We consider a class of n-dimensional elliptic generators having almost periodic coefficients depending on finitely many rationally independent frequencies in each coordinate. A strong law of large numbers and a functional central limit theorem are proved for such diffusions.


In recent years, the number of car has been increasing, and car has gradually become an indispensable mean of transportation for people to travel. However, along with the rapid growth of car brings convenience to people's life, it also brings many negative effects to the development of road traffic. More and more traffic accidents have happened, and most traffic accidents are caused by fatigue driving. In order to reduce traffic accidents caused by fatigue driving, many methods have been proposed. However, these methods cannot guarantee the accuracy and speed of detection at the same time. So, a fatigue driving detection method based on multi feature fusion is presented in this paper. Firstly, MTCNN is used to improve the face tracking algorithm based on MedianFlow. Then a new face key points detection model based on CNN is proposed, the result of face key points detection can be used to locate the eyes. Finally, information such as eye closing time, blinking frequency and head position are fused to detect fatigue driving. Experimental results show that the fatigue driving detection method proposed in this paper has a good result on speed and accuracy.


This experiment introduces students to an important aspect of colloidal chemistry by examining commercial colloidal silica sols through light scattering.


Objective: To improve the understanding of X rays features of congenital megacolon and its diagnosis in early stage. Methods: Plain abdominal films, barium enema, clinical features, surgical and pathological materials of 60 cases of atypical neonatal congenital megacolon were retrospectively reviewed and compared with those of 60 typical cases. Results: The younger patients were, the more atypical of barium enema was. But in comparative study, we found a few X rays features that had diagnostic value. Conclusion: We can present a radiological standard for reference on the basis of combination of some valuable X rays findings. Furthermore, we can put forward something that should be noticed in the enema examination.


The article proves that excursion technique is one of the effective forms of conducting the psychology classes. The authors point out that the developed excursion program is based on biographic method as one of the scientific and historical research methods. The study points out the fact that provincial psychology has been developing as a fullfledged part of the Russian psychological science; typical picture of the Russian Empire scientific psychology development is presented in the article. The suggested approach expands the students' knowledge on history of psychology, systematizesthe ideas of the Russian psychology development.


Objective: To study the apoptosis of the Tca8113 squamous cell carcinoma cell line induced by different doses of abscisic acid(ABA) in animal models. Methods: A squamous cell carcinoma model was established in nude mice using the Tca8113 cell line. The model animals were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group. ABA at two different concentrations(0.5mmol/L and 1mmol/L) was injected directly into tumors of mice in the experimental group. The inhibitory rate was observed and detected by staining with hematoxylin and eosin and in situ hybridization. Results: In the experimental group, the density of cancer cells was decreased. Horny pearls were seen in tumor tissues with some infiltrating lymphocytes in connective tissues. In the control group, a large number of new vessels were observed. In the experimental group, the tumor inhibitory rate of ABA was 26.7% at 0.5 mmol/L and 36.1% at 1mmol/L, with a significant difference between the 2 groups(P0.01). A significant difference was found in the tumor weight between the experimental group and the control group(P0.001). For the experimental group, in situ hybridization showed the presence of Caspase-3 mRNA in the cytoplasm and some cell nuclei. Expression of Caspase-3 mRNA was not observed in the control group. The rate of positive expression was 0.27±0.02 in the tumors treated with ABA at 0.5 mmol/L and 0.22±0.02 in those treated with ABA at 1mmol/L. No structural changes in the important organs such as the lungs, kidneys, etc. were observed in either group. Conclusion: ABA can suppress transplanted Tca8113 squamous cell carcinoma growth in nude mice by increasing the expression of Caspase-3 mRNA and inducing apoptosis.


In this paper we analyse the meaning planned by a t eacher to introduce the Central Limit Theorem to engineers. This meaning takes into accou nt the nature of variables and different approaches to the distribution of the sum or random variables. The planning of teaching is based on the mathematical knowledge about the theorem and the theoretical framework about semiotic functions, which is currently been developed at the University of Granada, Spain. The different elements of meaning for this theorem were character ised after the analysis of a sample of University statistics textbooks, the study of the tevolution along history and previous research related to its understanding. The didactic proposal incorporates simulation with manipulative materials and the @Risk Software (Risk analyser for Microsoft Excel ). Results from this work will serve to improve the correct applica tion of different elements of meaning for central limit theorem when solving engineering prob lems and to prepare new didactic proposals to teach statistics to engineers.


Lunzan , which is the remark being attached to historical biography, is one kind of Chinese ancient historical comment. Lunzan in History of Song is the review of history of the Song Dynasty by historiographers of the Yuan Dynasty and the final judgement as well. The purpose of review, whose respect concentrates on the lessons of success and failure of a dynasty , summarizing gain and loss of institutions , appraising and disparaging the good and evil of historical figures, is to gain enlightenment and education for the rulers. The Confucian thought, especially the value of idealist philosophy is the criterion of Lunzan in History of Song. Meanwhile, the historiographers grasp the pattern of rise and decline of the Song Dynasty history applying Si Maqian's researching method of communicating the changes in all ages, they also inherited the good tradition of recording history truly and frankly.


The development of artificial intelligence, wireless communication and smart sensor platform facilities the emergence of multitude of novel vehicular applications in recent years. These new vehicular applications usually are realized with BIG models, which are normally delay sensitive and computation intensive. To alleviate the heavy pressure on the resource-constrained vehicles, computation offloading has been regarded as a promising approach to circumvent this challenge. In this paper, we take the deep learning model as an BIG model example to investigate the computation offloading in a vehicular cloud network. Specifically, task division technology is utilized to decomposed the BIG model into several components, in which there are dependencies between multiple components. To satisfy the requirements of delay-sensitive vehicular applications, it is crucial to propose an efficient computation offloading scheme. To solve it, a novel deep reinforcement learning algorithm is proposed, wherein a common deep learning model is maintained by all agents. The reward mechanism is elaborately designed to combine the long-term reward and short-term reward. In the final, the proposed algorithm's effectiveness is verified by the experimental simulations.


the signal integrality and reliability are analyzed in high-speed multilayer PCB design of real-time digital image compres-sion.In which high performance DSP TMS320C6414 of Texas Instruments was used to complete the digital image compression algo-rithm.The problems of signal integrality are described.The problems of line reflection,ringing,cross talk and electromagnetic inter-ference were solved by using simulator Hyperlynx.The concrete measures were put forward to prevent and restrain the electro-mag-netic interference in high-speed multilayer PCB design of real-time digital image compression.


Lemon (Citrus) are acidic fruits of family Rutaceae. Lemon is called the tree of life because of its various medicinal properties. Almost all parts of the fruit can be used against different diseases due to its wide range of medicinal property. Other than nutritional content they also have antioxidant, antimicrobial, insect repellent, medicinal and many other properties. Different biocompoundsof the fruit can replace the function of synthetic drugs which are available in market. In the present study, the antimicrobial extent of crude juice, different extracts of leaf (matured and young), peel and standards streptomycin and tetracycline (1mg/mL) was determined against E. coli by agar diffusion method. The highest and minimum inhibition zone was found in crude juice (more than the standard) and matured leaf respectively. MIC for the crude juice was recorded as 0.01μL/mL (v/v) and for streptomycin and tetracycline was recorded as 0.1μg/mL and 0.01μg/mL respectively. The study clearly points out the antimicrobial potential emphasizing the importance of incorporating lemon as a regular component in diet.


Citation: Chiaradia A, Ramirez F, Forero MG and Hobson KA (2016) Stable Isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) Combined with Conventional Dietary Approaches Reveal Plasticity in Central-Place Foraging Behavior of Little Penguins Eudyptula minor. Front. Ecol. Evol. 3:154. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00154 Stable Isotopes ( 13 1 δ C, 5 δ N) Combined with Conventional Dietary Approaches Reveal Plasticity in Central-Place Foraging Behavior of Little Penguins Eudyptula minor


The dependence of the longitudinal sound velocity on the bias magnetic field and tensile stress in Fe/sub 77.5/Si/sub 7.5/B/sub 15/ amorphous wires are presented, The measurements were made using the magnetostrictive delay line principle. The results show that changes in longitudinal sound velocity with bias magnetic field and tensile stress applied along the length of amorphous wires are strongly dependent on the thermal treatment. In the as-cast state, the change of the longitudinal sound velocity is negligible. There is a monotonic dependence of the sound velocity value on the tensile stress up to about 12 MPa. For about 16 MPa and 600 A/m tensile stress and bias magnetic field magnitude, respectively the saturation value of the longitudinal sound velocity is reached.


The patient was a22-year and7month old male with total crossbite, skeletal mandibular protrusion ( Overjet-8mm). The arch width was narrow. Cephalometric analysis demonstrated a skeletal class III jaw deformity with KIX1.75. Although this case was an orthognathic case, treatment was performed orthodontically according to the patient's wish, using rapid maxillary expansion and differential force system. The duration of active treatment was2 year and8months. After2 years of retention, the occlusion remained stable.


