The representation of small‐town United States as a heartland of traditional values is a perennial image in national political rhetoric, bearing a dynamic relation to locally generated ways of portraying rural life. This paper examines transformations in the ways small‐town solidarity and local identity were promoted and represented by chambers of commerce in North Dakota communities undergoing rapid industrial expansion. Prior to boom development, "boosters" represented small‐town communities in locally significant terms, but as economic restructuring reconfigured the character of community life, identity politics were relocated within an insider/outsider conflict that reshaped the significance of localness and rurality. Portrayals of community reinvented for a new audience invoked elements of the nationally familar heartland myth, but lost much of their integrative function. This account of the processes of social change and changes in social representations reveals linkages between local and national l...


A significant proportion of elderly patients are not properly treated with anticoagulants. Here we describe the pros and cons of anticoagulant treatment in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation, illustrated by two cases. We discuss the sometimes difficult treatment decisions to be made in frail elderly patients, especially after they have suffered bleeding complications. Aspirin is now considered obsolete in the treatment of atrial fibrillation in the elderly.


Diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease with combined affection of upper and lower motoneurons. Symptoms set in mostly between the age of 50– 70 with distal pareses and muscle atrophies and/or bulbar paralysis with fasciculations, increased reflexes, spasticity, and pyramidal signs.


Abstract : A generalized formulation is presented of the threat evaluation and action selection (TE/AS) function. Each subfunction of the TE/AS function is detailed as to the types of input information/data required, the form(s) of processing performed, and the outputs derived. A simplified tactical air defense problem is included to illustrate the principles and processing involved, and the basic forms of the inputs and outputs from each subfunction. It was qualitatively ascertained that the basic TE/AS formulation is applicable to all the aerospace mission. The result of the threat evaluation portion of the function is a set of threat categories and the probability of the current threat falling into each category. The action selection portion is initiated by the reception of the threat category data within the outcome intelligence subfunction. The output is a decision in terms of a resource commitment to be made to the specific threat. The decision is then implemented by system resource contre missions to be performed within limited war environments. The result of the threat evaluation portion of the function is a set of threat categories and the probability of the current threat falling into each category. The action selection portion is initiated by the reception of the threat category data within the outcome intelligence subfunction. The output is a decision in terms of a resource commitment to be made to the specific threat. The decision is then implemented by system resource control. This decision-theoretic formulation assists the military commander in making tactical operational and near-term decisions. (Author)


This paper deals with determination of the parameters of simulated boundary layer in newly built Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel (BLWT). Short description of tunnel, measuring devices and possibilities of using of tunnel are mentioned here. All measurements, which were necessary for basic analysis of simulated natural wind, are shortly mentioned. The main part of this paper is devoted to additional measurements, which were necessary for detection of influences of boundary effects in part of the cross-section of tunnel where the calibration of Hot-wire anemometer is usually done. These boundary effects evoke deceleration of the wind velocity in given area. Description of additional measurements and obtained results are presented at the end of this paper.


The mix of fiber can improve asphalt pavement performance.In order to study the effects various fibers have on high temperature performance of asphalt pavements,firstly,a high temperature creep test is conducted on AC-16 gradationfiber asphalt mixture samples to study the infulence fiber types have on creep deformation and stiffness modulus and the result shows that under the same time,polyester fiber's high temperature performance is the best with the minimum creep deformation and maximum stiffness modulus;secondly,a Burgers viscoelastic model is adopted to charterize the viscoelastic features of fiber asphalt mixture and the result shows that the larger the Burgers model's η1 is,the greater the anti-permanent deformation ability it has and the sequence of the three fibers' η1 value from large to small is: polyester fiber cellulose fiber mineral fiber.


White adipose plays a major role in the regulation of whole body metabolism through the storage and hydrolysis of triglycerides and by secretion of adipokines. The function of endocrine cells is highly dependent on the unfolded protein response (UPR), a homeostatic signaling mechanism that balances the protein folding capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) with the cell's secretory protein load. Here we demonstrate that the adipocyte UPR pathway is necessary for its secretory functions, and can thus play a crucial role in the control of whole body energy homeostasis. ER protein folding capacity is dependent both on the number of available chaperones as well as on their activity, which requires a sufficient ATP supply. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, mitochondrial biogenesis occurred in parallel with induction of the UPR; therefore, we tested whether it was necessary for efficient ER function. Inhibition of mitochondrial ATP synthesis through depletion of Tfam, a mitochondrial transcription factor, or treatment with inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation, demonstrate that ER function is sensitive to acute changes in adenine nucleotide levels. In addition, adenylate kinase 2 (AK2), which regulates mitochondrial adenine nucleotide interconversion, is markedly induced during adipocyte and B cell differentiation. AK2 depletion impairs induction of the UPR and secretion in both cell types. Interestingly, cytosolic adenylate kinase 1 (AK1) does not have the same effect upon UPR induction. We show that adenine nucleotides promote proper ER function and alterations in specific aspects of ATP synthesis can impair UPR signaling. Understanding the complex energetic regulation of the UPR may provide insight into the relationship between UPR and disease.


Fluorescence nanoparticles have gained much attention due to their unique properties in the sensing and imaging fields. Among the very successful candidates are fluorescent polydopamine (FPDA) nanoparticles, attributed to their simplicity in tracing and excellent biocompatibility. This article aims to highlight the recent achievements in FPDA materials, especially on the part of luminescence mechanisms. We focus on the intrinsic fluorescence of PDA and will not discuss fluorescent reaction with a fluorometric reagent or coupling reaction with a fluorophore, which may cause more in vivo interferences. We believe that intrinsic FPDA presents great potential in bioapplications.


Radio relics are diffuse synchrotron sources generally located in the peripheries of galaxy clusters in merging state. According to the current leading scenario, relics trace gigantic cosmological shock waves that cross the intra-cluster medium where particle acceleration occurs. Under the assumption that particles are accelerated at the shock front and are subsequently deposited and then age downstream of the shock, the magnetic field strength in radio relics can be constrained by measuring the thickness of the relic at different radio frequencies. In this paper we adopt this methodology to the relics in the clusters A 521 and CIZA J2242.8+5301. In these relics we find that a pure radiative aging of electrons downstream is consistent with observations allowing us to constrain the magnetic field strength. These results, together with the lower limits to the magnetic field that we derive from the lack of inverse Compton X-ray emission from the sources, have been combined with Faraday rotation measurements of the Coma cluster to derive a global result. Results suggest that the spatial profile of the magnetic field energy density is broader than that of the thermal gas, implying that the ratio between the thermal and the magnetic field energy densities decreases with cluster radius. Alternatively, radio relics could trace dynamically active regions where the magnetic field strength is increased with respect to the average value in the cluster volume.


The author discusses the ISDN (integrated services digital network) user-network interface management protocol. The protocol enables users to manage network services; operations, such as network reconfiguration and routing changes; and maintenance. The authors stresses that user equipment should be looked at from both user-of-service and manager-of-service perspectives. He reviews the current status of the user-network interface management protocol architecture studied by CCITT and identifies problems specific to the ISDN environment. He suggests that it is necessary to strengthen the convergence function to solve the ISDN-specific problems. He gives examples of the application of ISDN user-network interface management protocol.<<ETX>>


The relationship between 10Dq of Ni 2+ ions and the basicity of alkali borate glasses is discussed. It is shown that the 10Dq of Ni 2+ ions decreases with an increase in the optical basicity of glass calculated from the compositions of alkali borate glasses containing less than 40 mol% alkali oxides. This tendency is the opposite of that expected from simple crystal field theory. This phenomenon is explained by the compositional dependence of the covalency of the π bond between the 3d orbitals of Ni 2+ ion and 2p orbitals of oxide ion


To help our understanding of the structural and superconducting transitions in ferropnictides, partial phonon density of states (PDOS) of iron in a single-crystal $\mathrm{SrF}{\mathrm{e}}_{2}\mathrm{A}{\mathrm{s}}_{2}$ pnictide have been investigated from both out-of-plane and in-plane polarizations with respect to the basal plane of the crystal structure using nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering in a high-pressure diamond anvil cell at ambient temperature. The partial PDOS of iron in the pnictide crystal changes dramatically at approximately 8 GPa, which can be associated with the tetragonal (T) to collapsed tetragonal (CT) isostructural transition as evidenced in high-pressure x-ray diffraction measurements and theoretical calculations. Across the T-CT phase transition, analysis of the PDOS spectra shows a rapid stiffening of the optical phonon modes and a dramatic increase of the Lamb-M\"ossbauer factor (${f}_{\mathrm{LM}}$) and mean force constant which can be associated with the rapid decrease of the $c$ axis and the anomalous expansion of the $a$ axis. Theoretically calculated Fe partial PDOS and lattice parameters of $\mathrm{SrF}{\mathrm{e}}_{2}\mathrm{A}{\mathrm{s}}_{2}$ further reveal the strong correlation between the lattice parameters and phonons. Our results show that the T-CT transition can induce significant changes in the vibrational, elastic, and thermodynamic properties of $\mathrm{SrF}{\mathrm{e}}_{2}\mathrm{A}{\mathrm{s}}_{2}$ single crystal at high pressure.


Conservation of northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis atricapillus) in the western Great
Lakes region (the northern forested portions of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin and the southern
forested portions of Ontario) is hampered by a lack of population data and information about
goshawk-habitat relations. In this report, we provide a brief summary of existing information on
goshawks in the WGLR, and conclude that existing data are few and have limited applicability to
regional conservation and monitoring of the breeding goshawk population. Furthermore, we identify
important considerations in establishing monitoring protocols for goshawks, and suggest approaches
to address limitations associated with existing data.


