Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Guests, Dear Colleagues On behalf of the main organizers of the Conference, who are the Physical Section of the Union of Czech Mathematicians and Physicists and The Institute of Physics of the Czechoslovak Academy of Science, I would like to express our delight to have you here: not only prominent physicists and those who have the chance to become prominent in due time, but also all others whose work makes an original contribution to the very broad and rich area called Condensed Matter Physics. Each field of Physics surely has its characteristic style and features. The present experimental High Energy Physics, e.g., in attacking without any doubt the most fundamental problems concerning matter and the interactions that govern its world, tends to use big installations and large groups of people try to accomplish relatively few large-scale experiments addressing well defined questions and unifying thus the activities into one impressive flow. On the other hand the solid state or Condensed Matter Physics exhibits rather diferent features. Here many parallel strugglings do exist, an immense plurality in views and approaches, large number of apparently independent experiments, models and theoretical concepts which implies a big amount of contributions and discoveries whose importance is hardly predictable in advance. Nobody is usually able to anticipate when and at which place a breakthrough will appear and what its implication may be for other developments. In this way we may view the progress in the CMP rather as accomplished by many quasi-independent parallel steps loosely corresponding to a mosaic picture in which every stone—large or small—finds its irreplaceable position. Very like as in our life to whose present standard CMP has contributed so much. If you agree with this overall characteristics allow me to say a few words to illustrate by some examples about the Czechoslovak contribution to the development of CMP. During the Second World War the Czech Universities were closed and one of the consequences was that the post-war onset of modern CMP era was considerably delayed in Czechoslovakia compared to other developed European or Oversea countries. In spite of this the level based on former tradition of physics here was sufficient to react quickly to new stimuli from outside. Otherwise it is hard to explain that a one-year-stay of the late Zdeněk Matyáš with Sir Neville Francis Mott in Bristol, 1946–47, was sufficient to quickly initiate the Prague School of Solid State Theory, and to stimulate widespread activities in Solid State Physics in the early 50s, which has been appreciated everywhere. Let me mention some of the main protagonists: Jan Tauc, founder of the Czechoslovak Semiconductor Physics, recognized for his pioneering work on Photovoltaic Effects, Amorphous Semiconductors and Optical Properties of Semiconductors, since 1970 professor of the Brown University (USA), now present at the Conference; the late Zdeněk Trousil, outstanding technologist who independently discovered and realized zone melting method for rafination of very pure germanium; the solid state theorists Emil Antončik, Professor of the University at Aarhus (Denmark), and Bedřich Velický, both present at the Conference, the latter one as the Program Chairman; in magnetism Luboš Valenta fundamentally contributed to the theory of spontaneous magnetization in thin films and later stimulated the research in actinide magnetism that has been successfully developed in this country; Jan Kaczer in his systematic study of magnetic domains was first to observe the cylindrical domains that later become bubbles. And, of course, Zdeněk Frait with his perfect Ferromagnetic Resonance experiments in metals and metallic thin films. All three are present here. The modern computer-aided method for studying crystal structures were pushed forward by the late Alan Linek; the research of dielectric and ferroelectric crystal connected with the names of Václav Janovec, Jan Fousek, Jan Arend and Vladimir Dvořák, the last one being appreciated mostly by his original contribution to the theory of modulated (in particular incommensurable) structures and related phase transitions. And last but not least the contribution of František Kroupa to the theory of mechanical properties of solids. Most of these contributions were accomplished during the fifties and sixties. As the people I have mentioned were active in Prague, both in the Institutes of the Academy and at the Charles University, I have to fill out this incomplete enumeration stating that almost simultaneously similar activities appeared also in other cities, as Brno, Bratislava, Košice and a few others, both Czech and Slovak creating so the Czechoslovak tradition in this field. Let me add, that many physicists, who started work in Czechoslovakia as students or post doctoral fellows emigrated during the Communist era and developed into generally recognized personalities in CMP. We are glad that most of them grasped the opportunity to come and attend this conference. Besides Professors Tauc and Antončik, I am glad to welcome here Professor Arend (Switzerland), Dr Dorda (FRG), Professors Gerber, Jaroš and Mathon (UK), Professor Kunc (France) and others who may be present. Czeckoslovak physicists were also active in the preparation of the European Physical Society. The representative of the Physics Section of our Union, Dr Plajner, was among those, who signed its charter and this act commenced good relations, and further fruitful cooperation between EPS and our Section which helped us in our isolation under the past Communist regime; and to feel, at least in a limited way, the European appurtenance. An important event along this line was the organization of the 6th EPS General Conference in Prague in 1984. Even more, we value the fact that this 12th GC of EPS Condensed Matter Division, entrusted to our hands still in the time of totality, may be held under entirely new external conditions. They are not without difficulties but with much more clear perspectives. I wish that all of you who have honoured us by attending this conference not only gain the maximum benefit from the presented contributions and high level discussions, but also gain favourable impressions of our City, its cultural life and historical monuments and — if I may express it thus — useful personal and professional contacts with our physicists.


Source mask optimization (SMO) is considered to be one of the technologies to push conventional 193nm lithography to its ultimate limits. In comparison with other SMO methods that use an inverse problem formulation, SMO based on genetic algorithm (GA) requires very little knowledge of the process, and has the advantage of flexible problem formulation. Recent publications on SMO using a GA employ a binary-coded GA. In general, the performance of a GA depends not only on the merit or fitness function, but also on the parameters, operators and their algorithmic implementation. In this paper, we propose a SMO method using real-coded GA where the source and mask solutions are represented by floating point strings instead of bit strings. Besides from that, the selection, crossover, and mutation operators are replaced by corresponding floating-point versions. Both binary-coded and real-coded genetic algorithms were implemented in two versions of SMO and compared in numerical experiments, where the target patterns are staggered contact holes and a logic pattern with critical dimensions of 100 nm, respectively. The results demonstrate the performance improvement of the real-coded GA in comparison to the binary-coded version. Specifically, these improvements can be seen in a better convergence behavior. For example, the numerical experiments for the logic pattern showed that the average number of generations to converge to a proper fitness of 6.0 using the real-coded method is 61.8% (100 generations) less than that using binary-coded method.


Several years ago this textbook would have served merely as a solid reference text in libraries of medical institutions. The onset of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome epidemic with activation of latent protozoan and helminth infections has made it of much more immediate interest to all physicians. In addition, the problems of Third World countries, which include one half of the earth's total landmass and approximately three fourths of its population, necessitate more than just a casual knowledge of tropical medicine. The advent of widespread air travel brings into the clinician's office diseases that once would have been seen only in very large medical centers. The truly shrinking globe demands that physicians adapt to this new reality. Drs Warren and Mahmoud have accomplished an impressive feat with this second edition. Seventeen countries are represented and over 150 authors have contributed to the text. To maintain a cohesive format with uniform prose


A novel digital forensics tool is developed by combining wavelet invariant with spatial moments. A forensic printed circuit board image matching system is presented that is capable of probing a large database of digital images of circuit boards and compare them for similarity to provide investigation leads for electronic crimes digital forensic science investigations. The developed system has been implemented, and proved to be very efficient in detection similarities between a target image and a large image database even when the target image is noisy, scaled or mirrored.


Purpose: In the model, we used the concepts of Lee and Amaral (2002) and Tang and Zhou (2009) and offer a multi-criteria decision-making model that identify the decoupling points to aim to minimize production costs, minimize the product delivery time to customer and maximize their satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: We encounter with a triple-objective model that meta-heuristic method (NSGA II) is used to solve the model and to identify the Pareto optimal points. The max (min) method was used. Findings:  Our results of using NSGA II to find Pareto optimal solutions demonstrate good performance of NSGA II to extract Pareto solutions in proposed model that considers determining of decoupling point in a supply network. Originality/value :  So far, several approaches to model the future have been proposed, of course, each of them modeled a part of this concept. This concept has been considered more general in the model that defined in follow.  In this model, we face with a multi-criteria decision problem that includes minimization of the production costs and product delivery time to customers as well as customer consistency maximization.


Secondary Calculus is a formal replacement for differential calculus on the space of solutions of a system of possibly non-linear partial differential equations and it is essentially due to Alexandre M. Vinogradov and his collaborators. Many coordinate free properties of PDEs find their natural place in Secondary Calculus including: symmetries and conservation laws, variational principles and the coordinate free aspects of the calculus of variations, recursion operators and Hamiltonian structures, etc. The building blocks of this language are horizontal cohomologies of diffieties, i.e. infinite prolongations of PDEs, and their versions with local coefficients. The main paradigm of Secondary Calculus is the principle, due to A. M. Vinogradov, roughly stating that: differential calculus on the space of solutions of a PDE is calculus up to homotopy on the horizontal De Rham algebra of the associated diffiety. We will review the fundamentals of Secondary Calculus including its main motivations. In the last part of the paper, we will try to explain the role of homotopy in the theory.


