Corporations that prioritize Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations tend to have a more sustainable approach to business operations with a lower impact on the environment and society. Extant literature is available on the impact of ESG on firm performance, risk-taking, profitability, the cost of capital, cash flows, and default risk. However, very little is known about the role of ESG performance in shaping the current and future value of a corporation. Similarly, hi-tech firms, being a part of the rapidly growing sector of the world, are facing greater scrutiny from investors, regulators, and consumers to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. This paper investigates the effect of ESG performance on the corporate present and future value of top global tech leaders for a period of eight years (2010 to 2017). Panel data techniques such as the fixed effects model and random effects model based on the Hausman test were used to observe this relationship. Earnings per share (EPS) and the price-to-earnings ratio (PE ratio) were used as a measure of firm current and future value, respectively. The results revealed that ESG has a significantly positive association with both proxies of corporate value of the top global tech companies. However, as compared to EPS, it had a more pronounced impact on the PE ratio of the sampled firms. Unlike many earlier studies that claimed that the ESG score impacts firm performance in the corresponding period, the present research is novel, as it asserts that investors are not only benefiting from firms' higher investment in ESG through an increase in EPS but are also highly optimistic about the future performance of the firm and thus are paying more for each dollar of earnings. These finding contribute to the existing body of literature on the ESG and firm value nexus and are supported by the stakeholder theory of corporate social responsibility. Thus, policymakers for the tech sector should pay keen attention to firms' ESG performance to earn the long-term trust of shareholders.


Recent device applications employing planar carbon nanotube-graphene hybrid films is discussed, including a high performance photodetector with 105 photoconductive gain, a flexible hybrid film photodetector on PET substrates, and a multifunctional optical memory device.


The microscopic architecture of the cupula was studied in subhuman primates. It was determined that the cupula has a honeycomb-like mesh-work and that this meshwork may contain both neutral and acid poly-saccharides, as well as mucoprotein. The nature of the contents in the space enclosed by this meshwork is not certain although the existence of a small amount of acid mucopolysaccharide is suggested. The cupular zone of the otolithic membrane was stained both by PAS and alcian blue, similar to the cupular meshwork, but the subcupular zone was not stained either in the cupula or the otolithic membrane. The border of the tectorial membrane reacted very strongly to both PAS and alcian blue stainings. Within the tectorial membrane the contents reacted moderately. The fibrils in the tectorial membrane seemed to be stained darker than the surrounding components, suggesting neutral and acid mucopoly-saccharides and mucoprotein. These findings suggest that the meshwork of the cupula, the cupular zone of the otoli...


As a signatory of the U.N. convention on drought and desertification, Italy has drafted a National Action Plan on the causes and processes of this alarming phenomenon.


Objective To investigate the effects of pH and oxygen on the filamentation of Candida albicans.Methods Candida albicans was incubated in Muller-Hinton broth at 37℃ for induction of filamentation in vitro.Growth curve,doubling time and percent of filamentation of Candida albicans were observed under aerobic,anaerobic condition and different pH value at intervals.Results Candida albicans grew slowly without hyphae but yeast under anaerobic condition.No difference of growth rate was found in lag phase of Candida albicans under different pH value conditions.Growth rate in log phase was slower under pH3,pH4 than pH5,pH6,pH7,pH8 and pH9.Filamentation percent of Candida albicans was less than 20% under pH3,pH4 and pH5.Filamentation percent of Candida albicans was up to 70% under pH6,pH7,pH8 and pH9.Conclusions Hyphae was completely inhibited and only yeast form could be detected under anaerobic condition.Candida albicans can thrive at a wide range of extracellular pH value from 3 to 9.Acidic conditions favor yeast growth,while alkaline conditions favor hyphal growth.


A compositional study of the effects of various network formers on the physical properties of phosphate laser glasses used in fusion research lasers is reported. The network formers include P{sub 2}O{sub 5}, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, SiO{sub 2} and B{sub 2}O{sub 3} and most glass compositions are metaphosphates or near-ultraphosphates. We have chosen Schott's commercial LG-750 laser glass as a reference composition. The results show that laser glasses having improved physical properties compared to LG-750 can be prepared by decreasing the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and increasing the P{sub 2}O{sub 5} content. Figures-of-merit are used to characterize the relative improvements of the various glasses studied. 17 refs., 11 figs.


In Huang, et al. (Nanotechnology 32, 132004), some of the figures reprinted from the literature cited secondary references rather than the primary references. This is corrected, as detailed below. Please note that the reference numbers cited relate to the reference numbers in the original paper. The exception is Ref. 478, which was not cited in the original review, but is cited here as Ref. [1].


One of competitive advantages of an organizational is a good job performance of the employees. Leadership styles and job satisfaction constitute factors considered are able to increase employees' job performance. This study was a case study to analyze the influence of leadership styles and job performance towards employees' job performance at Department of Industry and Trade in Pontianak, West Kalimantan province.  The method employed in this study was survey and explanatory research, with 30 populations of employees were surveyed. Two hypotheses namely, relationship between leadership styles and job performance and relationship between job satisfaction and job performance used in this study.Result finding indicated that leadership styles and job satisfaction significantly influenced job performance of the employees. Keywords : Leadership styles, Job satisfaction, Job performance, Survey and Explanatory research


This article is the third annual review of the Arizona Supreme Court's published opinions. This third review covers the period from August 1, 1999 through July 31, 2000. In this period of review, the Arizona Supreme Court has continued to give meaning to the Arizona Constitution, to interpret the laws promulgated by the Arizona Legislature, and to develop the common law of the state. In so doing, the Arizona Supreme Court has rendered many decisions of legal significance and public importance. This annual review provides a summary statistical analysis of the supreme court's decisions, followed by a detailed student-authored assessment of specific decisions from the year under evaluation.


The invention discloses a high-yield planting method for clausena lansium. The method is characterized in that the variety of planted clausena lansium is called golden heart, and the planting method comprises the steps of: site selection, fixed planting, pruning and shaping, fertilizer and water management, fieldmanagement and pest control and prevention. The planting method disclosed by the invention enables the seedling survival rate to be high, the yield to be high and stable, and the disease resistance of clausena lansium to be strong. By adopting advanced farming, fertilizer and insect pest-removing technologies such as ridge pulverization and soil preparation by a ridge pulverizer, a special fertilizer, a plant insecticide, a plant bactericide and the like, the soil texture environment is effectively improved, the content of organic contents in soil is greatly increased, and a basis for increasing production and creating income for farmers and going on the way of sustainable development is provided.


We analyze the benefits of inventory pooling in a multi-location newsvendor framework. Using a number of common demand distributions, as well as the distribution-free approximation, we compare the centralized (pooled) system with the decentralized (non-pooled) system. We investigate the sensitivity of the absolute and relative reduction in costs to the variability of demand and to the number of locations (facilities) being pooled. We show that for the distributions considered, the absolute benefit of risk pooling increases with variability, and the relative benefit stays fairly constant, as long as the coefficient of variation of demand stays in the low range. However, under high-variability conditions, both measures decrease to zero as the demand variability is increased. We show, through analytical results and computational experiments, that these effects are due to the different operating regimes exhibited by the system under different levels of variability: as the variability is increased, the system switches from the normal operation to the effective and then complete shutdown regimes; the decrease in the benefits of risk pooling is associated with the two latter stages. The centralization allows the system to remain in the normal operation regime under higher levels of variability compared to the decentralized system.


Introduction: Palatine tonsilloliths are calcified structures that develop in enlarged tonsillar crypts. These structures are also common incidental findings that can be clinically related to halitosis and tonsillar abscess. The aim of this study is to clarify the prevalence and imaging characteristics of palatine tonsilloliths by using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT). Material and Methods: Three hundred and sixty-six CBCT scans were retrospectively evaluated with regard to presence and characteristics of tonsilloliths. Results: Palatine tonsilloliths' detection rate was found 20.4% without statistically significant gender prediliction (56% in female, 44% in male patients). The mean age of tonsilloliths patients was 33.3 years. The size of the tonsilloliths ranged from 0.3 mm to 5 mm. No statistically significant difference between the left and right sides was detected with regard to tonsilloliths presence. Conclusion: Palatine tonsilloliths are common forms of soft tissue calcifications. CBCT is a very helpful imaging modality in identifying the true location of tonsilloliths.


The reliability of the centromere marker was tested in 22 parents and their daughters with Turner's syndrome. The segregation of the centromere marker was compared to the results found by RFLP analysis, and there was complete agreement in all 19 informative cases.


The experiment was conducted to evaluate the anti-oxidant effect of Moringa oleifera meal-supplementation in the total mixed ration, replacing the compounded concentrate mixture for crossbred heifer calves. A total of twenty-one crossbred heifer calves were selected and grouped into three treatments based on body weight and age. The leaves (84%) and soft twigs (16%) of Moringa oleifera were mixed to prepare the Moringa oleifera meal. Compounded concentrate mixture, ground nut straw, hybrid napier grass, mineral mixture and common salt were used at 50, 23, 25, 1 and 1%, respectively to formulate the control total mixed ration (T1). The compounded concentrate mixture was replaced with the Moringa oleifera meal at 5.0 and 7.5 % to formulate total mixed rations T2 and T3. The whole blood was collected from each calves in the morning before feeding and watering at the beginning (0 day), middle (at 60 day) and end (at 126 day) of the experiment. The total leukocyte counts, total erythrocyte counts, haematocrit and platelet count of crossbred heifer calves differed non-significantly (P>0.05) between the treatment groups, and were within normal physiological range. The serum albumin, glucose, creatinine, urea, alkaline phosphatase, alanine amino transaminase, calcium and phosphorus differed non-significantly between the treatment groups. However, feeding with Moringa oleifera resulted in higher (P0.05) higher after feeding with the 5.0 and 7.5% Moringa oleifera meals. Feeding with 5.0 and 7.5% Moringa oleifera meal in the total mixed ration, replacing the high protein compounded concentrate mixture, to growing crossbred heifer calves had no adverse effect on haematological and biochemical constituents, and resulted in a non-significant (P>0.05) higher antioxidant capacity in the crossbred heifer calves.