The purpose of this thesis was to establish and quantify the improved real estate appraisal value that's a result of enhancing the energy performance of commercial real estate in Sweden. The study ...


695Background: ASCOLT is an international Phase III randomized control trial (NCT00565708) investigating the impact of adjuvant aspirin on recurrence and survival after curative resection of colore...


Objective To observe the clinical effect of 7-day moxifloxain-based therapies for helicobacter pylori(Hp) eradication.Methods A total of 122 Hp positive patients suffering from chronic gastritis and peptic ulcerwere randomized to treatment group ( moxifloxacin 0.4 g qd, furazolidone 0.1 g bid, raberazole 10 mg qd ) and control group ( clarithromycin 0.5 g bid, furazolidone 0.1 g bid, raberazole 10 mg qd ) .The patients in both groups were treated for 7 days.Four weeks later, the Hp eradication, symptoms and side-effectsdwere observed.Results The rates of Hp eradication and side-effectrate between the treatment group and the control group were 93.44%, 8.20% and 70.49%, 27.88%, and there was statistical difference between them, The symptom ameliorate rate in the treatment group and the control group were 95.08% and 83.61%, and the difference was not significant ( P0.05 ) .Conclusion Seven day moxifloxacin-based triple therapy is a feasible Hp eradication method.


Signal demodulating section (203), by demodulating the signal of any channel included in the broadcast wave, and generates the multiplexed stream data. Separating the decoding unit (205), the stream data, it separates text data constituting the broadcast content, image data, and the like to the audio data. Display unit (206) outputs the text data and the `image data. Audio output unit (207) outputs audio data. Activation control signal detection unit (204), upon detection of the start control signal from the signal, the signal demodulating section (203), activation of the separation decoding unit (205), a display unit (206), and an audio output unit (207) to control. Thus, when using a push-type broadcast through the broadcast receiving apparatus, increasing the convenience for the user.


African-German Network of Excellence in Science (AGNES)

German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (GFMER) and supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.


The present invention relates to a lysis buffer for cyclic glass nucleic method for separating circular nucleic acids from a sample comprising a glass (circulating cell-free nucleic acid), a glass circular nucleic acid isolation kit, and a circulating glass nucleic acid isolation.


Background: COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in December 2019 has become a pandemichazard to the community health. It is a respiratory difficulty causing fever, dry cough, fatigue,shortness of breath, muscle aches and some instances lead to pneumonia. Coronaviruses havelarge viral RNA Genomes and are single-stranded positive-sense RNA viruses. The nsp10/nsp16protein is an important target because it is essential for the virus to replicate, the papain-likeprotease (Nsp3), the main protease (Nsp5), the primary RNA-dependent RNA polymerase(Nsp12) are also attractive drug targets for this disease. The uses of phytochemicals astherapeutic agents have been increasing in recent years. Some antiviral phytochemicals weretaken based on literature survey for this study.Methods: ADME parameters and drug like nature of phytochemicals were screened usingSwissADME web tool. Three dimensional structures of targets are downloaded from ProteinData Bank and docked with phytochemicals & control by using software FlexX.Results: Morin shows significant results in ADME screening and Drug likeness predictionstudies, it shows stable bonding pattern with all four targets in compare to other phytochemicalsand control, shows least score in docking and forms maximum number of hydrogen bonds withthe active residues of the receptors.Conclusion: Based on present observation of docking results, ADME parameters and drug likenature, we suggest that morin may be a potent new drug candidate against Covid-19.Keywords: COVID-19, coronavirus, drug target, phytochemicals, Drug likeness, ADME,docking, morin


Ground penetrating radar (GPR) exploration provides volumetric water content which can be calculated from relative dielectric permittivity of a ground medium. The volumetric water content is calculated using Topp's equation (Topp et al., 1980) in the TDR(Time Domain Reflectmetry) method. This equation has wide applications to soil water content estimation as a simple and easy way. Topp's equation was determined by the relative dielectric permittivity of soils and glass beads which have taken the volumetric water content under 50%. Care must be taken when applying Topp's equation for high water content materials and fine-grained cohesive soils. It is known that the frequency dependence (dielectric dispersion) is present for soils containing water, but dielectric dispersion has hardly been discussed in Topp et al.(1980). This report showed the relation between relative dielectric permittivity and volumetric water content less than 90% considering the dielectric dispersion of the soil samples. This result supports the 'semi-disperse model' by Wobschall (1977) and will provide the basis for a new indicator of the high accuracy volumetric water content estimation using GPR.


Accurate and efficient response gradient computations for nonlinear geometry are required in structural reliability, optimization, system identification, and response sensitivity analysis of frame structures that undergo large displacements. In this paper, the exact response gradient of beam-column finite elements under large displacements is derived considering uncertain material and geometric parameters. The element response formulation takes place in a corotational reference frame that displaces and rotates with the element, thus permitting the separation of nonlinear material from nonlinear geometric effects in the computation of the response, as well as of the gradient of the response. Relative to the corotational reference frame, small deformation theory suffices for all structural engineering applications. Thus, the proposed response gradient computations are applicable to most beam-column element formulations available in the literature, including force-based and mixed formulations.


We propose a sub-1-μs start-up time, fully integrated 32-MHz relaxation oscillator (ROSC) for intermittent VLSI systems. Our proposed ROSC employs current mode architecture that is different from conventional voltage mode architecture. This enables compact and fast switching speed to be achieved. The measurement results demonstrated that the ROSC achieved sub-1-μs start-up time and generated stable output frequency of 32.6 MHz. Measured line regulation, temperature coefficient, and variation coefficient in 10 samples were ±0.69, ±0.38, and 0.62%, respectively.


This chapter addresses educational policy as a force that contemporary adult education would be required to reckon with from the point of view of an accreditor. It identifies the issues and projects shifts that are currently taking place in higher education policy at the national, state, and regional levels.


The following aspects of DNA vaccines are discussed: new methods in vaccine development; structure and immune response of DNA vaccines; advantages of DNA vaccines; DNA vaccine safety issues; human clinical trials; future prospects and developments (including co-delivery of cytokines, delivery mechanisms, targeting antigen molecules and expression library immunisation). (non-author abstract)


Introduction. The development of a sludge management technology requires the understanding of treatment facilities as complex multi-parameter systems having explicit correlations between the composition of wastewater and concentrated pollution. In this regard, the article discusses the establishment of environmentally friendly systems for the disposal of sewage sludge, taking into account the process features of treatment facilities.
Materials and methods. The authors study the largest treatment facilities located in the Samara region, as well as various new and previously accumulated batches of sewage sludge in the area of their influence. The method of principal components is applied to solve the pre-set tasks.
Results. Parametric criteria, used to evaluate the treatment facilities and the sludge they accumulate, are addressed in the article. The project also encompasses the calculation of environmental and resource parameters. Data centering and scaling were applied to the information obtained in the course of the project implementation, and the obtained data were further analyzed using the method of principal components. The results obtained with the help of the model, constructed using the method of principal components, are displayed in the graphs of accounts and loads, characterizing the relationship between the fields and parameters used to evaluate them.
Conclusions. Following the analysis of 20 pre-selected sites of treatment facilities, 6 facilities were considered as rational, since they are characterized by the well-developed engineering infrastructure. The conditionally rational area includes 8 facilities. Sediment processing and disposal plants are to be established there upon completion of preliminary environmental surveys. The remaining 6 facilities are considered irrational, since their resource capacity is insufficient for efficient production processes. A systematic approach allows (1) arranging sewage sludge treatment facilities at wastewater treatment plants located in the rational and conditionally rational areas of development and (2) drafting process flow diagrams to ensure a higher involvement of sludge in reclamation processes.


Objective: To explore the non-trauma,rapid,repeatable approach for the quantitative determination of screening bladder tumor recurrence.Methods: After TURBT,58 patients ' CK20 in urine was determined with immunohistochemical assay,at the same time,bladder tumor antigen was detected with mono-antigen immune analysis,cystoscope and pathological examination to decide whether bladder cancer recur,the findings of which was referred to each other.Results: ln comparison with the results of cytoscopy and biopsy,urine CK20 test might denote 57.1%(12/21) recurrence of bladder cancer,and bladder tumor antigen stat test might denote 66.7%(14/21).The accurate rate would increase to 95.2%(20/21) with the combination of urine CK20 and BTA test.Conclusion: The combined examination of CK20 and BTA in urine is rapid and effective means of detecting the recurrence of bladder cancer,and the conventional invasive cystoscopy might be avoided.


This unit describes the concept and some applications of Map Algebra, in which GIS data layers are used as variables in mathematical expressions. Examples using raster and vector data are presented with many illustrations.


Broadly speaking, Professor Hywel Lewis's impressive philosophical output can be conveniently divided into three phases. The first early phase saw writings on political philosophy, moral philosophy [Morals and the New Theology, 1947); Morals and Revelation, 1957) aesthetics, and the philosophy of history [History and Freedom). The second phase was almost entirely devoted to the philosophy of religion and to the history of religions (most notably Our Experience of God). The third phase saw a series of substantial volumes which concentrate on developing his arguments for the distinctive view he holds on the nature of self, and in doing so taking issue with some leading contemporary philosophers (Bernard William, Sydney Shoemaker; The Elusive Mind, The Self and Immortality, Persons and Life after Death). A further substantial volume The Elusive Self and God is promised, rounding off discussions of important topics for which space was not found in the volumes already published.


