective and consumer culture has the contradictions of consumer culture.


Investigates cross‐cultural differences between European management learners in a French grande ecole using empirical research with five national groups. Tests a proposition that cross‐cultural differences exist within each of Kolb′s learning cycle stages, rather than between them. Finds support for this. Provides tentative learning "profiles" and makes suggestions for future questionnaire scale development.


Objective To explore the value of MRI in detecting the corpus callosum agenesis suspected by US.Methods 19 women with complicated pregnancies,aged from 20 to 37 years(average 28 years) and with gestation from 20 to 38weeks(average 29 weeks) were studied with a 1.5 T superconductive MR unit within 24 hours after ultrasound examinations and suspected with fetal corpus callosum agenesis.T2WI and T1WI were performed using HASTE and FLASH,respectively.The features of MRI and ultrasound were compared with that of autopsy or follow-up outcome.Results Of the 19 fetus,14 cases with fetal corpus callosum,3 cases with mild enlargement of lateral cerebral ventricle and 2 cases with leukodystrophy were confirmed by MRI.Of them,accompained with Dandy-Walker syndrome in one and lipoma of corpus callosum in one.One case of Dandy-Walker syndrome and microcephalus respectively missed by US was detected by MRI.Conclusion MRI is superior in displaying fetal corpus callosum agenesis than ultrasound,which is helpful in conforming the diagnosis of fetal corpus callosum,classification and additional cerebral anomalies.


A microwave ceramic dielectric material comprises a main crystal phase, a property-modifying additive, and a sintering fluxing agent, wherein the structural formula of the main crystal phase is xRTiO3-(1-x)LnAlO3, the R is Ca or Sr, the Ln is La or Sm, and the X is not less than 0.55 and not larger than 0.65; the property-modifying additive is a mixture of MnO2, Nb2O5 and MgO or a mixture of MnO2, Nb2O5, MgO and Y2O3; the sintering fluxing agent is a mixture of SiO2, ZnO, Li2O and BaO or a mixture of SiO2, ZnO, Li2O, K2O and BaO. According to the microwave ceramic dielectric material, the main crystal phase particles are uniform and finely crystalized, so that the microwave ceramic dielectric material can be sintered at the temperature of 1100-1250 DEG C, the production cost can be saved while relatively high Qf value being 35000-45000 GHz can be kept, dielectric constant K value and Tauf are continuously adjustable within a certain range, the K value is 35-48, and the Tauf ranges from minus 20 ppm/DEG C to 20 ppm/DEG C. The invention further provides a preparation method for the microwave ceramic dielectric material.


would also render the volume more in tune with current approaches and help clarify why even the 'significantly revamped form of Euro–American international law' that emerged from that era was unable to transform international relations of domination and subjugation (Emmanuelle Tourme Jouannet, p. 375). Moving beyond the South–North dichotomy, the final two chapters, along with Marrti Koskenniemi's 'half-personal, half-professional' reflection in the epilogue, provide welcome insight into how the Third World project of transforming international law was perceived (if at all) by actors in the Soviet Union, the US and Europe. As a whole, the volume offers a provocation to pay attention to 'how legal forms emerge and are stabilized as authoritative, and to what might be at stake in that stabilization' (Pahuja and Saunders, p. 141). Ultimately, the volume's assessment of Third World actors' varied and overlapping attacks on colonial international law, and the reaction to it, helps us understand the persistent 'oscillation between inclusion and exclusion, recognition and rejection, universalization and particularization' that characterises international law today (Hoffman and Assy, p. 215).


Reduced-rank subspace projection methods are used indirectly in frequency and angle-of-arrival estimation algorithms such as MUSIC and its relatives, but they are not commonly used directly in least-squares detection applications. The author has been exploring their use for the processing of underwater acoustic receiver array data for detection and matched-field localization. He describes and illustrates several techniques that have been developed and applied to signals recorded from different types of arrays.<<ETX>>


This thesis introduces construction technology,construction quality issues,and improving measures of common high-rise building exterior insulation,analyzes common problems occurring in exterior insulation construction,and puts forward field construction controlling points,with a view to guarantee the construction quality of exterior insulation,and ot realize insulation and energy conservation.


As provincial bestcourse,forestry ecology course have achieved prominent achievement in the past twenty years throught construction of the creative base.Experience and enlightenment on construction of forestry ecology practice base in the past twenty years was described in this paper,which would offer references for improving the innovative consciousness and practical ability of students.


drug trafficking) and adopted a hierarchical leadership, typically exercised by imprisoned veteranos (senior gang members). A minority of Central American gang members and cliques has developed ties to DTOs, but gang crime continues to be versatile and independent. Similarly, gang leaders are better understood as shotcallers who enjoy influence but can be replaced. For example, Lara highlights the emblematic case of 'el Viejo Lin ', identified by the Salvadorean authorities and mass media as the national Dieciocho leader, but following internal disputes the gang has removed this member from his post and sentenced him to death. Central America serves as a drug transit zone, and Lara narrates how the Central American gangs have come to conduct low-level criminal activities, protect territories and facilitate drug trafficking activities on behalf of Mexican and Colombian DTOs. Paid in drugs designed for local distribution, gang members have gained significant control over domestic drug markets and have arguably begun to compete with the DTOs. Lara acknowledges that MS-13 and Dieciocho have not yet acquired the dimensions of drug cartels, but he perceives a growing integration between the gangs in Central America and their counterparts in the United States. There, he adds, Dieciocho has reportedly also begun to import drugs. Again, this analysis shows a lack of nuance. First, there is reason to question the extent of street gang involvement in drug trafficking. In Central America gang members and drug traffickers constitute two different groups, with the former typically purchasing drugs from the cartels for street-level drug sales rather than sourcing them independently. Second, US-based MS-13 and Dieciocho have recently upgraded their involvement in drug distribution from retail-level to wholesale-level activities, but there is no evidence that they have turned to imports ; the US drug trade is dominated by Mexican DTOs, and Central American trafficking networks are not required to source drugs. Overall, this is a comprehensive assessment of MS-13 and Dieciocho that draws on a wealth of sources. It lacks conceptual grounding, however, and leaves the reader in doubt about the nature of the threat and ultimately the policy responses it requires. The book will undoubtedly be consulted by many students of Central American gang transformation, but readers would do well to peruse its pages with a healthy dose of scepticism.