The structures and vibrational frequencies of the α- and β-isomers of the phosphomolybdate Keggin anion [PMo 1 2 O 4 0 ] 3 - have been calculated by using density functional theory. Good agreement between the calculated unscaled vibrational frequencies and those determined experimentally and between the calculated and observed IR traces has been obtained allowing the IR and Raman spectra to be assigned. For the α-isomer, the agreement with experiment using the current level of theory is superior to that obtained previously. For the β-isomer, for which no non-empirical study has previously been reported, the agreement with experiment is slightly poorer but still allows the spectrum to be assigned unambiguously. To calculate the structure and vibrational spectra of these large molydate cluster ions requires large basis sets and a good treatment of electron correlation and relativistic effects. For the 53-atom [PMo 1 2 O 4 0 ] 3 - ions, the computational demands are very high, requiring several months computational time. The calculated IR spectral traces for the two isomers are quite similar due to the relative flexibility of the molybdates, where the slight weakening of the bonding of the rotated trimetallic unit to the rest of the cluster in the β-isomer is compensated by contraction of the bonds within the unit, and the structure of the [MO 6 ] and [PO 4 ] units in the two isomers is nearly identical. The vibrations characteristic of the bridging Mo-O-Mo bonds involve both the "2-2" junctions between rotated [M 3 O 1 3 ] units and the "1-2" junctions between rotated and unrotated units. The separation of "ligand" and "interligand" vibrations is not clear. The vibrational analyses confirm the high symmetry, namely T d and C 3 v for the α- and [3-isomers, respectively, assumed by previous workers in this field. The characteristic group frequencies for the Type I polyoxometalates containing both edge-and corner-sharing I octahedra have been identified.


Many current proposals for policy reform call for the use of economic incentives. The growing application of economic incentives in a number of policy areas necessitates continuing critical examination of the claims for and the criticisms of their use. Early empirical evidence on the implementation of incentive schemes serves to shed light on the validity of some of the supporting and opposing arguments. By continuing the assessment of the viability of economic incentives, this study reveals that incentive alternatives face obstacles to use stemming from implementation problems, but political and philosophical issues pose greater threats. Nevertheless, the use of incentives can best be defended on political and moral grounds. Political resistance can be overcome and incentives can be employed effectively, if incentive schemes are understood as fostering one form of social interaction in a mixed regime.


Combinatorial Interaction Testing has shown great potential for effectively testing Software Product Lines (SPLs). An important part of this type of testing is determining a subset of SPL products in which interaction errors are more likely to occur. Such sets of products are obtained by computing a so called t-wise Covering Array (tCA), whose computation is known to be NP-complete. Recently, the ICPL algorithm has been proposed to compute these covering arrays. In this research-in-progress paper, we propose a set of rules that exploit basic feature model knowledge to reduce the number of elements (i.e. t-sets) required by ICPL without weakening the strength of the generated arrays. We carried out a comparison of runtime performance that shows a significant reduction of the needed execution time for the majority of our SPL case studies.


Conflict exists throughout environments of all kinds. So every employee wants a healthy and competitive working environment in their organization. The main objective of this research article is to explore the factors concerning destructive or dysfunctional impacts of conflict in public and private sector banking organizations selected under study. After the extraction of factors concerning dysfunctional impacts, hierarchical cluster analysis has been employed to classify various observations or cases in clusters resulted into two-cluster solution and k-means cluster analysis has been further applied to find out the cluster membership according to various observations towards manifestations or impacts of organizational conflict in the selected banks under study. The sample includes 541 bank employees from 20 commercial banks situated in Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana cities of Punjab. Eight major factors have been extracted with the help of exploratory factor analysis, namely, (a) declining performance, profits and management creditability, (b) health and psychological problems, (c) detrimental impact upon working environment and organization, (d) declining cooperation, collaboration and efficiency among employees, (e) disappointments and widened gap of misunderstanding, (f) declining trust, morale and motivating power, (g) interruptions in organizational operations and (h) job dissatisfaction and resultant frustration. Further, analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant results towards various clusters so formed with the help of the multivariate technique of cluster analysis.


This study explored the common issues that emerged during a peer coaching intervention program for students with Asperger's Syndrome (AS). Nineteen undergraduate college students with AS (4 females, 15 males, age range: 18 – 23 years) participated in the Spectrum Support Pilot (i.e., peer coaching intervention program), and seven second-year graduate students (7 females, age range: 23 – 26 years) within the School Psychology program at the same university served as peer coaches. Peer coaches wrote DAP (Description, Assessment, Plan) notes, which provided qualitative information about each meeting with their students. DAP notes were coded for common themes; the following seven themes emerged from the notes, indicating that these were areas of difficulties for students with AS: (a) organization and time management; (b) emotional control and anxiety; (c) social interaction and communication; (d) behavior; (e) adaptive and independent living; (f) self-advocacy; and (g) flexibility and adaptability. Exploring common issues that students with AS face in postsecondary education can provide postsecondary institutions with a better understanding of these students' unique difficulties so that they can better support them. STUDENTS WITH ASPERGER'S SYNDROME 4 CHAPTER ONE Introduction Many students transitioning to postsecondary education face challenges adjusting to their new setting. Students with disabilities, however, face additional challenges and barriers adapting to postsecondary education. Postsecondary institutions have made considerable efforts to improve the transition process for students with disabilities by making accommodations to support their education (Wells et al., 2003); however research suggests that students with disabilities continue to lag behind their nondisabled peers (Murray, 2003; Blackorby & Wagner, 1996). Postsecondary students with disabilities can receive services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 laws do not require institutions to provide individualized education to students with disabilities. Instead institutions are only required to provide services or accommodations that will support their education. Section 504 laws require that students with disabilities not be discriminated against or excluded from any program. This law does take steps toward leveling the playing field for students who have a physical or mental disability, but the accommodations and services provided in college focus on broad academic needs rather than the specific needs of the student or his or her disability. As a result, students with disabilities in postsecondary education are expected to meet the same academic standards as nondisabled students, despite no change to the curriculum or instruction (Eckes & Ochoa, 2005). One disability that has increased application to postsecondary education is Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a behaviorally-defined disorder with deficits in social communication and behavior. Autism Spectrum Disorder is an umbrella term that includes Asperger's Syndrome (AS), which is often synonymous with High Functioning STUDENTS WITH ASPERGER'S SYNDROME 5 Autism. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-IV-TR (DSMIV-TR) those with AS have severe and sustained impairment in social interactions and in behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Despite social and behavioral difficulties, those with AS do not have deficits in their cognitive abilities, and in fact, usually have average to above average intelligence (Bedrossian & Pennamon, 2007). Because of their cognitive ability, those with AS may have an acute self-awareness of their social differences and lack of connectedness, leading to low self-esteem, increased social anxiety, and increased withdrawal from peers (Jobe & White, 2007). Being self-aware of their differences and alienation, being unable to overcome their difficulties, and having feelings of loneliness may lead to other psychological problems, such as anxiety or depression (Bedrossian & Pennamon, 2007; Jobe & White, 2007). Because of their cognitive abilities, postsecondary education has become an increasingly viable option for students with AS (Smith, 2007; Taylor, 2005). However, because of their social communication and behavioral difficulties, college life may be extremely difficult to adjust to. Further, these social and behavioral difficulties may subsequently interfere with their success and academic performance (Dillon, 2007; Glennon, 2001; VanBergeijk, Klin, & Volkmar, 2008). In order to support their education and transition to college, it is important to address the specific difficulties of those with AS. Yet, because Section 504 laws only require services to address general academic needs, not individualized needs, these laws may not be enough to ensure that these students succeed. Little is known about the unique challenges and needs of those with AS transitioning to postsecondary institutions (Adreon & Durocher, 2007; VanBergeijk et al., 2008). As a result, there is limited research on interventions or programs that have attempted to address the STUDENTS WITH ASPERGER'S SYNDROME 6 difficulties of those with AS. Mentor programs have been used effectively for students with disabilities who have a variety of difficulties, including social and behavioral (Dillon, 2007). A mentor or a coach allows for individualized and flexible support (Dillon, 2007) to address the unique challenges of students with AS. Taylor (2005) also suggested a tutor for personal issues and other difficulties that a student may experience beyond the academic piece of postsecondary education. Similarly, Williams (1995) suggested that a "buddy system" for younger children with AS, which would allow a student with AS to have a peer who models behavior, looks out for them, and assists them socially. Also, Stoddart (1998) suggests an individualized therapy approach, by meeting to discuss day-to-day issues, allowing the student with AS to understand social interactions in an applied setting and to understand social rules and norms in situations. With the additional social and behavioral difficulties for students with AS, it seems that services that are limited to academic difficulties are insufficient in supporting the postsecondary education of students with AS. As previously stated, research suggests using mentors, personal tutors, buddy systems, or individualized therapy. No outcome research was noted, but taking a peer intervention approach that incorporates these aforementioned components may prove to be effective in students' with AS transition to postsecondary education. The present study provided college students with AS with an intervention program that utilized a peer coach and sought to facilitate the transition to postsecondary education. The purpose of the present study was to explore the common issues that emerged during the peer coaching experience. Two specific research questions were addressed in this study: Did the issues that are common to the disorder, such as impairments in social interaction and behavioral difficulties, emerge during the peer coaching experience? What other issues, if any, related to their transition emerged? STUDENTS WITH ASPERGER'S SYNDROME 7 This study explored the common issues that emerged during the peer coaching experience by analyzing weekly progress notes. The effectiveness of the peer coaching experience in terms of the students' adaptation to college was not evaluated. Further, diagnosis of ASD was not confirmed by the institution and instead was based on documentation provided by the student. Definition of Terms Autism Spectrum Disorder: A pervasive developmental disorder with impairments in social interactions, communication, and behavior. The disorders range from severe, Autistic Disorder to a milder form, Asperger's Syndrome (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Asperger's Syndrome: An Autism Spectrum Disorder with impairments in social communication and behavior. Asperger's Syndrome is the mildest form of the Austim Spectrum Disorders, with no language or cognitive delays. Peer Coach: An individual in approximately the same age cohort who assists a peer in areas that the peer coach is efficient in. Postsecondary education: Education that is completed after high school graduation. STUDENTS WITH ASPERGER'S SYNDROME 8 CHAPTER TWO Review of the Literature As a student transitions from high school to postsecondary education, the experience can be challenging, but for a student with a disability, the experience can be even harder to navigate. Although there is a rise in students with disabilities entering postsecondary education (Eckes & Ochoa, 2005), research suggests that students with disabilities lag behind and have poorer outcomes than those without disabilities (Murray, 2003; Blackorby & Wagner, 1996). One must question, therefore, how extensive are transition services for students with disabilities entering postsecondary education? All students with a disability and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) must have a transition plan in effect no later than the age of 16, according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (deFur, 2003; Cummings, Maddux, & Casey, 2000). The transition component of the IEP aims to improve the outcomes of those with disabilities, as they move from high school to postsecondary education, and/or employment, and/or independent living, and/or community participation (deFur, 2003). The transition plan identifies specific activities that will support the individual's movement into his or her adult life. The transition plan must include measurable postsecondary goals and a clear path for the student to follow in order to reach his or her goals and to make the transition easier. Services, support systems, and agencies are all identified and coordinated so that the student can receive the necessary resources t