I never expected to enjoy the Olympics but enjoy them I truly did. London, known for the densest traffic in our land, at times became a vehicle ghost town; so wary were the normal hordes of commuter drivers from entering the fray. Of course it cost the retailers a fortune, or so the papers say, but for the umpteenth time in my life I felt truly proud to be British. As a medical volunteer, I bought strangers tea and biscuits, opened doors for Paralympians, and became quite beside myself as yet another of our athletes hurtled furiously towards gold. Britain has every reason to be satisfied. The politicians who put it all together will have my tick on their voting paper next time for sure.

But with the Olympics over it is back to normal life, a major part of which is the preparation of this journal, Bone & Joint360 . There is something about it, particularly as I see subscriptions soar. It reaches right under my skin. I dream it, read it, think it ceaselessly and talk to others about …


Collective laser acceleration by plasmoids in moving RF wells (HF traps) differs from popular methods based on plasma waves by using forced oscillations of plasma instead of free ones, e.g., wakefields. A similar way is used in classic resonant accelerators and FELs. It simplifies the plasma problems at the price of large power of feeding lasers. Some results and perspectives are discussed.


A A RT from the use of battery cars on horse tramways, and a short-lived experiment at Northfleet,' the first electric tramway in the London area to operate on public streets was that of the London United Tramways Ltd, from Shepherd's Bush to Acton and Kew Bridge and from Hammersmith to Kew Bridge, opened on 4 April 1901. An earlier electric tramway, known as the Alexandra Park Electric Railway, did however exist in 1898-9 on private land in the grounds of the Alexandra Palace at Wood Green, Middlesex; it has received little attention from historians." The Alexandra Park was opened on 23 July 1863 as a privately-owned pleasure garden, and a large exhibition building known as the Alexandra Palace was built in the park in a dominant position 300 ft above sea level, and opened on 24 May 1873.3 Sixteen days later, on 9June, it was destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt and reopened on I May 1875. Access to the Palace and Park was by the MuswellHill & Palace Railway, constructed under the Muswell Hill Estate and Railways Act of I 866 and opened concurrently with the Palace on 24 May 1873, being worked by the Great Northern Railway and absorbed by that company in September 1911.4 The Palace venture was not a commercial success.The Alexandra Palace Company Ltd was wound up in 1876, and the property passed to the London Financial Association, who reduced the park to some 200 acres and used the remainder for housing. During the following two decades several further attempts were made to develop the Palace as a centre of entertainment, but without lasting success, and from 1890 to 1897 it was used only for special events, the Park remaining closed at other times. A racecourse was opened in the Park in 1888. In October 1897 a lease of the Palace and Park was taken by Mr Thomas John Hawkins, a former horticultural builder ofAshford, Middlesex, who with others had conducted an amusement park at Wembley Park during the summer of 1897. Undeterred by the failure ofprevious similar attempts, Hawkins intended to reopen the Alexandra Palace and Park from Easter, 1898, as a centre of public entertainment, charging one shilling for admission. Although the railway from Muswell Hill afforded a convenient means ofreaching the Palace from London, Hawkins also wished to provide transport from the Wood Green direction, to attract visitors from the expanding suburbs east of the Palace. A railway extension from Palace Gates Station (Great Eastern Railway) was considered.s but the solution fmally adopted was the construction ofa short electric tramway from the Wood Green gate up to the east door of the Palace. In addition to meeting the


The median age at diagnosis for high grade glioma is 64 years. With peak incidence 75-84, malignant glial tumors are frequently a disease of the elderly. Common assessment measures fail to accurately gauge geriatric cancer patient fitness. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is recommended in patients older than 65 to gauge risk of toxicity and tolerance of therapeutic intervention. We reviewed data for older patients with high grade glioma (HGG) and thoracic malignancy (TM) who underwent CGA via Senior Oncology Clinic (SOC) at Levine Cancer Institute.

 From 2015 to 2019 104 thoracic malignancy patients and 19 high grade glioma patients completed CGA via SOC before treatment or a required change in therapy. Data was incorporated into the LCI Senior Oncology Database by the REDCap secure web application, allowing for both quantitative and qualitative data analysis.

 The median age was 77 in the HGG cohort compared to 80 years with TM. The physician rated Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) for HGG and TM were similar (76% v 79%) as were the percentages of patients that were frail or prefrail (90% v 87%). Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores were lower in HGG (20 v 23). Considerably more HGG had falls in the 6 months before their assessment (58% v 30%) and gait speed was slower (0.76 m/s v 0.85 m/s).

 Older patients with high grade gliomas compared to similar thoracic malignancies had more neurocognitive impairment, falls in the preceding 6 months, and slower gait speed. Physician rated KPS and frailty were similar in both groups. The results illustrate the limitations of physician-rated performance measures and highlight the importance of CGA in older brain tumor patients.


Objective : There is no exact data reporting prevalence of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) in Japan. In order to clarify the current status of HAND in Japan, we investigated the tests used to establish the diagnosis of HAND. Method : We conducted a questionnaire survey to 12 major hospital registered for HIV treatment in Japan as of November 2013. Results : The survey revealed no neuropsychological test battery used universally across Japan. Only three hospitals examined five or more domains of cognitive functions, while seven hospitals used neuropsychological tests without standardized score that could be used for assessment of severity of HAND, or making neuropsychological evaluation difficult. Conclusions : The results of the survey did not allow accurate estimation of the prevalence of HAND in Japan. Establishment of a standardized battery of neuropsychological tests for accurate diagnosis of HAND is indispensable for future epidemiological studies.


Potassium (K) is an essential macro nutrient which plays a vital role in crop growth and development. Most of the tropical soils are having low level of potassium and crops grown on these soils are heavily dependent on mineral fertilizers for the supply of potassium. Organic growers are in need of locally available natural source of potassium as they have restrictions on use of synthetic fertilizers. A pot experiment was conducted on sandy regosol to investigate the potassium supplying ability to soil from locally available potassium containing materials. The treatments were, T1-Control (no amendments added), ground mica (T2), feldspar (T3), coconut husk ash (T4), Tithonia diversifolia (T5), muriate of potash (T6) for comparison. Materials were analyzed for nutrient content and applied at the rate equivalent to recommended K level for adult coconut palm. Soil samples were extracted from each pot at one-month interval for analysis. Results show that higher exchangeable K level has been maintained (1.5-3.8 meq/100g soil) by T4 during the experimental period while T1, T2, T3 and T6 had significantly lower (<0.05 meq/100g soil) exchangeable K. In addition, T4 has increased soil pH towards neutral level and higher exchangeable Mg and available P. Treatments T5 and T4 also showed significantly higher exchangeable K than T1, T2 and T3. The results indicate that coconut husk ash and Tithonia diversifolia have a greater potential to be used as a source of potassium with additional advantage of enhanced availability of other nutrients.


The IOT's(Internet of Things) concept,main structure,key technologies at present are introduced as well as it's trend of development.The IOT's role in respect of promoting the information management level and ensuring production safety is summarized.An analysis of the IOT shows that,it will change the present industrial enterprise's production mode,the business style and management pattern,and it will bring the industrial enterprise into a revolution based on information.


OBJECTIVE:To study the bioequivalence of polyferose capsule and imported Niferex in healthy volunˉteers.METHODS:In a randomized two-way crossover design,a single oral dose of150mg polyferose capsule(A)and Niferex(B)were given to20male healthy volunteers.The serum iron concentrations within12h after administration were determined with atomic absorption spectrometry and parameters C max ,T max ,AUC 0~t and AUC 0~∞ were obtained and analysed with two-one sided t test.RESULTS:The AUC 0~t ,C max ,T max ,T 1/2 and AUC 0~∞ of A and B were6.58μg/(h·ml)and6.58μg/(h·ml),1.07μg/ml and1.10μg/ml,3.93h and3.93h,2.33h and2.33h,6.95μg/(h·ml)and6.93μg/(h·ml)respectively.There were no significant difference between A and B(P0.05)and the differences of AUC 0~t ,T max and C max were not significant as verified by two-one sided t test.CONCLUSION:The relative bioequivalence of polyferose capsules is101.02%which indicates that polyferose capsule is a bioequivalent product of Niferex capsule.


The local teaching idea is the origin of local teaching theory and practice and is the cultural basis for realizing the authentic creation.The local teaching idea in China is restricted by the subjective culture,different culture and systemic culture.We have enough reasons to believe its original driving force of inner spirit,self-innovational ability and unlimited compatibility.We have the responsibility to pursuit the origin of traditional teaching ideas,learn from the essence of foreign teaching ideas,broaden the new teaching ideas generated in the practice,paying attention to its substantial and plain method,surpass its way of teaching to release the vitality of the inner spirit of local teaching ideas.


Background psychological i factors affectin Methods: Th purpose and gi hospitals affilia also collected u was performed Results: The were associate management w Conclusion: identification o these patients;


Based on real time measurement data and normalized history load data of distribution system,incremental of load active and reactive power are used as quantity of states to make sure the linear relationship between quantity of states and objective function,linear least-squares algorithm in microregion are iterated to approach nonliear relationship,and cunsumer load of distribution system are online estimated.The algorithm is proved feasible by IEEE typical examples.