The effectiveness of varicocelectomy in nonobstructive azoospermia is controversial. The current study assessed the efficacy of microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy in nonobstructive azoospermic men with palpable varicocele and to evaluate predictive parameters of outcome. We reviewed the records of 723 patients who had microsurgical varicocelectomy and diagnostic testicular biopsy between 2012 and 2016 at a tertiary medical centre. Data pertaining to the physical, laboratory (semen analysis and hormonal profile) and histopathology features were examined, exploring the predictors of improvement in semen analysis post‐varicocelectomy. In total, 42 patients with mean age 35.71 ± 6.35 years were included. After a mean varicocelectomy follow‐up of 6.7 months, motile spermatozoa in the ejaculate could be observed in 11 patients (26.2). Out of all the factors examined, only testicular histopathology significantly predicted post‐varicocelectomy outcome, where 8/11 patients exhibited hypospermatogenesis, and 3/11 Sertoli cell‐only regained spermatozoa in semen. Microsurgical varicocelectomy in nonobstructive azoospermic men with clinically palpable varicocele can result in sperm appearance in the ejaculate with the highest success expected in hypospermatogenesis.


Introduction: Cochlear implantation (CI) is a reliable and safe means by which sensorineural hearing loss can be ameliorated in the elderly population. However, a high degree of variation exists in postimplantation hearing outcomes for which some modifiable factors of the daily natural auditory environment may be contributory. In this study, we analyze the relationship between cochlear implant patient age, natural auditory environment, and postimplantation speech perception among older adults. Methods: Data log from automatic environment classification enabled sound processors of postlingually deafened CI recipients ≥50 years old (n = 115) were obtained retrospectively and analyzed for time spent (hours per day) in listening environment and loudness (SPL dB). Speech perception testing was assessed in a subset of patients (n = 27) using open-set word recognition in quiet Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant in the short and intermediate postoperative period. Results: The mean subject age was 70 years (range, 53–99 years). Average daily implant use was 10.8 h and was not significantly correlated with age (p = 0.23, Spearman's rho). Age was positively correlated with the percentage of hours spent at <40 and 40–50 dB and negatively correlated to proportional CI use at higher volume (60–70, 70–80, and >80 dB; rs = 0.21, 0.20, −0.20, −0.35, −0.43; p = 0.021, 0.036, 0.033, <0.001, <0.001, respectively). Age was positively correlated with CI use in the quiet scene (rs = 0.26, p = 0.006) and negatively correlated with scenes containing speech and noise (rs = −0.19, −0.25; p = 0.046, 0.007). Total hours of device use and time spent at <40, 40–50 dB, and quiet environments were significantly correlated with improved CNC word scores (rs = 0.48, 0.48, 0.51; p = 0.01, 0.01, <0.01, Spearman's rho). While all speech (speech in noise + speech) was not significantly correlated to improvements in speech perception, a medium effect size was observed (rs = 0.37, p = 0.057). Discussion/Conclusion: This study supports a relationship between auditory environment and age, with older CI recipients spending a greater proportion of time in quiet. Older CI users demonstrated greater improvements in speech perception with longer daily device use. Additional examination of the relationship between auditory environment and speech perception is necessary to conclusively guide future auditory rehabilitation efforts.


A yeast, repeatedly isolated from a post-surgical abdominal infection of a 75-year-old Japanese man, was genotyped as Candida dubliniensis. This is the first reported case in Asia of this recently described fungus.


Whenever there is a need for a weight reduction and masses need to be moved, the focus shifts to fiber composite materials. But it is not always possible to completely eliminate metal. One method that enables the best properties of various materials to be combined is hybrid construction. At Fraunhofer IFAM, novel technologies for the manufacture of modern hybrid components are being developed. The focus of these technologies lies on establishing seriessuitable processes for the direct manufacture of hybrid components – the so-called hybrid casting, in which the connection of the materials occurs during the casting process.


Glutamine (GLN) is a metabolic precursor for hexosamine synthesis and its inclusion in culture medium has been reported to improve cumulus expansion. Glutamine and cysteine share the same transport system. Excess external GLN may act as a competitive inhibitor for the uptake of cysteine and stimulate loss of cellular cysteine, interfering this with GSH synthesis. Experiments were designed to evaluate the effect of 1–3 mM GLN during in vitro maturation (IVM) on bovine‐cumulus expansion, intracellular GSH levels in both oocytes and cumulus cells, and subsequent embryo development up to blastocyst stage. Also, GSH content was measured in 6‐ to 8‐cell embryos and a possible relationship between cumulus expansion and GSH synthesis was studied. Intact cumulus cell‐oocyte complexes were incubated for 24 hr and cumulus expansion was measured by a computerized image‐digitizing system either before or after IVM. IVM/IVF bovine oocytes were cultured up to 6‐ to 8‐cell stage embryos for assessment of GSH content or for 8 days up to blastocyst stage for embryo development. The measurement of total GSH content was performed by an enzymatic method in oocytes, cumulus cells and 6‐ to 8‐cell embryos. The maximal expansion was achieved by addition of 2 mM GLN without affecting GSH levels, in both oocytes and cumulus cells. At 3 mM, the degree of cumulus expansion was lower and the GSH levels decreased. The addition of 2 mM GLN improves cleavage and blastocyst rates, whereas no differences were found between 0, 1, and 3 mM GLN. Moreover, the GSH content in 6‐ to 8‐cell embryos was similar at any GLN concentrations. In order to study the relationship between GSH and cumulus expansion: 6‐diazo‐5‐oxo‐1‐norleucine (DON), an inhibitor of hexosamine synthesis, or buthionine sulfoximide (BSO), an inhibitor of GSH synthesis, either alone or with GLN was added to IVM medium. GSH level was not affected by the presence of DON. However, the degree of cumulus expansion was reduced in the presence of BSO. In conclusion, bovine oocytes matured in the presence of 2 mM GLN improve their capacity for subsequent embryo development. Nevertheless, GSH level was altered when GLN was added to IVM medium at a high concentration with a reduction in the degree of cumulus expansion. This study provides evidence that optimal cumulus expansion in vitro is partially dependent on hexosamine production and intracellular GSH content. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 51:76–83, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Objective To investigate post-receptor mechanisms that underlie enhanced angiotensin II (Ang II)-stimulated cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) responses in vascular smooth muscle cells from small arteries of SHR. Methods To determine whether Ca2+ influx is altered in SHR, effects of Ca2+ channel antagonists (nitrendipine and diltiazem) and depletion of extracellular Ca2+ on Ang II-stimulated [Ca2+]i responses in primary cultured unpassaged vascular smooth muscle cells from mesenteric arteries of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), Wistar and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats aged 17 weeks were studied. To assess whether Ca2+ stores contribute to increases in Ang II-stimulated Ca2+ mobilization and [Ca2+]i in SHR, cells were exposed to thapsigargin, a selective reticular Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor. [Ca2+]i was measured by fura-2 methodology. Results Basal and 1 nmol/l Ang II-stimulated [Ca2+]i were significantly greater in SHR cells (123 ± 7.1 nmol/l basal; 268 ± 7.0 nmol/l stimulated) than they were in those from WKY rats (88 ± 4.8 nmol/l basal; 221 ± 8.6 nmol/l stimulated) and Wistar rats (85 ± 3.0 nmol/l basal; 216 ± 8.3 nmol/l stimulated). In Ca2+-free medium, basal and Ang II-induced [Ca2+]i were reduced in all groups, but Ang II-stimulated [Ca2+]i responses were still significantly enhanced in SHR cells compared with those in Wistar and WKY rat cells (205 ± 11.2 versus 173 ± 8.0 and 161 ± 2.6 nmol/l, respectively). Administrations of 10−6 mol/l diltiazem and 10−7 mol/l nitrendipine decreased Ang II-elicited [Ca2+]i responses and normalized basal [Ca2+]i in SHR cells. The inhibition induced by Ca2+ channel antagonists was greater (P <0.05) in WKY and Wistar rat cells than it was in those from SHR. Administration of thapsigargin, in Ca2+-free buffer, induced a greater (P <0.05) dose-dependent [Ca2+]i increase in SHR cells than it did in WKY rat cells. Administration of 1 nmol/l Ang II increased [Ca2+]i in thapsigargin-pretreated cells of SHR but not in those of WKY rats. Conclusion Different mechanisms contribute to increases in basal and Ang II-stimulated [Ca2+]i responses in vascular smooth muscle cells from small arteries of SHR, which contribute to elevated peripheral resistance in hypertension. Increases in basal [Ca2+]i may be partly due to augmentation of Ca2+ influx, whereas Ang II-induced [Ca2+]i hyper-responsiveness might depend primarily on Ca2+ mobilization rather than on influx of extracellular Ca2+.