The prothrombin time (PT) is useful for identifying coagulation factor deficits after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). However, long processing times and the need for fresh frozen plasma (FFP) to be thawed cause delays in factor replacement. We hypothesized that, by treating with heparinase, blood sampled toward the end of CPB can provide PT results that help to determine the requirement for FFP after CPB. Laboratory delays can be eliminated with point-of-care monitors. We studied 158 adults undergoing nonemergent cardiac surgery. Blood taken before separation from CPB was mixed with heparinase, and PT was measured in the laboratory with a HemoTec timer. Agreements between these results and laboratory measurements of blood taken after systemic protamine were compared by using Bland and Altman plots with the threshold of ±1.0 s. We found that the laboratory PT measurements during CPB versus after CPB were compara-ble, but the limits of agreement exceeded these thresholds. Similarly, there was unsatisfactory agreement between the HemoTec and laboratory PT results measured before, during, and after CPB. For each PT measured during CPB, the corresponding confidence interval for the postprotamine PT was calculated. During CPB, a laboratory PT of ≤16 s or ≥18 s suggests a ≥83% or ≥93% probability of not requiring or potentially requiring, respectively, FFP after CPB. We conclude that the majority of PT measurements obtained from blood taken before weaning from CPB and treated in vitro with heparinase was associated with a high probability of whether or not FFP would be needed after CPB.


The authors present an algorithm for the generation of frequency-modulation sinusoids (or complex exponentials), which avoids the use of trigonometric or exponential functions. It is shown that a sinusoid (exponential) with a polynomial phase of an arbitrary order N can be recursively generated with N complex multiplications per sample. This result extends a previous algorithm for the generation of complex Gaussian functions and it is derived in a more concise manner. The application of this novel technique in the context of harmonic coding of speech is also briefly described. The proposed technique allows significant computational savings and is therefore important for real-time implementation of harmonic coding algorithms.<<ETX>>


The luminescence properties of scheelites with composition AWO4–U and AMoO4–U (A=Ca, Sr, or Ba) are reported. The red luminescence is due to a tetrahedral UO2−4 group. There is a strong vibronic coupling with low‐frequency vibrational modes. Further the frequency of the symmetric and asymmetric stretching vibrations of the UO2−4 tetrahedron have been determined. The dramatic variation of the luminescence quenching temperature with the nature of the A ion is related to the position and the width of higher excited charge‐transfer transitions. The radiant decay times are rather short (10–20 μs). Their temperature dependence shows that at least four energy levels are involved in the radiative emission processes. The green luminescence can be ascribed to the presence of a second phase of composition AUO4.


This paper examines a time optimal control problem for a dielectrophoretic system. The system consists of a neutrally buoyant and neutrally charged particle in a chamber filled with a fluid flowing with low Reynolds number. At the bottom of this chamber is a series of parallel electrodes with a controlled voltage. The voltage on the electrodes creates a timevarying nonuniform electric field inducing a dipole moment in the particle. This induced dipole moment interacts with the electric field to generate a force on the particle. There are two state variables x and y, where x is the position of the particle and y is the induced dipole moment. The system has two parameters α and c which depend on the electric characteristics of the particle and the ambient fluid. The parameter c is always positive by the laws of physics, but α can have either sign. The time-optimal control problem for this system with α ≪ 0 and y(0) = 0 was studied in [1]. In this article, we solve the time-optimal control problem when α ≧ 0 and y(0) is arbitrarily pre-specified.


The use of some kinds of glasslike-hard carbons was found to lead to selective synthesis of the corresponding Kolbe coupled products in high yields comparable to the use of a Pt anode in anodic oxi...


Every iteration of an interior point method of large scale linear programming requires computing at least one orthogonal projection of the objective function gradient onto the null space of a linear operator defined by the problem constraint matrix A. The orthogonal projection itself is in turn dominated by the inversion of the symmetric matrix of form AcA T, where c is a diagonal weighting matrix. In this paper several specific issues of implementation of the Cholesky factorization that can be applied for solving such equations are discussed. The code called CHFACT being the result of this work is shown to produce comparably sparse factors as the state-of-the-art implementation of the Cholesky decomposition of George and Liu (1981). It has been used for computing projections in an efficient implementation of a higher order primal-dual interior point method of Altman and Gondzio (1992a, b). Although primary aim of developing CHFACT was to include it into an LP optimizer, the code may equally well be used ...


In the project of Energy-saving Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Technology of Japan, reliable automatic platooning by trucks is a main objective for highway transportation. The utilization of a driving simulator is useful to examine the safety of the automatic platooning by the Project. The driving simulator must be the same as an actual truck with software and hardware. Therefore, a new type of driving simulator was constructed to reproduce truck dynamics and control. A full-scale cabin of truck on a moving platform of six-degree-of-freedom was integrated into the driving simulator. To construct software architecture for automatic platooning, TruckSim as a general truck simulation software was embedded into Simulink, and a gap distance controller for longitudinal and lateral directions was designed. By the experiment using the driving simulator, on the assumption of system failure in forming automatic platooning of trucks from a manual drive or adaptive cruise control (ACC) to an automatic platooning of the truck, driver behaviors for the emergency avoidance in a following truck were studied.


Essential for all known living organisms, nitrogen is often the limiting nutrient in most of the open ocean and other types of marine environments. Therefore it is important to understand the budget and cycling of nitrogen, which supports primary production. Nitrogen takes multiple forms with different reduction-oxidation (redox) states, and the transformation between them controls the biological availability of nitrogen. Strong redox gradients in the environment are hotspots of nitrogen cycling, which is largely mediated by microorganisms. This thesis reports investigations of microbial nitrogen cycling in two types of marine environments characterized by sharp oxygen gradients: oceanic oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) and salt marsh sediments. Nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and then nitrate, links the most reduced and the most oxidized forms nitrogen. It was recently discovered that ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are one of the most abundant groups of picoplankton in the ocean. Although AOA are considered to be obligate aerobes, high abundances of AOA functional genes were reported at anoxic depths of OMZs. I analyzed the AOA community composition in OMZs using a DNA microarray, and found that the AOA assemblages at anoxic depths were not different from those at oxic depths. This suggests that AOA might possess some unknown metabolism that allows them to survive at anoxic conditions. Nitrification produces substrates for denitrification, the sequential reduction of nitrate to dinitrogen gas, which is highly active in both OMZs and salt marsh sediments. The depth and


The paper preliminarily discusses the longitudinal dynamic characteristic of the rope for light-duty height cableway,the service life of the rope can be estimated from the calculated fluctuating dynamic stress.


We used a two‐dimensional coupled heat and fluid flow model to investigate large‐scale, lateral heat and fluid transport on the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Cool seawater in the natural system is inferred to enter basement where it is exposed close to the spreading center and flow laterally beneath thick sediments, causing seafloor heat flow to be depressed relative to that input at the base of the plate. The flow rate, and thus the properties of permeable basement (the flow layer), controls the efficiency of lateral heat transport, as quantified through numerical modeling. We simulated forced flow in this layer by pumping water through at a fixed rate and quantified relations between flow rate, thickness of the permeable basement, and the extent of suppression of seafloor heat flow. Free flow simulations, in which fluid flow was not forced, match heat flow constraints if nonhydrostatic initial conditions are used and flow layer permeabilities are set to the high end of observed values (10−11 to 10−9 m2). To match seafloor heat flow observations, the models required lateral specific discharge of 1.2 to 40 m/yr for flow layer thicknesses of 600 to 100 m, respectively. The models also replicate differences in fluid pressures in basement, and the local distribution of pressures above and below hydrostatic. Estimated lateral flow rates are 10× to 1000× greater than estimates based on radiocarbon ages of basement pore waters. Estimated lateral flow rates based on thermal and chemical constraints can be reconciled if diffusion from discrete flow zones into less permeable stagnant zones in the crust is considered.


High-dimensionality and class imbalance represent two main challenges in classification. Recently, there is a growing number of datasets exhibiting the characteristics of the combination of the class imbalance and high-dimensionality. Genetic programming (GP) has been successfully applied to solve high-dimensional classification tasks. However, most existing GP methods may also suffer from a performance bias if the class distribution is unbalanced. Using fitness functions for cost adjustment is one of the most important methods in GP to address the class imbalance issue. This paper develops new fitness functions in GP to address the class imbalance issue in classification with high-dimensional unbalanced data. Two fitness functions are proposed to increase the performance of the traditional accuracy measures, and one fitness function is proposed to approximate Area Under Curve (AUC) with the goal to save the training time. Experiments on six high-dimensional unbalanced datasets show the better performance of the proposed fitness functions, compared to existing fitness functions.