This research work is aimed at thoroughly mapping the action based competitive landscape of the mobile telecommunications network operating industry using the Turkish industry as a case study. It is based on findings from the first installation of the series of studies, which focused on isolating, identifying and classifying the industry specific actions specific to the industry under study through a structured content analysis of publicly available secondary data. It then uses Nokelainen's (2010) generic typology code sheet to qualitatively transform the 112 industry specific competitive actions. The transformation process produced generic action types of a nature that conforms to six of the eight elementary action categories in the code-sheet namely: bring about, forbear to bring about, suppress, preserve, destroy and forbear to destroy. These elementary actions were observed to be dependent on all eight resource categories posed by the code-sheet namely: financial, physical, legal, human, organizational, relational and product attribute resources. Finally it was observed that the bring about elementary action category accounted for the majority of all generic competitive actions observed, while most of the generic competitive action types isolated were observed to be dependent largely on financial and product attribute resources among others, for their initiation or execution.


With the electronic packaging techniques and electronic equipments toward a high integration and miniaturization development, high thermal conductivity and excellent thermo-mechanical properties of polymer-based composites have attracted significant attentions in the recent years. SiO2 as a common inorganic filler has been widely used in electronics packaging materials, due to its low coefficient of thermal expansion, high storage modulus, high glass transition temperature and stable chemical properties. Although the filling of SiO2 can improve the thermo-mechanical properties of polymer-based composites, its lower thermal conductivity limits its application in the field of electronic packaging. Boron nitride (BN), so-called "white graphene", which has excellent physical and chemical properties, such as excellent mechanical strength, low coefficient of thermal expansion, high resistance to oxidation, outstanding corrosion resistance and high thermal conductivity. Therefore, we hope to combine the excellent properties of SiO2 and BN to prepare polymer-based composites with high thermal conductivity and excellent thermo-mechanical properties. In our work, the SiO2@BN hybrids with core-shell structure were successfully prepared by high temperature calcination in nitrogen, and then filled into the epoxy resin to obtain the SiO2@BN/epoxy composites. When the SiO2@BN content was 50 wt%, the thermal conductivity of composites is 2.73 Wm−1K−1, which is about 4.07 times of neat epoxy. The storage modulus (50 °C) and glass transition temperature of the 50 wt% SiO2@BN/epoxy composites are 6.09 GPa and 188.4 °C, which is 3.72 GPa higher than that of the neat epoxy and 54.9 °C higher than the glass transition temperature of the neat epoxy. In addition, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the 50 wt% SiO2@BN/epoxy composites is 31.5 ppm/°C, which is 36.9 ppm/°C lower than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the neat epoxy.


『Kuwunmong』uses two distinctive narrative methods which can be called 'realization of yearning' and reincarnating'. It appears that in the process of becoming Yangsoyu from Seongjin, 'realization of yearning' triggers 'reincarnating'. In the reverse process of becoming Seongjin from Yangsoyu, only the 'realization of yearning' appears. When Seongjin awaked, he claimed that Yangsoyu's life was only a daydream. But then seongjin was not sure whether his life as Seongjin was a daydream. So Yukkwandaesa scolded Seongjin to wake up, for he believed that Seongjin was still dreaming. Yukkwandaesa taught that we should remove all sort of Sanna and offer charities to anything and anybody. He also thaught that we should not be obsessed with any kind of objects. Yukkwandaesa's such teacings seem very close to the teachings of 『Kuwunmong』. Seongjin before Yangsoyu and Seongjin after Yangsoyu existed only in the act of Seongjin's yearnful thinking, which took only a moment. But the narrating of Yangsoyu's life took very long and his fantastic and diverse life was described in detail. Such phenomenon seems to testify a well known buddhist teaching that wealth and fame is ephemeral and dreamlike. Painful recurrence of the metempsychosis happens throughout one lifetime of a person or sometimes throughout several lifetimes of the person. In 『Kuwunmong』it took only a moment by using the narrative method of 'realization of yearning'. This narrative phenomenon enabled Seonggin to perceive the truth. It can be concluded that 『Kuwunmong』materialized the teachings of 『Kuwunmong』into reality through its distinctive narrative methods.


This standard contains a set of baseline security requirements for the Management Plane. The President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) Network Security Information Exchange (NSIE) and Government NSIE jointly established a Security Requirements Working Group (SRWG) to examine the security requirements for controlling access to the public switched network, in particular with respect to the emerging next generation network. In the telecommunications industry, this access incorporates operation, administration, maintenance, and provisioning for network elements and various supporting systems and databases. Members of the SRWG, from a cross-section of telecommunications carriers and vendors, developed an initial list of security requirements that would allow vendors, government departments and agencies, and service providers to implement a secure telecommunications network management infrastructure. This initial list of security requirements was submitted as a contribution to Committee T1 – Telecommunications, Working Group T1M1.5 for consideration as a standard. The requirements outlined in this document will allow vendors, government departments and agencies, and service providers to implement a secure telecommunications network management infrastructure.


In this article, the light transmission process in single- and double-layered polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal (PDLC) cells and its relevance for contrast ratio calculations have been discussed. Double-layered cells consist of two PDLC films with a common central wall. We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that the contrast ratio of double-layered cells is larger than the one of a single PDLC film, but in general, it is not the product of the contrast ratios of the individual films, contrary to the result obtained neglecting multiple scattered light. The same result holds for a single film working in reflective mode. Our results may be potentially relevant for display applications.


ONE APPROACH TO THE EVALUATION OF QUERIES AGAINST RELATIONS DEFINED BY A RECURSIVE RULE IS TO DERIVE THE SERIES OF RULES THAT REPRESENT THE RESOLUTION OF MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF THE ORIGINAL RULE, AND APPLY EACH OF THESE DERIVED RULES TO THE BASE SET OF TUPLES THAT ARE IN THE RELATION ``NON-RECURSIVELY''''. WE CALL THESE DERIVED RULES `RULE EXPANSIONS''. A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF ECONOMY IN THE EVALUATION IS THE RECOGNITION OF REPEATING PATTERNS OF VARIABLE OVERLAP IN THE LITERALS OF THE RULE EXPANSIONS. IN THIS PAPER WE GIVE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE VARIABLES OF A RULE EXPANSION WILL BE EQUATED IN TERMS OF PATHS OF THE A-GRAPH OF IOANNIDIS. THIS CHARACTERIZATION SHOULD PROVE USEFUL IN DEVELOPING STRATEGIES FOR QUERY EVALUATION.


The focus of the current study is the development of chromatographic methods to understand the end-group modification of poly(e-caprolactones) (pCLs) prepared via azide/alkyne "click" chemistry. In order to prove the efficiency of the "click" reaction with increasing molar mass of the pCLs, a detailed characterization method via several multidimensional chromatographic techniques (2D LC/SEC, coupled to mass spectrometry) was developed. In particular, we have investigated the separation of low molar mass pCLs (Mn ≤ 35 000 g·mol–1) using a gradient elution chromatographic method (eluent: ACN/THF) monitoring the end-group functionalization of the separated polymers online via ESI-TOF and/or MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, the latter coupled via a transfer module sprayer (TM sprayer). Because of the poor solubility of high molar mass pCLs (Mn above 35 000 g·mol–1), a second chromatographic method was employed, enabling the separation of end-group-functionalized pCLs up to a molar mass of 115 400 g·mol–1. Based o...


Drilling with a continuous (rather than jointed) drill string is an old concept that is gaining new attention as a result of recent advances made in coiled tubing and drilling technology. The development of larger diameter, reliable, high-strength coiled tubing and smaller diameter, positive displacement motors, orienting tools, surveying systems and fixed cutting drill bits have given drilling with a continuous drill string a capability that was previously unattainable. Like its many other uses, (e.g., squeeze cementing, wellbore cleanouts, flow initiation, logging) the continuity of coiled tubing gives it several advantages over conventional drill strings. These include: drilling underbalanced safely, significantly reduced trip time, continuous circulation, smaller surface requirements. Coiled tubing drilling operations have smaller surface lease requirements than most conventional rigs due to the smaller footprint of the coiled tubing unit and associated equipment. Current coiled tubing drilling operations have the following limitations: conventional rig assistance is required for well preparation; conventional rigs must assist in running long protective and production casing strings or liners; hole sizes are smaller; working depth capabilities are shallower, coiled tubing life is less. This paper goes on to discuss the history of continuous drill strings and includes information on tubing units, circulating systems,more » drilling fluids, well control systems, downhole tools, orientation tools, and bottomhole assemblies. It then gives a cost comparison and an application of this type of drilling.« less


La Fabrica de Cerveza de San Miguel published in May and June of this year four colored charts on various aspects of Philippine economy. These charts will be distributed without cost to interested university and college libraries. The charts are: (1) Estimated Yearly per Capita Income of the Philippines, (13" x 15"). based on figures available as of December, 1953, and classified as to density of population and level of income per province or city; (2) Foreign Trade of the Philippines, (15" x 25"), covering period from 1925 to 1953 (excluding war years 1942-1945); (3) Philippine Imports and Exports, (15" x 25"), covering the period from 1949 to 1953 with breakdown of imports into capital goods, raw materials and consumer goods; and (4) Philippine Foreign Exchange Receipts and Disbursements, (13" x 15 ")i covering the period from 1950 to 1954 based on dollar receipts and disbursements only of commercial banks and authorized agencies. The excellent reproduction of these charts and the pertinency of their data makes them a valuable addition to any university library. The charts may be obtained by writing to Mr. Ernest Kahn, Vice-President-Comptroller, La Fabrica de Cerveza de San Miguel, Manila, Philippines.