Abstract In this paper, the authors discuss the development of a framework for creating computational mathematics modules for engineering students. The purpose of the modules is to introduce mathematical concepts through modeling real-world applications and is intended to develop the students' ability to generalize a concept and to work with models of varying abstraction. The authors represent an interdisciplinary team contributing expertise from the fields of mathematics, computational science, and teacher education. Introduction Postmodern technology is characterized by great complexity and demands tremendous modeling and abstraction capabilities. For students to be successful in most engineering program, they should be able to apply the mathematics to model this complexity 1,2 . Problem-solving experiences have been advocated for decades in numerous textbooks, reference articles, and teaching modules 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 . The authors observed that many students enrolled in entry-level engineering and computer science courses tend to plug in data without considering the purpose of the analysis and demonstrate little ability to extend mathematical concepts beyond an algorithmic level. These observations motivated the authors to form an interdisciplinary team of university faculty to discuss the development of instructional mathematics and computer science modules that would enhance students' ability to apply complex mathematical reasoning when presented with novel real world problems. The authors met once a week for six months in roundtable discussions. In these discussions the authors identified the following challenges teachers face when teaching mathematics : 1) motivating students in the applications of the mathematical concepts that reflect realistic problems in their prospective engineering careers, 2) integrating these complicated applications into the tight schedule of engineering courses, 3) leveraging the overwhelming complexity so that the students are not intimidated, and 4) compensating for the lack of physical models required in most engineering applications The authors considered these challenges in the development of modules and agreed that a framework for module development was required. The authors began preliminary research to develop such a framework centered on the concept of abstraction. The authors began by exploring resources developed by other colleagues, reviewing the existing digital library and organizations that provide free course materials relevant to engineering courses offered at the authors' home institutions. Researches also examined a past module developed by one of the authors that implemented light doses of mathematical modeling that accommodated the tight schedule of various mathematics courses taught by those authors. Based on polarized feedback from students who participated in these past modules, the authors began exploring ways to address the diverse learning needs of entry level computer science, and engineering students.


Transitions in heat transfer in a rotating horizontal porous layer is investigated analytically using the modified Galerkin Technique. Critical conditions for the onset of steady and oscillatory convection are determined and it is found that subcritical motions are not possible in physical situations; a rotating porous layer also suffers transitions in heat transfer similar to the viscous layer, and the non-linear momentum advection term has negligible effect on the results.


Light steel frame (LSF) building systems offer high structural resilience, lower costs due to fast prefabrication, and high ability to recycle and reuse. The main goal of this paper was to provide state-of-the-art main components for such systems with the intention to be implemented for use in nearly-zero energy buildings (NZEBs). A brief historical outline of the development of LSF systems was given, and the key parameters affecting the design and use of LSF systems were discussed. The influence of the individual components of the LSF system (steel studs, sheathing boards, and insulation materials) was then thoroughly discussed in light of relevant research on energy efficiency and other important properties (such as sound protection and fire resistance). Web of Science and Scopus databases were used for this purpose, using relevant key words: LSF, energy efficiency, sheathing boards, steel studs, insulation, etc. Several research gaps were identified that could be used for development and future research on new LSF systems. Finally, based on the analysis of each component, an innovative LSF composite wall panel was proposed which will be the subject of the authors' future research. Conducted preliminary analysis showed low thermal transmittance of the system and indicates the path of its further research.


FIELD: chemistry. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to methods for obtaining organosilane coupling agents. Claimed is method for obtaining organosilane of general formula (HO) 2 R 1 Si-Z-S m -R 2 , in which R 1 stands for monovalent hydrocarbon group, selected from linear or branched alkyls, containing from 1 to 18 carbon atoms; R 2 stands for monovalent hydrocarbon group, selected from linear or branched alkyls, containing from 1 to 30 carbon atoms; Z is selected from (C1-C18)alkylenes and (C6-C12)arylenes; m stands for number, larger or equal 2, which includes the following stages: binding of formula R 2 -SH mercaptane to diazodicarboxylate with obtaining thiohydrazine; substitution of obtained thiohydrazine with second mercaptane of formula (R 3 O) 2 R 1 Si-Z-SH, in which R 3 , similar or different, represent monovalent hydrocarbon group, selected from alkyls, containing 1-6 carbon atoms; hydrolysis in acidic medium with obtaining target organosilane. Application of obtained organosilane as coupling agent is also claimed. EFFECT: claimed method makes it possible to obtain organosilanes, which improve suitability to processing and resistance to subvulcanisation in compositions, which contain said silanes as coupling agent. 7 cl, 4 tbl


Special educators need to be able to work well with Native American students who have special needs and their families to insure that their cultural background is used to support, rather than impede their progress in education. We propose a set of questions that can be used to assist educators in collaborating with families to incorporate key aspects of the child's cultural background into the individual education plan.


penicillin cover reported by Marsden (1962) did not appear to be similarly effective. The similarity of all four recurrences as small pubic protrusions of the direct type suggests a technical failure in application of the medial end of the suture line, and since 1960 I have taken great care to get maximum exposure at the pubic end of the wound so that the pubic tubercle and inner end of Cooper's ligament and the inguinal ligament can be clearly seen. The suture is then begun at the pubic tubercle as suggested by Gallie and LeMesurier (1924) when using fascia1 grafts. The suture is carried laterally to the internal ring and back to end at the pubic tubercle so that the final reunion of the suture is at the pubic tubercle. My impression is that this has reduced the recurrence rate, although no final follow-up has yet been carried out. The tranversalis fascia is not sutured after the hernial sac has been ligatured, for though traditionally much stress has been laid on this repair in direct hernia, my experience is that in most, if not all, direct herniae this fascia is so infiltrated with fat that it is useless as a tissue barrier. In the middle-aged patient who has developed a primary oblique hernia after becoming obese, large lipomata are often found in the cord and should be removed. It must be stressed that the increasing use of operative repair of inguinal herniae in the older patient carries with it a greater need for careful preoperative examination of the patient, for in this small series chronic retention due to enlarged prostate, carcinoma of the bladder, and an aortic aneurysm were discovered. Finally, it is of interest that in the recurrent herniae 9, or 50 per cent, had had their first operation elsewhere and in 12 of the 18 the recurrence had occurred between 6 and 26 years after the first operation. There can be no doubt that the long-term incidence of recurrence is higher than most surgeons like to think. The liability to late recurrence was stressed by Hargan and Rhoads (1953).


The main purpose of this essay is to present the issue of the uniform torsion in solid section bars and to solve it analytically to achieve the moment of inertia to the torsion of the transversal section and the displacements throughout the whole bar. This essay was developed in the Elasticity Theory context, using the semi-inverse method to determine the Saint-Venant equations to the uniform torsion. The sections in ellipse and equilateral triangle were solved using the Prandtl stress function, the warping function and its harmonic conjugate. The rectangular section was solved using the warping and the Prandtl functions developed in infinite series. A formulation based on matrixes was developed using the Galerkin method to solve problems that do not have closed solution.


In this paper, a complex task decomposition mechanism and the formal definition of atomic task and the complex task were proposed. The operation mechanism and the characteristics of MAS were firstly studied. Then, a hierarchical task decomposition mechanism is proposed according to the requirements of complex task decomposition in MAS. Finally, the formal definition of atomic task and the complex task based on DAG (Directed Acyclic Graph) and TAEMS (Task Analysis, Environment Modeling and Simulation) in MAS are described.


ABSTRACT This study investigated the SO2 resistance enhancement factors of silica with the V/SiW/TiO2 catalyst prepared using various precursors. BET, XPS, H2-TPR, DRIFT, and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) were used to analyze the physical and chemical properties of the catalyst. The catalyst prepared with Dimethoxydimethylsilane (DMDMS), from various precursor silica fabricated to improve SO2 resistance, demonstrated the highest increase in resistance. The SO2 resistance improvement factor was confirmed to form Si2+(Si-O-Ti) species in the optimised V/SiW/TiO2 catalyst; the incoming SO2 was converted to Si(SO4). The formation of Si(SO4) increased the number of adsorbed sites for adsorbed NH3, in the form of SO4-NH3 to increase the amount of the reducing agent of NH3-SCR, and improve denitrification efficiency. It was optimal to increase the VOx surface density whilst increasing the ratio of the Si2+ species, the Si-sulfate site of SiW/TiO2 support, to improve denitrification performance and SO2 resistance concurrently. Highlights The SO2 resistance improvement factor was confirmed to form Si2+(Si-O-Ti) species. In the optimised V/SiW/TiO2 catalyst; the incoming SO2 was converted to Si(SO4). The formation of Si(SO4) increased active sites for adsorbed NH3, in the form of SO4-NH3 to improve denitrification efficiency. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


Given publication is devoted the analysis of the Soviet model of the state and political management in the USSR which, according to the author, initiated creation in this state of the corrupted society which main principles of functioning have received continuity and in Post-Soviet Russia.


The use of surface treatments provides improved tribological properties of materials, enabling the use of standard materials, with lower cost and higher toughness, but less hard, in conditions that require high-performance of surface. Compared to surface deposition of thin films, thermochemical processes can improve the surface properties in a simpler and cheaper manner. In this work, solid boriding, nitriding and multicomponent boriding thermochemical treatments were performed on AISI 1045 with the aim of improve the tribological behavior. Multicomponent boriding thermochemical treatment consisted of boriding followed by nitriding, both made in solid mediums. Pin-on-disc wear test were carried out with WCCo counterbody. The results showed a better performance of borided samples.


