The goal of this work is to propose a method to solve the problem of underwater navigation of an autonomous vehicle with visual means. We refer to the ability of an autonomous system to determine its motion with respect to the environment. The method we propose is a two stage approach: matching of features extracted from 2D images acquired at different times and egomotion parameter computation. Both algorithms are based on optimization approaches minimizing appropriate energy functions. The matching stage recovers correspondences between sparse high interest feature points of two successive images useful to perform the second stage of egomotion parameter estimation. Experimental results obtained in real context show the robustness of the method.


Thanks to their very high thermal conductivity, high Young's modulus and unique tensile strength, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have become one of the most suitable nano additives for heat conductive materials. In this work, we present results obtained for the synthesis of heat conductive materials containing CNT based thermal greases, nanoliquids and lubricating oils. These synthesized heat conductive materials were applied to thermal management for high power electronic devices (CPUs, LEDs) and internal combustion engines. The simulation and experimental results on thermal greases for an Intel Pentium IV processor showed that the thermal conductivity of greases increases 1.4 times and the saturation temperature of the CPU decreased by 5 °C by using thermal grease containing 2 wt% CNTs. Nanoliquids containing CNT based distilled water/ethylene glycol were successfully applied in heat dissipation for an Intel Core i5 processor and a 450 W floodlight LED. The experimental results showed that the saturation temperature of the Intel Core i5 processor and the 450 W floodlight LED decreased by about 6 °C and 3.5 °C, respectively, when using nanoliquids containing 1 g l−1 of CNTs. The CNTs were also effectively utilized additive materials for the synthesis of lubricating oils to improve the thermal conductivity, heat dissipation efficiency and performance efficiency of engines. The experimental results show that the thermal conductivity of lubricating oils increased by 12.5%, the engine saved 15% fuel consumption, and the longevity of the lubricating oil increased up to 20 000 km by using 0.1% vol. CNTs in the lubricating oils. All above results have confirmed the tremendous application potential of heat conductive materials containing CNTs in thermal management for high power electronic devices, internal combustion engines and other high power apparatus.


Lifetime reproductive success may vary considerably with birth date. I measured phenotypic selection on female birth date in a viviparous teleost fish (Embiotocidae: Micrometrus minimus) by sampling birth‐date cohorts over time in Tomales Bay, California. Four episodes of selection were measured: survival from birth to first reproduction, reproductive success in the first breeding season, survival to second reproduction, and reproductive success in the second season. Birth date had a significant impact on fitness in the first two episodes. Early born females were more successful in their first breeding season than late born females (directional selection on birth date), but early born females were less likely to survive the period between birth and first reproduction, relative to females born in the middle of the season (stabilizing selection on birth date). The final two episodes of selection had no detectable effect on birth date. Because of the relationship between birth date and survival in the first year, overall selection on female birth date was stabilizing.


Using nanoparticles as carriers for drug delivery systems has become a widely applied strategy in therapeutics and diagnostics. However, the pattern of their intracellular distribution is yet to be clarified. Here we present an in vitro study on the incorporation of mesoporous silica nanoparticles conjugated with folate and loaded with a cytotoxic drug, Irinotecan. The nanoparticles count and distribution within the cell frame were evaluated by means of enhanced dark field microscopy combined with hyperspectral imagery and 3D reconstructions from double-labeled fluorescent samples. An original post-processing procedure was developed to emphasize the nanoparticles' localization in 3D reconstruction of cellular compartments. By these means, it has been shown that the conjugation of mesoporous silica nanoparticles with folate increases the efficiency of nanoparticles entering the cell and their preferential localization in the close vicinity of the nucleus. As revealed by metabolic viability assays, the nanoparticles functionalized with folate enhance the cytotoxic efficiency of Irinotecan.


We derive a factorization theorem for the differential distributions of electroweak gauge bosons in Drell-Yan processes, valid at low transverse momentum, using the soft-collinear effective theory. We present the next-to-leading logarithmic transverse momentum distribution for the Z-boson and find good agreement with Tevatron data collected by the CDF and D0 collaborations. We also give predictions for the Higgs boson differential distributions at next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy based on a factorization theorem derived in earlier work. We derive formulas for all quantities needed to study low transverse momentum production of color-neutral particles within the effective theory. This effective field theory approach is free of Landau poles and can be formulated entirely in momentum space. Consequently, our results are free of the Landau-pole prescriptions necessary in the standard approach.


The public character of the church The subject of this article is the public character of the church. In the Netherlands one can make a distinction between three actual models. Each of them has had influence on the relationship between church and society in a particular time of history. The first model of A Kuyper, has its roots in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Gereformeerde Kerken) and was important in the first half of the 20th Century. The second model is rooted in the Reformed Church (Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk) of the Netherlands in the period after World War 2. The third model is the ecumenical model of the "church for others", related to the secularized society. In each of these models we can find building blocks for the fourth model, called "open church", which has to be developed in this time of rapid social changes. In this article, the author tries to develop a design for the fourth model. This article is written out of the context of Western Europe. I hope it also can be helpful in the context of South Africa.


The propagation of HIV infection in this country creates the threat of its penetration into state forensic-medical institutions. This study had the objective of estimating the degree of awareness of the personnel of such institutions of the HIV/AIDS problem including their knowledge of emergency preventive measures in extraordinary situations during autopsy studies and other investigations. Anonymous questionnaires were distributed among the respondents involved in the study. The awareness of the personnel of the state-governed institutions of forensic medical expertise was described as insufficient. Simultaneously, the high rate of occupational traumatism among the staff during execution of their offices was documented. Recommendations are proposed for the prevention of HIV infection among the personnel of the state-governed institutions of forensic medical expertise.


Security informatics represents a paradigm shift in university curricula in computing. In order to meet this challenge we will require a systemic curriculum change beyond the usual local course and program changes that have successfully handled smaller technological advances and shifts in the past. One of the novel approaches we use to teach information security at Pace University is to introduce security-related topics, research, and projects into our existing CSIS courses. We teach our masters and doctoral students how to conduct research and write dissertations in a number of areas of computing. Also, our student project teams at both the graduate and undergraduate levels are accustomed to developing real-world computer information systems for actual customers. In recent years, and especially since 9/11, we not only direct more of our faculty research toward security issues but also encourage more security-related student research and supervise more security-related student projects, as well as devoting more lessons to security topics in our courses. This paper gives an overview of our novel approach to teaching information security awareness through our research and projects.


CO2-EOR is an alternative found to meet the increasing oil demand as well as the depleting of most of the oil field that reach its maturity and depletion point. However, not all the reservoir in the world is suitable to use CO2 injection. There are three important oil basins in Malaysia which is in the East of the Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. Thus, it is very important and crucial to know if the CO2 injection can be implemented in the Malaysia oil field. One of the oil field in Malaysia is chosen which is the X-Oil Field, Sabah. The study of the feasibility of the reservoir model by using the X- Oil Field, Sabah properties is performed. The objectives of the project is to determine the feasibility of CO2 injection as the Enhanced Oil Recovery method in X-Oil Field, Sabah and to determine the best parameters that will have the highest oil recovery rate within the limit of water cut and gas oil ratio based on the sensitivity analysis performed. The parameters are the location of the well, the injection rate, the types of injector wells and the types of injector fluid. This paper will discuss the properties of the reservoir, simulation method using ECLIPSE and also data analysis. The sensitivity analysis can be done by using ECLIPSE100 to simulate the program and OFFICE will then be producing several graphs which will help to determine the best parameters to obtain the highest recovery factor as well as reasonable value of field water cut and gas oil ratio. The results before and after the CO2-EOR performed in X-Oil Field will be compared in terms of amount of additional oil recovery and the profit gained. Overall, this project aims is to study the feasibility of the model in ECLIPSE as well as to determined the feasibility of the miscible CO2-EOR in the X-Oil Field, Sabah. It is also to know the effect of it towards the X- Oil Field, Sabah with different parameters involved.


The hierarchical nature of many degrees enables higher-level courses to build on knowledge that has been developed in earlier courses. However, when students enter with weak prior knowledge, lecturers have to spend time addressing this before starting with the new material. This adds time pressure and frustration to lecturers as well as students who have strong prior knowledge. In this paper, we discuss a strategy that we implemented in order to encourage students to revise or learn prerequisite material at the beginning of a master's level module. Students were asked to take an online quiz on the prerequisite topics. Immediate feedback directed the students to resources which could enhance their knowledge and understanding of the material prior to course commencement. We discuss the multiple benefits this had, for both students and the lecturer, drawing on students' written responses to reflective questions about the experience and reflections from the lecturer on the use of online quizzes.


ABSTRACT In this article it is argued that one approach to learn more on network success is by studying the norms network members use to control their own network. The results of this study in four health care networks indicate three norms to be central: the norm of network legitimacy, the norm of activating capacity, and the norm of network climate. By comparing the four networks it was explored if and why networks differ in the accomplishment of their own norms. Explanations for the reasonable success of networks can be found in the way the networks were initiated and the legitimacy of the networks. Moreover, only if networks are initiated by the network participants themselves does the network's age positively correlate with the network's activating capacity.