The present invention relates to a method of designing a valve (12) exhibiting an orifice (36) of the cross section (S) which depends on the position of the valve member of the valve (30), so this section is controllable. Method, And determining desired variation relationship of the flow cross-section of a) valve (S * (t)), this relationship defines the variation desired in the cross-section as a function of time, the steps, Setting a predetermined transfer relationship (P (t)) for b) valve member, c) wherein the predetermined transfer relationship (P (t)) each instant when the valve member moves in accordance with (in t), flow cross-section (S (t) and remains equal to) desirable cross (S * (t)) so that the steps of defining the shape of the fluid flow orifice, Equipped with a. The method makes it possible to design a controlled easily valves.


Prednisolone has been over-used for viral-induced preschool wheeze and should be used in only severely ill children, write Laura Crosby, Abigail Mee and Siba Prosad Paul


The modular design of machinery products is the trend of development. Parametric CAD is an efficient and convenient method in machinery products design. Modular design is used to the typical machinery products design, and builds a series of libraries of them. When a drawing needs to be plotted, adaptive software-module, which is stored in the libraries, can be activated to realize the drawing real-time generation. These methods can compose various assembly drawings. So the combination of modular design and parametric plotting simplifies the construction of products, enriches the system of them and can realize the intelligent design automatically.


This paper studies the adaptive beamforming algorithm based on the frequency diverse array (FDA) array where the interference is located at the same angle (but different range) with the target. We take the cross subarray-based FDA with sinusoidal frequency offset (CSB sin-FDA) as the receiving array instead of the basic FDA. The sampling covariance matrix under insufficient snapshot can be corrected by the automatic diagonal loading method. On the basis of decomposing the mismatched steering vector error into a vertical component and a parallel one, this paper searches the vertical component of the error by the quadratic constraint method. The numerical simulation verifies that the beamformer based on the CSB sin-FDA can effectively hold the mainlobe at the target position when the snapshot is insufficient or the steering vector is mismatched.


Electromechanical materials can be used in smart sensor and actuator devices. Yet none performing at low temperatures are available. To meet this need, Pb((MgNi)(1/3)Ta(2/3))03 was synthesized as an electrostrictive ceramic for applications in cryogenic environments. Employing the columbite precursor route, samples with 0% to 100% Ni substitution for Mg were prepared, but only samples with Ni-substitutions less than or equal to 20% yielded primarily the desired perovskite phase. For these compositions the temperature of highest permittivity decreased linearly with increasing Ni content to yield a minimum value of -124 C for 20% Ni-substitution. This composition showed good relaxor dielectric behavior with a maximum relative permittivity of 5890 at 1 kHz. Additionally, in samples with excess MgO, the magnitude of permittivity doubled. In this effort, Pb((MgNi)(1/3)Ta(2/3))03 (PMNiTa) was fabricated to lower its transition temperature by substituting Ni for Mg successively.


Objective
To investigate the epidemiological features of adult tibial shaft fractures in Hebei Province and compare their regional differences.

Methods
All the clinical data of adult fractures from January 2010 through December 2011 were collected from The Third Affiliated Hospital to Hebei Medical University (Group A, Shijiazhuang), Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (Group B, Cangzhou), and The Second Hospital of Tangshan (Group C, Tangshan). Adult tibial shaft fractures were selected and analyzed retrospectively. Analytic items included gender, age, AO/OTA fracture type. The epidemiological characteristics of adult tibial shaft fractures in Hebei Province were summarized. Comparisons and analyses were made among the 3 groups.

Results
A total of 3,559 adult tibial shaft fractures were selected, accounting for 28.20% of the tibial and fibular fractures and 4.85% of all the adult fractures at the same period. The male/female ratio was 4.21∶1. The age distribution showed that the peak age of tibial shaft fracture was from 36 to 45 years (25.96 % ), and no significant difference was observed between males (26.36% ) and females (24.30% ). Type 42-A ones were the most common, accounting for 49.73% of all the tibial shaft fractures. It is also the most common in both men (47.88% ) and women (57.54% ). The male/female ratio in complex fractures was higher than that in simple fractures. The male/female ratios in type 42-B and type 42-C were significantly higher than that in type 42-A (P< 0.05). The proportions of adult tibial shaft fractures in tibial and fibular fractures accounted for 21.17% in group A, 30.62% in group B, and 31.67% in group C, respectively. The differences among the 3 groups were statistically significant (P< 0.05). The differences between group A and group C as well as between group A and group B were statistically significant (P< 0.05). The proportions of adult tibial shaft fractures in all the adult fractures accounted for 3.32% in group A, 3.78% in group B, and 6.91% in group C, respectively. There were statistically significant differences among the 3 groups (P < 0.05). The constituent ratio of the peak age (from 36 to 45 years old) in group B was significantly higher than those in group A (23.77% ) and group C (25.58% ) (P< 0.05). The constituent ratio of the old males (≥ 66 years) in group C(2.94% ) was significantly higher than that in group B (2.19% ) (P< 0.05). The constituent ratio of the old males (≥ 66 years) in group A (6.12% ) was significantly higher than that in group C (3.52% ) (P< 0.05). The constituent ratio of complex fractures in group A (56.30% ) was significantly higher than those in group B (50.00% ) and group C (47.83% ) (P< 0.05).

Conclusions
In Heibei Province from 2010 through 2011, more men suffered from tibial shaft fracture than women. The proportion of female patients increased with the increase in age. The peak age of tibial shaft fracture was from 36 to 45 years old. Type 42-A ones were the most common. The male/female ratio in complex fractures was higher than that in simple ones. The constitution of the peak age group (from 36 to 45 years old) was the highest in Cangzhou. The constitution of the old male patients was the highest in Tangshan. The constitution of the complex fractures was the highest in Shijiazhuang.

Key words:
Tibial fractures; Epidemiologic studies; Age factors; Sex factors; AO classification


As with other schools, there are many casualties on the road of the community school psychology movement in South Africa. This article presents the case of one young girl, Mapula, who may have been spared if school community psychology practice had been established in the inner city where she tried to get an education. The case study tells the story of her school's attempts to meet her educational needs and of her struggle. Mapula's condition deteriorated, parallel with the school's efforts to try and assist her. It urgently required the help of a support team and caring educational psychologists, social workers and public health professionals. None of these were forthcoming in this 'private' school 'for the poor'. We argue for radical community psychology support in schools situated in settings such as these, where social impact is high. It also questions the ability of organisations running such schools, to cope with the full responsibility.


The invention relates to an electro-hydraulic unit - in particular, apparatus for controlling the braking and traction slip and for driving dynamics control. The invention is based on the object to provide an electro-hydraulic unit is available, which allows a simple way different Energieerzeugungsmodi. The object is achieved by the electro-hydraulic unit is provided with a piston pump 2 and with a device to switch between various hydraulic working surfaces or effective area combinations A1; A1 + A2 switch.


Introduction: Dengue virus being most significant among vector borne diseases is leading to increased morbidity and mortality in India. Global prevalence of dengue has been increasing over the last decade. So, it is important to screen all dengue fever like cases.
Objective: The study was conducted to know seroprevalence of Dengue virus by detecting NS1, IgM in clinically suspected dengue fever cases.
Material and Method: Test was done in 315 blood samples of clinically suspected dengue fever cases, in various departments of RIMS, Ranchi. The study was done from November 2016 to August 2017. NS1 antigen and IgM antibody detection both were done by ELISA (NS1 by Qualisa Microwell Enzyme Immunoassay and IgM by NIV Dengue IgM Captured ELISA KIT).
Result and Discussion: Out of 315 blood samples, 84 samples (26.7%) were serologically positive for dengue infection. Among the positive cases 72.6% were males and 27.4% were females. Males are more affected than females, because males are more exposed during their outdoor visit for livelihood. Age group between 21-30 years were most affected. Most of the cases were reported in monsoon and post- monsoon season.
Conclusion: This study highlights the need of continuous surveillance by both NS1 antigen and IgM antibody by ELISA method for early detection of impending outbreak to initiate timely prevention and control measures.

Keywords: Dengue, NS1, IgM.


Blood irradiation is widely practiced in China.The main purpose of this process is to prevent graft versus host disease into immunodeficiency patients.This is achieved by the abrogation of T-lymphocytes,as a result of specific effect of ionizing radiation at low doses applied.As demonstrated by a lot of studies,there are no accompanying significantly deleterious effects,and therefore the technique has acquired wide utilization in hospital and transfusion services,blood banks,and related institution.This paper discussed radiological environmental impact assessment of blood irradiation and blood components.Based on the project description,a systemic radiological environmental impacts has been identified. The environmental impacts were predicted and assessed.The environmental protection measures are also proposed.


Abstract Recent group-theoretical investigations connected with problems of classical Landau theory are discussed. The concept of exomorphism of group-subgroup relations enables us to classify the transitions into mathematically equivalent types. This opens a way for systemization of phase transitions in which the solution of all mathematical problems can be performed for these abstract types only. In particular, the complete theory of thermodynamic potentials is outlined on the basis of the theory of extended integrity bases.


The application and effectiveness of MO surge arresters to capacitor banks is discussed. Principle application rules for different configurations are given. The influence of MO arresters with different ratings on voltage and current at the capacitors and at a re-striking circuit breaker respectively is shown and quantified.


Direct propanol synthesis from CO2, H2, and C2H4 was investigated over TiO2- and SiO2-based catalysts doped with K and possessing Au nanoparticles (NPs). The catalysts were characterized by scanning transmission electron microscopy and temperature-programmed reduction of adsorbed CO2. Mechanistic aspects of CO2 and C2H4 interaction with the catalysts were elucidated by means of temporal analysis of products with microsecond time resolution. CO2, which is activated on the support, is reduced to CO by hydrogen surface species formed from gas-phase H2 on Au NPs. C2H4 adsorption also occurs on these sites. In comparison with TiO2-based catalysts, the promoter in the K–Au/SiO2 catalysts was found to increase CO2 conversion and propanol production, whereas Au-related turnover frequency of C2H4 hydrogenation to C2H6 decreased with rising K loading. The latter reason was linked to the effect of the support on the ability of Au NPs for activation of C2H4 and H2. The positive effect of K on CO2 conversion was expla...