Rationale. Neutrophils are the most abundant circulating leukocytes and the first line of defense against invading pathogens. Known for their function as phagocytic cells, neutrophils also capture and kill pathogens via elaboration of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETosis), and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), antimicrobial peptides and proteases. Conversely, neutrophils also have been associated with immunopathology. For example, numerous studies have indicated that neutrophils play a role in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is a major cause of death in COVID-19. We found that COVID-19 patients with ARDS have circulating neutrophils with a hyper-activated phenotype: elevated NETosis, ROS production and phagocytosis. While a small prospective clinical trial showed benefit of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in mitigating respiratory comorbidity in COVID-19, and prior literature showed benefit of IVIG in viral ARDS, the exact mechanisms are not known. Current clinical therapeutic trials have targeted NET clearance following their release, but not aimed at preventing their formation. In concordance with previous findings, we hypothesized that inhibition of systemic activation of neutrophils with IVIG may reduce collateral tissue damage by blocking NETosis. Methods. Neutrophils from healthy controls were treated ex vivo with IVIG and NETosis, ROS production and phagocytosis quantified. Stimulants phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), for the canonical pathway, and nigericin, for the non-canonical pathway, were used. NETosis was quantified with Quant-iT™ PicoGreen™ dsDNA Assay (Invitrogen) and by NET visualization using myeloperoxidase staining;ROS production was assessed by OxyBURST™ Green H2DCFDA (Invitrogen). Phagocytosis of pHrodo™ Red S. aureus Bioparticles™ (Invitrogen) was also quantified.Results. Ex vivo treatment of healthy neutrophils with IVIG was associated with a significant decrease in NETosis at concentrations of 5 and 10 mg/ml of IVIG (p<0.0001;Figure 1A). IVIG suppression of NETosis was associated with a dose effect. ROS production was also diminished in all concentrations of IVIG tested, including as low as 0.2 mg/ml (p<0.0001;Figure 1B). Phagocytosis was not only preserved but was boosted in the setting of IVIG treatment at 10 mg/ml (p<0.05;Figure 1C).Conclusion. These ex vivo data utilizing fresh human neutrophils demonstrate the potential beneficial effect of IVIG, an FDAapproved treatment, in the context of neutrophil-mediated immunopathology. IVIG may be a potential treatment to prevent progression of vascular and lung inflammation and damage in COVID-19, consistent with emerging evidence of its therapeutic benefit in this disorder. Results from an FDA Phase 3 prospective randomized international study that evaluates IVIG in COVID-19 are highly anticipated.


Sol-gel processes of metal alkoxides involve hydrolysis of the alkoxy groups and condensation to a 3-D oxide glass network. Volume reduction of the drying gel typically results in cracking, unless sufficient relaxation is allowed to take place. Further, the common shrinkage by a factor of 2.5 and higher imposes great difficulty to obtain dimensional accuracy in thus prepared micro-optical elements. The new fast sol-gel method enables facile preparation of siloxane-based glassy materials in which polymerization is completed within minutes and curing within a few hours. The optical quality of thin films obtained by the fast sol-gel method and the ease of preparation makes this method technologically and economically attractive for micro-lenses and micro-optical arrays by replication. Micro-optical arrays are highly patterned, including sharp curvatures of small radii. This necessitates to study primarily two aspects of the sol-gel replication process: (1) the chemical constitution of the sol-gel and the reaction pathway that ensures prompt adhesion to the template during the process. (2) the surface chemical adaptation of the template that allows timing of adhesion and release of the produced elements. The adaptation of this process to the desired replication is described. Thence, the results of preliminary fabrication of micro-optical elements and arrays by this method are shown and their features discussed.


The role of cytokines in the growth and spreading of human hematologic malignancies has been underlined in recent years. Here we report evidence that a human 12‐kDa B cell growth factor (BCGF‐12KD) may function as a growth stimulatory factor in B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B‐CLL). First, recombinant BCGF‐12KD induced dose‐dependent DNA synthesis in neoplastic B cells of four B‐CLL patients tested. Second, seven different B‐CLL clones secreted a BCGF‐12KD‐like product that accounted for their proliferation. A neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb; Ac8) directed against a BCGF‐12KD synthetic peptide inhibited the spontaneous growth of the leukemic B cells. The same mAb blocked DNA synthesis in normal tonsillar B lymphocytes induced by the culture supernatant of spontaneously proliferating B‐CLL cells. Finally, BCGF‐12KD mRNA was expressed in freshly isolated (two of three patients) as well as in vitro proliferating B‐CLL cells (three of three patients). These findings strongly suggest that BCGF‐12KD can modulate the growth of B‐CLL cells in vivo as well as in vitro. They may offer significant insights into the biology of this frequent B lymphoproliferative disorder.


Geological characteristics, relationship between ore-bearing fissures and fault structure, distribution law of ore-bearing fissures in medium-grained biotite granite, connection relation of ore vein between metamorphic rock and granite are analyzed. Surface quartz veinlet and mica veinlet are considered to be prospecting criteria of buried lodge. Formation, structure and geological characteristic of hidden granite in Southwest area of Xihaushan Mountain are analyzed. And prospecting direction and working target in peripheral of Xihaushan Mountain tungsten ore are found out. A set of blind ore veins in hidden granite is discovered through construction of drilling. This will get better economic returns.


[Records are given on the distribution of Elminius modestus Darwin on the German coast. The species was found first in the Elbe estuary near Cuxhaven in 1953. In the same year a small territory on the coast of Ostfriesland near Nessmersiel was also settled. In 1954 the spread of Elminim increased on a large scale on the coast of Ostfriesland; at Borkum and in the Jade-Busen it appeared later. From Cuxhaven Elminius spread very rapidly in 1954, the Wadden Sea near Neuwerk was settled then. The Elbe estuary is inhabited by Elminius up to Altenbruch near Cuxhaven. At Heligoland the species was found in 1955 on the Dune and at the eastern side, not, however, in the southern harbour and at the west side (Den Hartog, 1959). It reached Heligoland by artificial transport. In 1960 settlements of the species occurred in the southern harbour and in the western parts of the island. On the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein Elminius was found in 1954 around Busum and at List-Sylt in 1955. In 1960 it was common there in many places from Friedrichskoog to. Dagebull, but was absent from several other localities. In some places Elminius is in competition with Balanus balanoides, B. improvisus, and B. crenatus, but these species have not been ousted by Elminius yet. In the tidal zone Elminius seems to be more sensitive to low winter temperatures than the other, indigenous, barnacles; this is true especially for the Elbe estuary. If the air temperature is not too low, like at Heligoland or Borkum, the Elminius population will survive in the tidal zone during winter. In many places on the German coast the season of settling of Elminius lasts from May-June to October-November., Records are given on the distribution of Elminius modestus Darwin on the German coast. The species was found first in the Elbe estuary near Cuxhaven in 1953. In the same year a small territory on the coast of Ostfriesland near Nessmersiel was also settled. In 1954 the spread of Elminim increased on a large scale on the coast of Ostfriesland; at Borkum and in the Jade-Busen it appeared later. From Cuxhaven Elminius spread very rapidly in 1954, the Wadden Sea near Neuwerk was settled then. The Elbe estuary is inhabited by Elminius up to Altenbruch near Cuxhaven. At Heligoland the species was found in 1955 on the Dune and at the eastern side, not, however, in the southern harbour and at the west side (Den Hartog, 1959). It reached Heligoland by artificial transport. In 1960 settlements of the species occurred in the southern harbour and in the western parts of the island. On the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein Elminius was found in 1954 around Busum and at List-Sylt in 1955. In 1960 it was common there in many places from Friedrichskoog to. Dagebull, but was absent from several other localities. In some places Elminius is in competition with Balanus balanoides, B. improvisus, and B. crenatus, but these species have not been ousted by Elminius yet. In the tidal zone Elminius seems to be more sensitive to low winter temperatures than the other, indigenous, barnacles; this is true especially for the Elbe estuary. If the air temperature is not too low, like at Heligoland or Borkum, the Elminius population will survive in the tidal zone during winter. In many places on the German coast the season of settling of Elminius lasts from May-June to October-November.]


Abstract : Prilled, spheroidized, and granular ammonium nitrate (AN) was coated with polychloro-p-xylylene (parylene C) by a vapor deposition polymerization technique. Particles of AN with a 0.2% coating remain free flowing after long exposure to ambient conditions. The effectiveness of the coating as a moisture barrier on the three forms of AN was found to be in the order, spheroids >prills >granules. Water adsorption isotherms and hygroscopicity determinations indicate that a 0.7% coating hydrophobes the surface of AN by approximately one order of magnitude. The parylene C/AN interface exhibits chemical and physical stability Minol-2 matrix, and tends to inhibit reactivity between AN and TNT. The thermal sensitivity of Minol-2 to initiation is unaffected by a 0.7% coating.


Abstract : An evaluation was conducted on a generic UAV operator interface simulation testbed to explore the effects of levels-of-automation (LOAs) and automation reliability on the number of simulated UAVs that could be supervised by a single operator. LOAs included Management-by-Consent (operator consent required) and Management-by-Exception (action automatic unless operator declines). Results indicated that the tasks were manageable, but performance decreased with increased number of UAVs supervised and reduced automation reliability. Performance with the two LOAs varied little and did not show a consistent trend across measures. Analyses indicated that participants typically did not utilize the automation. A follow-on study was conducted that employed shorter LOA time limits. Results showed participants' workload and confidence ratings were less favorable for the shorter limits and they still exercised the automation rarely, although more frequently. Further research is needed to explore the complex relationship between LOAs, time limits, perception of workload, vigilance effects, and confidence.


High-chromium cast irons are used as abrasion resistant materials. Their wear resistance depends on quantity of carbides and the matrix supporting these carbides. The paper presents the results of cast irons of chemical composition (in wt. %) 19–22 Cr and 2–4.5 C alloyed by 1.7 Mo + 5 Ni + 2 Mn to improve their toughness, which were tested in working conditions of ferroalloys crushing. Tests showed that these as-cast chromium cast irons with mostly austenitic matrix achieved the hardness of 38-45 HRC, but their relative abrasion resistance  ranged from 1.3 to 4.6, was higher comparing to the tool made from the X210Cr12 steel heat treated on hardness 61 HRC. The transformation of austenite into martensite occurs not only at the worn strained areas (on a surface of scratch) but also in their neighbourhood. Due to the work hardening of relatively large volumes of transformed austenite the cast iron possesses high abrasion resistance also on the surfaces where low pressures are acting. The tough abrasion-resistant cast iron well proved for production of dynamic and wear stressed castings e.g., crusher hammers, cutting tools for ceramic etc.