The primary objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between pre-schooling and the academic performance of pre-schooled lower primary school pupils in a rural Zambian setting of Zambezi district. The study also assessed the socio-economic status (SES) of parents, pupils' sex, age and their academic performance. This study employed a quantitative cross sectional design and used Chi-square test of independence, Phi and Cramer's V test, Independent sample t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient to analyze the data obtained. The results indicated that there was a relationship between pre-schooling and the performance of pre-schooled lower primary school pupils in literacy and numeracy. However, it was also shown that there was no relationship between the SES of parents, pupil's sex age and academic performance of the pupils in literacy and numeracy. Based on the obtained results, the study recommended that the Ministry of Education should scale up the implementation of preschools in government schools. This may provide easy access to pre-school education especially in rural areas where pre-schools are very few. Keywords: Social Economic Status (SES), pre-schooling, academic performance


Background: Inhibition of angiogenesis using monoclonal antibodies is an effective strategy in cancer therapy. However, they could not penetrate sufficiently into solid tumors. Antibody fragments have solved this issue. However, they suffer from short in vivo half-life. In the current study, a tandem bivalent strategy was used to enhance the pharmacokinetic parameters of an anti-VEGF165 nanobody. Methods: Homology modeling and MD simulation were used to check the stability of protein. The cDNA was cloned into pHEN6C vector and the expression was investigated in WK6 Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells by SDS-PAGE and western blot. After purification, the size distribution of tandem bivalent nanobody was investigated by dynamic light scattering. Moreover, in vitro antiproliferative activity and pharmacokinetic study were studied in HUVECs and Balb/c mice, respectively. Results: RMSD analysis revealed the tandem bivalent nanobody had good structural stability after 50 ns of simulation. A hinge region of llama IgG2 was used to fuse the domains. The expression was induced by 1 mM IPTG at 25°C for overnight. A 30 kDa band in 12% polyacrylamide gel and nitrocellulose paper has confirmed the expression. The protein was successfully purified using metal affinity chromatography. MTT assay revealed there is no significant difference between the antiproliferative activity of tandem bivalent nanobody and the native protein. The hydrodynamic radius and terminal half-life of tandem bivalent nanobody increased approximately 2-fold by multivalency compared to the native protein. Conclusion: Our data revealed that the physicochemical as well as in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters of tandem bivalent nanobody was significantly improved.


The objective of this paper presents to compare the disparity of youngsters' fitness among girl students between Saptagandaki and Nav Kshitiz public campuses of Terai region, Nepal. It hypothesized that there is significance difference between them. Among test items of AAHPER standing broad jump, shuttle run and sit-ups (flexed leg) have applied as tool of this paper. Altogether 40 youngsters' girls were the respondents, whereas 20 students from each campus designated through multistage sampling method. While comparison to the mean scores of Nav Kshitiz youngsters, the Saptagandaki youngsters found better fitness in all three test scores as well as composite score. Furthermore it applied p-value of t-test, there were found significance difference in the youngsters' fitness scores an overall test items between both groups. Hence, hypothesis is accepted. In comparison to the Nav Kshitiz youngsters, the Saptagandaki youngsters have more involved in the physical works and sporting activities.


Chlorophylls are the major pigments present in photosynthetic plants but their application in foods is limited due to their lack of solubility in aqueous media and their susceptibility to degradation during processing and storage. These problems might be overcome by the addition of sodium caseinate (NaCas) whose hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups may result in electrostatic and steric stabilization. In the present work, 1% and 3% (w/w) chlorophylls in NaCas dispersion or in ethanol (control) were prepared and their color stability under light treatment for 5 h and light-shed storage for 10 days was studied along with their interaction mechanism, using electrostatic, spectroscopic and morphological methodologies. Chlorophylls remained 58.72% and 53.84% in NaCas dispersions compared with the control (41.29% and 45.93%) after light treatment for low- and high-dose treatment, respectively, suggesting that NaCas improved the solubility and stability of the pigments. Additionally, 1% and 3% (w/w) chlorophylls in NaCas dispersion remained stable at 60.49% and 57.62% compared with the control (44.81% and 48.17%) for the 10 day storage during which the zeta-potential of the dispersions changed from −31.7 to −52.2 mV and from −36.7 to −56.2 mV with a well-defined diameter (∼221–245 nm). The data obtained from electron microscopy, together with the results of fluorescence spectroscopy, suggests that chlorophylls were entrapped in NaCas dispersions mainly via hydrogen bonds.


In the present study, essential oils from four plants including Melissa officinalis, Mentha piperita,  Pelargonium graveolens and Leucosidea sericea , traditionally used to treat infectious diseases were  tested for antimicrobial activity against seven Gram-positive bacteria, eight Gram-negative bacteria and six yeast species ( Candida spp. and Cryptococcus neoformans ) using the agar diffusion method. The  minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the oils were determined by the microdilution technique. The killing kinetics of the oils was further evaluated against specific bacterial and fungal organisms. Both  antifungal and antibacterial activities were observed from the essential oil of P. graveolens and M.  peripeta against bacterial and fungal strains tested in the present study with the MIC values ranging from 0.95 to 7.5 mg/ml against the bacterial isolates and 0.24 to 7.50 mg/ml 'against the fungal isolates. The oils of P. graveolens were fungicidal to all the yeast isolates tested in the present study with minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values ranging from 0.12 to 7.50 mg/ml while the essential oil from M. piperita was fungicidal to one of the six yeast isolates tested with the smallest MFC of 0.48 mg/ml against Candida tropicalis . Essential oils from P. graveolens were able to kill 90% of the P. aeruginosa cells within three hours. The present study has revealed the antimicrobial activity of P. graveolens and M. piperita and indicated that essential oils are promising sources of natural products with potential antimicrobial activity. These results will guide the selection of some plant species for further pharmacological and phytochemical analysis. These results also support the use of essential oils to treat microbial infections and could be used as pharmaceuticals as well as preservatives in the food industry. Key words : Medicinal plants, essential oils, antibacterial activity, antifungal activity, time-kill activity.


Abstract : A description of the FAA Airborne Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System known as TCAS I introduces the main topic of the report; results of an investigation of simple techniques suitable for the passive and active detection of nearby aircraft by TCAS I. This is followed by a review of the measurement facilities and data used to evaluate the detection techniques. Techniques for identifying passively returns from potentially threatening aircraft, i.e., the rejection or filtering out of non-threat aircraft, are described and evaluated. Alternatives for time-sharing the 1090 MHz channel between the TCAS I transponder and the passive detector are described. A candidate passive detector is defined and its performance is evaluated using flight test data. Predictions of the performance of a low-power TCAS I based on active detection are made via link calculations and flight test measurements. A summary of results concludes the report.


Background: Interferon producing cells have an important role in controlling HIV. The interferon producing cell count was evaluated in order to study the possibility of immune modulating qualification of HGV co-infection in HIV patients' safety. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was performed on 83 HIV positive patients with CD4+ cell count >400 to evaluate the interferon producing cell count. These 83 patients were categorized in 4 groups based on their current infection status. Patients infected with HCV and HGV (HGV+/HCV+), patients infected with HGV but not with HCV (HGV-C+/HCV-), patients infected with HCV but not with HGV (HGV-/HCV+) and patients not infected by HGV and HCV (HGV-/HCV-). Interferon producing cell analysis was performed by flow cytometric method and the presence of -HGV RNA by using RT-PCR and PCR-Elisa. Results: Interferon producing cell count in HGV co-infected individuals revealed a wider range of numbers however there was no significant difference in the interferon producing cells count between HIV infected patients with and without HGV co-infection. Conclusion: HGV/HCV co-infection doesn't have an effective role on increasing of production or rotation of interferon producing cell in HIV infected patients with relatively intact immune system.


A new method is reported for detecting heavy metal ions by using the self assembled monolayer (SAM) technique and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The p-mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA) served as the SERS readout molecule and the modified tag to attach on the smooth gold substrate as well as the tag of nanoparticles by the SAM method. Two carboxyl groups from MBA molecules which were attached respectively to gold substrate and gold nanoparticles were linked through the heavy metal ions (Cu2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+) as bridge, and thus sandwich structure of 'MBA modified gold substrate/heavy metal ions/MBA modified gold nanoparticles' was built for detection. The observation of the oxidation peak of metal nanoparticles from cyclic voltammetry (CV) curve, gold nanoparticles from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and SERS signal of MBA from the sandwich structure indicated the existence of heavy metal ions. The difference in the wavenumbers of vibrational modes from MBA in the sandwich structure constructed by different could be used to identify different heavy metal ions. The assembled structure was rinsed by strong chelator of EDTA solution to remove the heavy metal ions from the sandwich structure and thus to obtain a fresh gold substrate modified with MBA for the cyclic detection. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Adaptive and automatic quantised feedback equalisers of telephone lines for data transmission are studied. In particular, equalisers which use a steepest-descent algorithm with a minimum mean square error criterion are considered, and the effect of 2-level quantisation on the mean square error in the steady state and on the conditions of stability are analysed. The effect of the `random walk' of the tap coefficients on the mean square error in the steady state is also investigated. Finally, a comparison of the performance of six equalisation schemes is made using computer simulation. These schemes include nonrecursive and hybrid networks, with and without signal quantisation.


We construct a correspondence between smooth algebraic Lagrangians in the cotangent bundle of complex affine n-space which satisfy some (co)homology vanishing assumptions and a certain class of holonomic modules over the n-th Weyl algebra. The association goes via reduction mod p. As a consequence, we deduce that the group of Morita autoequivalences of the n-th Weyl algebra is isomorphic to the group of symplectomorphisms of the cotangent bundle of affine space. This generalizes an old theorem of Dixmier (in the case n=1) and settles a conjecture of Belov-Kanel and Kontsevich in general.