The present paper proposes a number of objectives which it intends to fulfill: the spread of information aimed at children in primary school about the benefits of physical activity; thegauging of children's physical capabilities through the use of several controlled tests; the selection, elaboration and application of specific research methods tailored to the ageparticularities of children in primary school (10-11 year olds); analysis and interpretation of the gathered data. Between the initial and final testing, after applying the methods of choice,notable progress towards the completion of the physical tests has been registered, the main conclusion being that these tests can be successfully used for the purpose of the development of children's physical capabilities, as well as their cognitive and emotional intelligence.


Timing-driven optimization is essential for the success of closure flows. In this contest, we explore existing efficient buffer insertion and gate sizing algorithms to fix timing violations; and minimize area, leakage power, and clock period for a design without altering its functionality. Using the Galois infrastructure for parallelization, we prototype a fast timing-driven design optimizer, ParallelClosure, to effectively and efficiently optimize designs with a small number of timing violations.


A numberofchestradio- graphic scores havebeendeveloped toas- sesstheseverity ofrespiratory disease in cystic fibrosis butcritical statistical eval- uation hasbeenlimited. Inparticular, the chestradiograph componentoftheNa- tional Institutes ofHealth(NIH)clinical scorehasnotpreviously beenvalidated. Threedifferent chestradiograph scores havebeencomparedandtheassociation between themandlungfunction tests in- vestigated.


Originality/Value – The paper suggests that instead of using traditional financial-oriented management control systems, organizations need more focus on emerging SCS as a means of achieving sustainability objectives. In particular, the paper proposes different SCS tools that can be used in proactive strategic responses to sustainability pressures in terms of (i) specifying and communicating sustainability objectives, (ii) monitoring sustainability performance, and (iii) providing motivation by linking sustainability rewards to performance.


--Eurasian Oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) breeding on the salt marsh of Schiermonnikoog (Dutch Wadden Sea) lose many eggs to pred• Present address: Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow University, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom. E-mail: nv6r@udcf. gla.ac.uk 2 Present address: Alterra, P.O. Box 167, 1790 AD Den Burg, The Netherlands. 3 Present address: 3612 Logan Circle S.W., Calgary, Alberta T3E 5Z5, Canada. ators, mainly Herring (Larus argentatus) and Mew gulls (L. canus). We estimated that the probability for an egg to survive from laying until hatching was 69%. Daily egg mortality was higher during the laying period than during the incubation period. When researchers were present in the study area, oystercatchers spent more time at greater distances from the nest. We investigated whether human disturbance resulted in more eggs being lost to predators. Two experimental areas were in turn visited at high and at low frequency. From a preliminary analysis, we estimated higher daily egg mortality rates when nests were checked three times per day instead of once every oth504 Short Communications [Auk, Vol. 118 er day. However, high-frequency nest checks provided more information on newly laid and lost eggs, especially during the laying period. After correcting for that extra information (by simply deleting it), the egg mortality rates were no longer different. We conclude that human disturbance did not increase egg loss, rather egg mortality rates were underestimated when nests were checked only once per two days. Because many life-history characters evolve under the influence of high predation pressure, it is important to know the level of nest predation in natural populations. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to obtain reliable estimates of predation rates. Predation events are seldom witnessed, and visiting nests to check the contents necessarily results in disturbance of the individuals being studied. Moreover, investigator disturbance may increase the probability of nest predation (Lenington 1979). Predators may be attracted by packed vegetation around the nest (Esler and Grand 1993), human scent (Whelan et al. 1994), or nest markers (Picozzi 1975, Yahner and Wright 1985). Human disturbance may also reduce nest attendance or enhance conspicuous behavior of the parents. Some studies have shown that predators learn to follow biologists in the field (e.g. Macinnes and Misra 1972, GOtmark and •hlund 1984). Other studies found no effect of human disturbance on nest predation (e.g. Sedinger 1990, Hannon et al. 1993). Obviously, it is of primary importance to find out if research activities influence nesting success of birds under study and if predation rates are affected by visiting nests. We studied egg predation in a population of Eurasian Oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus). Oystercatchers typically experience high nest-predation rates (Harris 1967). That might be because they forage on intertidal areas, away from the breeding territory. Ens (1991) suggested that high predation rates during egg laying could be due to the first eggs being left unattended when the male escorts the female on feeding trips to prevent rival males from fertilizing subsequent eggs in the clutch. Thus, high egg-predation rates could be due to a trade-off between two conflicting activities: nest attendance and, for example, foraging or mate guarding. The aim of this study was to find out if high levels of egg loss were due to limited nest attendance during the laying period or research activities in the study area, or both. We estimated the probability that oystercatcher eggs disappeared from the nest during different stages of the nesting cycle. In addition, we estimated egg-predation rates in artificial nests unattended by parents. If nest attendance reduces the probability of egg loss, we expect to find higher egg mortality rates in those nests as compared to natural nests, where parents are present. We further studied nest attendance in situations in which researchers were either present or absent in the direct vicinity of the nest. To find out if human disturbance increased egg predation rates, we compared the rate at which eggs disappeared from two experimental areas that were in turn subjected to different levels of disturbance. Study Area and Methods.--We studied Eurasian Oystercatchers breeding on the saltmarsh of Schiermonnikoog, an island in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Since 1985, we marked birds with color rings and measured their reproductive success as part of a long-term population study (Ens et al. 1992, Heg 1999). Occasional observations had indicated that oystercatchers in our study area lose many eggs to Mew (Larus canus) and Herring (L. argentatus) gulls. In 1990, we randomly selected 20 pairs to study nest attendance. Those pairs were observed from a blind every other day from laying until the first egg hatched, or until 6 July 1990 when all eggs and chicks were washed away by a catastrophic flood accompanied by bad weather. The observations lasted for one 1 h and started -10 min after entering the blind when disturbed birds had settled down. With the aid of an electronic event recorder, we continuously monitored distance of the male and female from the nest. We analysed amount of time both parents spent within four distance classes: 0-1, 1-10, 10-50, >50 m. In addition, we recorded how long both parents spent incubating the eggs. The main cause of disturbance in the study area was the presence of colleagues checking nests or walking to or from a blind. We coded our observations as "disturbed" as long as people were present within a distance of 150 m from the nest and compared nest attendance during disturbed and undisturbed time intervals. To estimate egg-predation rates, we searched the main study area (area A, Heg 1999) every other day to find new nests and to check the contents of nests already known to us. Some nests were found after the start of incubation. For those nests, the laying date was calculated using the date of hatching and assuming an incubation period of 27 days (Keighley and Buxton 1948). If the nest was found after laying and failed before hatching, or if the outcome was unknown, we assumed that we had discovered it one day after the last egg had been laid. To estimate predation rates of eggs unattended by parents, we used oystercatcher eggs that became available after an egg removal experiment (Ens 1992). Those eggs were laid out on the salt marsh in locations that seemed suitable nest sites to human observers. We created four nests with three eggs each on five subsequent days (19 to 23 May) and recorded egg losses after 2 h of exposure. The effect of human disturbance on egg predation was tested in two areas adjacent to the main study area (areas C and D, Heg 1999). In those areas, the birds were not ringed and no other research activities took place. Nests were checked by one observer who walked through the area in linear transects that were 5 to 10 m apart. The duration of one visit was April 2001] Short Communications 505 100 A Undisturbed [I B Disturbed


Vehicle testing machine using the integrated simulation model and test the physical components in order to determine the effect of physical components of the finished vehicle incorporating the component. Simulation model representing the vehicle except for the physical component is provided. Test scenario applies to the simulation model. Response of the simulation model is converted into the test conditions applied to the physical component test acquires the response of physical components for real-time test conditions. Response and changes occur in the test part is dynamically acquired, they are incorporated into the calculation of the physical part of the impact of the vehicles using the simulation model. Then, the calculated effect of the report is generated.


sealed not by their experience, nor by their protests, nor solely by medical conventions, but by the misfortune they had in living under two regimes that could not afford, either financially or politically, to give them the benefit of the doubt. The iron wall of bureaucracy only very rarely budged when faced with the pleas of a former frontline soldier. It is useful to have the story of a troublemaker such as the angry disabled veteran Konrad D., but his frustration is hardly surprising. Crauthamel's tale is not history "from the margins" (p. 189) but from the bureaucratic core. It is valuable, though, to have these failed pleas for better treatment on record, for they show the shabbiness of a regime professing loyalty to the memory of the sacrifice and suffering of front soldiers while keeping many of them in extremely straitened circumstances. This finding has been confirmed in studies of the aftermath of the GreatWar in other countries. At least on this matter, Weimar and Nazi Germany followed no special path. With rare exceptions, disabled veterans of all kinds, and not only "war neurotics" were miserably treated wherever they were. Survivors of more recent conflicts even in our more stable democracies have done little better, even after the medical community recognized the existence of post-traumatic stress disorder. The stigma of mental illness is still a painful reality. The files of the International Labor Office in Geneva throw light on German as well as other European discussions of these problems; they are worth following up by scholars in this field. Of one thing we can be pretty certain. Chances are very high that there will be more sorry chapters added to this ongoing history of the distrust, fear, and abandonment of men who have been disabled, physically and psychologically, and of those men who one day will be disabled in the service of their countries.