Crowd counting based on density maps is generally regarded as a regression task. Deep learning is used to learn the mapping between image content and crowd density distribution. Although great success has been achieved, some pedestrians far away from the camera are difficult to be detected. And the number of hard examples is often larger. Existing methods with simple Euclidean distance algorithm indiscriminately optimize the hard and easy examples so that the densities of hard examples are usually incorrectly predicted to be lower or even zero, which results in large counting errors. To address this problem, we are the first to propose the hard example focusing (HEF) algorithm for the regression task of crowd counting. The HEF algorithm makes our model rapidly focus on hard examples by attenuating the contribution of easy examples. Then higher importance will be given to the hard examples with wrong estimations. Moreover, the scale variations in crowd scenes are large, and the scale annotations are labor-intensive and expensive. By proposing a multiscale semantic refining strategy, lower layers of our model can break through the limitation of deep learning to capture semantic features of different scales to sufficiently deal with the scale variation. We perform extensive experiments on six benchmark datasets to verify the proposed method. Results indicate the superiority of our proposed method over the state-of-the-art methods. Moreover, our designed model is smaller and faster.


We investigate geologic controls on circulation in the shallow hydrothermal system of Masaya volcano, Nicaragua, and their relationship to surface diffuse degassing. On a local scale (∼250 m), relatively impermeable normal faults dipping at ∼60° control the flowpath of water vapor and other gases in the vadose zone. These shallow normal faults are identified by modeling of a NE‐SW trending magnetic anomaly of up to 2300 nT that corresponds to a topographic offset. Elevated SP and CO2 to the NW of the faults and an absence of CO2 to the SE suggest that these faults are barriers to flow. TOUGH2 numerical models of fluid circulation show enhanced flow through the footwalls of the faults, and corresponding increased mass flow and temperature at the surface (diffuse degassing zones). On a larger scale, TOUGH2 modeling suggests that groundwater convection may be occurring in a 3–4 km radial fracture zone transecting the entire flank of the volcano. Hot water rising uniformly into the base of the model at 1 × 10−5 kg/m2s results in convection that focuses heat and fluid and can explain the three distinct diffuse degassing zones distributed along the fracture. Our data and models suggest that the unusually active surface degassing zones at Masaya volcano can result purely from uniform heat and fluid flux at depth that is complicated by groundwater convection and permeability variations in the upper few km. Therefore isolating the effects of subsurface geology is vital when trying to interpret diffuse degassing in light of volcanic activity.


To meet traffic demand predictions, the global air traffic management (ATM) system needs to be changed. Several visions on future ATM operations exist. A commonality between the different visions is 4D Trajectory management. This function enables plan-based operation as opposed to the state-based approach of the present system. Plan-based operation enables the optimization of traffic flows by generating 4D trajectories. A part of the traffic flow generation process is scheduling. The research presented in this thesis focuses on these scheduling opportunities. In this research the scheduling opportunities for departure traffic at a runway are investigated. A study of the existing literature showed that the most common scheduling algorithms currently available can be divided into four categories: first come first served, brand-and-bound, greedy search and genetic algorithms. A simulation environment is designed for evaluation of the departure scheduling algorithms using various input parameters like traffic situation, airport map and algorithm. The four algorithm categories are evaluated on output aspects like delay and robustness of the schedule and are compared with the current method of traffic scheduling. The evaluation of the scheduling algorithms shows that the performance of the current method of scheduling departure traffic performs well in comparison with the tested algorithms. In case of no disturbances the genetic algorithm performs slightly better than the current method, but the other algorithms do not have a better performance. When disturbances are taken into account, a bigger performance increase can be obtained by using scheduling algorithms.


The purpose of the paper is to show how the narrative address of the movies and their emotional address are typically interconnected. Specifically, how the criterial prefocusing model can be integrated with the erotetic narration model.
Erotetic narration explains how a movie holds attention, how spectators are able to follow its unfolding, how it succeeds in making us feel that it is unified, and how it engenders the feeling of closure. It is based on the claim that question formation is a natural human mental propensity and movies exploit this natural propensity, by presenting us with situations that dispose us to formulate certain questions if only tacitly. The promise of those questions being answered sustains our interest in the story, while guideing our tracking of the flow of information and viewing the story with a feeling of unity and coherence, and typically, ultimately closure.
Our emotional engagement with movies is not solely a function of the rhetoric of erotetic narration, but also of the emotional content of the narrative. So in order to explain how that engages the audience effectively, Carroll turns to his theory of criterial prefocusing. Emotions are understood here as mechanisms of selective attention, which organise our perception of the environment by picking up what will help or hinder us. Contrary to our natural environment, in the movies, the environment has already been designed to make certain emotional themes, such as danger or injustice, stand out. Elements of the shot, scene or sequence are preselected and made salient by the moviemaker by means of visual devices such as scenography, framing, aural effects and various narrative and dramaturgical structures.
The phenomenon of criterial prefocusing serves the purposes of erotetic narration primarily by securing our emotional attachment to the protagonists and our affective aversion or antipathy to the antagonist, which invests us in macroquestions about the overall prospect for success and micro-questions from scene to scene.


We calculate the spectrum and damping rate of plasma oscillations in a two-dimensional electron channel with striplike side contacts, taking into account the finite value of the conductivity of side contacts. We use a hydrodynamic electron-transport model for electrons both in the two-dimensional electron channel and contacts, with the Poisson equation for the self-consistent electric potential. It is shown that in the real channels the damping rate can markedly increase due to the influence of nonideally conducting side contacts.


1. The Relation of Lipoids to Immune Reactions1 J. W. Jobling.
 2. Additional Facts Concerning the Protein Poison. Victor C. Vaughan: Since the author's last publication on this subject the following facts have been ascertained by his students and himself: Casein yields a large per cent of the protein poison.The protein poison after the removal of all traces of mineral acid is strongly acid in and of itself.The protein poison does not give the ninhydrin test, but does so after being split up with acid.The poison gives a skin reaction in all persons.The poison is not without harm when administered by mouth.Animals may be acutely or chronically poisoned by oral administration.In chronic poisoning by feeding, extensive fatty degeneration results.The protein poisons from diverse proteins are not identical.The protein poison from casein combines with certain unbroken proteins. In this combination the acidity of the poison is neutralized and its physiological action diminished.