Background: Contraceptive security is crucial in ensuring access to family planning services and improving the contraceptive prevalence rate. This requires proper forecasting and procurement of contraceptives. It is therefore important to study consumption patterns and apply forecasting techniques so as to adjust for any changes in the choice of contraceptives over a given time period. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to analyze trends, identify any seasonal or cyclic patterns in consumption of contraceptives, compare service point and consumption data, forecast consumption for six months and determine optimal models for forecasting contraceptives. Methods: Data on consumption of implants, injectables, pills, and Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCDs) were extracted from the Kenya District Health Information System for the years 2014-2018. An exploratory analysis was done and the data decomposed to evaluate the trends and seasonal components. Service point and consumption data of contraceptives were compared. Short-term forecasting using the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and the Exponential Smoothing (ES) models was done. The optimal model for forecasting was determined and the models validated using actual facility consumption data for 2018. Results: The consumption of pills, injectables, and IUCDs declined while that of implants increased significantly across the 4 years. There were differences in the data reported for consumption and service point data for injectables, implants, and IUCDs. The ES models recorded the least error when forecasting consumption of all contraceptives except for one-rod implants in which the ARIMA model had the least errors. Conclusion: There was a general shift towards the use of long-acting reversible methods especially implants in Kenya. The difference in the reporting of consumption and service point data for injectables, implant, and IUCDs showed gaps in the documentation and reporting of contraceptives. The ETS models were generally superior to the ARIMA models for predicting consumption of contraceptives. Keywords: Contraceptives, consumption, forecasting, time series, trends


"Migrants are generally assumed to gather specific information about the destination primarily through physical contact, or through family, friends, and acquaintances. In this paper, I propose an additional source of information: similarities between origin and destination labor markets. Data from the 1983-1987 PSID [Panel Study of Income Dynamics] are used in a two-stage least squares model of postmove search duration in the U.S. Rural-to-urban migrants (except for rural Southerners) exhibit significantly lower search duration than other groups, controlling for productivity-related characteristics and postmove earnings. In addition, employment growth differences between origin and destination are found to be better predictors of search duration than are differences in average earnings."


Some common clinical statements about patients with personality disorder are examined for their implications in the choice of category concepts for classifying personality. Clinicians seem to assume that personality categories are imprecise and that membership is probabilistic. These assumptions run counter to those of current classifications. The fact that most cases of personality disorder show features of more than condition creates difficulties for categorical systems. Dimensional systems are frequently proposed as a solution to this problem. Such an approach is rejected at the present time since there is no consensus regarding basic dimensions. Polythetic and prototype categories are examined as alternatives. It is suggested that prototype categorization provides an approach that is more in accord with clinical judgement. This approach, based upon Wittgenstein's concept of family resemblances, is better able to accommodate the imprecise or fuzzy nature of personality categories, although it does require some modification to the way categories are defined, and to the way diagnostic reliability is assessed.


Business processes have been changing since the Internet was created, and they are now oriented towards a more distributed and collaborative business model, in an e-commerce environment that adapts itself to the competitive and changing market conditions. This paper presents a multi-agent system architecture for supply chain management, which explores different strategies and offers solutions in a distributed e-commerce environment. The system is designed to support different types of interfaces, which allow interoperating with other business models already developed. In order to show how the entire multi-agent system is being developed, the implementation of a collaborative agent is presented and explained. The testing and evaluation of the entire multi-agent system is being carried out in an agent-based experimentation platform.


We describe the efficacy and outcome of standardised second-line anti-tuberculosis (TB) medications during pregnancy. Treatment outcomes of five pregnant women with documented multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) referred to the National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases from 2003 to 2009 were analysed in two categories, maternal and neonatal. Patients became pregnant during treatment for MDR-TB without any changes in their anti-tuberculosis regimen. None of them had any adverse effects during pregnancy and delivery. No adverse effects were observed in mothers or neonates. The treatment of MDR-TB during pregnancy with a standardised second-line regimen in this study population was safe, with an acceptable rate of treatment success.


Remote sensing allows for identification of regularities and irregularities in land use and land coverage (LULC) change in relation to environmental legislation. The aim of this study was to delimit scenarios in the permanent preservation areas (PPAs) according to the Brazilian forestry law, with or without consolidated uses in the basin of Capivari River and the State of Rio de Janeiro in the Atlantic Forest biome. Mapping and analysis were performed on LULC in areas of permanent preservation using the following data: RapidEye-REIS satellite scenes acquired in 2012 and Bhattacharyya distance classifier and hydrography of the basin and digital elevation model (1:25.000) using Spring and ArcGIS software. The legal scenarios adopted were as follows: I) Federal Law N°. 4,771/1965 and the National Council for the Environment (CONAMA) N°. 303/2002; II) Federal Law N°. 12,651/2012; and III) Federal Law N°. 12,651/2012 and N°. 12,727/2012. The classification presented an excellent overall accuracy of 91.15% and a Kappa Index of 0.86 in relation to the samples of the six multipurpose classes having the anthropic uses of agriculture, burned pasture, exposed soil and urbanization, which were present with conflicting uses for Scenarios I, II and III. The new forest legislation for the PPAs of Scenario III impacted the reduction of 68% compared to Scenario I, which corroborates with the concerns on the conservation of water and soil resources.


Many natural structures have fractal geometries that exhibit useful functional properties. These properties, which exploit the recurrence of patterns at increasingly small scales, are often desirable in applications and, consequently, fractal geometry is increasingly employed in diverse technologies ranging from radio antennae to storm barriers. In this paper, we explore the application of fractal geometry to electrical devices. First, we lay the foundations for the implementation of fractal devices by considering diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) of atomic clusters. Under appropriate growth conditions, atomic clusters of various elements form fractal patterns driven by DLA. We perform a fractal analysis of both simulated and physical devices to determine their spatial scaling properties and demonstrate their potential as fractal circuit elements. Finally, we simulate conduction through idealized and DLA fractal devices and show that their fractal scaling properties generate novel, nonlinear conduction properties in response to depletion by electrostatic gates.


INTRODUCTION Concretions in the Champlain formation of the Connecticut River valley were noted by the earliest settlers in the region. The concretions were found in great numbers among the gravels of the Connecticut River and its tributaries, and on and in the thinly banded beds exposed at low water. The name "claystones" was early applied to them, a name that was significant because the concretions were harder than the clay enclosing them. Later, the term "clay-dogs" was given them by the workmen in the brick yards, perhaps because of the persistence with which the forms appear with the clay, or it may have been an opprobrious term intended to convey the idea that the concretions were nuisances in molding the brick. The concretions occur in an infinite variety of forms, but the most striking feature, to which the writer9s attention was called in 1910 by the late R. D. Salisbury, . . .


A monopole antenna with two branches, but still having one feed point, is proposed for the dual-band cellular applications. Simulation results of a dual-band antenna are presented. As shown in the results, the input impedances at the center of both bands are about 50 /spl Omega/. Therefore, an additional matching network is not necessary. This means there is no efficiency loss due to adding matching networks. The radiation patterns are basically omnidirectional. Although the GSM and DCS bands are used here, similar results can be obtained for the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz ISM bands. The antenna can be made on a single-sided printed circuit board.


To understand the forest policy and decision making processes and enable successful implementation of development and environmental conservation objectives, it is necessary to learn about the current issues and problems in the forest sector. This study focuses on forest sectors of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (the Baltic States). Using the in-depth interview technique, the study learns about the opinions of leading individuals (elite) in the forest sectors of the Baltic States regarding the issues of concern in the forest management of their respective countries. This study finds that the largest concentration of issues of concern in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania is in an area of institutional failures. Therefore, in facilitating forest development of these countries attention should be focused on the interface between policy failures and actual resource problems. The perceptions on issues of concern were found to differ between the stakeholders in general and the elite representatives.


This paper empirically investigated the impact of financial development on economic growth in Nigeria during
the period 1986 – 2012.To achieve the purpose of this research, we estimated the real GDP as a function of the
gross fixed capital formation, financial development (the ratio of private sector credits to GDP), liquidity ratio,
and the interest rate. The methods used are: the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) techniques, Augmented DickeyFuller
unit root test, Johansen cointegration test, error correction technique, and the Granger causality test. The
empirical results revealed that: all the variables used are integrated of the same order, I(1); there is evidence of
the existence of a long run relationship among the variables used; the normalized cointegration coefficients
revealed that financial development affects economic growth negatively in the long run. However, the short run
impact of financial development on economic growth is positive. This goes to show that the finance-led growth
hypothesis is valid in Nigeria only in the short run. There is also evidence of stability of both long run and short
run relationship between the real GDP and financial development in Nigeria and the adjustment process to
restore equilibrium after disturbance is effectively slow (6.50 percent of discrepancies is corrected in each
period). Also, causality runs from economic growth to financial development and there is no bi-directional
causality between growth and finance which lends support to the demand-leading hypothesis. Based on these
findings, the study therefore recommends among other things that: the government should device a means to
energise the micro finance sector so as to make credits available and accessible to micro entrepreneurs who are
often deprived of credits by the conventional credit markets. This will help boost the private sector development
and investment which is the engine of growth.