This paper builds upon recent scholarship, exploring how Wearmouth‐Jarrow, founded as a 'family monastery' in the mainstream of early medieval Northumbrian monasticism, reformed itself to become the proto‐Benedictine bastion of correct behaviour described in Bede's Lives of the Abbots and the anonymous Life of Ceolfrith. The understudied abbots Hwaetberht and Sicgfrith appear to be at the heart of this process. Their careers and actions suggest the existence of a party at Wearmouth‐Jarrow opposed to the dominance of the founder's kin group and wishing to reform the monastery on Benedictine lines. This party triumphed only in 716, when Hwaetberht became abbot.


Despite considerable empirical and theoretical work on the individual and population consequences of early development, little is known about the correlations between early mass and adult size or lifetime reproductive success of free-ranging mammals. Using a 26-year study of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), we examined how mass as a lamb and mass gain as a yearling affected adult mass for both sexes, horn length of males and lifetime reproductive success of females at different population densities. Mass as a 3-week-old lamb was either weakly or not correlated with adult mass, horn length of adult males, or the number of lambs weaned over a ewe's lifetime. Weaning mass was correlated with most of these variables when the number of ewes in the population was taken into account. When weaning mass was controlled through partial correlation, mass as a yearling was correlated with adult mass of ewes but not with ewe reproductive success or with adult mass or horn length of rams. Lamb mass and number of ewes explained more of the variance in adult characteristics for males than for females. Our results suggest that mass gain during lactation, possibly but not necessarily related to the amount of maternal care received, affects adult mass and reproductive success. Females appear better able than males to compensate for poor early development, likely by postponing their first reproduction. Mass gain over several years and the number of ewes in the population strongly affect adult mass of both sexes and therefore can have profound effects on reproductive success of this long-lived species with a multi-year growth period.


Shouling Xu: Two Leucine-rich receptor kinases mediate signaling linking cell wall biosynthesis and ACC synthase in Arabidopsis and possible downstream elements in the pathway (Under the direction Dr. Joseph J. Kieber) The cell wall is essential for plants. In an elongating cell, the cellulose microfibrils are wrapped transversely around the cell, thus allowing longitudinal expansion but restricting lateral expansion. The signaling pathways that regulate cell wall biosynthesis in response to developmental and environmental cues are still poorly understood. I describe the cloning and characterization of two Arabidopsis thaliana LRR receptor-like kinases, FEI1 and FEI2, that act as positive regulators of cell wall biosynthesis. Mutations in FEI1 and FEI2 disrupt anisotropic expansion and the synthesis of cell wall polymers, and act additively with inhibitors or mutations disrupting cellulose biosynthesis. In addition, I demonstrate that FEI1 is an active protein kinase; however, a kinase-inactive version of FEI1 was able to fully complement the fei1 fei2 mutant, suggesting intrinsic kinase activity is not required for FEI function in roots. The expansion defect in fei1 fei2 roots was suppressed by inhibition of ACC synthase, an enzyme that converts Ado-Met to ACC in ethylene biosynthesis, but not by disruption of the ethylene response pathway. Furthermore, the FEI proteins interact directly with ACC synthase. These results suggest that the FEI proteins define a novel signaling pathway that regulates cell wall function, likely via an ACC-mediated signal. To further our understanding of the FEI pathway in


The daily intake of total dietary fiber (TDF) was evaluated from data collected by the National Nutrition Survey in Japan over a period of 41 years since 1947. The interrelationships between dietary fiber, other nutrient intake and the mortality from colon cancer (MCC) were determined by a simple correlation coefficient and a time-series correlation coefficient. TDF intake per capita decreased rapidly from 27.4 g in 1947 to 15.8 g in 1963, and subsequently decreased at a lesser rate to 15.3 g in 1987. The interrelationship between MCC and TDF intake could be represented by two linear regression lines, with similar findings also being observed for fat, fat energy ratio and fat/TDF. MCC has increased rapidly since the daily intake of TDF dropped to less than 18 g. A time-series analysis indicates that MCC has a significantly positive maximum correlation with the intake of total fat and with the fat energy ratio after a 16-year delay. MCC was negatively correlated with TDF after a 15-27 year delay, the maximum correlation existing with a 24-year lag (r = 0.918). Fat/TDF showed the most striking correlation with MCC with a 16-year lag (r = 0.994) among all the parameters. It is suggested that the cause of increased MCC in Japan is positively related to the increased intake of fat. In addition, the decrease in TDF intake has accelerated MCC after a delay of 24 years. The importance of fat/ TDF as a nutritional criterion for the incidence of colon cancer needs to be better recognized.


Sn-based lithium-ion batteries have low cost and high theoretical specific capacity. However, one of major problem is the capacity fading caused by volume expansion during lithiation/delithiation. In this study, 3dimensional foam structure of Cu-Sn alloy is prepared by co-electrodeposition including large free space to accommodate the volume expansion of Sn. The Cu-Sn foam structure exhibits highly porous and numerous small grains. The result of EDX mapping and XPS spectrum analysis confirm that Cu-Sn foam consists of SnO2 with a small quantity of CuO. The Cu-Sn foam structure electrode shows high reversible redox peaks in cyclic voltammograms. The galvanostatic cell cycling performances show that Cu-Sn foam electrode has high specific capacity of 687 mAh/g at a current rate of 50 mA/g. Through SEM observation after the charge/ discharge processes, the morphology of Cu-Sn foam structure is mostly maintained despite large volume expansion during the repeated lithiation/delithiation reactions.


The physicochemical models of solution-precipitation of carbonates let us establish that the tufaceous deposits genesis may be envisaged as a mass transfer model from older carbonates to active deposits throught underground water system. The main variables that may affect the intensity of process are : pCO 2 gradient (soil-atmosphere), temperature gradient (underground water-superficial waters) and lithological composition of aquifer.


The development of computational methods in optimization has focused mostly on algorithms for solving problems of the canonical form$$\min\limits\sbsp{x\in\IR\sp{n}}\ \{f\sp0(x)\vert f(x)\le0,\ g(x)=0\},\eqno(1)$$where the functions$$f\sp0\ :\IR\sp{n}\to\IR,f\ :\IR\sp{n}\to\IR\sp{q},\ {\rm and}\ g :\IR\sp{n}\to\IR\sp{p}$$are smooth.
Unfortunately, many complex engineering-design optimization problems cannot be stated in the form (1), and hence there is a dearth of algorithms for their solution. In this dissertation we develop algorithms for three such classes of problems.
In Chapter 2, we deal with a class of optimal Euler-Bemoulli beam design problems with continuum constraints. We replace the original, infinite dimensional problem by an infinite family of finite dimensional, approximating problems, and show that any accumulation point of the sequence of the stationary points of the family of approximating problems is a stationary point of the original, infinite-dimensional problem. The approximating problems are tractable by standard nonlinear programming algorithms.
In Chapter 3, we present a new mathematical formulation for a class of structural optimization problems with reliability constraints, and show that in this formulation these problems can be solved using outer approximations algorithms that use adaptive continuum discretization techniques.
In Chapter 4 we present a simple transcription of problems with maximum constraints into a nonlinear programming problem with smooth constraints. Equivalence between global and local minimizers of the problem with maximum constraints and those of the problem obtained through the proposed transcription is proved. This transcription facilitates the solution of path planning in the presence of obstacles, and other problems with "exclusion" constraints.
Finally, in Chapter 5, two versions of a new one-dimensional, globally convergent optimization algorithm that achieves quadratic convergence by using cubic interpolation to construct approximations of the second derivative are presented. The algorithm does not require an initial determination of a bounded interval (satisfying certain bracketing conditions) containing a local minimizer.
The robustness and efficiency of all the algorithms and techniques presented in this dissertation are illustrated by numerical results.


We propose a service-aware dynamic sharding approach for enhancing the scalability of blockchain platforms. The objective of our proposed approach is to decrease the service latency for user transactions and increase the transaction throughput of conventional blockchain platforms. Sharding is a well-known solution to the problem of blockchain scalability. In sharded blockchains, transactions can be processed in parallel on different shards. However, compared to intra-transactions, cross-shard transactions, which are inevitably generated in sharded blockchains, are confirmed after a relatively long time. This attribute may result in the overall degradation of performance. To mitigate the effects of cross-shard transactions on the performance of blockchain systems, our proposed approach dynamically relocates the data accessed through cross-shard transactions to the same shard. Further, two or more highly related shards are adaptively merged into a single shard, or a single shard is split into smaller disjointed shards to fully utilize shards in parallel. To verify the efficacy of our proposed approach, we implemented a sharded blockchain using the Hyperledger-Fabric platform based on the design concepts of existing sharded blockchains. The experimental results show that the proposed approach can improve the scalability of existing blockchains while maintaining the consistency of ledgers during dynamic state changes.