Na tIe zroznicowania litologicznego utworow czerwonego spągowca w Wielkopolsce zaproponowano, w myśl Zasad polskiej klasyfikacji ... (1975), wyrozniac jednostki formalne: formacje, ogniwa, podgrupy i grupe. Ponadto omowiono niektore wyroznione nieformalnie alloformacje (P.H. Karnkowski, 1987). LITHOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE ROTLIEGENDES IN WIELKOPOLSKA (WESTERN POLAND) The author divides the Rotliegendes formations in Wielkopolska into the following formal lithostratigraphical units (Tab. 1): the Dolsk Formation - between the folded, Lower Carboniferous basement and the volcanites; the Wyrzeka Volcanite Formation - where the formation borders are determined by the bottom of the first and the top of the last volcanite occurrence; the Ksiąz Wlkp. Conglomerate Formation - the main coarse·clastic rocks originated from destruction of the Wolsztyn Ridge: and the Siekierki Sandstone Formation - with a dominated sandstone member. Within the Siekierki Sandstone Formation the Polwica Conglomerate Member and the Solec Conglomerate Member are distinguished. Twenty three borehole profiles (Tab. 2, Figs. 1-5) have been chosen to present the formal litho· stratigraphical units. The Dolsk Formation (Figs. 2, 6) consist of the grey, black and red·brown clastic rock complex, fine· and medium.grained sandstones dominate in its lower part, and mudstones and claystones with accessorial, sandstones and conglomerates in its upper part. This formation can be divided, as an auxiliary into two parts regarding to the colour of sediments (in a cat he gory of allostratigraphical units). In this respect the lower part of grey and black sediments (the Upper Carboniferous) may be distinguished as the Kaczawa Alloformation, and the upper red· brown part as the Kwisa Alloformation. Changes in sediment colour in this case result in mainly palaeoclimatic changes. The Wyrzeka Volcanite Formation is composed of various volcanic rocks: in the west of the Poznan - Oleśnica Dislocation Zone - mainly acid volcanic rocks and their tuffs, in the east - neutral volcanic rocks and their tuffs (Fig. 7). The volcanites do not form a continuous cover, they occur in separately preserved lobes. It is presumed however that originally they covered much larger area (Fig. 8). Rocks occurring in the Wyrzeka region are mainly trachybasalts. Quartz porphyris have been documented in the west from the Poznan - Oleśnica Dislocation Zone (Figs. 4, 5, 7). All the volcanic rocks in the area show a highrated alteration (e.g. silification). Based on chemical composition the acid volcanic rocks can be classified as rhyolites and rhyodacites. The second rock formation is composed of quartz porphyries, that may be distinguished macroscopicaly from actual volcanic rocks due to the sedimentary rock debris presence. Mineral composition of tuffs does not differ radically from the extrusive rocks. The sedimentary rock debris found frequently in tuffs originated most commonly from the Lower Carboniferous basement. Besides it has been stated that flowing lavas formed the lava flows what has been emphasized by parallel structure. The Ksiąz Wlkp. Conglomerate Formation form mainly conglomerates and breccias (Figs. 3 - 5). The Wolszyn Ridge peripheries (Fig. 9) is a typical area of the occurrence. In the northern side of the ridge these sediments have a wider range and greater thickness than in the south (Fig. 10). The breccias and conglomerates 'are chiefly composed of debris of the volcanic rocks and Palaeozoic basement rocks. Selection of the coarse·grained material has not been stated in the KsiClZ Wlkp. conglomerate profile. Lithological composition of the coarse·grained material is also variable. The Siekierki Sandstone Formation is mainly composed of sandstones (Figs. 2, 4, 11). Quartz with a variable degrees of gradation and roundness is a chief lithologic component of the sandstones. Besides, the potash feldspars, plagioclases, sedimentary and volcanic rock chippings occur. The variability of granulation is another factor characterizing the sandstones. The medium- and fine-grained sandstones are most frequent, the coarse- and various-grained are also found. Most sandstones are oblique bedded. The Polwica Conglomerate Member is separated from the lower Siekierki Sandstone Formation (Figs. 2. 3, 5). It is mainly composed of volcanic rock debris. The Poznan - Kalisz Dislocation Zone and marginal zones of lava covers are typical area of the occurrence (Figs. 12, 13). Four detailed profiles are presented to draw nearer the rock characteristics (Fig. 14). Based on sedimentological and lithological characteristics it can be stated that sedimentary conditions of the Polwica Conglomerate Member and the Ksiąz Wlkp. Conglomerate Formation were similar. The Solec Conglomerate Member bas been distinguished in the middle Siekierki Sandstone Formation (Figs. 2. 3). This member occupies relatively small area in Wielkopolska (Figs. 15, 16). Based on the lithological differentiation of conglomerates two following regions can be discriminated: the Kaleje-Solec region (mainly trachybasalt debris) and the Kleka region (white quartzitic sandstone debris). To characterize the Solec Conglomerate Member it can be stated that identical features and phenomena occur here and in the other coarse silastic complexes. The Lower Silesia Subgroup has been distinguished to link the volcanic and subvolcanic sedimentary rocks in one unit (Tab. 1). Such a link has had longlasted tradition in science research. The Wielkopolska Subgroup links supra volcanic sedimentary rocks of Rotliegendes in one lithostratigraphical unit (Tab. 1). To present the geological structure of the said subgroup the map of the base. the quantitative-lithofacies map (Fig. 17) and the isopachous map (Fig. 10) have been made. The Rotliegendes Group consist of the Lower Silesia Subgroup and Wielkopolska Subgroup Formations (Tab. 1, Fig. 18). The synthetic geological map presenting all the formations in Wielkopolska is a recapitulation of the Rotliegendes complexity. Mosaic occurrence of particular formations and members has caused the discrimination of 17 various mutual combinations of lithostratigraphical units (Fig. 19).


Abstract The language of the basic logic of proofs extends the usual propositional language by forming sentences of the sort x is a proof of F for any sentence F. In this paper a complete axiomatization for the basic logic of proofs in Heyting Arithmetic HA was found.


In this paper we develop a generic hierarchical model for performance analysis of intrusion detection techniques as applied to a cyber-physical system (CPS) consisting of mobile nodes with navigation, manipulation, sensing and actuating capability. We develop two intrusion detection techniques, namely, positional discontinuity and enviroconsistency, for intrusion detection of malicious attackers in a CPS. We utilize the hierarchical model developed to analyze the performance characteristics of these two techniques and identify optimal design settings under which the reliability of the CPS may be maximized. The analysis reveals design tradeoffs in security assurance and energy consumption, and suggests that enviroconsistency be used over positional discontinuity for reliability maximization. Numerical results with physical interpretations are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.


Several properties of lasers used in high-speed optical transmission systems are described. The characteristics of the modulation bandwidth transfer function and the relaxation oscillation frequency, and factors that must be optimized to maximize the modulation bandwidth, are examined. The intensity noise spectral characteristics and the relationship to the modulation bandwidth are determined. The relative intensity noise (RIN) of the laser is defined, and its relationship to the laser transmitters signal-to-noise ratio is noted. Techniques to measure these laser characteristics are reviewed, along with some measurement limitations. Sample measurements of the modulation response intensity noise, and RIN of a 1300-nm DFB laser using the HP 71400 lightwave signal analyzer are shown.<<ETX>>


Rough Set based Spanning Sets were recently proposed to deal with uncertainties arising in the problem in domain of natural language processing problems. This paper presents a novel span measure using upper approximations. The key contribution of this paper is to propose another uncertainty measure of span and spanning sets. Firstly, this paper proposes a new definition of computing span which use upper approximation instead of boundary regions. This is useful in situations where computing upper approximations are much more convenient that computing boundary region. Secondly, properties of novel span and relation with earlier span measure are discussed. Thirdly, the paper presents application areas where the proposed span measure can be utilized.


A better understanding of the factors that influence the integration of clinical informatics would promote the effective utilisation of its tools, particularly among medical doctors. The overall aim of this research was to use the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model to examine factors that influence medical doctors' behavioural intention to use clinical informatics. The study assessed the influence of UTAUT constructs on the acceptance and use of clinical informatics resources among medical doctors in selected teaching hospitals in Nigeria and South Africa. Quantitative research was employed through a survey. The target population consisted of medical doctors at the King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban, South Africa, and the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. The study established that all four of the UTAUT constructs (effort expectancy, performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, and social influence) influenced the use of clinical informatics among medical doctors in the selected teaching hospitals. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that an enabling environment be created that will promote the use of clinical informatics and adequate training, which is necessary for the effective use of the tools and which will bring about positive behavioural intentions in medical doctors to accept and use clinical informatics for effective healthcare delivery.


This study aimed to elucidate the endocrine outcome of craniopharyngioma surgery. In particular, endocrine results were analyzed in relation to the surgical approach. The study includes 161 patients who underwent pre- and postoperative endocrine assessment, 143 of whom had not previously undergone surgery. Diabetes insipidus was the most common postoperative deficiency in both the transcranial and transsphenoidal groups. In the case of primary surgery (surgery as initial therapy), the overall percentage of patients with diabetes insipidus increased from 16.1% preoperatively to 59.4% postoperatively. After transcranial surgery, the rate of anterior pituitary deficiency also increased. However, normal preoperative anterior pituitary function was maintained in more than 50% of patients for each endocrine axis. Similar results were attained in the group of patients undergoing complete tumor removal. The best result was achieved for gonadal function: the incidence of hypogonadism increased only slightly from 77.4 to 79.8%. During transsphenoidal surgery, anterior pituitary function was generally preserved. An additional deficient axis was encountered postoperatively in only four (11.4%) of 35 primary surgery cases. Endocrine results were not inferior in patients with a ventrally displaced pituitary. This variant required midline incision of the gland for exposure of the craniopharyngioma. Panhypopituitarism was encountered in only one of eight patients in whom the pituitary stalk was partially resected because of tumor infiltration. None of the 88 patients who remained recurrence-free demonstrated endocrine deterioration during follow-up review, compared with the early postoperative assessment 3 months postsurgery. On the other hand, complete recovery of one endocrine axis was observed in nine of these patients during later follow-up evaluations. In five of them, diabetes insipidus had regressed. The authors conclude that it is worth preserving the pituitary stalk and gland at surgery because anterior pituitary function is more often maintained than is generally believed. Postoperative diabetes insipidus must be accepted as a consequence of complete removal of the pituitary. However, pituitary function may recover and diabetes insipidus in particular may abate with time.


The purpose of this study was to measure the length and width proportions of the metapodial bones and phalanges of fallow deer (Dama dama L.) from the Brijuni Islands (Croatia) and correlate those osteometrical values with body mass. The osteometrical analysis included 28 metapodial bones and 168 phalanges of seven individual fallow deer of known age, sex and weight. The descriptive statistics for the obtained measurements show that the variability coeffi cient is less than 10% for the metapodial bone measurements and the phalanges length values, and greater than 10% for the width measurements. Comparison of osteometrical values for all the bones with body mass shows a negative correlation. After excluding the measurement values for the three juvenile individuals, the correlation becomes highly positive. Width measurements correlate better with body mass than the length measurements. Osteometrical studies are invaluable as only these data derived from recent populations can be compared with ancient animal populations in interdisciplinary archaeo-zoological investigations.