Kidney formation requires the coordinated growth of multiple cell types including the collecting ducts, nephrons, vasculature and interstitium. There has been a long-held belief that interactions between the progenitors of the collecting ducts and nephrons are primarily responsible for development of this organ. However, over the last several years, it has become increasingly clear that multiple aspects of kidney development require signaling from the interstitium. How the interstitium orchestrates these various roles is still poorly understood. We show that during development, the interstitium is a highly heterogeneous, patterned population of cells that occupies distinct positions correlated to the adjacent parenchyma. Our analysis indicates that the heterogeneity is not a mere reflection of different stages in a linear developmental trajectory but instead represents several novel differentiated cell states. Further, we find that beta-catenin has a cell autonomous role in the development of a medullary subset of the interstitium and that this non-autonomously affects the development of the adjacent epithelia. These findings suggest the intriguing possibility that the different interstitial subtypes may create microenvironments that play unique roles in development of the adjacent epithelia and endothelia. Graphical Abstract The developing interstitium is a highly heterogeneous, patterned population of cells that occupies distinct positions correlated to the adjacent parenchyma.


In this study, we investigated anti-tumor activity and associated molecular mechanism of action of Salicylate ●Phenanthroline Copper (II) Complex in triple-negative breast cancer. Salicylate ●Phenanthroline Copper (II) Complex inhibited the growth of four breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, T47D, MDA-MB-231 and BT-20) and induced apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. The effect was more profound in MDA-MB-231 and BT-20 triple-negative breast cancer cell lines. Western blot showed that the expression of the apoptosis-related protein Bcl-2, Bcl-xl and survivin was significantly reduced in MDA-MB-231 after treatment with Salicylate ●Phenanthroline Copper (II) Complex. In vivo, Salicylate ●Phenanthroline Copper (II) Complex administration significantly attenuated tumor growth of MDA-MB-231 xenografts, and the expression levels of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and survivin were reduced as measured by immunohistochemical staining. These data suggest that Salicylate ●Phenanthroline Copper (II) Complex is a promising novel therapeutic drug for triple-negative breast cancer and warrants further study.


Pure cultures of Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 17484) were grown in continuous culture on phenol at dilution rates of 0.074–0.085 h−1 and subjected to step increases in phenol feed concentration. Three distinct patterns of dynamic response were obtained depending on the size of the step change used: low level, moderate level, or high level. During low level responses no accumulations of phenol or non‐phenol, non‐glucose‐dissolved organic carbon, DOC(NGP), were observed. Moderate level responses were characterized by the transient accumulation of DOC(NGP) with a significant delay prior to phenol leakage. High level responses demonstrated a rapid onset of phenol leakage and no apparent accumulations of DOC(NGP). The addition of phenol to a continuous culture of the same organism on glucose did not result in transient DOC(NGP) accumulations, although transient phenol levels exceeded 90 mg l−1. These results were consistent with intermediate metabolite production during phenol step tests coupled with substrate‐inhibited phenol uptake and suggested that traditional kinetic models based on the Haldane equation may be inadequate for describing the dynamics of phenol degrading systems. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


A mixed-signal circuit's performance and yield dependency on process variation are investigated with numerical circuit solution, statistical simulation, and implemented circuit measurement in 65nm partially-depleted silicon-on-insulator CMOS process. Increased relative variation in 65nm process is examined with site-to-site and wafer-to-wafer process variations. A current-controlled oscillator's performance and device threshold voltages are cross-correlated using simulation and RF measurement. Up to 93.9% cross-correlation between oscillation frequency and device threshold voltage is obtained, and strong model-to-hardware correlation is observed through statistical analysis of simulation result and circuit measurement. The yield learning process of design, simulation, measurement, and statistical analysis is proposed


The syntheses of eight nitroxide spin labels which bear maleimide, iodoacetamide, indanedione, or chloromercuric reactive groups and, in addition, a second substituent in the nitroxide ring are presented. The second substituent groups range from hydrophobic and hydrophilic esters to carboxylic acid and secondary and tertiary amine groups. The resulting spin labels are characterized with respect both to protein covalent modification and to the electron spin resonance spectral properties of the bound labels. The effect of the various substituents in the spin label on the reactivity toward the membrane-bound shark rectal gland and pig kidney Na,K-ATPase is described. The spectral differences between immobilized and mobile groups observed by electron spin resonance for the different protein-bound spin labels show that, by selecting an appropriate derivative for modification, a large range of different motional sensitivities of the reporter group can be obtained. Such different series of spin labels should therefore be useful for detecting mobility changes arising from conformational transitions in proteins by conventional electron spin resonance spectroscopy or for measurement of protein rotational diffusion using saturation transfer electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The chloromercuric series is found to be particularly useful because of the high reactivity, the lack of reversibility that potentially is associated with the Michael addition reaction, and the wide range of rotational mobility that is exhibited by the different derivatives.


UMEDA, F., YAMAUCHI, T., ISHII, H., NAKASHIMA, N., HISATOMI, A. and NAWATA, H. Serum 1, 5-Ahhydro-D-Glucitol and Glycemic Control in Patients with Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1991, 163 (2), 93-100 Serum 1, 5-anhydro-D-glucitol (AG) levels, which have been reported to decrease specifically in diabetics, were measured in 102 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). The mean of serum AG levels was 7.9±0.7,ug/ml (mean±s.E.). It was found a significant negative correlation between serum AG level and HbA1C or fasting blood sugar level. The decrease in serum AG levels inversely correlated with the extent of glycemic control in the patients with NIDDM. Additionally, the changes of serum AG levels negatively correlated with the changes of HbA1 levels during long-term (2 years) treatment. Furthermore, serum AG levels were compared between the patients with and without diabetic complication such as retinopathy, proteinuria or neuropathy. It was found that each group of the patients with complication had significantly decreased serum AG level compared with the complication free group. On the other hand, however, no differences were found in serum AG levels corrected by HbA1C levels using the linear regression formula between the group of the patients with and without diabetic complication. 1, 5-anhydro-D-glucitol ; NIDDM ; glycemic control ; hemoglobin A1C


Abstract.
 Small sized, man-made, perennial and primarily rain-fed ponds occur widely in the rural landscape of India. These wetlands provide suitable habitats and food resources for a wide variety of resident and migratory wetland birds. Wetland birds in six rural ponds of Kurukshetra District, Haryana, in northern India were surveyed from April 2011 to May 2014 to determine status. Point counts and direct observations were used to record bird species. Sixty-nine species of wetland birds belonging to 47 genera and 20 families were identified. Family Anatidae dominated the avifauna with 20% (n = 14) of the species found. Of the species documented, 54% (n = 37) were winter migrants, 7% (n = 5) were summer migrants and 39% (n = 27) were residents. Among recorded species, Darter (Anhinga melanogaster), Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), Oriental White Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) and River Tern (Sterna aurantia) are considered as near threatened; Comb Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos), Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) and Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The occurrence of migrants and special-status species documents the importance of these rural ponds as habitats for wetland birds in India. However, anthropogenic and developmental activities in and around these ponds are posing significant threats. The present study provides baseline information on wetland birds of these ponds for future monitoring, conservation planning and the development of pertinent management interventions.


To help farmers in the mid hills of Nepal improve their crop management and rice yields, we conducted a study testing different nursery management options and their effect on grain yield and yield components under rainfed conditions. The experiment was conducted in a farmer's field during the cropping season 2009 and 2010 at Sundarbazar, Lamjung, Nepal, using a 3-factor factorial RCB design with 3 replications. The three management factors tested were 1) fertilizer management in the nursery, 2) seeding density, and 3) seedling age at transplanting, using the rainfed lowland rice variety Radha-4. There were eight treatment combinations, consisting of two levels of fertilization (0 and 20:20:0:13 kg NPKS ha-1 at 15 DAS), two levels of seeding density (607 and 303 g·m-2) and two seedling ages (20 and 40 days old). Two years' results showed that top-dressed fertilizer in the nursery had no consistent effect on grain yield. However, lower seeding density (303 g·m-2) resulted in taller plants, more productive tillers m-2, less sterility and higher grain yield. In addition, older seedlings (40 days) produced taller plants, more productive tillers, more filled grains, and a higher grain and straw yield. The interaction analysis between both factors indicated that 40 days old seedling with a low seeding density produced the highest grain yield, both in the drought season 2009 and the high-yielding season 2010. The economic analysis confirmed that the treatment with low seeding density and 40 days old seedlings produced by far the highest net returns and B:C ratio in both seasons, independent of the fertilizer treatment. The combination of these two management components is therefore economically viable and profitable, and can be recommended to farmers. However, the results need to be confirmed for other varieties used by farmers in the region.


Automotive industry is on the verge of development and more comforts are being incorporated in a vehicle. On other hand customers have stringent demand of fuel economy, high performance at low cost. In order to have high fuel economy the auto-motive manufacturers are induced to reduce weight. Author has selected composite material of Aluminium composite material (Aluminium skin, polyethylene core, resin binder material). Tensile strength, bending strength has been carried out on Universal Testing Machine (UTM) to optimize of mass of composite material. One can use sandwich panel composite material to optimize mass and cost of various automobile, marine, aerospace and various structures.