* Corresponding author Abstract: The world has changed rapidly in recent months as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all areas of socio-economic life. The crisis directed, in a first phase, the efforts of the whole society in the direction of ensuring the public health, and later also towards the economic recovery by resuming the human activities. In this context, housing has been a point of stability and a starting point for all efforts, and access to adequate housing has proven its importance for ensuring the health and well-being of the population. The purpose of the research is to highlight a series of housing affordability problems pre-existent and new problems arising from the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the housing sector in Romania. The present research highlights pre-existing problems in the general picture of housing at the national level, how these issues condition access to adequate and affordable housing, the emergence of new risk groups in the population in terms of access to housing, highlights the impact of the pandemic on the ability of households to bear housing costs and proves that housing insecurity is exacerbated by the effects of the crisis. The analyzes used data provided by the National Institute of Statistics, Eurostat, the Quality of Life Research Institute as well as reports prepared by specialized European organizations.


Three studies tested the hypothesis that people assume that the identities of other people are tied more closely to their distinctive than to their nondistinctive traits In Studies 1 and 3, subjects predicted the preferences of a target person who was a member of both a statistically distinctive and a statistically nondistinctive category (e g, sky diver and tennis player) In Study 2, subjects judged the degree of interpersonal similarity between pairs of people sharing distinctive as opposed to nondistinctive category memberships Consistent with the hypothesis, subjects linked targets with their more distinctive traits and assumed targets would be more similar to people who shared their distinctive traits than to people who shared their nondistinctive traits The implications of this distinctiveness effect for an understanding of stereotyping are explored


YVO4:xEu nanoparticles having a spherical shape at different concentrations of Eu (x = 0.02, 0.05, 0.07 and 0.10 at%) are prepared by a polyol method at 120 °C and their luminescence properties at different annealing temperatures (as-prepared, 500 and 900 °C) are studied. In the luminescence study, the typical emission peaks of Eu3+ ion at 590 and 612 nm are observed for all samples. The intensity of the emission peak increases with the increase of annealing temperature due to the decrease of the contribution from the non-radiative process arising from the surface dangling bond/OH. The crystallite size calculated from the X-ray diffraction is found to increase with annealing from 500 to 900 °C but the as-prepared sample has a larger crystallite size than the 500 °C annealed sample. This can be explained by the incorporation of C in the interstitial sites of the lattice after heating the as-prepared sample at 500 °C. The C residue remains after decomposition of ethylene glycol at 500 °C. Luminescence decays for the 5D0 level of Eu3+ are studied under 395 nm (direct excitation) and 270, 320 nm (indirect excitation). The energy transfer process from V–O to Eu3+ is studied from decay curves. The quantum yields for as-prepared, 500 and 900 °C annealed samples of 5 at% Eu3+ doped YVO4 nanoparticles are 1, 14 and 46%, respectively. We have also synthesized YVO4:10Eu/Fe3O4 hybrid nanocomposites and determined their intracellular localization as well as hyperthermia efficacy in tumor cells. These materials will have potential application in the diagnosis as well as therapy of cancer cells.


A resonant radar reflector assembly 300 or a method of using such a reflector assembly comprises first and second resonant radar reflector members 310A, 310B configured to resonate at a respective frequency when irradiated by radio frequency radiation of a corresponding frequency. The said members 310A, 310B are arranged such that a polarised electric or magnetic signal from the first member 310A is substantially not parallel with that of the second member 310B. A reflector member 310 may have linear dipole portions directly linked, or capacitively coupled, to a central loop portion. These members 310 may be orthogonal to one another and arranged to resonate at the same frequency or a number of different frequencies. Alternatively, the members 310 may be arranged with a number of different polarisations. The members 310 may be arranged in a coplanar formation on the surface of a dielectric material which separates them from a parallel conductive surface. Strings 320, 322 of such member may form intersecting networks of such elements with helical formations when applied to the surface of a cylindrical pipe 360. The different frequencies and polarisations may be used to assist in article location and identification methods.


An auto body is the biggest part of a car and account 40%~60% of the vehicle total mass [1]. Reducing the weight of the auto body, which helps to reduce fuel consumption and emissions by a large extent, has become a research focusing on the automotive industry. In general, the mass decreased by 10%, while fuel consumption savings of about 6%~8% and emissions decreasing by 4% [2]. At the same time, trunk lid is one of the largest parts of the auto body. So reducing the trunk lid mass is an effective method of reducing body mass. This paper proposes a new scheme that using current popular SMC (Sheet molding compound) instead of steel in making trunk lid. The SMC material trunk lid has been verified the feasibility by using finite element method.


Background : Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) consists of mechanical vibration stimuli produced that propagate throughout the body by increasing the gravitational load. The WBV can increase muscle mass in dogs with muscular atrophy. As Whole-body vibration (WBV) can be used as exercise modality with no impact on the joints, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of single session of WBV in hematobiochemical and hemogasometric parameters in adult and elderly healthy dogs. Materials, Methods & Results: Fourteen clinically healthy, neutered crossbreed male dogs, non-athlete were selected. The dogs were divided into two groups of seven dogs, according to the age group: Group I - adult dogs (GI): age between 12.0 and 84.0 months old; Group II - elderly dogs (GII): age above 84.0 months old. All dogs were submitted to a single session WBV by using a vibrating platform that delivered a vortex wave circulation as mechanical vibration. The WBV protocol used was 30 Hz frequency (3.10 mm peak displacement; 11.16 m/s 2 peak acceleration; 0.29 m/s velocity), then 50 Hz (3.98 mm peak displacement; 39.75 m/s 2 peak acceleration; 0.62 m/s velocity), and lastly 30 Hz (3.10 mm peak displacement; 11.16 m/s 2 peak acceleration; 0.29 m/s velocity) for 5-min between de frequencies. The hematobiochemical and hemagasometric parameters were evaluated at 1-min before the WBV session (1PRE), 1-min after the WBV session (1POST), 120-min (120POST) and 24 hours after the WBV session (24hPOST). The dogs accepted well the vibration stimulus, however, elderly dogs weighting above 30 kg were more likely to sit down with increased frequency from 30 to 50 Hz. No variations of food and water intakes and gastrointestinal changes were observed after the WBV session. Hemoglobin values showed significant decrease (P = 0.0312) between 1PRE and 1POST in elderly dogs. A significant decrease (P = 0.0453) was observed in alanine aminotransferase values between 120POST and 14hPOST in adult dogs. Creatinine values had a statically decrease (P = 0.0173) between 1PRE and 24hPOST in adult dogs. However, these values remained within the reference range for dogs. Discussion : According to the literature, there are no studies related to the effects of WBV in haematobiochemical and hemogasometric parameters in adult and elderly dogs. No deleterious effects regarding to a single session of WBV were observed, however harmful effects were observed in human patients. The elderly dogs with body mass above 30 kg tried to sit during the increased frequency from 30 to 50 Hz, which was associated with the pressure exerted in their paws. No significant differences were observed in erythrogram and leukogram parameters except for hemoglobin values. Significant decline was observed in hemoglobin values in adult Beagle dogs; and were associated with hemolysis. The significant decrease in alanine aminotransferase and creatinine values did not have clinical significance. No significant alterations were identified in hemogasometric parameters but slight increase in pH values was observed in horses subjected to a 60 km run, and was associated to the loss of Cl ions in sweat. The single session of WBV by using a vibrating platform that delivered a vortex wave circulation, at 30 and 50 Hz frequencies for 5 min did not induced significant changes in hematobiochemical and hemogasometric parameters in adults and elderly healthy dogs.


Most people do not wish to d ie in hospital, yet most people do. Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) appear to be particularly disadvantaged in this regard, partly because it can be difficult to recognise when the issue should be broached. This review by two integrated cardiology-palliative care services of 235 CHF deaths, shows that only about a third of patients died in an acute hospital bed. End-of-life discussions were possible, with the majority of patients given the opportunity to express a preferred place of dying achieving their wish.


The effect of dehydroacetic acid (DHA) on the growth, and ochratoxin A accumulation by the mould Aspergillus ochraceus NRRL 3145, was studied in yeast - extract - sucrose (YES) medium at pH = 5.5. YES medium was treated with various amounts of cultures at 15 0C, during 15 days. Mycelial dry masses were determined gravimetrically, and ochratoxin A concentrations were quantified fluorodensitometrically using a Camag TLC Scanner. Dehydroacetic acid at 0.1 and 0.2 mmol L-1 stimulated the growth of moulds and ochratoxin A production. A higher concentration at 0.5 mmol L-1 inhibited the mould growth partially, and completely inhibited the ochratoxin A synthesis depending on the time and temeperature of cultivation.


Orthographic views ore traditionally used for engineering drawings. This paper presents a methodology for 3D parametric design using orthographic views. The parametric design technique, which is used to design 2D orthographic views, is based on production rules. In the production rule-base, several view interrelation rules and over 50 geometric rules are included. An efficient algorithm is also developed to expedite the reasoning process. For 3D object construction from orthographic views, the approach known as bottom-up geometrical approach is used. The approach consists of 4 steps : 1) generation of wire-frame, 2) construction of face from wire frame, 3) formation of 3D subobjects from faces, and 4) construction of final 3D objects. Curvilinear solids as well as planar solids can be constructed. A method of converting existing 2D CAD data to parametric 3D CAD data is also presented.


The synthesis of ethyl heptanoate from heptanoic acid and ethyl alcohol with H4SiW12O40/SiO2 as catalyst was studied and the results showed that H4SiW12O40/SiO2 was an ideal catalyst for the synthesis of ethyl heptanoate.The optimum technical conditions were summed up as follows:molarratio of heptanoic acid to ethylalcohol was 1∶2,the use level of catalyst was 3%,the use level of water-car-ring to luene was 8mL,the reaction time was 2.5h,and the yield was about 49.5%.