The work presented in this paper is part of the study which aims at determining the levels of elements in hair of children in Tanzania as a bioindicator of their nutrition and health. In this paper, the levels of trace elements in hair from children living in Dar es Salaam have been analysed. The analysis was carried out by long and short irradiation INAA at the reactor centre of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Rez Czech Republic. 22 samples were collected from children living at Kiwalani about 12 km from Dar es Salaam city and 16 samples from children living at Mlimani, the main campus of University of Dar es Salaam. A total of 34 elements were found in the hair of the children. There were no big differences between the concentration levels of the essential elements in hair samples collected from the children which might indicate the same food consumption habits.


The study examines the supply chain management, within the business unit of EraBeier(Pty) Ltd. This business is situated in Pinetown South Africa. The concept of supply chain management is examined in terms of quality of material supplied, supplier evaluation, logistics, inventory and purchasing. These facets identified by the concept of supply chain management are prerequisites to achieving continuous process flow, are deemed crucial for effectiveness.


Since the passing of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, anti-trafficking efforts have grown in funding, political strength, and popular-culture appeal in the United States and globally. Particularly influential in shaping anti-trafficking policy in the United States are anti-prostitution advocates who are primarily concerned with rehabilitating sex workers and eradicating sexual commerce. Simultaneous to the development of prohibitionist anti-trafficking and anti-prostitution efforts in the US, movements for sex worker rights have also grown in strength and visibility, influencing a variety of cultural, academic, and public health arenas. While sex worker activists have widened the dialogue around sex workers' rights, their


The human ear is very resistant against noise-induced damage in the low frequency range. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether or not the stapedium reflex is of any importance for this resistance. Subjects with peripheral facial palsy (Bell's palsy) including unilateral stapedius muscle paralysis were exposed to several different levels of narrow band noise centered at 0.5 and 2.0 kHz. Temporary threshold shift (TTS) at 0.75 kHz was significantly higher in the affected than in the nonaffected ear after 0.5 kHz noise at and above 110 dB SPL. After the exposure with 2.0 kHz narrow band noise there was no difference in TTS at 3.0 kHz between the affected and nonaffected ear. It is concluded that the attenuation provided by the stapedius reflex reduces TTS after low frequency noise exposure. An implication is that the stapedius reflex also may have the function of protecting the ear from hearing damage caused by low frequency noise exposure.


Crosstalk between growth factor receptors and integrins play a role in growth factor signaling. In current models of NRG/ErbB signaling, integrins and ErbB receptors transduce signals independently upon binding to their ligands (e.g., extracellular matrix and NRGs, respectively) and their signals are merged inside the cells. We discovered that the EGF-like domain of NRG1 binds directly to integrins αvβ3 and α6β4. Docking simulation predicted that three Lys residues at the amino terminus of NRG1 are involved in integrin binding. We mutated these residues to Glu (designated the 3KE mutant). Indeed the 3KE mutation markedly reduced the NRG1 binding to integrins, while the 3KE mutation did not affect the NRG1 binding to ErbB3. This is consistent with the prediction that the Lys residues critical for integrin binding are not involved in ErbB binding. We studied the effect of the 3KE mutation on NRG1/ErbB signaling in MCF-7 and T47D human breast cancer cells. The 3KE mutation markedly reduced the levels of ErbB3 phosphorylation, AKT and Erk1/2 activation, suggesting that direct integrin binding to NRG1 is critical for NRG1/ErbB signaling. Furthermore, stimulation of cells with WT NRG1 induced co-precipitation of ErbB3 with integrin α6β4. This suggests that WT NRG1 induces integrin-NRG1-ErbB3 ternary complex formation. WT NRG1 induced co-precipitation of ErbB3 with integrin αvβ3 to a less extent than with integrin α6β4. This probably reflects low levels of integrin αvβ3 expression compared to integrin α6β4 in these cells. In contrast, the 3KE mutation markedly reduced the levels of ternary complex formation, suggesting that this process depends on the ability of NRG1 to bind to integrins. Notably, the 3KE mutant acted as an antagonist to ErbB/NRG1 signaling in vitro and effectively suppressed proliferation of breast cancer cells in vivo. These results suggest that 1) NRG1-integrin interaction mediates crosstalk of integrins with ErbB receptors, 2) integrin α6β4 plays a major role in ErbB/NRG signaling in the cancer cells tested, and 3) the 3KE mutant has potential as a therapeutic in cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 272.


The technique of strain measurements by electrical strain gages is one of the most essential methods in experimental analysis of mechanical loads. The precise investigation of high elongation strain requests the consideration of nonlinear behaviour, which is not covered by standard equipment. Theory and experimental verifications of the nonlinear effects are presented.


Using the results of the phenomenological and microscopic description of magnetooptically active transitions presented in the beginning of the article, a review is made of the progress achieved in the understanding of the origin of the large bismuth induced magnetooptic effects in iron garnets. For applications involving the Faraday configuration, optical efficiencies are determined by the ratio of Faraday rotation (θ) to optical absorption (α). The dependence of θ/α on such variables as bismuth concentration, 4\piM_{s} and impurity ions is discussed with its spectral behavior. Finally, the behavior of bismuth substituted iron garnets in devices previously devised using unsubstituted iron garnets is discussed, in conjunction with devices which have only become feasible as a consequence of improvements in the optical properties of such iron garnets.


Peru is one of the first countries in the world to introduce a specific law for the promotion and regulation of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES). This 'Law on Compensation and Reward Mechanisms for Ecosystem Services' (MRSE-Law) mainly aims to protect and restore ecosystems that provide critical services to the Peruvian population, including hydrological services for year round water provisioning. Since many of the water-related services are produced and affected by poor communities in the uplands of critical watersheds, the PES-arrangements under the MRSE-Law are also held to contribute to reduce poverty and exclusion of and within these communities. Through a case-study of an innovative water management initiative in the village of Huamantanga, which could potentially benefit from the new mechanisms under the MRSE-Law, this paper adopts a pathways perspective to study the risks and opportunities of a water-related PES-arrangement in line with the MRSE-Law. It shows how such an arrangement is inevitably articulated with and embedded within the on-going power-laden institutional bricolage that generates the currently dominant 'alfalfa-cattle market pathway', which tends to undermine peasant community control and increases privatization and social differentiation. This raises concerns about the ultimate impact of the proposed MRSE-project, which might end up dispossessing poorer local farmers from their access to the mountain pastures without providing adequate alternatives. However, the participatory and peasant-community based features of the incubating process and the flexible MRSE-legal provisions provide some opportunities to counterbalance this emerging risk.


It has been shown recently that a number of multiphase machines can be controlled independently, with the supply coming from a single multiphase inverter, provided that the stator windings are connected in series in an appropriate manner. The concept has been developed under the assumption that the inverter currents are controlled in the stationary reference frame. This paper examines for the first time the possibility of using the current control in the rotating reference frame for decoupled vector control of a multiphase series-connected multimotor drive system. The considerations of the paper, although restricted to the series-connected two-motor five-phase drive system, can be extended to any other number of phases. It is shown that in contrast to the situation that arises when current control is performed in the stationary reference frame, current control in the rotating reference frame requires appropriate modifications of the vector control scheme. The need for these modifications is explained using physical reasoning and two methods of realising completely independent vector control of the two machines are proposed. Verification of the novel control schemes is provided by simulation.


Background Advanced assistive technologies (AAT) aim to exploit the vast potential of technological developments made in the past decades to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. Combining complex robotic technologies with the unique needs of people with disabilities requires a strong focus on user-centered design to ensure that the AAT appropriately addresses the daily life struggles of target users. The CYBATHLON aims to promote this mindset by empowering the AAT target users ("pilots") to compete on race tracks that represent approximations of daily life obstacles. The objective of this work was to investigate the AAT technology development, usability, and user involvement (i.e., application of user-centered design) in the context of the CYBATHLON. Methods With an online survey targeting the pilots and technical leads of teams preparing for the CYBATHLON 2020 Global Edition, we investigated to what extent the pilots were involved in device development and how this influences the perceived usability of the showcased AAT. Furthermore, the effects of user-centered design variables on the individual race performances were analyzed. Results A total of 81 responses from 35 pilots and 46 technical leads were collected in the two weeks prior to the event. Of all teams partaking in the included disciplines of the CYBATHLON 2020 Global Edition, 81.8% (36 of 44) were included in the study. User-centered design appeared to be a prevalent practice among the teams, as 85.7% of all pilots reported a certain level of involvement. However, only 25.5% of the pilots reported daily life usage, despite QUEST usability scores of both respondent groups showing moderate to high satisfaction with the respected AAT across all investigated disciplines. An explorative linear mixed model indicated that daily life usage (p < 0.05) and prolonged user involvement (e.g., more than 2 years, p < 0.001) have a significant positive effect on the race performance at the competition. Conclusions We conclude that the CYBATHLON positively fulfills its conceptual goals of promoting active participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in the design and evaluation of AAT, thereby stimulating the development of promising novel technological solutions. Also, our data could underline the value of the competition as a benchmark, highlighting remaining usability limitations or technology adoption hurdles.