We consider the polarization dynamics of optically pumped vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with a pump light of arbitrary polarization ellipticity. We also consider the effect of an applied transverse magnetic field on the polarization properties of the output light. We first test our theoretical description by analyzing the polarization state of the photoluminescence light emitted by an optically pumped quantum well, and discuss a variety of phenomena known to originate from spin carrier dynamics in these materials. We discuss how these phenomena are modified when a VCSEL is operated above threshold, and we show that our model gives a good description of Larmor oscillations observed in VCSELs excited with short optical pulses. For VCSELs under continuous optical pump, we find a number of accessible experimental situations in which self-sustained polarization oscillations in the emitted light are possible. We identify and analyze three different mechanisms for these oscillations to occur. When no magnetic field is applied, we find polarization oscillations governed by birefringence and undamped polarization oscillations at the relaxation oscillation frequency. With an applied magnetic field, we find self-sustained oscillations governed by the Larmor frequency. In addition, our study of optically pumped VCSELs makes apparent the effects of spin carrier dynamics in the polarization properties of the emitted light.


There have been reports of the use of high frequency jet ventilation during pulmonary surgery delivered via tracheal tubes .to both lungs throughout surgery, or delivered via a bronchial tube in one lung only. There is some evidence that high frequency ventilation may reduce the amount of intrapulmonary shunting' compared with conventional intermittent positive pressure ventilation of one lung. This is a report of the use of high frequency jet ventilation, delivered via a standard Robertshaw double lumen tube during pulmonary surgery (lobectomy, pneumonectomy, sleeve resection). A fine catheter was passed down each lumen of the double lumen tube, to a point level with the tracheal cuff. The two catheters were connected together with a Yconnector, which was then connected to the Acutronic high frequency jet ventilator. High frequency jet ventilation at rates of 100-150 breaths/minute was delivered via this system. The catheter size was selected to give an 'inspiratory jet port' to 'expiratory exhaust port' ratio of 1 : 6. Both lungs could be ventilated with a switch to one lung when required, by clamping one catheter. Following preliminary work using dummy lungs, a small series of patients were ventilated by this method during pulmonary surgery. Informed consent was obtained from all patients. Ten patients received high frequencyjet ventilation at rates of 100-150 breaths/minute. All were ventilated to normocapnia (range Paco, 4.55.3 kPa) without added positive end expiratory pressure. High frequency jet ventilation was delivered via the catheters to both lungs initially, switching to one lung when required by the demands of surgery. Normocapnia and adequate arterial oxygenation were maintained throughout the period of one lung ventilation. Re-expansion of the unventilated lung was achieved by unclamping the catheter to that side, switching the jet ventilator to manual mode and delivering 5-10 breaths of 1-2 seconds duration. The shunt fraction was estimated 20 minutes after the start of one lung ventilation, by standard methods., (Central venous blood was used as an approximation to mixed venous.) The mean estimate for shunt fraction was 24.2 percent (range 15-35 percent). For comparison, the shunt fraction was measured in ten similar patients undergoing pulmonary surgery, receiving conventional intermittent positive pressure ventilation during one lung ventilation. A volume preset Blease pulmoflator was used without added positive end expiratory pressure. Normocapnia was maintained throughout (range Paco, 4.4-5.3 kPa). The mean estimate for shunt fraction after 20 minutes of one lung ventilation was 25.1 percent (range 20-32 percent). In this small series of patients, no improvement in shunt fraction was seen during one lung ventilation with high frequency jet ventilation, compared with that during conventional ventilation. However, the surgical conditions were noted to be excellent, with very little mediastinal movement. The advantages of a double lumen tube in isolating suppuration and haemorrhage were maintained when delivering high frequency jet ventilation by this method. The method probably warrants further investigation with measurement of mean and peak airway pressures as well as shunt fraction. There may prove to be advantages in central haemodynamics3 if low mean airway pressures can be maintained.


Abstract Introduction Access to telehealth services for children living in rural and remote areas of Australia is very limited. The delivery of allied health therapies to children in school via telehealth may help reduce inequality and improve academic outcomes over time. Methods A service delivering speech and language therapy (SLT) and occupational therapy (OT) via videoconferencing to children at five rural schools was prospectively evaluated. Each child's teacher rated their speech and language, participation in class and educational outcomes at the beginning and end of semester. Change in the summative teacher-rating index over the first and subsequent semesters in which a child received therapy was examined. Independent predictors of change were identified using multivariable linear regression. Results Over two years, 1029 sessions of SLT and 531 sessions of OT were delivered to 98 children (67% male, 38% in Prep at commencement) via telehealth. In their first semester of therapy, 57 children received SLT, 37 OT and four both therapies. The mean teacher-rating index significantly improved from the beginning (35.05 ± 10.68) to end (40.02 ± 11.75) of the first semester of therapy (p < 0.001). In multivariable linear regression, grade, school and baseline rating were significantly associated with the end-of-semester teacher-rating index. Discussion Delivering allied health therapy by videoconference may enable children to better engage with schooling. Differences in improvements by grade suggest improvements may be maximised by targeting therapy at certain year levels. This model may be useful in areas with limited access to allied health services.


Cochlear implants have dramatically changed the treatment and prognosis for patients with profound sensorineural hearing loss. Deaf adults and children can be successfully (re)integrated into the hearing world through a multidisciplinary approach involving otolaryngologists, audiologists, and speech/language pathologists. As the technology of the cochlear prosthesis advances, the candidacy for these devices continues to broaden. This review addresses the basic technology, candidacy criteria, and important issues in the fields of adult and pediatric cochlear implantation. Cost utility and future directions in the treatment of the profoundly hearing impaired are discussed.


Spectrum examination is widely used in scientific research and production. With the development of scientific research and production, the trend of spectrum examination is from indoor to outdoor in situ examination and on-line monitor. So the spectrometer is required to be more minimal. A new type of portable micro fiber spectrometer, using CCD, blaze grating, and two spherical mirror, a small dispersing system based on crossing Czerny-Turner structure, is designed based on this kind of requirement. By analyzing optical system structure, the relation among parameters of these components has been found out in order to fix basic parameters for miniaturized spectrometer; its working wavelength is 200-910nm. The entire spectrum is detected by a CCD for one time, the selection of CCD is product of Toshiba Corporation, linear charge coupled device (L.CCD) TCD1304AP, then received light signal is converted to an electrical signal. The system's hardware circuit includes CPLD, MCU, the CCD driving timing circuit, signal conditioning circuits, high-speed A/D sampling and transform timing circuit. A new kind of driving and sampling system which is high integrated for multi-channel has been designed by using CPLD (complex programmable logical device) and MCU. In this system, many function modules can be generated by logic cells inside of the CPLD chip, such as the driving pulse of CCD, the driving timing of high-speed A/D sampling converter and storage system and so on. In the end, the A/D results can be transmitted to computer by MCU for storage, processing and analysis. The CPLD is programmed in VHDL and compiled, synthesized, simulated and burned with the helping of the environment of Quartus II. The design of portable micro fiber spectrometer has the feature of wide spectrum range and high resolving power, so the system is especially suitable in the application of portable filed examination.


In this paper we present a novel mechanism to

get explanations that allow to better understand

network predictions when dealing with sequential

data. Specifically, we adopt memory-based networks

— Differential Neural Computers — to exploit

their capability of storing data in memory and

reusing it for inference. By tracking both the memory

access at prediction time, and the information

stored by the network at each step of the input

sequence, we can retrieve the most relevant input

steps associated to each prediction. We validate

our approach (1) on a modified T-maze, which is a

non-Markovian discrete control task evaluating an

algorithm's ability to correlate events far apart in

history, and (2) on the Story Cloze Test, which is

a commonsense reasoning framework for evaluating

story understanding that requires a system to

choose the correct ending to a four-sentence story.

Our results show that we are able to explain agent's

decisions in (1) and to reconstruct the most relevant

sentences used by the network to select the story

ending in (2). Additionally, we show not only that

by removing those sentences the network prediction

changes, but also that the same are sufficient to

reproduce the inference.


Like Durer, Rembrandt and Goya, Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) made a key contribution to the art of printmaking. He was himself a talented etcher, and prints after his paintings were cut by the best engravers of his day. Yet, to date, his printmaking has suffered from undeserved neglect. This book discusses Van Dyck's first acquaintance with the medium in Rubens's workshop and illuminates the genesis of the" Iconography," a portrait gallery of illustrious contemporaries. All his etchings are catalogued together with preparatory drawings and grisailles, as well as proofs containing corrective flourishes. Furthermore the book includes a selection of the prints after paintings by Van Dyck. A number of them were the initiative of the artist himself, and others were produced on behalf of publishers and engravers. Works from the eighteenth century are included to illustrate the influence Van Dyck exerted until long after his death-- even in France and England. The introductory essays discuss the collecting of Van Dyck prints, the phenomenon of the trial proof, and technical aspects of the etchings. Based on new archival research the biographies are included of all those who were instrumental in the production of the prints: engravers, publishers, and the persons to whom they were dedicated by Van Dyck. Many of the prints are reproduced in color and the book has numerous comparative illustrations making it essential not only for scholars and enthusiasts of Van Dyck's work, but all those interested in the history of printmaking.