The electroretinograrn (ERG) reflects the summation of electrical responses generated by neurons and non-neuronal cells in the retina and pigment epithelium in response to light. The major ERG comp ...


Section I Religious Imagination and Philosophy A. 1. Connie Aarsbergen (Amsterdam), `The Dangers of Religious and Secular Imagination and Richard Rorty's Alternative'. 2. Jessica Frazier (Cambridge), `Religious Realism after Heidegger: Imaginative Options in Gadamer and Levinas'. 3. WencheMarit Qvist (Copenhagen), `The Fantastic Imagination: Heidegger's Understanding of Existence as Possibility seen in the light of Kierkegaard's Concept of Imagination'. B. 1. Peter Bloemendaal (Leiden), `FromWittgenstein to Wittgenstinianism'. 2. Agnaldo Portugal (Kings College, London), `Bayesianism and Religious Experience in the Justi cation of Theism'. 3. Petruschka Schaafsma (Leiden), `The Importance of Religious Imagination of Evil to Philosophy'. Section II Religious Imagination and Theological Aesthetics A. 1. HansGeybels (Leuven), `ImaginationandAesthetics inAugustine'sReligious Epistemology'. 2. Johan Modée (Lund), `Religious Artefacts and Imaginative Cognition'. B. 1. YvesdeMaeseneer (Leuven), `TheAngels andChrist: HansUrsvonBalthasar's Theological Aesthetics and the End of Imagination'. 2. Russell Manning (Cambridge), `Between Theology and Aesthetics: Paul Tillich's Theology of Art'. 3. Gesa Thiessen (Milltown Institute, Dublin), `Towards a Theological Aesthetics: Karl Rahner's Contribution'.


A new method for encrypting a color image in one channel based on triple-phase encoding is presented.The colors are converted from RGB to HSI,so the I component can be used as the original image which can be encoded with triple-phase.The H component can be used as the first phase,the second phase is obtained by S component encryption using double-image encryption method based on iterative fractional Fourier transform(FrFT),and the third phase is obtained from the difference between the output phase of transform and the phase from S component encryption.Because doublerandom phase encoding is robust to blind retrieval trials,the security is further enhanced after adding a phase encoding step.It is difficult to recover the original image without the correct key,so the color image encryption is secure.Numerical simulations demonstrate the efficiency and security of this algorithm.The optical implementation of the algorithm is presented,and an encryption scheme for multiple color images is designed based on the proposed algorithm.


Wireless monitoring systems are envisioned to reduce healthcare costs and improve the efficiency of treatment of patients in future health care systems. Before transmissions of vital biomedical information over wireless channel can be fully exploited, effective and reliable solutions are required in the medium access control (MAC) and physical (PHY) layers. Furthermore, cross-layer operation of the above-mentioned layers should be optimized to maximize the overall system performance. In this paper, we introduce novel modulation adaptation techniques between MAC and PHY layers of a single sensor node and furthermore, between PHY layers of multiple sensor nodes. By utilizing the proposed techniques, modulation method of IEEE 802.15.4a UWB (ultra wideband) system can be dynamically changed based on, e.g., required Quality of Service (QoS) or channel information. A comparative performance analysis between the original IEEE 802.15.4a UWB system and a system utilizing the proposed methods is presented in a wireless hospital environment. Based on the analysis it can be stated that the overall system performance is increased in terms of throughput and packet delivery ratio and average data packet delay is halved, when the proposed techniques are utilized.


The invention relates to a cellulose ether AQUEOUS WITH A RADICAL CONTAINING NO STREAMING, which binds to an ether bond, RADICAL GROUP hydroxyethyl, hydroxypropyl, methyl, ethyl and carboxymethyl and with a hydrophobic substituent, comprising an alkyl FLUOR CONTAINING 3 to 24, especially 5 to 18 C atoms whereby the fluorine content of 0.05 to 5, especially 0.1 to 1% of weight, based on dry weight of cellulose ether . THIS cellulose ether is suitable as thickener scattering pigments.


In recent years, there has been considerable press coverage about the promise of Solid State Lighting (SSL). Despite this or perhaps because of the coverage, it can be difficult to separate hype from reality and set expectations for the near to medium term. The short answer is there are good SSL products on the market now and some poor ones. The good ones are getting better, more common, and more affordable. This paper will cover the basics of the key components that make up a luminaire which are LEDs (light emitting diode), power supply, optics, and thermo/mechanical subsystems. Each component will be reviewed with highlights as to what is important. These subsystems will then be considered as a system. Several methodologies for designing both spot and area luminaires will be discussed focusing on non-residential buildings. The topic of SSL lifetime will be discussed. Finally, trends will be explored to provide an understanding of the kinds of improvements one can expect and the timeframe over which they may occur.


The article analyzes briefly the effect of a hierarchical structure of the health team on patient and community health outcomes. It then assesses the role of the total school system in nonsocialist underdeveloped and developed countries in reproducing this hierarchical structure. First, the school's selecting/channeling process determines who will or will not ascend to various levels in the health hierarchy, by means of (a) the differential allocation of educational resources by social class, race, and sex, and (b) evaluative instruments containing systematic invalidities which select specific groups over others. Second, the socialization process of the schools by means of the structure of human relationships (democratic/authoritarian, competitive/cooperative, creative/alienating) inculcates specific attitudes and behaviors "appropriate" to the specific hierarchical level attained. The article then analyzes the determinants of school structure, suggesting that educational and health care outcomes, while often not serving the public interest, do in fact serve the interests of those whose economic resources and power enable them to determine the structure and function of the schools. The school structure thus serves to maintain and reproduce the hierarchical organization of the health work place which in turn is determined by the economic and political structure. Finally, the article discusses the role of the health intellectual in the critique and formulation of educational and health policy.


A 68-year-old Aboriginal man who lived in northwestern Ontario presented to a local hospital with back pain and fever. Over the past several days, crops of vesicopustular lesions, primarily affecting his extremities, had developed. The lesions gradually became hemorrhagic and tender. He was unaware


The determination of pyridoxamine (PAM) has thus far been per formed only by microbiolog ical method of Atkin et al. (1). According to Melnick et al. (2) PAM shows, on a molar basis about 31%, and pyridoxal (PAL) about 16% of the colorimetric value determined by the method of Hochberg et al. (3). It can not be applied to the mixture of 3 components, unless it consists largely of pyridoxine (PIN). Ormsby et al. (4) suggested the possibility of fractional determination of PAL, PAM and PIN through the different colors produced by treatment with diazotized sulfanilic acid. Sakurai et al. (5) observed the different color reaction of PAM from that of PIN produced by Gibbs reaction as well as diazo reaction. However, the exact assay method of PAM has not thus far been reported. We succeeded in converting quantitatively PAM into PIN by deamination with nitrite, and thus the fuorometric estimation of PAM was established.


a "third great period" of Christian history was at hand. In this new epoch, he predicted, Protestants and Catholics would "pool spiritual resources" and become "united in one community."1 That might seem a surprising claim coming from a lifelong southern Presbyterian. But Miller made that statement while serving as chairman of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF), an interdenominational ecumenical movement whose implicit mission was to replicate and ultimately replace Catholicism's planetary presence. For Miller, the geopolitical times now demanded that Rome and Geneva repent of their historic habits. Vatican centralism and Protestant individualism had both become hindrances to the advance of a world Christian civilization. Each had to give way to the formation of a new borderless Christendom. It would still take thirty more years and the reforms of Vatican II for Miller to see his way fully toward the reunion of Christianity's classical combatants. "If John XXIII's goals can continue to be realized," Miller concluded in his 1971 autobiography, "the Roman church will resume its traditional leadership of Christendom and the Church Universal which will then emerge—including the Roman, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions—will constitute the best hope of mankind."2 Miller's remarkable confessions were manifestations of "Evangelical Catholicism." Because of historians' relative inattention to Protestants of Miller's liberal, ecumenical persuasion, Evangelical Catholicism is being touted today as the wave of the future. In the past few years, there has been an explosion of websites dedicated to discussing and tracking the Evangelical Catholic crusade from within Catholicism. Perhaps nothing is bringing more attention to the trend than George Weigel's Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church (Basic Books, 2013). Conservative evangelicals, one of Weigel's non-Catholic constituencies, have a strong recent history of interest in Catholic theology and practice. Although Evangelicals and Catholics Together lost momentum after its 1994 declaration, signatories have continued to champion evangelical-Catholic cooperation into the new century—including Weigel, the late Richard John Neuhaus and Charles Colson, and those affiliated with the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology. Leading evangelical and Catholic conservatives remain partners in defense of nuclear family values, while younger Catholics and evangelicals appear more and more comfortable


Thermal plasma processing of carbon sources using a plasma jet with high heat capacity is one of the most promising methods for the synthesis of new materials. This paper describes the low-temperature deposition of carbon nanomaterials by remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in the absence of catalysts. The remote PECVD process differs from conventional and direct PECVD process in two ways: (a) only a subset of the process reactants and/or diluents are directly plasma excited; and (b) thin film deposition takes place on a substrate that is outside of the plasma glow region. In conventional CVD methods, carbon is produced from the decomposition of carbon sources such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, alcohols, and so on, over a metal catalyst. The unavoidable metal species remaining in carbon nanomaterials would lead to obvious disadvantages for property characterization and application exploration. Despite sustained efforts, it is still an intractable problem to remove metal catalysts completely from carbon nanomaterials samples without introducing defects and contaminations. Good reactor design allowed to overcome problems of chemical and structural purity, and poor process robustness in terms of phase composition of product from run to run. For the synthesis of graphene materials, carbon black, carbon nanotubes, nanowires we used the thermal plasma generator which is a high current divergent anode-channel DC plasma torch. The experiment involved a simultaneous input of hydrocarbons (methane, propane, butane, acetylene) with the plasma forming gas (helium, argon, nitrogen) into the plasma torch, wherein heating and decompositions occurred in the plasma jet and in the region of the arc discharge, followed by condensation of the synthesis product on metallic surfaces. The deposition rate was varied with distance from the plasma. Consumption of carbon source, plasma forming gas and plasma torch power were changed independently from each other. For the experimental conditions the electric power of plasma torch was set up to 40 kW. Regularities of formation of carbon thread-like nanostructures and graphene in the course of hydrocarbons pyrolysis in thermal plasma without participation of catalytic particles were studied by means of electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, IR-spectrometry and thermogravimetry. Depending on the pyrolytic synthesis parameters, different proportions of crystal carbon and soot may be obtained. It has been demonstrated that the phase composition is varied by hydrocarbons flow rate, plasma forming gas pressure and dc plasma torch power. It has been established through the experiments that carbon nucleation is volumetric and proceeds according to the model of explosive soot formation.