The process of endocytosis is a complex series of events involving the coordinated activity of many proteins. In animal cells, clathrin plays a vital role in the invagination of the plasma membrane leading to formation of vesicles during endocytosis. The study of endocytosis in yeast cells has been hindered by a debate about the role of clathrin in early internalization steps. This review summarizes the evidence for and against clathrin's involvement in internalization from the yeast plasma membrane.


We demonstrate a new one-step solution approach to prepare perovskite CH3NH3 PbI 3films by adding polyvinylpyrrolidone( PVP) to the standard CH3NH3 PbI 3precursor solution. The film morphologies,crystallinities,and optical properties of CH3NH3 PbI 3perovskite layers are carefully studied by SEM,XRD,and UV-Vis. The results reveal that the perovskite film properties can be manipulated by incorporating a small amount of PVP. The absorbance of the film with PVP additive is significantly higher than the pristine film and the absorption peak is red shift by 20 nm,indicating the perovskite film with additive possessing better crystal structures. The use of PVP strongly affects the crystallization process of forming pure CH3NH3 PbI 3and helps the formation of smooth film,leading not only to enhanced crystallization of CH3NH3 PbI 3but also to significantly improved coverage of CH3NH3 PbI 3on a planar substrate. The optimized power conversion efficiency( PCE) of CH3NH3 PbI 3solar cells improved from 1. 30% to8. 38% for the planar cell structure after the addition of 1% mass fraction of PVP. These results suggest that this new one-step solution approach is promising for controlling CH3NH3 PbI 3growth to achieve high-performance perovskite solar cells.


The authors reviewed results of digital subtraction vena cavography with a gadolinium-based contrast agent in 14 patients with serum creatinine levels greater than or equal to 1.5 mg/dL (133 mumol/L). All cavograms were diagnostic. In 11 patients, there was no impairment of renal function. In three patients, a rise in serum creatinine level of greater than or equal to 0.5 mg/dL (44 mumol/L) was attributable to concurrent medical problems. Gadolinium-based contrast agents may be suitable for digital subtraction vena cavography in patients with renal insufficiency.


Bacterial contamination of milk fed to calves compromises calf health. Several bacterial pathogens that infect cows, including Mycoplasma bovis and Salmonella enterica ssp. enterica serovar Dublin, are shed in milk, providing a possible route of transmission to calves. Milk acidification lowers the milk pH so that it is unsuitable for bacterial growth and survival. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the growth of M. bovis and Salmonella Dublin in milk, and (2) evaluate the efficacy of milk acidification using a commercially available acidification agent (Salstop, Impextraco, Heist-op-den-Berg, Belgium) to control M. bovis and Salmonella Dublin survival in milk. For the first objective, 3 treatments and a positive control were prepared in 10 mL of milk and broth, respectively, and inoculated with M. bovis or Salmonella Dublin to an approximate concentration of 104 cfu/mL. Each treatment was retained at 5, 23, or 37°C with the positive control at 37°C. Aliquots were taken at 4, 8, 24, 28, 32, 48, 52, and 56 h after inoculation and transferred onto agar medium in triplicate following a 10-fold dilution series in sterile phosphate-buffered saline. All plates were incubated and colonies counted. For the second objective, 4 treatments and a positive control were prepared with 100 mL of milk and inoculated with M. bovis or Salmonella Dublin to an approximate concentration of 106 cfu/mL. With the use of Salstop, treatments were adjusted to an approximate pH of 6, 5, 4, or 3.5. The positive control was left untreated. At 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 24 h after treatment, triplicate aliquots were taken, the pH measured, and then the aliquots were transferred onto agar medium and into broth for enrichment. Following incubation, agar colonies were counted, while broths were plated and incubated prior to colonies being counted. All trials were repeated. Mycoplasma bovis did not grow in milk, but Salmonella Dublin proliferated. The pH of all acidification treatments remained stable for 24 h. No viable M. bovis organisms were detected at 1 h of exposure to pH 3.5 and 4 or at 8 h of exposure to pH 5. Following 24 h of exposure to pH 6 M. bovis remained viable. No viable Salmonella Dublin organisms were detected at 2 and 6 h of exposure to pH 3.5 and 4, respectively. Salmonella Dublin remained viable following 24 h of exposure to pH 5 and 6. These results demonstrate that milk acidification using Salstop is effective at eliminating viable M. bovis and Salmonella Dublin organisms in milk if the appropriate pH and exposure time are maintained.


The National Project in Toshka is a recognized agricultural one, as well as a comprehensive developmental project. The present study was carried out to investigate environmental factors and health problems among workers in this National Project. Environmental levels of vibration, noise, heat stress, total suspended particulates and respirable dust were measured in the different activities of the project during May 2000. The health records of Behera Company Incorporation, the project main implementing contractor, in the period 1997-1999 were analyzed. Workers were classified according to the nature of occupational exposure into three groups namely; earth workers, concrete workers, and services and administration workers. Records of occupational accidents of the same group of workers and in the same period were analyzed as well. Results showed that all the measured environmental factors were within the permissible levels of exposure in the different project activities. Workers showed a significant lower rate of total health problems in the last studied year (1999) as compared to the previous two years (1997-1998) (p=0.001). Prevalence rates of musculoskeletal disorders, urinary tract troubles, ear-nose-throat (ENT) problems and chest problems were significantly higher in earth and concrete workers than in services and administration workers (p=0.001, 0.011, 0.036 and 0.044, respectively). Both occupational accident frequency and severity rates were very low in comparison to other major construction projects such as the High Dam. These rates showed decreasing trends throughout the studied years; however, relatively higher rates were observed among earth workers than the other groups. Miscellaneous wounds were the commonest presentation of occupational injuries among the three occupational groups. In conclusion, the current use of modern technology accounted for the low levels of enviro mental exposure factors, as well as the high safety standards. Workers showed a significant degree of acclimatization to work in this region; therefore, inhabitants and workers should be encouraged to engage this new community. The low rates of health problems among workers observed in this study reflected a satisfactory level of medical services. Preplacement and periodic medical examinations of construction workers aught to consider musculoskeletal, urinary tract, ENT and chest conditions among them.


Helminth infection caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, Trihuris trichiura and hookworm, are included in Soil Transmitted helminth is a major health problem at the tropic and subtropic area. This disease can infect all ages but a higher prevalence in children under ten years without sexual differences. A patient is rarely can be a died as a consequence of helminth infection, but the effect is a correlation with nutrition and intellectual in children. The infection effect is more than danger in children than adults. The aims from this research are to compare two examination faeces method to diagnose if any infection by STH to humans, especially in children. The expectation in this research can be used in screening activity who are useful to early diagnose in STH infection so can decrease negative effect in children. The research is observational research with a cross-sectional study. A sample is children in Yaa Bunayya Play Group and kindergarten as many 24 sample. The faeces will be conducted twice an examination and then compare with the standard gold test. Two methods will be compared to the floating method and formol-ether sedimentation. Meanwhile, a gold standard is the Kato Katz method. A collecting sample for two months. The result can show no one children in 24 sample infected by STH. Specificity for two method is the same (100%), sensitivity and statistical analyze can't be count, but in descriptive no difference between this method.


Abstract. The time series of vertical profiles of hydrophysical parameters and dissolved oxygen are critical for identifying trends in water column stratification, mixing, and ventilation in the Black Sea. Due to global warming, warm winters have recently become common over the Black Sea, and the temperature in the cold intermediate layer (CIL) is increasing. Regular measurements that are as frequent as every 2 h were performed using a moored profiler near the shelf break at a depth of 220 m in the northeastern Black Sea from January to early March 2016 to assess the temporal dynamics of the oxygen inventory over the upper part of the continental slope on timescales from hours to months. The moored profiler was equipped with a sensor suite that included the CTD 52-MP CTD with the fast oxygen sensor SBE43F and the acoustic Doppler current meter Nortek Aquadopp 2 MHz, which allowed for direct observations of the CIL temperature, the pycnocline structure, the current velocity and the oxygen stratification, in particular, the depths of the hypoxia onset. The average oxygen inventory below a depth of 30 m was 24.9 mol m−2. Relatively high/low oxygen inventory cases were related to the thin/thick main pycnocline that was associated with the inshore/offshore location of the Black Sea Rim Current. The pycnocline hindered the vertical transport of oxygenated water to the CIL. The new CIL emerged by horizontal advection above the pycnocline only at the end of the observational survey. The vertical displacements of the hypoxia onset depth ranged from 97–170 m, while the shelf edge depth in this region usually ranges from 90–100 m. Intermittently, the hypoxia boundary depth fluctuated on two-time scales: ~ 17 h due to the inertial oscillations and approximately 5 days due to the current meanders and eddies. Further efforts are urgently needed for monitoring the rise of hypoxia onset depth above the shelf break in the Black Sea.