ABSTRACT Instead of looking at the relationship between globalization and democratization from a social and institutional perspective, this article focuses on the moderating role of state capacities, which are divided into two sub-categories: state coercive capacity and state administrative capacity. Using panel data from 129 countries for 1974–2018, we arrive at two conclusions. First, globalization is positively correlated with democratization, but this relationship weakens with stronger state administrative capacity. Second, while state coercive capacity has an inverse relationship with democratization, state administrative capacity is positively associated with democratization, and this positive effect wanes with greater degrees of globalization.


News media are increasingly using Facebook as a platform for distribution and user interaction. This article focuses on how Dutch media use Facebook and how audiences participate. By using Facebook, media outsource part of their distribution to a third party platform, avoiding maintenance costs while also hoping for additional revenues because of the increased website traffic. Results indicate that offline and online presence of legacy media do not predict their footprint on Facebook. Media do not seem to have a clear strategy on using Facebook, which leads to an underperformance on the social media platform with low participation and minimal interaction. As users 'like' media and 'share' stories, 'audience distribution' would be a better term to describe these practices than 'audience participation'.


New industrial designs have been appeared on the market in recent years as response to rapid changing of socio-economic challenges. As a result of globalization and rapid development of ICT the cooperation of companies based on mutual coordination and on-line communications obtains high strategic importance. The growing interaction with external partners has resulted in the removal of existing boundaries between organizations, leading to the emergence of new, alternative ways of cooperation so-called Distributed Manufacturing Systems (DMS). Proposed paper gives a view on a development of new methodology of searching and selecting of partners in collaborative networked organizations.


The present invention relates to the discrimination method of ardisia japonica in a kind of Chinese patent drug for the treatment of hot heavy breathing disease. The preparation of need testing solution: the ethanol elution that adopts large pore resin absorption column absorption, is 35% by mass concentration; The preparation of reference substance solution: with Bergenin control sample; Adopt thin-layered chromatography: using the mixed solution of polyamide film expansion, ethyl acetate-acetic acid is solvent, and result of the test feminine gender is noiseless. The thin-layer identification method favorable reproducibility of ardisia japonica in the Chinese patent drug of the hot heavy breathing disease for the treatment of that the present invention sets up, specificity are strong, clear spot, can effectively ensure the stable of this Quality of Chinese Traditional Proprietary Medicine.


This study aims at examining Thai primary school history textbooks used as principal materials in classes of social studies nationwide. The approach adopted is textually-oriented Critical Discourse Analysis (Sunderland, 2006). In particular, it provides an analysis that focuses on sets of ideas about children and Thai society repeatedly transmitted to the learners through linguistic devices. The findings reveal that these history textbooks not only transmit knowledge about history but also instruct young children about their place, role, and responsibility in Thai society. Indirect strategies of instruction are preferred over direct ones in the text for every grade. The use of invented dialogues serves as the main device of persuasion and indoctrination. In addition, acts of commissives, expressions of desire, the use of the first person plural pronoun together with the modality markers /tsN/'must or/khu#an/'should', lexical choices, and presupposition triggers help to convey the intended meaning. With these devices, adults' instructions are masked as children's opinions and desires. In these texts, good children are represented as obedient, dutiful, diligent, and proud to be Thai. Other characteristics that might be essential for learning and daily living such as critical thinking, reasoning, etc. are seldom mentioned. Mostly, Thai society is portrayed as unified and harmonious. The six history textbooks examined here appear to play a crucial role in preparing young children to be good members of Thai society. However, from a critical perspective, the textbooks seem to impose a single version of reality to young children. If the aim of primary education is to help Thai children understand social conditions and develop skills necessary for everyday living, a question we should ask here is whether the one-sided information is enough to help fulfill this mission of Thai primary education.
บทความวจยเรองนมวตถประสงคเพอศกษาแบบเรยนวชาประวตศาสตรชนประถมศกษาซงจดทาขน เพอใหเปนสอการเรยนการสอนตามหลกสตรแกนกลาง ผวจยมงวเคราะหชดความคดเกยวกบเดกและสงคมไทยท ถกนำเสนอซำ ๆ ผานกลวธทางภาษาในตวบทตามแนวคดวาทกรรมวเคราะหเชงวพากษแบบเนนตวบท (Sunderland, 2006) ผลการวจยแสดงใหเหนวา แบบเรยนชดนมไดนำเสนอความรดานประวตศาสตรเทานน แตยงถายทอดความคดเกยวกบบทบาทหนาทของเดกในสงคมไทยดวย กลวธทางภาษาทใชถายทอดความคดเปน กลวธแบบออมมากกวาแบบตรง กลาวคอ มการใชบทสนทนาทแตงขนเปนกลวธหลกในการสอความ และใน บทสนทนา พบกลวธทางภาษาอน ๆ ประกอบ เชน ใชวจนกรรมกลมสญญาแทนวจนกรรมกลมสงใหทำ ใช สรรพนาม "เรา" รวมกบคำชวยกรยา "ตอง" และ "ควร" ใชคำศพทบางกลมซำ ๆ และใชรปภาษาสอมลบท กลวธ ทางภาษาเหลานชวยทำใหความคดทผใหญตองการปลกฝงใหแกเดกถกนำเสนอวาเปนความคดทมาจากตวเดก เอง ชดความคดทปรากฏซำ ๆ ในตวบทนำเสนอภาพของเดกดวาตองเชอฟงผใหญ มความรบผดชอบ ขยน และ ภมใจในความเปนไทย คณลกษณะสำคญดานอน เชน การคดอยางมวจารณญาณ การใชเหตผล มไดถกเนนยำ สวนภาพแทนของสงคมไทยทนำเสนอคอภาพของสงคมทกลมเกลยวกน ในมมบวก แบบเรยนชดนมไดทำหนาท ใหความรทางวชาการเทานน แตยงชวยในการเตรยมเดกใหเปนสมาชกในแบบทสงคมไทยยอมรบ แตหากมองใน เชงวพากษ แบบเรยนชดนกมขอจำกดทปลกฝงความคดแตเพยงดานเดยวและนำเสนอภาพสงคมอดมคตซงตาง ไปจากสงทเดกตองประสบในสงคมปจจบน


Encoder system arranged (11) with at least one on a sensor board (12), in a ring-shaped housing (10) accommodatable sensor element (14) cooperating during operation of the encoder system (11) with at least one provided on a rotor-donor element, characterized in that that the sensor circuit board (12) is formed semi-crescent-like in plan view, and a radially inner curved longitudinal side (16), a radially outer curved longitudinal side (18), a front, the two longitudinal sides (16, 18) connecting the end portion (20) and the front end portion (20) facing away from rear, the two longitudinal sides (16, 18) transverse connecting side (22), in that the two longitudinal sides (16, 18) at least in sections in each case along a circular path (k1, k2) extend, that the circle centers (M1 , M2) of the two circular paths (K1, K2) lie on an axis line connecting the two circular paths (k1, k2) intersect perpendicularly, wherein one or m everal sensor elements (14) along a sensor axis (37) are arranged lying in the axis line.


Background: Adding antimicrobial agents to biodegradable packaging can make a coating that can protect foods and drugs against microbial contamination. Objectives: To evaluate the physical and mechanical properties and antimicrobial activity of soy protein concentrate (SPC) and pullulan films incorporated with Zataria multiflora (ZM) and Artemisia biennis (AB) essential oils (Eos). Methods: In this study, the pullulan and SPC solutions were mixed in a 50:50 ratio and EOs from ZM or AB were incorporated into the film solution at various concentrations. The casting/solvent evaporation method was used for film formation. Physical and mechanical characterization was determined, and the antimicrobial activities of the films were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Escherichia coli by agar diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was


We extend our previously developed general approach (1) to study a phenomenological model in which the simulated packing of hard, attractive spheres on a prolate spheroid surface with convexity constraints produces structures identical to those of prolate virus capsid structures. Our simulation approach combines the traditional Monte Carlo method with the method of random sampling on an ellipsoidal surface and a convex hull searching algorithm. Using this approach we study the assembly and structural origin of non-icosahedral, elongated virus capsids, such as two aberrant flock house virus (FHV) particles and the prolate prohead of bacteriophage phi29, and discuss the implication of our simulation results in the context of recent experimental findings.


Abstract As elsewhere in the world, agencies of local and central government in New Zealand have renewed pressure on high-country pastoral farmers to ensure that their land use is sustainable. However, government policy innovations for conservation have often cut across the path along which farmers were innovating toward sustainable development (Figure 1). Sustained consultation in some parts of the world has revealed that highland people were not short of practical wisdom or ideals of conservation and sustainability. Such deep sharing of understanding and values affected an earlier New Zealand high-country crisis over soil erosion, but it is not yet evident in a current crisis over new policy for conservation of indigenous biodiversity and recreational access. As a result, progress toward sustainable development is retarded, with polarized public debate between stereotypes of public conservation and private economic development. New Zealand needs to find new ways out of this impasse.


Hierarchical alternating least squares (HALS) algorithms are efficient computational methods for nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF). Given an initial solution, HALS algorithms update the solution block by block iteratively so that the error decreases monotonically. However, update rules in HALS algorithms are not well-defined. In addition, due to this problem, the convergence of the sequence of solutions to a stationary point cannot be proved theoretically. In this paper, we consider the HALS algorithm for the Frobenius norm-based NMF, and prove that a modified version has the global convergence property in the sense of Zangwill.


Researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have released the results of a study that measures the social impact of facial lesions before and after surgical reconstruction — a topic not investigated heretofore.


This paper describes a method of analyzing large, multiple-loop control systems which can be represented by simultaneous, linear, first-order, differential equations. The eigenvalues of the system are found using the QR transform. Next, the sensitivities of these eigenvalues to the system's parameters are found from the normal and transposed eigenvectors of the system. Results from a 51st-order system to which this method has been applied are given as an example.


This paper present very compact design of conical strip-helical antenna for of 6GHz band application which is upper mid-band spectrum for 5G. The proposed design is having low loss and can be used for 5G enable devices. The conical strip-helical antenna is considered to function at 6 GHz frequency range to deliver dynamic support for 5G networks. The projected design shows circular polarization for entire range of bandwidth of 716 MHz. The substrate used within helical antenna is RT duroid 5880 with εr = 2.2. The novel-fangled intended strip structure is used on top of dielectric. It is then rolled into a conical helical shape to attain circularly polarized antenna. A bandwidth of 0.716 GHz with center operational frequency of 6.13 GHz is attained by the conical strip helical antenna. The designed antenna is showing decent gain of 13.2 dBi when operated at 6 GHz. The antenna is implemented and simulated using software tool Ansys HFSS. An achieved bandwidth is 11.68% with adequate return loss of − 10dB. The pro-posed antenna is working in axial mode having axial ratio less than 1.75 for the complete half power beam width. The proposed compact conical strip-helical antenna can be readily installed for moderate power, high gain, and wideband wire-less applications for upper mid-band range of 5G


We have investigated the relationship of the boron-oxygen (B-O) complexes to the staggered oxygen dimers (O2ist) in silicon. It is found that the saturated concentration of B-O complexes (Nt*) is proportional to the O2ist concentration ([O2ist]) in Czochralski silicon samples, whose [O2ist] are varied by annealing at different temperatures. This proportionality is further confirmed in a special silicon ingot with variable oxygen and carbon concentrations, in which the Nt* and [O2ist] show the similar dependences on the interstitial oxygen concentration. Therefore, our experimental data support that the O2ist should be an ingredient of the light-induced defects in silicon.


BACKGROUND: Dengue virus infection is one of the major global public health problems. The infection usually occurs with clinical manifestations ranging from an asymptomatic or mild febrile illness as classical dengue fever to the potentially life-threatening illness, dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. The objective of the current study was to observe the frequency and diagnosis of primary or secondary dengue viral infection among individuals in Lahore city, Pakistan. METHODS: Study subjects were identified for the presence of dengue diagnostic markers including NS1 antigen, IgM and IgG antibody. The dengue specific antigen NS1 was detected by immonochromatography, while dengue specific antibodies (IgM and IgG) were measured through ELISA. RESULTS: Total 98 (56%) out of 175 febrile cases were found infected by dengue virus. From total 98 confirmed dengue cases, NS1 antigen was detected in 59 (60.20%), IgM antibodies were present in 74 (75.51%) and IgG antibodies were detected in 40 (40.81%) individuals. Statistical analysis reveals correlation of NS1 antigen and IgM antibody among dengue patients with significant P-value (P < 0.01). Results indicated that 58 (59%) were infected by primary infection and 40 (41%) were infected by secondary infection. The most effected age group was 21-30 years (51.02%) and least effected age group was <10 years (3.06%). Males were observed higher in number 61 (62%) as compare to females 37 (38%). Overall, the frequency of dengue virus infections were 56% among undifferentiated febrile patients in Lahore city, Pakistan. CONCLUSION: Dengue is found endemic in city population with increased incidence in monsoon and post monsoon. Constant vigilance of patients and dengue vector control awareness programs among public and health care officials could support in combating dengue.


FIELD: physics; communication. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to communication engineering. A method is proposed for determining distribution of data streams on used connections through notification of a communication network control node (PS) through an application function (AF) and through user equipment (UE). The network node (GGSN) sends information on packet filter received from the user equipment (UE), where the information is related to the connection used to transmit a data stream, and QoS information to the control node (PS). Also the application function sends information related to the sent data packet to the control node (PS). The control node (PS) compares packet filter information, QoS information and application function (AF) information and decides whether the used connection can be authorised to send the data stream, and if the comparison result is positive, the control node (PS) authorises the data stream for the used connection. EFFECT: provision for simple and efficient determination of data distribution. 22 cl, 6 dwg


Aerosolization of particles from metalworking fluids (MWFs) was studied using a laboratory-scale set-up that simulates grinding operations. Semi-synthetic MWF and soluble oil were contaminated with Pseudomonas fluorescens, and the aerosolized particles were measured using a photometric mass monitor, optical particle counter, and a condensation nucleus counter. Microbial contamination of both semi-synthetic MWF and soluble oil increased the mass concentration as measured by the photometric aerosol mass monitor and the fine particle number concentration as measured by the condensation nucleus counter. These effects were seen most clearly for the fine size range of particles aerosolized from contaminated semi-synthetic MWF. Endotoxin results indicate that the increase in the fine particle concentration occurs at least partially due to the increase in the microbial cell wall components (fragments).


Three kinds of process simplification are derived for an ideal heat-integrated distillation column (ideal HIDiC: S–0) using three heat exchangers between its rectifying and stripping sections. These include one with the heat exchangers located in the top, middle, and bottom of the ideal HIDiC, respectively (S–1), one with the vapor flows from the rectifying section and compressor as hot flows in the three heat exchangers (S–2), and one with the vapor flow from the rectifying section as sole hot flows in the three heat exchangers (S–3). The impact of process simplification is examined in terms of the separation of a binary mixture of ethylene and ethane. The S–1 appears inferior to the S–0 in thermodynamic efficiency, but with comparable dynamic behaviors. The S–2 and S–3 need lower capital investment and operating cost than the S–1, but with a sharp degradation in process dynamics and controllability. Although the augment of heat transfer areas leads to a reduction in operating cost, almost no favorable effect is identified on process operation. To derive a feasible design of the ideal HIDiC, one must therefore exercise a careful trade-off between design and operation via the locations of these heat exchangers. © 2012 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A Gray codingbased accelerating genetic algorithm (GAGA) is presented for parameter identification in the optimal design of structures, and detailed steps are developed for GAGA. The validity and feasibility of the algorithm is studied by theoretic analysis and case study. The result shows that GAGA, with the characteristics of directness, convenience, high speed, and high applicability, is a superior nonlinear optimal method that can perform locally meticulous search for the global solution with high probability, so the algorithm can be widely applied to the optimal design of various structures.


This paper discusses the decomposition technique for identifying the relative contributions of output growth, structural change and energy intensity to changes in industrial energy consumption. Apart from providing a deeper understanding of evolving patterns of energy consumption, such studies may have a role to play in assessing the degree to which policies and measures have contributed to the achievement of energy and environmental goals. However, there are a number of problems associated with the technique that the analyst needs to be aware of in using it and in interpreting the results it gives. These problems are discussed through analyzing the data on electricity consumption in UK industry. In particular, the problem associated with sector disaggregation is dealt with in detail.


Recognition of a vehicle make is of interest in the fields of law enforcement and surveillance. In this paper, we develop a canonical correlation analysis (CCA) based method for vehicle logo super-resolution to facilitate the recognition of the vehicle make. From a limited number of high-resolution logos, we populate the training dataset for each make using gamma transformations. Given a vehicle logo from low-resolution source (i.e., surveillance or traffic camera recordings), the learned models yield super-resolved results. By matching the low-resolution image and the generated high-resolution images, we select the final output that is closest to the low-resolution image in the histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) feature space. Experimental results show that our approach outperforms the state-of-the-art super-resolution methods in qualitative and quantitative measures. Furthermore, the super-resolved logos help to improve the accuracy in the subsequent recognition tasks significantly.


The experiment result of authenticity identification of several coldseason turf grasses was qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated using software analysis, which fully indicated the relativity and diversity among different cultivars The clustering analysis was used to test genetic distance between those cultivars, which proved that the result was consistent with plant taxonomy and planting result indoors, as well as the reliability of this technique in turfgrass identification


The paper describes an investigation in which the dynamic response of a vertical cantilever structure exposed to the natural turbulent wind was observed. The structure consisted of a steel tube 2 743 m (9 ft) high on the top of which was mounted a closed drum 609 6 mm (2 ft) diameter by 609 6 mm (2 ft) high. The deflexions of the drum on two orthogonal axes were measured and also the strains near the lower end of the steel tube. Wind velocity was measured with a hot–wire anemometer and all the measurements were recorded on a high speed ultraviolet recording galvanometer. The results are considered in two parts: (a) the response transverse to the wind direction (b) the response in the direction of the wind. The transverse displacements are accounted for by vortex shedding and the longitudinal displacements can be calculated from the wind velocity trace, given the requisite structural parameters. Many engineering structures can be considered as structures of one degree of freedom and it appears that the behaviour of all such structures can be predicted by the method used in this investigation.


In this paper, we present a cross-layer design for a family of OFDM-based video communications by jointly considering application layer information and the wireless channel conditions. Compared with traditional cross-layer designs, our proposed method targets to efficiently transmit video data generated with some emerging techniques for better wireless transmissions, where the video data are divided into multiple chunks and each chunk contributes independent distortion to the entire video quality. To minimize the end-to-end distortion, we formulate a generalized optimization problem and derive a joint optimal carrier matching and power allocation scheme. Rather than depending on a specific video encoding method as done in the conventional work, we intend our design to be applicable to a general family of new video schemes. We apply our proposed method to two applications, the enhanced analog coding and the uncompressed video transmission over OFDM. In both applications, the performance can be improved by adopting our scheme. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of our approach in achieving significantly better PSNR and visual quality compared to reference schemes.