Skin moisturization is very crucial for maintaining the flexibility, viscoelasticity, and differentiation of the epidermis and its deprivation causes several diseases from dry skin to dermatitis. Aloe vera, a miracle plant having diverse medicinal properties including skin moisturization effects. This study investigated for the first time the molecular mechanism targeting skin moisturization effects of the Aloe vera flower and its major active constituent. By treating human epidermal keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) with Aloe vera flower water extract (AFWE), we found that AFWE upregulated epidermal involucrin by activating the expression of protein kinase C, p38, and ERK 1/2. Additionally, it modulated filaggrin, increased aquaporin expression, and hyaluronan synthesis via a balanced regulation of HAS1 and HYAL1 protein. Similarly, it was able to protect UVB-induced photodamage. Western blot analysis, ELISA, and qRT- PCR were performed to evaluate various epidermal differentiation markers and moisturization-related factors on human epidermal keratinocytes (HaCaT cells). TLC and HPLC were used to detect and analyze the chemical constituents. Among them, we found that an active component of Aloe vera flower, isoorientin (IO) has a high binding affinity to all of its targeted proteins such as involucrin, PKC, P38, etc. through molecular docking assay. This study indicated that the Aloe vera flower and its active constituent, IO can be used as a prominent ingredient to enhance skin barrier function and improve its related pathologies.


We train a generator by maximum likelihood and we also train the same generator architecture by Wasserstein GAN. We then compare the generated samples, exact log-probability densities and approximate Wasserstein distances. We show that an independent critic trained to approximate Wasserstein distance between the validation set and the generator distribution helps detect overfitting. Finally, we use ideas from the one-shot learning literature to develop a novel fast learning critic.


Due to the general confusion over the mask's efficiency against COVID-19 virus droplets, professionals and the public may find it difficult to stop the disease from spreading. This study intends to investigate the fluid flow across the N95 filtration layer based on the experimental data and create a simulation model based on the analysis. Therefore, the fluid flow across the filtration layer is simulated using ANSYS Fluent, part of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver software. This study anticipates the fluid flow across the N95 by using the porous media approach, in which inertial resistance and viscous resistance are introduced in the simulation by obtaining the pressure drop coefficient of the actual 3M N95 filtration. The fluid passed through the filtration layer with some velocity range based on the MS 2323:2010 standard. The pressure and velocity distribution of fluid through the filtration layer are analyzed by simulation illustration of the contour and streamline of the fluid. For most conditions, as fluid flowed across the filter, the flow gradually began to retard and diverge around the filtration layer. Besides, different flow rates across the filtration layer also result in different pressure distributions on the N95 layer. To sum up, this study is beneficial in forecasting the fluid behavior across the filtration layer by applying the porous zone approach in the ANSYS simulation.


Ragnar Rommetveit is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Oslo, Norway. He received his > PhD in 1954 at the University of Oslo, became Associate Professor in the same year, and has continued as Professor of Psychology D since 1959. He developed a hermeneutically based theory of communication as an alternative to representationalcomputational models of language and mind. In fact, he was the founder of the 'dialogical approach' in psychology-long before this notion has become popular in the 1990s. He has been interested in communication, intersubjectivity and the construction of meaning in language use, and was one of the early critics of attempts to formalize the semantic structure of language within the framework of Chomskian generative grammar. Ragnar Rommetveit was Visiting Professor at the University of Minnesota (1956-7), at the University of Michigan (1961), and at Cornell University (1964-5). He was Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA (1965-6) and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Wassenaar (1972-3). From 1977 until 1983 he held the title of Andrew Dickson White Professorat-Large at Cornell University. He was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Linkhping, Sweden, in 1982, and by the University of Bergen, Norway, in 1990.


Diisopropylaminoborane [BH(2)N(iPr)(2)] in the presence of a catalytic amount of lithium borohydride (LiBH(4)) reduces a large variety of aliphatic and aromatic nitriles in excellent yields. BH(2)N(iPr)(2) can be prepared by two methods: first by reacting diisopropylamineborane [(iPr)(2)N:BH(3)] with 1.1 equiv of n-butyllithium (n-BuLi) followed by methyl iodide (MeI), or reacting iPrN:BH(3) with 1 equiv of n-BuLi followed by trimethylsilyl chloride (TMSCl). BH(2)N(iPr)(2) prepared with MeI was found to reduce benzonitriles to the corresponding benzylamines at ambient temperatures, whereas diisopropylaminoborane prepared with TMSCl does not reduce nitriles unless a catalytic amount of a lithium ion source, such as LiBH(4) or lithium tetraphenylborate (LiBPh(4)), is added to the reaction. The reductions of benzonitriles with one or more electron-withdrawing groups on the aromatic ring generally occur much faster with higher yields. For example, 2,4-dichlorobenzonitrile was successfully reduced to 2,4-dichlorobenzylamine in 99% yield after 5 h at 25 degrees C. On the other hand, benzonitriles containing electron-donating groups on the aromatic ring require refluxing in tetrahydrofuran (THF) for complete reduction. For instance, 4-methoxybenzonitrile was successfully reduced to 4-methoxybenzylamine in 80% yield. Aliphatic nitriles can also be reduced by the BH(2)N(iPr)(2)/cat. LiBH(4) reducing system. Benzyl cyanide was reduced to phenethylamine in 83% yield. BH(2)N(iPr)(2) can also reduce nitriles in the presence of unconjugated alkenes and alkynes such as the reduction of 2-hexynenitrile to hex-5-yn-1-amine in 80% yield. Unfortunately, selective reduction of a nitrile in the presence of an aldehyde is not possible as aldehydes are reduced along with the nitrile. However, selective reduction of the nitrile group at 25 degrees C in the presence of an ester is possible as long as the nitrile group is activated by an electron-withdrawing substituent. It should be pointed out that lithium aminoborohydrides (LABs) do not reduce nitriles under ambient conditions and behave as bases with aliphatic nitriles as well as nitriles containing acidic alpha-protons. Consequently, both LABs and BH(2)N(iPr)(2) are complementary to each other and offer methods for the selective reductions of multifunctional compounds.


The increasing intervention from high rise construction and new developments within the historic urban fabric are threatening the existing character and the Outstanding Universal Value of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site List. This paper propagates that through the identification of historic urban landscapes that influence the character of the George Town world heritage sites, we are able to understand the relationships between the landscape components and the importance of historic characters of the sites. The methodology of this paper is based on written descriptions and site visual observations. The outcome of this paper reveals the significance of tangible and intangible factors that influence the urban landscape character of the case study area.
Historic Urban Landscape; Character; World Heritage Site; Tangible  and Tangible Factors
eISSN 2514-751X © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.


To determine the effect of an acute dose of ethanol on the stomach and duodenum, seven alcoholic subjects with previously normal upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were reevaluated with endoscopy and directed biopsy three hours after the oral ingestion of ethanol (1 gm./kg. body weight) as a 35 gm./100 ml. solution. After ingestion of alcohol, all seven subjects had moderate to severe antral erythema and friability and two had patchy erosions and hemorrhage in the antrum and fundus of the stomach. Five of seven subjects had changes in the duodenal bulb consisting of erythema similar to that in the antrum of the stomach. Microscopically after alcohol, four of seven demonstrated focal subepithelial hemorrhage and another had frank mucosal hemorrhage in the antrum. In the duodenal bulb, four of seven subjects demonstrated focal subepithelial hemorrhage in the tips of bulbar villi and four of seven had striking infiltration of eosinophils in the subepithelial stroma. These histologic alterations were not present in prealcohol biopsies or in biopsies in two additional subjects given club soda alone or beef bouillon, or in repeat biopsies in two subjects re-endoscoped three days after the ingestion of alcohol when the endoscopic findings were again normal. It is concluded that a single dose of alcohol consistently causes macroscopic and microscopic antral and duodenal alterations.


To understand why some hosts get sicker than others from the same type of infection, it is essential to explain how key processes, such as host responses to infection and parasite growth, are influenced by various biotic and abiotic factors. In many disease systems, the initial infection dose impacts host morbidity and mortality. To explore drivers of dose-dependence and individual variation in infection outcomes, we devised a mathematical model of malaria infection that allowed host and parasite traits to be linear functions (reaction norms) of the initial dose. We fitted the model, using a hierarchical Bayesian approach, to experimental time-series data of acute Plasmodium chabaudi infection across doses spanning seven orders of magnitude. We found evidence for both dose-dependent facilitation and debilitation of host responses. Most importantly, increasing dose reduced the strength of activation of indiscriminate host clearance of red blood cells while increasing the half-life of that response, leading to the maximal response at an intermediate dose. We also explored the causes of diverse infection outcomes across replicate mice receiving the same dose. Besides random noise in the injected dose, we found variation in peak parasite load was due to unobserved individual variation in host responses to clear infected cells. Individual variation in anaemia was likely driven by random variation in parasite burst size, which is linked to the rate of host cells lost to malaria infection. General host vigour in the absence of infection was also correlated with host health during malaria infection. Our work demonstrates that the reaction norm approach provides a useful quantitative framework for examining the impact of a continuous external factor on within-host infection processes.


Summary Chronic inflammation drives the development of atherosclerosis. Dendritic cells (DCs) are known as central mediators of adaptive immune responses and the development of immunological memory and tolerance. DCs are present in non-diseased arteries, and accumulate within atherosclerotic lesions where they can be localised in close vicinity to T cells. Recent work has revealed important functions of DCs in regulating immune mechanisms in atherogenesis, and vaccination strategies using DCs have been explored for treatment of disease. However, in line with a phenotypical and functional overlap with plaque macrophages vascular DCs were also identified to engulf lipids, thus contributing to lipid burden in the vessel wall and initiation of lesion growth. Furthermore, a function of DCs in regulating cholesterol homeostasis has been revealed. Finally, phenotypically distinct plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) have been identified within atherosclerotic lesions. This review will dissect the multifaceted contribution of DCs and pDCs to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis and the experimental approaches utilising DCs in therapeutic vaccination strategies.