The precise knowledge of the proton-proton cross section is extremely important to model the development, in the atmosphere, of the showers induced by the interaction of ultra high energy cosmic rays. The TOTEM (TOTal cross section, Elastic scattering and diffraction dissociation Measurement at the LHC) experiment at LHC, has been designed to measure the total proton-proton cross-section with a luminosity independent method, based on the optical theorem, and study the elastic and diffractive scattering at the LHC energy. This method relies on the capability of the simultaneous measurements of inelastic and elastic rates; in the TOTEM experiment this is possible thanks to two forward inelastic telescopes, covering the pseudorapitidy range 3.1 < ‖η‖< 6.5, and Roman Pot detectors, that can be inserted down to few hundred microns to the beam centre. Thanks to dedicated runs, taken between 2011 and 2012, with special beam optics, TOTEM experiment was able to measure the elastic, inelastic and total cross-section at √ s = 7 TeV and 8 TeV , using the luminosity independent method. In this contribution the TOTEM experiment will be described along with its performance and the latest protonproton cross-section results.


Now-a-days, technology is changing with innovation and development to meet human needs and wants. It assists in communication and shares information with different categories of people and users. It has seen the usage of laptops is increasing these days. Moreover, caused by the quickly storing, shifting, and retrieving the information, consumers can use it to have pertinent information anytime, anywhere. The objective of this study is an impact of product design on purchase decision and to recognize the association between the gender and choice of product design with reference to laptop. The study has been adopted descriptive and causal research design. Primary data are main sources for the survey. The questionnaire survey was applied for collecting primary data. This study targeted the college level students as a sample unit. Two hundred respondents were selected from Kathmandu valley using a convenience sample. Mainly, independent t-test and regression have been adopted to analyze the data. It investigated that purchase decision was positively impacted by product design but gender has no impact on product design for choice of laptop.


This paper explores an apparent tension between two widely held views about logic: that logic is normative and that there are multiple equally legitimate logics. The tension is this. If logic is normative, it tells us something about how we ought to reason. If, as the pluralist would have it, there are several correct logics, those logics make incompatible recommendations as to how we ought to reason. But then which of these logics should we look to for normative guidance? I argue that inasmuch as pluralism draws its motivation from its ability to defuse logical disputes—that is, disputes between advocates of rival logics—it is unable to provide an answer: pluralism collapses into monism with respect to either the strongest or the weakest admissible logic.


Background and Objective: Gentamicin can cause cell destruction by generating active oxygen species leading to hepatotoxicity. This study was done to determine the effect of Dianthus carryophyllu extract on the Gentamicin induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 49 mature wistar rats, were randomly allocated into 7 groups including, control; Sham (saline interaperitonely); experimental group 1 was treated with 100 mg/kg/bw clove essence; experimental group 2 were received 100 mg/kg/bw of Gentamicin; and experimental groups 3, 4 and 5 were received 100 mg/kg/bw of Gentamicin along with 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg/bw of hydro alcoholic extract of Dianthus carryophyllu (clove), respectively for 28 days. Blood samples were taken and serum activities of Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and serum concentration of total protein and albumin were measured. Results: The serum level of aspartate transaminase and Alanine transaminase significantly increased in experimental group 2 in compared to the sham and control groups (P<0.05). Alkaline Phosphatase concentration significantly reduced in experimental groups 2 and 3 in comparision with sham and control groups (P<0.05). Albumin and total protein concentration significantly reduced in experimental groups 2 and 3 in compare to the sham and control groups (P<0.05). In histological examination, cell necrosis, fat accumdation and mononocular cell accumulation reduced in experimental groups 5 in compare to Gentamicin treated group. Conclusion: Dianthus carryophyllu hydro alcoholic extract is able to protect against enzyme alterations and hepatotoxicity induced by Gentamicin.


Abstract Studies have reported that flavonoids inhibit xanthine oxidase (XO) activity; however, poor solubility and stability in lipophilic media limit their bioavailability and applications. This study evaluated the kinetic parameters of XO inhibition and partition coefficients of flavonoid esters biosynthesised from hesperidin, naringin, and rutin via enzymatic acylation with hexanoic, octanoic, decanoic, lauric, and oleic acids catalysed by Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB). Quantitative determination by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS) showed higher conversion yields (%) for naringin and rutin esters using acyl donors with 8C and 10C. Rutin decanoate had higher partition coefficients (0.95), and naringin octanoate and naringin decanoate showed greater inhibitory effects on XO (IC50 of 110.35 and 117.51 μM, respectively). Kinetic analysis showed significant differences (p < .05) between the flavonoids before and after acylation regarding Km values, whereas the values for Vmax were the same, implying the competitive nature of XO inhibition.


Low energy buildings have well insulated building enclosures and efficient ventilation heat recovery systems which lead to small transmission and ventilation heat losses. During a large part of the year internal heat gains from people, household electricity and solar heat gains balance the heat losses with zero heating need as a result. All energy uses in a building are part of the buildings energy balance and for example the heat gains from a higher use of household electricity should result in a lower use of heating given that the heating control systems work as intended. Different user characteristics will result in different heating demand in the same building, and in low energy buildings different user characteristics will have a relatively higher impact compared to a less energy efficient buildings. Household electricity and domestic hot water was measured during one year in 520 one bedroom apartments and 462 two bedroom apartments in Sweden. The average annual use of household electricity was 27.7 kWh/m² in one bedroom apartments and 29.1 kWh/m² in two bedroom apartments. The use varied between almost zero and 90 kWh/m2 in the different apartments. Average annual domestic hot water heating was 20.1 kWh/m² in one bedroom apartments and 22.8 kWh/m² in two bedroom apartments. The use varied between zero and 140 kWh/m². The correlation between household electricity and domestic hot water was studied and different user scenarios were defined. The user scenarios were used as input data for simulations of heating demand in order to study different users' impact on the heating demand in buildings with different characteristics. The result shows that the users can have a strong impact on a buildings heating demand and in order to determine the impact that different users will have, it must be analyzed based on the actual building since it is determined not only by the user related energies but also by the building's characteristics. (Less)


The paper aims at analysis of the terms denoting "ice" in New Western Iranian dialects. Most of the attested forms reflect NPers. yax. However, an attempt is made to identify several genuine designations of "ice", which do not fit the common pattern, particularly based on the data obtained from toponymy of the region. In addition, some conjectures regarding the origin of yax are proposed.


The transformation behavior and microstructural evolution during continuous cooling within the heat affected zone between the weld beads of a 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V all-weld metal and the corresponding 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V base metal were investigated by means of dilatometer measurements, optical and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, macro-hardness measurements were conducted and the ferrite phase fraction was analyzed from optical microscopic images using an imaging processing program. Thereupon a continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagram for the 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V base metal and three welding CCT diagrams with different peak temperatures were constructed to realistically simulate the temperature profile of the different regions within the heat affected zones between the weld beads of the multi-layer weld metal. The microstructural constituents which were observed depending on the peak temperature and cooling parameters are low quantities of martensite, high quantities of bainite and in particular lower bainite, coalesced bainite and upper bainite as well as ferrite for the welding CCT diagrams. Regarding the base metal CCT diagram, all dilatometer specimens exhibited a fully bainitic microstructure consisting of lower bainite, coalesced bainite and upper bainite. Only the slowest cooling rate with a cooling parameter of 50 s caused a ferritic transformation. Nevertheless, it has to be emphasized that the distinction between martensite and bainite and the various kinds of bainite was only possible at higher magnification using scanning electron microscopy.


Summary Objectives: To survey the current management of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in small dogs (<15 kg) by veterinarians. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to veterinarians attending the British Veterinary Orthopaedic Association Spring meeting and British Small Animal Veterinary Association Annual Congress which took place in April 2010. Respondents were surveyed on their management of small dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture Results: Immediate surgical management was chosen by 15.5% of the respondents. Following that, 77.6% of respondents suggested that case management would depend on severity of lameness (81%), age (72.6%), bodyweight (70.4%), degree of instability (64.8%), and duration of lameness (64.0%). Conservative management included non- steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (91.1%), short leash walks (91.1%), weight loss (89.0%), hydrotherapy (53.6%), physiotherapy (41.9%), and cage rest (24.2%). Where surgical management was chosen, 71.4% would perform the procedure rather than refer it to another practice. Surgical techniques included extra-capsular stabilisation (63.4%), corrective osteotomies (32.9%), and intra-articular stabilisation (6.8%). The demographic characteristics of the responding veterinarians had no effect on their initial management of the case. General practice veterinarians were less likely to perform a corrective osteotomy than to refer the case, but were no less likely to perform an extracapsular technique. Clinical significance: Conservative management is still widely used for treatment of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in dogs weighing less than 15 kg; this is in agreement with previous publications on the management of this condition in small dogs.