The active volcanic front in Colombia is divided into three main segments: The southern volcanic segment in the Western Cordillera and Inter–Andean Cauca–Patía Valley and the central and northern segments in the Central Cordillera, which are separated by a gap of 265 km. The recent volcanoes of the volcanic front are large polygenetic structures mostly built on the remnants of a Miocene – Pliocene volcanic terrain. The variety of eruptive styles and the composition and distribution of the volcanoes reflect the configuration of the Nazca Plate subducting beneath the continent, the interaction of plates and microplates at the NW corner of South America, and the tectonic structures in the Eastern Panamá Basin generated by the rupture of the Farallón Plate in the Miocene. Compositionally, the magmatic products of these volcanoes correspond to basaltic andesites, andesites, and dacites. Additionally, the most recent products of the volcanoes located in the central volcanic segment and at the ends of the other segments exhibit adakitic signatures and the most explosive behavior, usually of plinian type. The origin of the magmas has been attributed to several processes, including mantle melting, slab fluid–induced metasomatism of the mantle wedge, crustal contamination, magma mixing, and fractional crystallization. However, the processes that occur between the magma source and the lower crust, such as those related to the sizes and locations of magma chambers and the plumbing systems, are poorly understood. In the last 34 years, since the beginning of the systematic study of active volcanoes in 1985 and their continuous monitoring by the Servicio Geológico Colombiano, understanding of the superficial processes, stratigraphy, and eruptive history has progressed. Several of these volcanoes have a record of historical activity, such as Nevado del Ruiz, Puracé, Doña Juana, and Galeras. In recent years, some volcanoes have had eruptive activity, such as Nevado del Ruiz, Galeras, and Nevado del Huila, while others have shown signs of reactivation, such as Cerro Machín, Chiles–Cerro Negro, and Sotará. This chapter compiles the main characteristics of recent volcanism in Colombia in a tectonic context and summarizes the historical volcanic activity in this region.


This paper presents a preliminary assessment of the potentialities of the exploitation of smart antennas in WSNs. The more trivial benefits coming from such an integration are: (a) an efficient spatial management of the radiated energy and (b) an efficient and adaptive reuse of wireless links in order to increase the network throughput and to solve coexistence problems arising from the integration with other wireless technologies. However, in order to take advantage of a smart integration at the physical layer, significant improvements both in flexibility and size of the adaptive antenna on the WSN node are needed.


It has been reported that adrenal medullary grafts enhance recovery of striatal dopamine (DA) fibers in MPTP-treated mice/1,2/. Since adrenal medullary chromaffin cells contain several trophic factors such as gangliosides and basic fibroblast growth factor, an increase in survivability of grafted chromaffin cells might enhance the degree of host DA fiber recovery. The content of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the distal stump of transected sciatic nerve increases more than twenty times one day after transection/3/. In this study, we performed cografts of adrenal medulla with pretransected peripheral nerve and observed the survival of grafted chromaffin cells and the degree of host intrinsic DA fiber recovery.


Laser intrastromal ablation for refractive surgery bas been accomplished with ultrashoit-pulse lasers operating at multi-kHz pulse repetition frequencies to produce optical breakdown and plasma formation to cut within the corneal stroma. The focused laser beam can move in a controlled pattern over a desired corneal area to produce a clean flap for laser refractive surgery. To determine the safety of exposure of other ocular structures such as the lens and retina, a determination of the irradiance behind the optical plasma are required. Plasma shielding absorbs (and scatters) almost all of the incident energy in this surgical application and optical breakdown and optical plasma generation produce tissue vaporization, allowing only a small fraction of the incident energy to be transmitted through the plasma. In this safety study, measurements were performed at the retinal plane in a simulated eye and a retinal simulant was used to demonstrate the safety of the retinal exposure for a sub-nanosecond laser. It is shown that this procedure does not pose a hazard to other ocular tissues.Laser intrastromal ablation for refractive surgery bas been accomplished with ultrashoit-pulse lasers operating at multi-kHz pulse repetition frequencies to produce optical breakdown and plasma formation to cut within the corneal stroma. The focused laser beam can move in a controlled pattern over a desired corneal area to produce a clean flap for laser refractive surgery. To determine the safety of exposure of other ocular structures such as the lens and retina, a determination of the irradiance behind the optical plasma are required. Plasma shielding absorbs (and scatters) almost all of the incident energy in this surgical application and optical breakdown and optical plasma generation produce tissue vaporization, allowing only a small fraction of the incident energy to be transmitted through the plasma. In this safety study, measurements were performed at the retinal plane in a simulated eye and a retinal simulant was used to demonstrate the safety of the retinal exposure for a sub-nanosecond laser. It...


Chen-Yuan Dong, Christof Buehler, Peter T C So, and Enrico Gratton. Two-photon time-resolved polarization imaging inside mouse fibroblast cells. 32nd Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, Kansas City, Missouri, 1998. Biophys J. 1998; 74(2 Pt 2): A188, Tu-Pos248. Abstract Two photon time-resolved microscopy has proven to be a powerful technique to image biological systems. The high incident photon flux from a high peak power light source, such as a mode-locked titanium sapphire laser, can be focused to a diffraction limited spot inducing effective two-photon excitation of the chromophores. The nonlinear nature of the two photon process results in a strong localization of the excitation volume, which minimizes photo- bleaching of the specimen. We combined the 3-D sectioning effect inherent in two photon microscopy with time-resolved methods to study rotational correlation times of fluorophores in living mouse fibroblasts. Images were acquired with a microscope in a point-by-point fashion by raster scanning a mode-locked titanium sapphire laser beam across the specimen. At each sampling point, time-resolved information is obtained by analyzing the sample frequency response to the laser harmonic content. The measurement of the decay of the emission anisotropy allowed us to probe the chromophore's micro-environment, revealing structural and dynamic properties inside living mouse fibroblast cells. Supported by the National Institutes of Health, RR03155.


For shallow exploration, high-frequency pseudo-random binary sequence is used in the time-domain airborne electromagnetic system. This system is working in the on-time and the earth response could be derived from system identification, which is different from the previous time-domain electromagnetic systems. The early time data is crucial for obtaining a detailed resolution. It could be severely disturbed by the primary field, the receiver response and noise. Here we present an approach for removing the primary field by matching subtraction in transformation of correlation calculation. The noise is suppressed as not correlated with the pseudo-random binary sequence. This approach is proved efficient by applying to simulation data based on forward modeling. The receiver influence is analyzed through the response of the equivalent electronic circuit. The 1D inversion results indicate that critical damping state and high cut-off frequency could reduce the adverse effect on the resolution of shallow exploration.


In this paper, we investigate the synchronization of non-autonomous chaotic systems with time-varying delay via delayed feedback control. Using a combination of Riccati differential equation approach, Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, inequality techniques, some new sufficient conditions for exponentially stability of the error system are formulated in form of a solution to the standard Riccati differential equation. The designed controller ensures that the synchronization of non-autonomous chaotic systems are proposed via delayed feedback control. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of these synchronization criteria.


Objective:To investigate the influence of active compounds of Angelicae Dahuricae Radix(coumarin/volatile oil) on the intestinal absorption of puerarin,baicalin,ferelic,liquiritin and glycyrrhizic acid,respectively.To explore the influence law of Angelicae Dahricae Radix on the intestinal absorption of the active compounds of herb-pairs.Method:Everted gut sac was used to study compatible effects of Angelicae Dahuricae Radix and herb-pairs(Puerariae Lobatae Radix,Scutellariae Radix,Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) on intestinal absorption of puerarin,baicalin,ferelic acid,liquiritin and glycyrrhizic acid.Result:Results showed that Angelicae Dahuricae Radix could enhance the absorption of puerarin(1.7 times) and baicalin(4.74 times),and has no effect on the intestinal absorption of ferulic acid,but could significantly restrain the intestinal absorption of liquiritin and glycyrrhizic acid.Conclusion:These results confirmed that synergistic therapeutic effect of compatibility of Angelicae Dahuricae Radix and Puerariae Lobatae Radix,Angelicae Dahuricae Radix and Scutellariae Radix not only lay in the different active ingredients acting on the different target,but also shown as active compounds of Radix Angelicae dahuricae could increasing the intestinal absorption of puerarin and baicalin.The mechanism of Angelicae Dahuricae Radix and Chuangxiong Rhizoma,Angelicae Dahuricae Radix and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma may be not related to the influence of Angelicae Dahuricae Radix on the intestinal absorption of ferulic acid,liguiritin and glycyrrhizic acid.


The Qiulitage anticline belt lies in the front of the Kuche thrust-and-fold belt along the south piedmont of the Tianshan Mountains. The major controlling factors of structural deformation and the effect of structural segmentation on reservoir formation were investigated based on the combined information of drilling, outcrop, seismic and non seismic. The results suggest that the deformation is controlled by basement, stratigraphy and the stress state. And the deformation style is mainly controlled by the cap structure. The combination, distribution and rheology of detachments as well as the thickness of deformed strata are controlled by stratigraphy varied along the belt, resulting in the superposition of shallow structures over deeper ones. The structural features of the Qiulitage anticline belt control the formation of hydrocarbon reservoirs, causing the quick pool formation in the east since there are close to sources and the accumulation in the west is from flank in a long period of time.


We investigate the redshift accuracy of Type Ia supernova and cluster number count surveys required for the redshift uncertainties not to contribute appreciably to the dark energy parameter error budget. For the Supernova/Acceleration Probe experiment, we find that without the assistance of ground-based measurements individual supernova redshifts would need to be determined to about 0.002 or better, a challenging but feasible requirement for a low-resolution spectrograph. However, we find that accurate redshifts for z < 0.1 supernovae obtained with ground-based experiments are sufficient to protect the results against even relatively large redshift errors at high z. For the future cluster number count surveys such as with the South Pole Telescope, Planck, or DUET, we find that the purely statistical error in the photometric redshift is less important and that the irreducible systematic bias in redshift drives the requirements. The redshift bias must be kept below 0.001-0.005 per redshift bin (which is determined by the filter set), depending on the sky coverage and details of the definition of the minimal mass of the survey. Furthermore, we find that X-ray surveys have a more stringent required redshift accuracy than Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect surveys since they use a shorter lever arm in redshift; conversely, SZ surveys benefit from their high-redshift reach only as long as some redshift information is available for distant (z ≳ 1) clusters.