The relationship between locus of control, the quality of exchanges between subordinates and leaders (LMX), and a variety of work-related reactions (intrinsic/extrinsic job satisfaction, work-related well-being, and organizational commitment) are examined. It was predicted that people with an internal locus of control develop better quality relations with their manager and this, in turn, results in more favourable work-related reactions. Results from two different samples (N=404, and N=51) supported this prediction, and also showed that LMX either fully, or partially, mediated the relationship between locus of control and all the work-related reactions.


A study of butyl acrylate/vinyl acetate (BA/VAc) batch emulsion copolymerization was carried out in a 5L stainless steel and a 1.2L glass reactor. Conversion and copolymer composition were monitored off‐line using standard techniques (i.e. gravimetry, gas chromatography and 1H‐NMR spectroscopy) and in real‐time, in situ using Attenuated Total Reflectance‐Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR–FTIR) spectroscopy. The basis for in‐line polymerization monitoring using ATR–FTIR spectroscopy in this work was the change of the intensity of characteristic peaks of monomers with time. Real‐time peak profiles (absorbance vs. time) of the monomers were used to calculate conversion and copolymer composition for real‐time ATR–FTIR monitoring. The data obtained using the ReactIR™ 1000 reaction analysis system showed good agreement with data obtained using standard techniques. In addition, there were indications that this technique can be used for early detection of catastrophic coagulation inside a reactor. The limitations in real‐time monitoring of BA/VAc emulsion polymerizations using ReactIR™ 1000 were also investigated.


The increasing use of synthetic disposable nonwoven products generates a large amount of non-biodegradable solid waste. In an effort to enhance the use of raw cotton in nonwoven wipes applications, this study compares the biodegradation of low-weight nonwoven fabrics (around 50 g/m2) made of mechanically pre-cleaned raw cotton, rayon, polypropylene (PP), and polylactic acid (PLA) in a Captina silt loam soil. The biodegradation rates of raw cotton and rayon fabrics were fitted to the first-order kinetics model with half-life values of 12.6 and 7.6 days, respectively. The slightly faster disintegration of cellulose structure for rayon was confirmed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) spectra, and distinct morphological changes in the fiber (cracks and breakage were prevalent in raw cotton, whereas the thinning and merging of fibers occurred in rayon) were observed during their biodegradation. PLA and PP nonwoven fabrics exhibited no weight loss during the burial periods studied, but showed some evidence of oxidation in ATR-FTIR spectra. The breaking and burst strengths of PLA fabric decreased by 45% and 23% of the original strengths, respectively, while neither significantly decreased in PP fabric. The results suggest that mixing raw cotton or rayon low-weight nonwoven wastes with surface soil provides an alternative disposal method, but this land application could not be recommended for PLA and PP nonwoven wastes.


Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that an elevated risk of bladder cancer and amount of arsenic exposure are positively correlated in residential southwestern Taiwan, where certain areas are contaminated with arsenic; the so-called black-foot disease (BFD) area. Some studies have suggested that ERK plays an important role in arsenic carcinogenesis. However, the mechanism of arsenic-induced bladder carcinogenesis is still unclear. In this study, we performed proteomic analysis to investigate the effect of arsenic on protein profile and evaluated the role of the ERK-signaling pathway in human uroepithelial cells. Our results showed that four arsenic-induced proteins were up-regulated and thirteen arsenic-induced proteins were down-regulated in human uroepithelial cells. Five identified differential expression proteins (SLC25A12, PSME3, vinculin, QR and STIP1) were confirmed by western blotting and immunohistochemistry in arsenic-treated human uroepithelial cells and urothelial carcinomas from non-BFD and BFD areas. In addition, U0126, a highly selective inhibitor of both MEK1 and MEK2 in the ERK pathway inhibited the effects of arsenic on these significant protein expressions in an in vitro study. These results suggest that arsenic regulates these protein expressions possibly through activation of the ERK signaling pathway, and that SLC25A12, PSME3, vinculin, QR and STIP1 might play a role in arsenic-induced bladder carcinogenesis.


The quality of health services at the Public Health Center (PHC) is the main indicator of the performance of the PHC. The purpose of this study was to determine the quality of health services held by PHC of Tanjung Selamat in Padang Tualang Sub-District, Langkat District based on patient perceptions of Mandiri BPJS members and establish improvement strategies. The focus of research is reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. This study includes the type of qualitative research, research data are primary data and secondary data collected through interviews, observation, and documentation study. To check the validity of the data, triangulation techniques are used. The collected data is then analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion withdrawals. The results showed that reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy in PHC of Tanjung Selamat in Padang Tualang Sub-District, Langkat District were good or quality but the tangibles were still not good or lacking in quality. In addition, this study found several problems including a lack of adequate facilities/infrastructure and a lack of motivation to improve capacity for employees of the PHC of Tanjung Selamat in Padang Tualang Sub-District, Langkat District. Based on the results of this study, the improvement strategy needed at the PHC of Tanjung Selamat in Padang Tualang Sub-District, Langkat District is to add facilities/infrastructure to health services and improve the quality of providers


It has been tacitly assumed that certain fundamental "laws" of science have the same meaning and significance in the different scientific disciplines. Outside of quantum physics the law of causality was regarded as such a concept which was most generally applicable in the description of the systems of nature. However, the role of causality in recent research in biology seems not quite clear. There an explanation of the specific properties of biological systems does not assume the form of a simple law such as a mathematical expression relating different states of one and the same system. Rather it is attempted to show how the properties of the system as a whole are established by the specific interaction of the parts of the system.' For a long time no suspicion of basic differences between the forms of causal relationships in biology and physics clouded the impression of complete agreement. The situation as it existed in 1897 can be illustrated by quoting from a textbook of general physiology of the well-known German scientist, Max Verworn: "We have arrived in physiology at a turning point which stands out in unparalleled distinctness. What is characteristic for this turning point can easily be seen. If we ask ourselves what we have accomplished in physiology we find that we know, at least in rough outline, the greatest part of the chemical and physical phenomena of the body. This is due to the ingenious methods of investigation and the immense discoveries of the outstanding research men of our time which gave our understanding in biology an accuracy which is paralleled only by the discoveries in physics." And then he defines more specifically what he means: "We know the laws of circulation, of the movement of the heart, of muscle contraction, nerve conduction, etc."


Abstract This paper explores the contextual and government response factors to the first-wave of the COVID-19 pandemic for 25 the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development nations using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. It considers configurations of: obesity rates; proportions of elderly people; inequality rates; country travel openness and COVID-19 testing regimes, against outcomes of COVID-19 mortality and case rates. It finds COVID-19 testing per case to be at the root of sufficient solutions for successful country responses, combined, in the most robust solutions, with either high proportions of elderly people or low international travel levels at the start of pandemic. The paper then locates its sample countries in relation to existing welfare typologies across two dimensions based on total social expenditure and proportional differences between the GINI coefficient before and after taxes and transfers. It finds that countries generally categorised as "liberal" in most existing typologies did the most poorly in their first-wave COVID-19 response.


Objective To compare the Tei index changes in two type patients with the atrial septal defects (ASD) before and after two type surgeries: percutaneous Amplatzer occlusion and surgical repair. Methods Ten patients with ASD repair and 10 cases with percutaneous Amplatzer occlusion were measured right ventricular Tei index in preoperative and after 30 days with echocardiography. Results Secondary holes were successfully occluded respectively with percutaneous Amplatzer occlusion as well as the surgical repair technique, with no significant difference (P0.05) between the two groups of patients with right ventricular Tei index before surgery and after 30 days. Conclusion Percutaneous Amplatzer occlusion and surgical repair have no significant effect on right ventricular Tei index.


Formation of coalitions in multi-agent systems (MAS) enables the development of efficient agent organizations. In the article, the methodology of the coalition formation in the context of MAS is presented that consists of using the theory of games with fuzzy coalitions in such a way that the negotiations are guided to maximize the benefits or viabilities (i) of each individual agent, (ii) of agents' coalition and even (iii) of a grand coalition that contains all the agents of the system. The optimal imputation is obtained using genetic algorithms. The proposed approach was implemented and tested for the domain of supply chains.


There are a lot of harmful ingredients in automobile tail gas,which has more and more influence on the quality of air with increasing harmfulness to people′s health.The ternary catalytic converter promotes reaction by using the gas′s own components and plays an important role in automobile tail gas treatment,the treatment effect of which is restricted by the factors of temperature,the operating condition of the engine and the matching with the engine,etc.