This paper is concerned with identifying the problems that pervade design education and the practice of design in China so that a way forward can be proposed to make improvements that will enable the Chinese design industry to become more competitive after entry into the World Trade Organisation. The authors gathered data from their own experiences and observations in situ, as well as surveys they commissioned. They found that there are numerous endemic, fundamental problems in the practice of design education across the whole education sector. Fortunately, many Chinese design educators and managers of design companies are cognizant of these problems and are motivated to institute changes, even though they are unsure of what these changes should be or how they should be implemented. The authors conclude by making their own recommendations for effecting improvements in design education and professional development.


The visible construct of the contemporary city can be conceived as a palimpsest, a layered construction displaying formal diversities in the course of historical urban development. The concealed aspects of the urban palimpsest, however, concern the configurational properties of the emergent layers in the spatial system of the city with a close relation to the urban life. This paper outlines the research about the city of Gothenburg carried out to clarify the properties of the historically generated structural layers and their impact on the urban life. The spatial system of the city in significant periods has been analyzed. The original plan layout of the city from 1621 provided a distributed network of public spaces, which facilitated a distributed pattern of social contacts in concordance with the requirements of the social life of the urbanites. The city during the expansion outside the original fortification up to 1920s (following the huge extension plan of 1866) maintained its structural characteristics as a well integrated and intelligible system. The vast expansion of the city during the 20th century, and the urban patterns which emerged in 1960s, adopting the idea of self-contained housing estates, formed a structural layer with a significant impact on the urban system with a drastic decrease in global integration. However the historic core was still the syntactic core of the global system and constituted a highly integrated and intelligible local area, which, providing a dense pedestrian encounter was the most popular public space in the city. The analysis of the existing city displays the emergence of a new historic urban layer during the last three decades. This layer is constituted of a hierarchic network of high speed traffic routes. The global integration value of the city has decreased further. The historic core has lost its syntactically central position. This urban layer, based on car borne commuting, has not improved overlapping and interconnection of the local urban areas. The accessibility to the local areas has become much more dependant on the large traffic arteries. The further fragmentation of the urban fabric has been parallel with the substitution of the walking city with an auto city, and the move of retail trade to city outskirts and the emergence of external shopping centres. The analysis of the city of Gothenburg provides knowledge about the dynamic interrelation between invisible emergent urban layers. This knowledge will be useful in the planning processes of the ongoing and future urban developments.


Exploiting the supersymmetric connection between the statistics of randomly branched polymers and the problem of the Yang-Lee edge singularity, we propose the superuniversality of the crossover exponent of the adsorption-transition = 1/2 independent of the spatial dimension. This conjecture is based on the exactness of this relation at several dimensions and up to second order in the e-expansion.


Tumor-associated neutrophils appear to be a crucial element of the tumor microenvironment that actively participates in the development and progression of cancerous diseases. The increased lifespan, plasticity in changing of phenotype, and functions of neutrophils influence the course of the disease and may significantly affect survival. In patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), disturbances in neutrophils functions impede the effective immune defense against pathogens. Therefore, understanding the mechanism underlying such a phenomenon in CLL seems to be of great importance. Here we discuss the recent reports analyzing the phenotype and functions of neutrophils in CLL, the most common leukemia in adults. We summarize the data concerning both the phenotype and the mechanisms by which neutrophils directly support the proliferation and survival of malignant B cells.


We hypothesize that brain glycogen, a stored form of glucose, may provide fuel for the brain conferring both negative and positive effects throughout the brain. The over accumulation of brain glycogen, or supercompensation, is hypothesized to exacerbate hypoglycemia associated autonomic failure (HAAF), promote memory and learning, and reduce neuron cell death during severe episodes of hypoglycemia. It was determined that brain glycogen supercompensation does occur in the mouse 6 hours following single and recurrent hypoglycemic episodes, but it is not likely a significant mechanism behind HAAF due to the supercompensation subsiding at 27 hours following the hypoglycemic episodes. In regard to memory and learning, brain glycogen is not required for motor skill learning while euglycemic, however, it does enhance motor memory while hypoglycemic as determined using a rotarod treadmill in mouse. In regard to associative learning, brain glycogen is important for contextual, but not cued, memories while both euglycemic and hypoglycemic, as assessed by contextual and cued fear conditioning. Two different genetically engineered models of mice lacking brain glycogen yielded opposing results when assessing whether brain glycogen is neuroprotective during severe and prolonged hypoglycemia. In conclusion, brain glycogen does not appear to play a role in HAAF, is important for learning and memory, and its role in neuronal cell survival during hypoglycemia requires further study.


Cerebrovascular accident (CVA), commonly known as stroke is a condition that results from infarction of neurons in the brain due to vascular compromise. It is a highly prevalent disease, a leading cause of death and long-term disability. The most frequent sign after stroke is muscle weakness, which leads to loss of functions in the upper and lower limb. The mechanism of muscle weakness in stroke can be neural or structural. The most frequently affected muscle groups are the extensors of the upper limb and flexors of the lower limb. Dysfunctional knee flexion causes disability in performing such activities of daily living like walking, transfers, standing, stair climbing and so on, which negatively affect the quality of life and societal participation in stroke survivors. The hamstring muscles are the muscles responsible for knee flexion. This mini-review gives a brief summary of the available physiotherapy interventions that affect the hamstrings. PubMed, CINAHL and Google Scholar were searched with keywords of various combinations. Several modalities employed in managing hamstring weakness in stroke survivors include exercise therapy, mirror therapy, electrical stimulation, mental practice, functional electrical stimulation and task-specific training at different levels of hamstring muscle strength among stroke survivors. The goal of physiotherapy is to improve the functional level and ultimately facilitate community integration by increasing muscle strength in the stroke


The differential cross sections for inelastic scattering of 12 MeV deuterons from 102Ru and 104Ru have been measured. Several new levels were located in both nuclei. For the one-phonon 2+ and 3- states the observed angular distributions have been compared with predictions from DWBA theory.


ABSTRACT The Hylesia genus comprises a group of Neotropical moths ubiquitous in the Americas from Arizona to Argentina. One of the species of the Hylesia genus in Venezuela, French Guyana, and Trinidad has been identified as Hylesia metabus (Cramer 1775) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). In Venezuela, these moths are found in abundance in the mangrove (Avicennia spp.) swamps surrounding the Gulf of Paria and the Orinoco Delta in the eastern part of the country. During the mating season, the female adults shed copious amounts of urticating setae in the air, producing a severe papulovesicular dermatitis among the population in the affected areas. The females also use their urticating setae to protect the eggs during the hatching period. In the current study, we have isolated and partially characterized proteins with proinflammatory properties from the urticating setae in the egg-nests by using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and anionic exchange-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We also have studied the biological response of the egg-nest extract and the HPLC purified fractions by inoculation in guinea pigs; and, analyzing the tissue samples by means of histopathological methods. The results of this study show that the extracted venom and HPLC purified subcomponents give rise to an intense inflammatory reaction characterized by massive infiltration of inflammatory cells, echymoses, and vascular degeneration. Chromatographic separation showed that the venom was made up of proteins having selectively vasodegenerative-fibrinolytic or proinflammatory-quimotactic properties.


While porous metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (PMS-SOFCs) have potential to dramatically reduce the cost while enhancing the durability of SOFC technology, the available fabrication processes are still cumbersome and unsuitable for commercial applications. Here, we report our findings in exploring low-cost, additive, thermal spray processes suitable for large-scale manufacturing of PMS-SOFCs. The additive fabrication process starts with a porous metal support, on which a porous nickel-based anode layer and a dense electrolyte membrane are sequentially deposited. Then, a nanostructured La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3−δ (LSCF) cathode layer is applied using a liquid precursor high velocity oxygen fuel flame (LP-HVOF) spraying process. The polarization resistance of the LSCF cathode is reduced to 0.15 Ω cm2 at 600 °C and 0.025 Ω cm2 at 750 °C. The PMS-SOFCs display excellent performance, demonstrating peak power densities of 0.23, 0.65, 1.1, and 1.5 W cm−2 at 500, 600, 700, and 750 °C, respectively, while maintaining impressive stability (no observable change for more than 600 h at 650 °C). Our results suggest that thermal spraying has potential to be a low-cost and flexible process suitable for large-scale fabrication of commercial PMS-SOFCs.


The research was conducted on PT. Perkebunan Nusantara V Tanah Putih Rokan Hilir in order to determine the influences of Work Leadership and work communication either simultaneously or partially on Employee Productivity in PT. Perkebunan Nusantara V Tanah Putih Rokan Hilir. Total sample of 74 respondents on PT. Perkebunan Nusantara V Tanah Putih Rokan Hilir. The sampling technique used is stratified random side and Path analysis method by using SPSS version 20. Simultaneous regression (F test) showed that the independent variables studied (Work Leadership and Work Communication) together (simultaneously) have a significant influence on the dependent variable (employee Productivity). The magnitude of the influence that (R2) by the two independent variables together against the dependent variable, while the remaining is influenced by other variables not examined in this study. The results of the testing that has been done, the partial regression test (t test) showed that each of the independent variables that Work Leadership doesn't give significant influence on employee Productivity. work communication have significant influence on employee work productivity, and together have a significant effect on the productivity of employees and work leadership significantly influence employee productivity via work communication. So from the results of this research in employee productivity variables that must be improved is the Completion of work on time, the leadership variables that must be improved is the essence of giving exemplary, whereas the communication variables that should be improved is the attitude of supporting structures such as creating an easy flow of communication between fellow employees contacted by employees and leaders. Keywords: Work Leadership, Work Communication, Employee Productivity.