Medium-range terrestrial free-space quantum key distribution systems enable widespread secure networked communications in dense urban environments, where it would be infeasible to install a large number of short optical fibre links. Such networks need to perform over a wide range of conditions and their design has to balance key rate maximisation versus robust key generation over the greatest range of circumstances. Practicalities, such as manufacturability and deployment, further constrain the design space. Here, we examine challenges in translating experiment into engineering reality and identify efficient BB84 weak coherent pulse-decoy state protocol parameter regimes suitable for medium-range QKD systems considering likely system performance and environmental conditions.


Examination by raking light reveals features of surface topography such as the texture of paper, crack patterns, buckling, plate marks, etc. These topographic features may be part of the visual aesthetics of the object, a clue to the history of the object, or an indicator of physical condition. However, visual examination with raking light, even with photographic documentation, provides only a qualitative index of topography. By digitizing images captured under raking light, image manipulation can enhance the visualization of topographic features. Moreover, methods are presented for extracting quantitative topographic data from the analysis of these images. These analytical methods have been developed for characterizing the surface topography of paper but may also apply to other materials.


FeSi films were deposited on Si(100) substrates at room temperature and at temperatures in the range of 100300°C using RFsputtering method with an FeSi3 target. After deposition, FeSi films were annealed at 400900°C for 10 min in Ar gas. The crystal quality of the films was analyzed by Xray diffraction (XRD) measurements, the surface of βFeSi2 films was observed by an optical microscope and the film thickness was measured by surface stepmeasuring microscope. For the films deposited at 300°C and annealed over 800°C, Si(111) peak at 28.4° was superimposed on the βFeSi2 (202/220) peak, which indicates that the films contained silicon crystals. On the other hand, for the films deposited at room temperature, Si(111) peak at 28.4° was not observed. No cracks were observed after annealing on the surface of the films deposited at 300°C although the films deposited at room temperature had cracks on the surfaces after annealing over 700°C. The major factor of cracks is considered to be the difference of the expansion coefficients between βFeSi2 and silicon. For the film deposited at 300°C, a layer containing silicon crystals was formed near Si substrates. This layer served as a buffer between βFeSi2 and silicon.


The surface texture and microstructure of digital images have an important influence on the construction of features such as image analysis, transformation, and compression. Studies have shown that the fractal spectrum parameters of different types of subject matter will be significantly different. Multifractal spectra and scaling indices quantify the heterogeneity of structural features, demonstrating multiscaling properties. This paper proposes a multifractal spectrum algorithm combining empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and wavelet leaders, starting from the image texture classification task. This method describes the surface shape and microstructure of the image, extends the mode decomposition of the one-dimensional signal in the Hilbert-Huang transform to the two-dimensional image, and gives an image descriptor based on the fractal spectrum. Simulation results demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed method.


Shopping is currently one of the most pervasive leisure activities, with significant economic, psychological, and social benefits. Shopping places can trace their roots back millennia, since human beings settled down and started their civic life. Shopping places emerged when humanity began to establish fixed settlements and passed through different periods, which transformed from traditional markets to huge shopping malls today. Shopping places were not only places where people went and made their purchases but also places where people met friends to enjoy their time and discuss their social life. In many pre-industrial Muslim towns and cities, the souks (Arabic for market) were found next to the palaces and mosques and were the most crowded places. Most Arabic Islamic cities retain their old souks. Souks are permanent marketplaces or streets of shops devoted to the sale of products and services. This research aims to trace the historical development of shopping environments in the Arab, Gulf, and Middle East countries including the traditional souks and the recent shopping malls.


The algebra n generated by E1. E_1 subject to the defining relations E? = xiEi ( i =1, n -1 Ei+lEiEi+l = yiEi+l (i = 1, n-2 ), EiEj = EjEi (li-jl > 2 ) is shown to be a semisimple algebra of dimension n! if the parameters x1, .. ., Xn-I, YI, ..., Yn-2 are generic. We also prove that the Bratteli diagram of the tower (n)n>O of these algebras is the Hasse diagram of the Young-Fibonacci lattice, which is an interesting example, as well as Young's lattice, of a differential poset introduced by R. Stanley. A Young-Fibonacci analogue of the ring of symmetric functions is given and studied.


Water security is a complex challenge in transboundary basins: competing upstream-downstream demands and the pursuit of sovereign interests are key factors often responsible for fragmented water resource management. Designing a transboundary structure under these conditions requires common interests from which each country can benefit. On the Ruzizi River, which delimits the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) upstream and between the DRC and Burundi downstream, two structures have already been built. The three riparian countries have been engaged since 1976 within the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries. It is through this body that the three member states decided to build a third dam to complete the cascade. TRACTEBEL is involved through a climate change resilience assessment which requires stakeholder engagement from the three countries. While stakeholder engagement is generally a difficult exercise, the process has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 epidemic. To adapt, the TRACTEBEL team proposed virtual workshops for local stakeholders, as well as the launch of a project website to encourage maximum interaction. The challenges and limitations of these solutions will be presented. This approach is the first step towards establishing a sustainable governance of the Ruzizi cascade.


The topic of emotions, when raised in Christian circles arouses, well – strong emotions! Many of us feel personally embarrassed at our ineptitude when it comes to expressing our feelings. We have amusing stories of times when we have stumbled over expressing our feelings. I recall a particularly entertaining example of a person who, over an emotionally charged dinner, accidentally proposed to his future wife when merely intending to say, 'Please pass the salt.'


Food is an important factor of economic, social and political stability of the world. The qualitative aspect of nutrition of socially and materially affected population on the territory of the City of Belgrade is this paper's subject of research, as a case study of food safety. The Military Institution 'Dedinje' operates on the principle of income generation and distribution, and therefore the management of this significant business entity within the defense system makes efforts to streamline their operations through their everyday activities, and to achieve positive economic balance. In order to provide an existential minimum for socially and materially affected population on the territory of the City of Belgrade, distribution of free meals has been organized to fulfill 50 % of an adult person's daily needs in food. In 2012, free meals were prepared by the Military Institution 'Dedinje'. Two key standards providing for food safety are NASSR system and ISO 22000. By applying microbiological criteria, the Belgrade City Institute of Public Health carried out a sanitary supervision of food products, equipment and utensils for food distribution, and of persons distributing the free meals, as well as analyzed those by standard microbiological analyses.


The utility model discloses a wiring terminal of a device, which comprises a wiring nut, a wiring screw and a wire pressing piece fixed with the wiring screw. The wiring nut is fixed on a circuit board. A guide groove is arranged on the shell of the device. A guide rail is arranged on the wire pressing piece. The guide rail is connected with one end of a spring. The guide rail is matched with the guide groove through the spring. The other end of the spring is limited through the circuit board. Since the wiring screw and the wire pressing piece with the guide rail are limited in the guide groove of the shell and are held by the spring, the wiring nut does not fall off during the pressing connection of the screw no matter whether the wiring screw is matched with the wiring nut or is separated from the wiring nut.


INTEGRAL/SPI is a space-based coded mask telescope featuring a 19-element Germanium detector array for high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy, encapsulated in a scintillation detector assembly that provide a veto for background from charged particles. In space, cosmic rays irradiate spacecraft and instrument, which results in a large instrumental background from activation of those materials, and leads to deterioration of the charge collection properties of the Ge detectors. We use 13.5 years of INTEGRAL/SPI spectra for each detector and for each pointing of the satellite. Spectral fits provide us with details about separated background components. From the strongest background lines, we first determine how the spectral response changes with time. We then determine how the instrumental background components change in intensities and other characteristics, most-importantly their relative distribution among detectors. Spectral resolution of Ge detectors in space degrades with time, up to 15% within half a year, consistently for all detectors, and across the SPI energy range. Semi-annual annealing operations recover these losses, yet there is a small long-term degradation. The intensity of instrumental background varies anti-correlated to solar activity, in general. There are significant differences among different lines and with respect to continuum. Background lines are found to have a characteristic, well-defined and long-term consistent intensity ratio among detectors. We use this to categorise lines in groups of similar behaviour. The dataset of spectral-response and background parameters as fitted across the INTEGRAL mission allows studies of SPI spectral response and background behaviour in a broad perspective, and efficiently supports precision modelling of instrumental background.


A new small rotation angle measurement method is proposed to solve rotation angle measurement problems during structural stiffness tests. The tangential displacement of object is measured by laser displacement sensor,and is converted to rotation angle values through geometry relationship. A mathematical model for error is established to analyze each error factors which have effects on measurement results. Within the measurement range of ± 1°,measurement results affected by error factors are respectively studied,which drew the conclusion that the offset Δl between light spot and engraved lines mark has greater influence on errors. The torsional stiffness of a profiled member is tested as an application of this method when Δlis equal to ± 1 mm,measurement errors are about 2 %,which verify validity and accuracy of this method.


There are total 1 044 km 2 in the Lishui River watershed,and the most severe erosion of soil and water is stay in the up mid of Lishui River of the Zhangjiajie.And its damage,cause,control development,control effect of the water and soil losses and its main existing problem and countermeasures were discussed.


In Web applications,there are three techniques for ADO to access database.They are system DSN connection,non-DSN connection and OLE DB direct connection.Among them,because of its simple accessing procss and high accessing efficiency,OLE DB direct connection is often applied to Web mutual information system.Through the running of the system it indicates that the Web mutual information system based on OLE DB direct connection technique is efficient and steady.