Background—Although immunosuppressive therapy for myocarditis has attracted a great deal of attention, its effectiveness is controversial. Interleukin (IL)-10 has a variety of immunomodulatory properties. Among the nonviral techniques for gene transfer in vivo, the direct injection of plasmid DNA into muscle is simple, inexpensive, and safe. Methods and Results—We examined the applicability of murine IL-10 (mIL-10) gene transfer to the treatment of rats with experimental autoimmune myocarditis. Nine-week-old Lewis rats were inoculated with pig myosin (day 0). A plasmid vector expressing mIL-10 cDNA (800 &mgr;g per rat) was transferred into the tibialis anterior muscles by electroporation 3 times (5 days before immunization and at days 4 and 13); control rats received empty plasmid. Electroporation increased the serum mIL-10 levels to >250 pg/mL. The 21-day survival rate in rats treated with mIL-10 cDNA was higher (15 of 15; 100%) than that of the control group (9 of 15; 60%). Furthermore, mIL-10 treatment significantly attenuated myocardial lesions and improved hemodynamic parameters. Conclusions—These findings showed that gene transfer into muscle by electroporation in vivo is an effective means of delivery of IL-10 for the treatment of autoimmune myocarditis.


Famous publications dedicated to the mass transfer of the metal ions in the process of electrolysis of molten salts, are related to the solution of particular problems of the process. Topical problem binds to a whole the motion of electrolytic active particles in a bulk of molten salts, and the phenomena observed at the boundary "melt-electrode", as well as the motion of the particles in the bulk of electrodes with the possibility of formation of a new phase, and further displacement of the new phase front.According to the mass transfer and thermochemical kinetics, the electrolysis of molten salts was examined, taking into account the diffusion processes in the melt, and the rate of formation of electrolytic-active particles on the surface of the electrodes was determined. Obtained solutions allowdescribing the transfer of metal ions in the bulk of electrolyte under the influence of the potential gradient;transferring of the metal ions from the electrode boundary to the boundary of a new phase;transferring of the metal atoms beyond the boundary of the phase transition to the bulk of electrode.Also we considered the solution of problems at the implementation of electrolysis according to the normal to the electrodes, as well as for stationary conditions and a constant potential gradient.


This study aimed to analyze a process of social mobilization, coordinated by CCGL - Central Cooperative Gaucha de Leite (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil), which aimed to arouse the farmers belonging to the cooperatives that forming the group, to increase milk production in order to promote the rural development of the region. This study encompassed the COTRIJUI's (Agricultural & Industrial Cooperative) operational area and had as target audience the milk farmers associated to the cooperative. The methods and strategies used by the cooperative were described, analyzed and classified, as well as the results of this mobilization were critically pondered. The study concludes that the benefits of this process are unequally distributed among the involved social actors, privileging mainly the processing companies to the detriment of milk producers.


As healthcare providers caring for oncology patients, we are all too familiar with the physical effects of chemotherapy, including chemobrain. A University of Kansas researcher may have identified a possible therapy to prevent this side effect.


This article is one of the first studies to use econometric techniques to examine the factors influencing proficiency of English as a foreign language. Specifically, this article aims to investigate, at cross-country level, the linguistic and nonlinguistic factors influencing the variation of proficiency in the use of English as a second language. As a proxy for English proficiency, we use the average Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores achieved by residents of a total of over 60 countries. The regression results suggest that linguistic factors such as historical affinity and similarity in word order between English and a given language have an influence on the proficiency in English achieved by people whose native language is not English. Among the nonlinguistic factors, expected years of schooling and degree of globalization have a positive relation with proficiency in English. These results seem robust, even when the computer-based TOEFL score is used in place of the paper-based TOEFL score and even when the overall score is replaced by the respective score in listening comprehension, structure and written expression, and reading comprehension.


At the time of the first interview, Alfredo N.2 was a 44-year-old married man with two daughters, ages 16 and 10. Alfredo had a B.A. in sociology and was, at the time of his treatment with me, unemployed. He was receiving Social Security benefits for his mental disability, having been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia ten years previously. His wife worked full-time as a bank teller. Alfredo was born in Puerto Rico and had resided nearly all his life on the Island. Alfredo and his wife told me that, for the last seven years, they had been searching for a psychiatrist or psychologist who would "cure" him of his afflictions, which consisted of unexpected and unwanted episodes of glossolalia and "possession" by spirit entities. Up to that time, they had been unsuccessful.


When ensuring the significance of business people, the rights and obligations of each party have to be defined under an agreement. Due to the complex process of making a complete and comprehensive contract, for time efficiency, business people generally have formulated the agreed terms and conditions prior to making the contract. In Indonesia, an agreement as mentioned above is called a standard form contract or "Standard Clause Contract" based on Law Number 8 Year 1999 regarding Consumer Protection. According to article 18, the Law of Consumer Protection states that the application of a standard clause requires heeding some of the restrictions that are listed under the Law in relation to the objective of preventing consumers who are not familiar with the law to incur losses. In Indonesia, for the agreement to have an ideal value of verification based on Burgerlijk Wetboek article 1870, business people in general will ask for the agreement to be taken to a notary to change its status to that of an authentic deed. Issues will arise if the standard form contract between the business people and their consumers is initiated without the authentic deed status. Therefore, the restriction in the Law of Consumer Protection article 18 could be applied. However, when the standard form contract status has been changed into an authentic deed, the condition of the Law of Consumer Protection article 18 can no longer be applicable. This issue arises based on normative jurisdiction reviews whereby the terms and conditions of the standard form contract have to be concluded by business people before the consumers agree to the contract. Nevertheless, authentic deeds, especially notary deeds, often states, either implicitly or explicitly, that the whole contract formation is initiated in the presence of the notary, and not made prior by business people. This fact is justified by the characteristic of an authentic deed that has an ideal strength of verification in the justification by a notary as the general officials if some events have actually taken place


The quest for detailed evaluation of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries that is radiation free, inexpensive, readily available, non-invasive, relatively less time consuming and easily repeatable in female infertility has resulted in further studies. However, ultrasonography (US) remains the first line indispensable tool for gynecologic workup, monitoring and treating infertility. The aim is to review the current knowledge regarding the application of ultrasonography in female infertility. This was a descriptive review of ultrasonography in female infertility. We searched several databases (Medline, Google scholar, PubMed) with keywords "ultrasonography and female infertility", "evaluation of female infertility", "role of ultrasonography in female infertility:, and imaging in female infertility". Female infertility is multifactorial in origin. Ultrasonography is the most widely used imaging in gynecology and has revolutionized the management of female infertility worldwide. The recognition, evaluation and treatment of female infertility are complicated, complex, stressful and emotionally devastating for most couples. The couple's emotional state should be supportive, informative and well tolerated. Female infertility is an immense stress to couples, families and relatives worldwide. The causes are multifactorial in origin with both congenital and acquired problems of the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. Ultrasound plays an important role in female infertility workup with hysterosalpingography (HSG), sonohysterography (Sono-HSG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), each playing a complimentary role in the screening, diagnosis and/or management of female infertility.


Uses or potential uses of shape memory alloys fa ll into several main funclional groups. After the presentation of their metallurgical and mechanical properties associated with a thermoelastic martensitic transformation, a sample of their applications is considered including the use of the high damping capacity.In a second part, the principles of the application design are drawn from the choices of the alloy, of the m emory shape, of the working and of the thermomechanical treatments. Using several examples, different ways of employing a memory element are exposed according to its function in the application. All of those show that acquisition of a basic knowledge in fundamentals and industrials is necessary to the control of an efficient use of such applications.


The etiology of Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS) remains enigmatic, although genetic and environmental factors are speculated to be associated with this autoimmune condition. We investigated whether polymorphisms and the haplotype structures of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐DQB1 gene relate to the autoimmune response to infection and affect the development of GBS.


To the Editor: We commend the authors on their timely publication which uses robust statistical analyses to address the important clinical question: what is the rate of progression of keratoconus (KCN) from the initial listing period for corneal cross-linking (CXL) to treatment date? Identifying reliable risk factors for the progression of KCN has the potential to stratify patients into low-, moderate-, and high-risk cohorts. From a pre-SARS-CoV-2 perspective, identifying individuals at high-risk KCN progression was important to facilitate waiting lists within public health care systems. In the current climate of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and with the ongoing risk of resurgence of SARS-CoV-2, this is increasingly important given the resulting limitations on health care, including CXL services. Goh et al1 reported a sample size of 96 eyes from 96 patients who were awaiting CXL for progressive keratoconus. Both eyes of all patients were examined at the time of listing (baseline) and on the day of CXL treatment. On both occasions, tomography scan was performed in the operative eye by using a corneal tomographer (Pentacam, Oculus, Germany). A key strength of this study was the use of tomographic values from the average of 3 consecutive Pentacam images and implementation of strict imaging quality control. Large variability in tomographic values per individual commonly arises from interoperator variation, the patient's inability to fixate, and other factors such as the patient's ocular surface.2 The results of the present study contrast with the findings from European studies on risk factors for KCN progression such as atopy and eye rubbing.3,4 Reasons for the previously reported risk factors such as atopy and eye rubbing not reaching statistical significance in the study by Goh et al may include confounding factors. One specific challenge is accounting for topical and systemic treatment of atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC) and vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC). In the present study, it is likely that many patients consulting with an ophthalmologist specializing in the anterior segment will have been appropriately treated for AKC and VKC. Furthermore, optimization of the ocular surface before the procedure, patient education, including the impact of eye rubbing on accelerating KCN progression, is likely to have been provided. Therefore, reporting on how many individuals were on treatment for ocular comorbidities and whether AKC or VKC was active at listing and preprocedure time points is important in determining the potential for confounding factors. Goh et al's1 study highlights the importance of performing a series of corneal tomography measurements at the time of listing (baseline) and repeated again before CXL treatment, should a significant time have elapsed since listing for CXL treatment. In addition, by performing corneal tomography measurements at the time of listing (baseline) and on the day of CXL treatment in both eyes, rather than only the planned operative eye as in the present study, the opportunity to assess disease progression in the contralateral eye is provided. Further appropriately powered studies investigating risk factors for progression of KCN will continue to inform risk stratification of CXL waiting lists and optimize health care delivery during and after the current SARS-CoV2 pandemic.