Abstract In the present study, the effect of simultaneous use of different non-conventional water types and zeolite percentages on the compressive strength of concrete was investigated. The experiment was conducted in two cement contents for long-term curing ages up to 365 days. Finally, data of 1176 cubic samples were statistically analyzed. Also, the relationship between water type, zeolite percentage, cement content, and curing age as independent variables and compressive strength of concrete as the dependent variable was extracted by the single and multiple linear regressions. Dummy coding was used in the regression procedure. Results showed that despite the significant decreasing effect of zeolite on the compressive strength of concrete in low cement content, a negative effect on this property was not seen up to zeolite usage 20% in high cement content. Also, while in low cement content, the use of all types of non-conventional water led to an increase in the compressive strength of concrete, in the high cement content, this property was reduced within the permissible limit of 10% by all types of non-conventional mixing water. Three-way interaction of zeolite percentage, water type and cement content on compressive strength of concrete revealed that negative effect of the simultaneous use of zeolite and non-conventional water compared to the condition of tap water and without zeolite usage mostly was less in the cement content 350 Kg.m−3 than 250 Kg.m−3. Finally, it was concluded that permissible limits of mixing water impurities of which are presented in the different standards possibly have not adequately credited for all conditions.


In this study, a 2D age-dependent predation equations characterizing Beddington\begin{document}$ - $\end{document}DeAngelis type schemes are established to investigate the evolutionary dynamics of population, in which the predator is selected to be depicted with an age structure and its fertility function is assumed to be a step function. The dynamic behaviors of the equations are derived from the integrated semigroup method, the Hopf bifurcation theorem, the center manifold reduction and normal form theory of semilinear equations with non-dense domain. It turns out that the equations appear the oscillation phenomenon via Hopf bifurcation (positive equilibrium age distribution lose its stability and give rise to periodic solutions), as the bifurcation parameter moves across certain threshold values. Additionally, the explicit expressions are offered to determine the properties of Hopf bifurcation (the direction the Hopf bifurcation and the stability of the bifurcating periodic solutions). This technique can also be employed to other epidemic and ecological equations. Eventually, some numerical simulations and conclusions are executed to validating the major results of this work.


In many industrial processes cost optimisation and the inclusion of operational constraints are necessary. Many approaches examine the steady-state costs to provide optimal static set-points. However, this methodology does not recognize transient behaviour. There are some papers that deal with dynamic models. In this work, a state space representation was used. The control strategy, possessing only a regulatory objective, is applied to a thermal power plant simulator.


This essay presents a demographic and economic survey of all Verita households in Verona during the first two centuries of Venetian rule, in order to examine the changing nature of local elites in Terraferma cities, a theme that was of great interest to Benjamin G. Kohl. Veronese noble families
that maintained or improved their economic and social position during this period did so by adapting to rapidly changing circumstances, and developing a wide range of strategic solutions to meet these challenges. In the Verita family there were high levels of instability and decline among many households and branches in the family, as well as cases of rapid and spectacular increases in wealth. Allegiance to the patriline was both a powerful ideal and a source of practical support, but household heads used it selectively as they made their way in the world. Maintaining the economic independence of individual branches and households was the fundamental principle of estate organization among members of this family, as will be shown by a detailed discussion of the division of the estate of Gabriele Verita in 1439. The social geography of the family (with some exceptions) was characterized by residential independence throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries.


Conservatoria in the past provided prospective musicians with training in performance, generally in the classical Western European tradition. Most of them were independent of universities, free from academic constraints, focused on performance, flexible in their practice, and desirous of (yet susceptible to) high profile individual leadership. The last two decades in particular have generated significant change, placing conservatoria under increasing pressure from new challenges. Now confronting those shifting boundaries which have reshaped the artistic climate and organisational environment, many are also compelled to broaden access whilst meeting the challenge of reduced government subsidy. New higher education policies and declining resources have caused the relocation of many conservatoria into the university sector, most particularly (but not exclusively) in Australia and the USA. This development has resulted in new systems of governance and different expectations of both the conservatorium and its leaders. Thus government policy impacts on the potential shape of the conservatorium. Changing funding structures in higher education and the arts further complicate the influence government policy might have on conservatoria. For autonomous conservatoria, government arts and education policies directly effect institutional policy and financial stability. Where conservatoria exist within universities, a domino effect devolves the impact of higher education policy to internal units like the conservatorium. Compounding these circumstances is the reality that traditional performance is diminishing in social relevance and the professions into which future music graduates will move are now more diverse than ever before and clearly less dependent solely on conventional music training. Consequently contemporary conservatorium leaders now confront a different, less compliant musical environment. Decisions made by these leaders have the potential to impact well beyond conservatorium walls. Therefore, for those conservatoria which have evolved as part of the cultural infrastructure of their respective communities, internal conservatorium choices may obscure the broader ramifications these choices have for the wider community. From inside the university sector, some conservatoria are challenged to give priority to the needs of the university community, with resultant effects on their individual conservatorium characters. The time-honoured preference for conservatorium leaders to be renowned musicians does not necessarily meet all of the contemporary criteria relevant to the role. Traditionally, leaders in conservatoria were selected for their artistic profile, ostensibly to enhance that of the institution. As spokespersons and figureheads of their institutions, leaders once made more artistic considerations and connections than strategic decisions. Whereas in years past they may have maintained high profile roles as conductors, performers, composers, or musicologists, now leaders are expected to provide varying degrees of artistic direction, academic leadership, curriculum design, administration, financial management, facilities management, event production, marketing, public relations, and community liaison. These diverse roles make an external career unrealistic for most. This dissertation examines the challenges confronting conservatoria as they appear through the eyes of conservatorium leaders around the world. By analysing the leaders' comments in parallel with surveys, case examples, and documentary research, I aim to develop an understanding of the impact these challenges have on conservatoria and those who lead them. Through continual reporting of the emerging results back to the field during the period of the research, I build on their credibility, shedding light on those policies which both shape the conservatorium condition and elicit resilience among some who lead them. The thesis argues that each conservatorium is distinctive, and that the challenges confronting a conservatorium must be viewed in the light of its specific, often unique context. Among conservatoria, uniqueness emerges from the common ground that all such institutions share: within the context of conservatorium family resemblances, it may be that one conservatorium has a mix of quite distinctive attributes or conditions. It is that idiosyncratic set of circumstances shaping each institutional environment which generates this uniqueness, making generalisations problematical and inappropriate to the conservatorium condition. Each context is further complicated by constant change which is both evolutionary and imposed. For these reasons, there is no single profile fitting a conservatorium leader. Rather, leadership style needs to align to shifting circumstances, which implies that conservatorium leaders need to understand how to adjust their approach to leadership as the individual setting evolves. The argument is consistent with the findings that purposive preparation is crucial for leaders of contemporary conservatoria, to give them the diversity of skills required for the role and the flexibility necessary to adapt to changing circumstances. Because a conservatorium has the potential to be part of the cultural infrastructure of the community in which it resides, these conditions carry implications which extend beyond the conservatorium and have the capacity to impact on future generations. The conservatorium culture implies natural intersections with the community through the provision of performance and teaching services. Conservatorium facilities in their turn become part of the repertoire of community performance and recording resources. The extent to which this relationship might develop relies on each conservatorium's perception of its place within its own community, and each leader's interpretation of this positioning. A leader who places emphasis on external relationships might embed the institution within the community, socially and culturally. This combined understanding of the institution's role within the community is a significant factor in the realisation of each conservatorium's individual potential.


At the present stage of the development of distance learning, the requirements for the training of teachers working in this environment are increasing. High-quality training of people with different abilities, interests and needs, considering the personality characteristics of students, as well as the specifics of distance learning can be carried out only by a professional teacher. Given the novelty of the situation in which teachers are involved, and the likelihood that teachers will face the prospect of teaching online in the future, it is extremely important to learn more about their experience and about the necessary professional qualities of teachers to implement distance learning. The research is aimed at establishing the actual state of readiness of teachers for distance learning of students on the basis of theoretical and empirical study and identifying the components of the resource support technology for the formation of teachers' readiness for distance learning of students. The article states that the formation of teachers' competencies in distance learning of students is possible in the process of implementing educational programs at universities, as well as professional development and retraining programs. The authors, based on the analysis of empirical data obtained during the survey of practicing teachers and future teachers on the use of distance learning technologies in the educational process, identified problems and difficulties in the implementation of distance learning, and determined the conditions necessary for the successful implementation of distance learning. Сonclusion is made about the need for further development of such issues as conducting a study to evaluate the developed technologies for the formation of a teacher's readiness for distance learning of students, developed program and methodological materials.


In cultured rat cortical neurons, the damaging effects and mechanisms of glutamate (Glu) on neurons and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Ⅱ (CaMKⅡ) activty were studied. The activity of CaMKⅡ, measured by 32P incorporation, decreased immediately after exposure to Glu (50-1000 μmol·L -1, 10 min), while the morphology and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) release did not change at 1 h until at 24 h. MK-801 significantly reduced the LDH release, protected the activity of CaMKⅡ, while 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3(1H,4H)-dione(DNQX) had no effect. Removing extracellular Ca 2+ could protect the activity of CaMKⅡsignificantly. KN-62〔1-(N,O-bis[5-isoquinolinesulfonyl]-N-methyl-L-tyrosyl)-4-phenylpiperazine〕 also protected the activity of CaMKⅡand had partial protection on LDH releasing. The results suggest that the NMDA receptor play an important role in the excitotoxicity of Glu causing delayed neuronal death and the decreased CaMKⅡactivity.