Background: Postictal psychosis (PIP) is a rare but potentially serious complication in patients with seizure disorders and is part of a group of psychotic disorders known as psychosis of epilepsy (POE). PIP often complicates chronic epilepsy, especially in patients with seizure clusters that include tonic–clonic seizures, bilateral cerebral dysfunction (e.g., bilateral epileptiform activity or history of encephalitis), and a family history of psychiatric illness. Psychosis includes delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, mood changes, and aggressive and violent behavior. Case Presentation: We present the case of …


Conclusion: Both the regularly used heat and moisture exchanger (R-HME) and the HME with both an antimicrobial and hygroscopic element (F-HME) are effective moisture exchangers. The antimicrobial filter of the F-HME acts as a heat exchanger. The external features of the F-HME were experienced as inconvenient, but decreased sputum production was reported as well. Objectives: Recently an HME with an integrated antimicrobial filter has become available for use in laryngectomized patients. The purpose of this study was to assess its short-term endotracheal climate changes and feasibility in daily practice. Methods: Endotracheal temperature and humidity were successfully measured in 13 laryngectomized patients (2652 analysed full breaths), during 10 min rest-breathing with the R-HME, with an F-HME and without HME in a randomized sequence. Additionally, a 3 week prospective clinical feasibility trial was conducted in 17 laryngectomized patients. Results: Both R-HME and F-HME increase endotracheal minimum humidity values (5.8 and 4.7 mgH2O/L, respectively; p < 0.0001). Compared with open stoma breathing, in contrast to the R-HME, the F-HME increases both end-inspiratory and end-expiratory temperature values (1.1°C, and 0.6°C, respectively). After the 3-week clinical feasibility trial, one patient dropped out; 11 patients (11/16 = 69%) disliked the larger design of the F-HME and all patients reported less optimal airtight occlusion. Five patients (5/16 = 31%) reported remarkably decreased sputum production.


The Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 (the Charter) outlines arrangements under which the Secretaries to the Treasury and the Department of Finance (the Secretaries) may be requested to cost election commitments during the caretaker period prior to a general election. The Charter also allows for the Secretaries to jointly issue written guidelines recommending approaches or methods to be used in the preparation of such costings.


Hash functions are widely used in business,military field etc.Among them,MD-family Hash functions are the most extensively utilized hash functions.Therefore,the attack to MD-family hash functions has important meaning in theory and in practical application.Since professor Wang proposed differential attack algorithm and succeeded to break MD5,MD4,etc MD-family algorithms,this algorithm has been paid more and more attention.This paper takes the tunnel differential attack algorithm to MD5 as example,improves the tunnel differential attack algorithm to MD5 proposed by Klima and analyzes the feasibility and technology request of differential attack algorithm's implementation on GPGPU.Its CUDA program run on the GeForce 9800 GX2 platform and can find a pair of MD5 collision in just 1.35 seconds average.Through comparing the software implementation on PC Core 2 Quad Q9000 (2.0GHz),we can get nearly 11.5 times more cost-efficient by the implementation on GeForce 9800 GX2.


There is a worldwide interest among plant breeders, geneticits, and production agronomists in genotype × environment (GE) interaction. A stability analysis is often conducted to estimate and interpret GE interaction. From a practical standpoint, stability statistics and genotype performance (yield) need to be integrated. A DOS-version computer program (STABLE) was developed that calculates Shukla's stability-variance statistic ( 2 i ) and Kang's yield-stability statistic (YS i ) that combines yield and stability of performance into a single selection criterion, STABLE operates on IBM-PCs or compatible microcomputers with a BASIC, GWBASIC, or QBASIC interpreter. Input of data and other information is menu-driven. Output consists of (i) a table showing an analysis of variance, (ii) a table showing genotype means, 2 i , s 2 i (a stability-variance statistic computed from residual GE interaction after removal of heterogeneity due to a covariate), and Wricke's ecovalence (W i ), and (iii) a table showing various statistics and information, such as 2 i , YS i , and genotypes selected on the basis of YS i . This program should be useful for selecting high-yielding, stable genotypes


A procedure is delineated for finding the optimal superposition of a series of chemical structures. Quaternions are used to represent the absolute orientation of the structures–rotations of the structures need never be carried out explicitly. The Rational Function Optimization method is used to minimize a simultaneous superposition residual similar to the one given by Gerber and Müller. The robustness of the method is illustrated by comparing a series of conformations of a polyene carotenoid.


Spatial variation of alpine timberline altitude on northern slope of Tianshan Mountains is confirmed by remote sensing and field survey data,and its eco-geographical characteristics are analyzed in this study.Results show that:(1) The altitude of alpine timberlines is between 2 600 m and 2 850 m.It ascends gradually from west to east,and changes significantly from Qitai to Balikun.The width of alpine timberlines in Ili and Manas is wider than that in other regions.(2) The altitude of alpine timberlines is controlled by growing season temperature,i.e.annual biotemperature,mean temperature for the warmest month,mean temperature for growing season.The parameter of annual biotemperature is better to indicate the altitude of alpine timberline than other parameters.The values of parameters are all within the range of the average values across China.The main factor influencing forest development in Bayinbuluk is low temperature and drought in winter.(3) The contents of organic matter,total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the timberline ecotones of Ili and Manas are higher than in other timberline ecotones.The Fukang timberline is the turning point of soil acidity and alkalinity,westwards soil is acid and eastwards is alkaline.Soil nutrients mainly exist in the surface layer(0—10 cm),low and no significant difference in the deep layer(30—80 cm),showing significant surface-convergence phenomenon.The change of pH value of deep soil from west to east is from weak acid to weak alkaline.The spatial variability of electric conductivity is significant,but there is no distinct difference among different layers.


If this book were a film, it would be rated M—with a caution that "some viewers may be disturbed by some scenes." In Catching the Knowledge Wave? Jane Gilbert takes apart many long-held ideas about knowledge and education. She says that knowledge is now a verb, not a noun— something we do rather than something we have—and explores the ways our schools need to change to prepare people to participate in the knowledge-based societies of the future.


nt matter & 2007 IAgrE. temseng.2007.09.007 thor. Department of Biosy Arenberg 30, B-3001 Leu MohammadReza.Maleki@ As the inherent spatial variability of soil phosphorus (P) within a field is considerable, variable-rate (VR) technology of P fertilisation should be implemented over small areas (e.g. 1 m). The objective of this study was to design and implement a soil sensor-based VR fertilisation system for on-the-go application of phosphate (P2O5) during maize planting. An on-the-go visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) soil sensor with a measurement range of 305–1711 nm was installed at the front of a planter-applicator for on-the-go measurement of soil P. A previously developed VIS–NIR model was used to predict the extractable phosphorous (P-ext) and a custom-built LabVIEW programme was developed to record soil spectra, predict soil P-ext, calculate phosphate during on-the-go measurement and provide the signal to the fertiliser applicator to adjust the application rate. Alternate plots were used for VR application and for uniform-rate (UR) treatment. The number of plant leaves and grain yield were measured as growth indices that may be influenced by P deficiency. The coefficient of variation (CV) of P-ext measured on-the-go ranged from 5% to 51% while variation of phosphate ranged from 36% to 76% over the experimental plots. The average phosphate applied on VR plots was 28.75, 1.25 kg ha 1 less than the UR (30 kg ha ) recommended according to the standard soil test. The application rate of the phosphate ranged from 0 to 100 kg ha 1 in the VR plots. Lower variation in plant leaves was observed in plots with VR treatment, possibly indicating better P distribution over the VR plots. The number of plant leaves variations were 25% and 31% for VR and UR plots, respectively. However, there was no significant difference between VR and UR plots. The maize yield was significantly higher (336 kg ha ) and less variable on plots that received VR treatment. & 2007 IAgrE. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Abstract : The volume contains the Proceedings of the Twelfth International Congress of Applied Mechanics, held at Stanford University on August 26-31, 1968. This Congress, which is the latest in a series organized every four years by the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, brought together experts in applied mechanics from all over the world for the purpose of exchanging information regarding recent developments in their field. The membership included 1337 registrants from 32 countries. The book contains the texts of the four invited General Lectures and of the 26 contributed papers that were given extended presentation. These lectures contain original contributions in a wide range of subjects in both solid and fluid mechanics, and are representative of the best current activity in the various specialties. The book includes a resume of the Congress, a listing by title and author of the 255 shorter contributed papers, and a list of participants. (Author)


Tobacco callus grown under shoot-forming conditions or in the presence of gibberellic acid, which inhibits shoot formation, was incubated in [14C]-sucrose at three different periods in culture and then replanted. Evolution of 14CO2 occurred during the 10 day post-incubation period. Most of the radioactivity was incorporated into the ethanol-soluble fraction, which lost most of its label after 24 h. Starch was the major ethanol-insoluble component and post-incubation synthesis occurred in this fraction for 24 h or longer. Greater net synthesis of starch occurred in shoot-forming tissue and the loss of label from starch began later than in tissue cultured in the presence of gibbe-rellic acid. Newly synthesized starch was not immediately utilised in the organogenic process, but its utilization could be correlated with the shoot-forming process.


Malignant tumors with ectopic hormone production are extremely rare in childhood.Only a few cases of virilizing hepatic tumors have been described so far as causes of precocious puberty in boys.We have observed a 13 m old boy presenting with signs of iso-sexual precocious puberty and a palpable right upper abdominal mass.Preoperative concentrations of alpha-fetoprotein (125 mg/100 ml) , HCG ( β-subunit ) (73 uIU/ml) and testosterone(340 ng/100ml)were clearly elevated. A hepatic trisegmentectomy was performed; the tumor contained high concentrations of HCG.During the postoperative observation period of 4 months alpha-feto-protein and HCG remained undetectable, testosterone normalized to 3.4 ng/100 ml.-Conclusions:Determination of ectopic hormones 1) can serve as a diagnostic clue to the presence of (un)suspected malignancy, and 2) may be useful in evaluating therapy and in detecting recurrence.


College students are the future of our country and nationality,so it is necessary to carry out national unity education for them.We should fully use the main channel of classroom teaching and actively develop various activities,in order to embed the contents of national unity education into the students' brains,and make them really become the socialist successors of safeguarding national unity.