Under ideal conditions photoconductive switches utilizing ohmic contacts can be made to conduct high currents that scale directly with input optical trigger power. In practice, however, ohmic contacts can only be approximated by using heavily-doped contact/metallization regions, so that photoswitch structures employing intrinsic substrate layers to support switch voltage can be viewed as n-i-n, p-i-n, or p-i-n, depending on the contact doping. Under bias, these contacts preferentially inject majority carriers (either holes or electrons) into the substrate that can form high local space charge electric fields at elevated current densities. In this paper we show both experimentally and analytically that contact space charge formation in a cryogenic silicon n-i-n photoswitch structure ultimately limits its on-state current capability.


The operation state (friction sliding state) of a drag tool can be precisely detected. A motor control unit (60) has the drag tool and is installed on an electrical fishing reel operating a spool by means of a motor (12). The motor control unit (60) comprises a motor speed detecting unit (62), a spool speed detecting unit (68), a rotation speed comparing unit (67), and a drag operation detecting unit (66). The motor speed detecting unit (62) detects the rotation speed of the motor. The spool speed detecting unit (68) detects the rotation speed of the spool. The rotation speed comparing unit (67) compares the detected rotation speed of the motor and the rotation speed of the spool. The drag operation detecting unit detects the operation state of the drag tool based on the comparison result of the rotating speed comparing unit.


This paper via analysis and simulation revisits the interaction between MAC contention and TCP congestion control over IEEE 802.11 WLANs, misled in the previous efforts. The results reveal that the effective number of contending wireless stations is not proportional to the number of wireless stations with an upstream TCP flow in IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs. Thus, we propose a new scheme called TCP ACK priority (TAP) in which, by allowing an access point to transmit TCP ACKs at the highest priority, the optimal number of competing stations are allowed to contend for media access to utilize link bandwidth efficiently. We use an ns-2 simulator to evaluate the performance of TAP with the IEEE 802.11 DCF. The results show that there is an improvement in network performance without the loss of fairness between upstream TCP flows. The extensions for IEEE 802.11e/n are also considered.


Laser scanning has been shown to be a valuable tool for cultural heritage documentation. Current phase shift scanners produce a huge amount of usually redundant data, which can be hard to handle. Furthermore, with common software packages it is often a time consuming, and thus expensive, process until a satisfactory model of the object is produced. This process typically includes many interactive steps, trial and error and guesswork by the operator. We propose an automated processing chain which takes the raw point clouds from multiple scans as input and outputs a single point cloud, which is much smaller in size, has reduced measurement noise, and a more homogeneous point spacing. Attention is paid at preserving richness in detail as far as possible despite the size reduction. The parameters necessary for the processing are estimated automatically and applied adaptively, taking into account the common properties of panorama scanners and the scan configuration. The result is a point cloud which can easily be handled by common software packages. We tested the method on data from two objects of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria.


The horizontal and vertical differences of the microclimatic elements in three canopy gaps of different sizes (200m 2、 140m 2、60m 2) and in the understory within a tropical rain forest (dominated by Shorea chinensis ) in Xishuangbanna were measured using light intensity, air temperature, air relative humidity and ground surface temperature The results indicated that the variation of the air temperature, ground surface temperature and air relative humidity were greater in all the gap center than in understory, with the largest gap had the greatest variation. And the light intensity in the gap center was at least ten times than that in the understory The range of ground surface temperature, air temperature and air relative humidity at 0.5m above canopy in the largest gap center were l5 8℃,3 9℃ and l4% greater than that in the smaller gap.The differences were not significant in the night. In the largest gap (formed latest) there were two heating layers both on the seeding canopy and ground surface.In the small gap (formed early),there was only one heating layer on the young tree's canopy, and the heating intensity was greater in the largest gap


Abstract for 63 rd International Astronautical Conference: 1-5 Oct 2012 Naples, Italy. Website: http://www.iac2012.org/ Abstract deadline: 29 Feb 2012. Searching for Optically Faint GEO Debris 1,2 Patrick Seitzer Department of Astronomy University of Michigan Susan M. Lederer NASA/JSC Kira J. Abercromby Aerospace Engineering Department California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo Edwin S. Barker LZ Technology, Inc. Andrew Burkhardt Department of Astronomy University of Michigan Heather Cowardin ESCG/Jacobs Paula Krisko ESCG/Jacobs Jiri Silha Comenius University Slovakia We report on results from a search for optically faint debris (defined as R > 20 th magnitude, or smaller than 10 cm assuming an albedo of 0.175)) at geosynchronous orbit (GEO) using the 6.5-m Magellan telescope 'Walter Baade' at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. Our goal is to characterize the brightness distribution of debris to the faintest limiting magnitude possible. Our data was obtained during 6 hours of observing time during the photometric nights of 26 and 27 March 2011 with the IMACS f/2 instrument, which has a field of view (fov) of


[Purpose] To study the relationship of HA expression with nasopharyngeal carcinoma lymph node metastasis,and to explore molecular biological parameters for forecasting the potential of nasopharyngeal carcinoma lymph node metastasis,so as to guide the treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.[Methods] The expression of HA mRNA was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) in 50 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.[Results] RT-PCR showed the expression of HA mRNA in lymph node metastasis group and no lymph node metastasis group was 1.503±0.378 and 1.069±0.374 respectively,with significant difference(P0.05).[Conclusions] The expression of HA mRNA in lymph node metastasis group is significantly higher than that in no lymph node metastasis group in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissue.The expression level of HA maybe become one of the parameters for forecasting lymph node metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.


Summary The majority of studies on regional formation in East Asia (both Northeast and Southeast Asia) have focused on economic integration and institutional build-up initiated by states. Developments in the field of contemporary society and culture, however, have been largely overlooked. This study seeks to shed light on the way popular culture influences our perception of regions by examining some recent developments in the study of translational dissemination of popular culture across Asian societies. The paper argues that popular culture plays a constructive role in shaping the East Asian region by creating transnational markets for cultural commodities and by disseminating communalities of lifestyles and concepts, which are based on the experience of consuming the same cultural products by different people in different parts of East Asia.


A method for detecting abnormal power consumption of respective batteries in mobile devices includes defining one or more operational states affecting power consumption of the batteries; collecting time-series data on an amount of the power consumption and use time (112,114,116) of each battery in each of the operational states; calculating a power consumption rate, usage patterns, and an actual use time (140) of the individual batteries based on the time-series data; estimating an amount of an available time remaining (150) on the individual batteries based on average power consumption rate (132) of all of the batteries; and comparing (176) the estimated available time (150) with the actual use time (140) of the individual batteries to judge (160) whether a power of the individual batteries is being consumed abnormally.


The use of OC curves was illustrated with special reference to designing the size of experiment whose results can be statistically analyzed by t-tests or by analyses of variance. These curves provide the level of the error of the second kind, β, when the statistical test of the results turns out non-significant.


PURPOSE: A rolled copper foil, a manufacturing method thereof, and a cathode of a Li-ion secondary battery using the same are provided to optimize an additional element content in order to downsize the average radius of entire composite elements by more than 0.005 pm(picometer) the radius of Cu, thereby improving adhesion to resin. CONSTITUTION: A rolled copper foil for a Li-ion secondary battery current collector contains Cr, and one or two kinds of elements with functions for improving strength and/or heat-resistance with a ratio in which the average radius of entire composite elements is less than the radius of Cu. The average radius is the sum total of (atom radius) × (atom%) of each element. The remnant of the rolled copper foil comprises Cu and other inevitable impurities. The rolled copper foil contains 0.20 to 0.40 wt% of Cr. The element with functions for improving strength and/or heat-resistance is at least one or two kinds selected from a group of Ag, Sn, In, Ti, and Zr. [Reference numerals] (AA) Ingot; (BB) Hot rolling process; (CC) Cold rolling process; (DD) Raw material melting process; (EE) Raw material cold rolling process; (FF) Aging process; (GG) Final cold rolling process(finish rolling process); (HH) Copper foil; (II) Cathode plate manufacturing process; (J1) Process 1; (J2) Process 2; (J3) Process 3; (J4) Process 4; (J5) Process 5; (J6) Process 6; (J7) Process 7; (J8) Process 8; (J9) Process 9


To solve the problems that conventional loading master for container ship merely provides the stability, strength, floating condition, etc. a comprehensive intelligent simulator was worked out, which can also obtain the amount of restowage containers, verify segregation scheme for dangerous containers, etc. BLOCK algorithm is proposed for the first time for restowage problems with respect to the containers on deck jam that in hold and all in hold or on deck. In the case of all in hold or on deck, independent stowage and mix stowage are studied in some detail. A fast and effective algorithm is also put forward to perform the segregation verifying. At last, the above proposed algorithms are verified by the loading condition from the loading manual.