AIM
The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) levels in the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome (MS) in obese Japanese children.

METHODS
We examined 193 obese boys (mean age: 12.1 yrs; mean percent overweight [POW]: 53.9%) and 37 obese girls (mean age: 11.4 yrs; mean POW: 57.2%). Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure and levels of liver transaminases, serum lipids and lipoproteins, fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum insulin and adiponectin were measured. The subjects were divided into either an MS or a non-MS group according to the MS definition criteria for Japanese children.

RESULTS
The level of GPT was significantly higher in the MS group in both genders. Correlation analysis revealed positive correlations between GPT and waist circumference, blood pressure, maximum preperitoneal fat thickness, serum insulin and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-R), but no correlation between GPT and FBG. ANOVA showed a significant difference in GPT levels between MS and non-MS subgroups, whereas there was no difference in FBG between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated that GPT was clearly superior to FBG as a diagnostic marker of MS.

CONCLUSION
We conclude that an elevation in GPT in obese children most likely reflects insulin resistance and that GPT is superior to FBG as a marker of MS.


Clinical nurse autonomy and control over nursing practice (CONP) have been associated with increased nurse satisfaction and improved patient outcomes - both elements of a healthy work environment. This article outlines strategies for enhancing autonomy as well as strategies for enhancing CONP and describes the importance of articulating expectations for autonomous practice, enhancing competence in clinical expertise, establishing participative decision making, and developing nurses' skills in making decisions. In addition, the critical role of nurse leaders and the need to work upstream to influence the social, political, and economic factors affecting nursing practice are discussed.


We propose an electronic voting machine architecture in which the voting user interface is prerendered and published before election day. The prerendered user interface is a verifiable artifact-an electronic sample ballot-enabling public participation in the review, verification, usability testing, and accessibility testing of the ballot. Preparing the user interface outside of the voting machine dramatically reduces the amount and difficulty of software verification required to assure the correctness of the election result. We present a design for a high-assurance touchscreen voting machine that supports a wide range of user interface styles and demonstrate its feasibility by implementing it in less than 300 lines of Python code.


Reduction of drag is an important role of aerodynamic specialist in real time world. The performance of forward moving object improved when the drag is reduced. Skin friction drag caused when the fluid tending to shear along the surface of the body and it is dependent on energy expenditure. Initial research concluded that nearly 20 to 40% of total drag is skin friction drag, based on flight forward velocity. This means a lot of fuel burned. In this paper we investigate a methodology to reduce the skin friction drag by implementing different kinds of exterior treatments. The ideology inspired from the world fastest moving oceanic creature. Structures are fabricated based on the replica of scales of the oceanic creature. The outer skin of the aerofoil NACA0012 is modified like shark scales. Then it is tested using open type sub sonic wind tunnel. In addition to that, the leading edge thickness effect also studied. The turbulent flow phenomenon is validated at different velocities and compared with numerical results using STAR CCM+. From the plots and graphical results, it is found that the skin friction drag is generated less due to reduction of transverse shear stress present in turbulent flow and skin friction drag depends on boundary layer thickness and on the percentage of chord of flow separation. In addition to this, the result delivers that the ordinary polished surface produces more drag than the modified scales. The outlook of this technology is excrescence for different applications. This open section wind tunnel testing produces 10-15% reduction in drag and can be turn to high values when the experiment is conducted in closed section wind tunnel with real time atmospheric conditions, which can be done as a future work.


Electricity consumption forecasting is important for effective operation, planning and facility expansion of power system.  Accurate forecasts can save operating and maintenance costs, increased the reliability of power supply and delivery system, and correct decisions for future development.  There is a great development of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) infrastructure since its formation in 1993. The development will be accompanied with the increasing demand of electricity.  Hence, there is a need to forecast the UTHM electricity consumption for future decisions on generating electric power, load switching, and infrastructure development. Therefore, in this study, the Fuzzy time series (FTS) with trapezoidal membership function was implemented on the UTHM monthly electricity consumption from January 2011 to December 2017 to forecast January to December 2018 monthly electricity consumption.  The procedure of the FTS and trapezoidal membership function was described together with January data.  FTS is able to forecast UTHM electricity consumption quite well.


This research aims to investigate how to define museum maps, to what degree they relate to curatorial intents, and how they affect visitors' behaviours. Two case studies were carried out to explore the theoretical relation between graphic properties and architectural or curatorial propositions, and to discover meaningful differences among visitors' movement behaviours using string-matching technique to analyse data of about 200 subjects interviewed and individually traced for the first twenty minutes from entry points. From analytical and empirical studies, we argue that museum maps can be understood as focusing devices of embodying curatorial intents through distinct graphic styles, aiming not only to deliver spatial knowledge but also to make underlying disciplines visible. They can act as a discourse, and they affect visitors' behaviours. However, there are fundamental distinctive patterns according to graphic styles, different types of spatial information, configurational features, and demographic factors (mainly familiarity and motivations). If non-motivated novices are in a predictable environment and given a map mainly concerned with topographic properties, their behaviours are determined by attractive features described on the map so that they move around in a structured way. In contrast, if they are in an unintelligible layout and provided a map focused on topological information only, their movement patterns are strongly associated not with the graphic properties, but with the configurational features or exhibits. On the other hand, experienced visitors, irrespective of intelligibility or graphic styles, tend to construct their own itineraries by actively interacting with maps, and also they would like to move at first to the floor on which their destinations would be placed.


Industrial competition in the current global industrial era is not only influenced by product prices but also influenced by customer satisfaction with the products, one of the factors that influence customer satisfaction is the quality of the products, for which quality control is needed. This studies aims to measure the level of quality control as seen from the percentage of defective products and customer satisfaction. This research was conducted at PT X  which is a cable producing company. The method used in this studies is the First Pass Yield to measure the percentage of defective products, Customer Complaints and production claims related to the quality of raw materials & haspels to measure customer satisfaction through questionnaires. From data processing, the average value of First Pass Yield is 94.2% which indicates the average rate of defective products per month is 5.8%. Customer complaints show customers are not satisfied with the Non Standard Length relating to the marker and cable length. So as to improve product competitiveness we provide several improvement proposals based on the  fault  categor ies that arise .


Dog Placement Manager Guide Dogs for the Blind San Rafael CA us Job  Guide Dogs for the Blind has an amazing opportunity available to work in our Canine Community Programs Department! A guide dog needs a very special combination of health, skill and behavioral soundness. Our standards are extremel


In this paper, we present a head-mounted lip observing camera system
and the downstream processing steps and tools needed to obtain protrusion and
opening of a subject's lips during speech production. The helmet-like camera system
consists of two consumer market cameras mounted directly to a subject's head
to keep their positions constant with respect to the skull, thus no post processing
image stabilization or feature tracking is needed. The mounting system is built
from aluminum pipe segments and 3D-printed hinges and joints. The cameras capture
the profile and frontal view of the subject's lips. In the two obtained image
sequences, the lip contours are detected using the segmentation software Glottal-
ImageExplorer. In these two 1-Bit lip contour images, several extrema are detected
and converted to the desired parameters protrusion and opening. Exemplary results
are presented for selected vowel-consonant-vowel sequences. All necessary
files for the construction of the camera helmet and the extraction of the parameters
are provided free of charge at http://vocaltractlab.de/index.php?page=
birkholz-supplements. The video capturing and post-processing exclusively
uses a chain of freeware tools to make the system available to the speech research
community.


A mixed catalyst for producing dimethylether, comprising a methanol synthesizing catalyst containing Zr, Ca or an oxide thereof, and a dehydrating catalyst, is provided to optionally produce dimethylether at a high carbon monoxide conversion ratio from a mixed gas containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, a preparation method of the mixed catalyst for producing dimethylether is provided, and a method for producing dimethylether using the mixed catalyst for producing dimethylether is provided. A mixed catalyst for producing dimethylether comprises: a methanol synthesizing catalyst prepared as a metal nitrate solution or a sodium carbonate solution by adding a promoter consisting of at least one component selected from Zr, Ca, and an oxide thereof to a basic catalyst of a copper metal nitrate solution, a zinc metal nitrate solution, or an aluminum metal nitrate solution; and a dehydrating catalyst prepared by mixing aluminum phosphate with gamma alumina, wherein a ratio of the basic catalyst to the promoter in the methanol synthesizing catalyst is 1:11.5 to less than 19, a ratio of the aluminum phosphate to the gamma alumina in the dehydrating catalyst is 1, and the methanol synthesizing catalyst and the dehydrating catalyst are mixed at a ratio of 1:0.4 to 0.65. A method for producing dimethylether comprises reacting a syngas containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide at a temperature of 200 to 350 deg.C, a pressure of 10 to 80 atmospheric pressures, and a space velocity of 3,000 to 10,000 h^-1 in the presence of the mixed catalyst for producing dimethylether.