Abstract: Wavelet transform demonstrates that abiotic factors' impact change with spatial scale, confirming a scale-dependent relationship between NDVI and factors that influence it. To elaborate these scale effects, NDVI transect data and abiotic variables—climatic and topographic—at the 32.5 degree north latitude on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, were analyzed at different spatial scales by using wavelet transform. The results show that climatic variables such as precipitation and temperature are not dominant factors of NDVI patterns at the less than 80 km scale, while significant wavelet coherency is observed at the more than 80 km scale in some ecoregions. As a differentiating factor, elevation affects NDVI patterns only at the local level in longitudinal range-gorge region at certain specific scales. Wavelet transform is an alternative approach to examining multiscale relationships between NDVI and abiotic factors.


436 Background: Women and individuals from low- and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) are under-represented in urology literature, particularly in high-impact publications. Cochrane, a non-profit collaboration, publishes high‐quality systematic reviews that frequently impact policy and clinical practice worldwide. However, the state of the country and gender diversity amongst authors of urology-related Cochrane Reviews is unknown, which this work sought to determine. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Database, under the filter "Topic: Urology", for all reviews related to genitourinary cancers, published until 25 July 2022, including both active reviews and those withdrawn for updation. We extracted authorship data and classified the national affiliation of authors into either high- and upper-middle-income countries (HICs) or LMICs based on the World Bank income classification. We treated a collaborative author group belonging to one country as a single-country affiliation. Given the higher accuracy of manual web searches for ascertaining gender over algorithmic estimation, we utilized the former to achieve ≥90% ascertainment. We endeavored to capture at least one webpage that demonstrated their gender, e.g. institutional profile, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, etc. Results: A total of 54 urology-related reviews, co-authored by a total of 324 authors, were included. 53 reviews were published by the Cochrane Urology Group, while one review was by the Incontinence Group. Zero authors were from LMICs. Countries with the highest representation of co-authors were the US (24.1%), UK (25.3%), Germany (23.5%), South Korea (6.8%), Australia (6.2%), Netherlands (3.7%), China (2.8%), Canada (2.5%), Brazil (1.5%). Gender could be ascertained for 94.14% (N=305/324) of co-authors. Women made up 27.5% (N=84/305) of co-authors, 16.0% (N=8/50) of first authors, and 16.89% (N=9/53) of corresponding authors. Conclusions: Women are well-represented in Cochrane Reviews related to genitourinary cancers compared to urology-specific journals and their representation in urology. However, LMICs contributed zero authors, while those from the US, UK, and Germany constitute >70% of authors for one of the highest-quality evidence sources in urology. Equitable authorship representation may help expand both the utilization and the global relevance of recommendations of such high-impact urology literature. Global capacity-building efforts are warranted, particularly in Africa, for enhancing the involvement of LMIC urologists with evidence synthesis.


This paper describes the basic structure, underlying philosophy, and key behavioral properties of MULTIMOD. It also focuses on several recent applications of macromodels in the IMF's policy analysis, emphasizing that most questions put forward for analysis with models like MULTIMOD are initially posed in ways that cannot be addressed by simply pushing a computer key. Meaningful macromodel-based policy analysis requires a sensibly structured and parameterized macromodel, but it also generally requires considerable probing of the nature of the policy issues in order to reformulate policy questions in terms of well-defined exogenous shocks.


Objective. Despite the rich discussions about the role of information disclosure programs in environmental policy, our theoretical understanding of how and why information disclosure programs work lacks a clear framework. This article begins to fill that void by laying out some fundamental theories and concepts that underlie the empirical work on the subject. Methods. Basic theories arising from our knowledge of economics, psychology, and politics are compared. Previous research is analyzed with these theories in mind. Results. Research results confirm the plausibility of each of these theories, though the most compelling evidence so far suggests that shock and shame are key motivating factors for improved environmental performance by industry. Conclusions. The argument is made that our theoretical foundations must be understood better if we are to make sense of the empirical work on the subject. Policy implications are addressed.


Postoperative pain is an important issue after major urological surgery. Efficient analgesia is mandatory. The administration of i.m. narcotics is considered routine. This technique, however, has some disadvantages due to the pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of the drugs used. In our institution, we recently introduced a new technique: the patient controlled epidural analgesia. A computerized pump administers a continuous infusion of a mixture local anaesthetic/narcotic through a peroperatively placed epidural catheter. This pump also allows patients to administer themselves additional boluses according to their needs. Sixty-two urological patients used this system to their own satisfaction and the satisfaction of the nursing and medical staff. This new approach of postoperative pain relief is discussed.


Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is an important forage resource for beef (Bos taurus L.) production in the North-South transition zone. Recently, the cultivar 'Jesup' was released to provide improved stand survival when infected with a novel (nontoxic) endophyte marketed as MaxQ (Pennington Seed, Madison, GA), and warrants evaluation as a source of winter hay for beef cattle. Intake and digestion experiments were conducted to evaluate Jesup tall fescue containing the MaxQ endophyte (presumably without ergot alkaloids), Jesup with no endophyte, and Jesup with a wild-type endophyte capable of producing ergot alkaloids. Initial growth of the three endophyte treatments was harvested in April and a regrowth harvested in June. These six hays were fed to goats (Capra hircus L.) and sheep (Ovis aries L.). The hays harvested in June were also fed to cattle. The digestibility of the endophyte treatments was similar but goats had greater daily dry matter intake when fed MaxQ compared with wild-type hay (2.63 vs. 2.43 kg 100 -1 kg body weight; P = 0.07) while intake was similar to the endophyte-free hay. Sheep consumed hays similarly, regardless of harvest date, as did steers fed the June harvest. Daily intake of hays harvested in April and June were similar for goats, whereas sheep consumed more of the April hays (2.89 vs. 2.57 kg 100 -1 kg body weight; P < 0.01) and both digested the April hays to a greater extent. Endophyte status of the hays had little influence on their quality.


Poor productivity of construction workers is one of the causes of cost and time overruns in construction projects. The productivity of labour is particularly important especially in developing countries, where most of the building construction work is still on manual basis .Recourse inputs at the project site include men, material, machinery and money. These inputs produce outputs in the form of work. The success of any project depends upon the performance availability of these resources. This paper elaborates the methodology used for controlling labour productivity which can be improved by cutting down un productivity time of the labour. The control process involves accounting of actual productivity of labors, comparing and analyzing the causes for finding the remedial measures to improve productivity. A case study approach is used to compare the brick masonry, plastering work, constructed at two similar, medium sized commercial construction projects located in at Walwadi area of Dhule city. The objectives of this case study are to qualify the potential benefits. For a concern site, Material related problems are identified and linked to the material management practices. A Study for brick masonry, plastering is taken. The numbers of work - hours lost, time loss and work- Hour overturn as well percentages of ineffective days were calculated. This study provides guidelines for necessary steps required to improve construction labour productivity. The most significant factors affecting labour productivity for small, medium and large companies are identified.


Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is the most common cause of coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) in children. This study aimed to determine the clinical characteristics, demographic features, frequency of coronary involvement, and resistance to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment in Turkey based on our data.Methods: Patients with KD were evaluated with demographic data, clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic findings. Results: Between 2010–2019, a total of 259 patients (male/female: 1.67) were treated in our hospital, with 48 (%19) cases < 1 year of age. According to diagnostic criteria, 31% were diagnosed with typical KD and 69% with atypical (incomplete) KD. The frequency of clinical findings were as follows: changes in the lips and oral mucosa (79%); polymorphic rash (69%); conjunctivitis (65%); changes in the extremities (54%); and cervical lymphadenopathy (48%). There was no significant difference between typical and atypical KD in the frequency order. CAA development and IVIG resistance occurred in 11.6% and 12.3% of cases, respectively. IVIG resistance was more common in infants and hospitalization times were longer in this group. Coronary artery lesions existed in 45 patients; right coronary artery (RCA) alone (20%), left coronary artery (LCA) alone (44.5%), and RCA and LCA together were involved (35.5%). The left main coronary artery affected 20 patients, the left anterior descending artery (LAD) affected nine patients (45%), the left circumflex artery (LCx) affected two patients (10%), and the LAD and LCx together affected two patients (10%). None of the patients had myocardial infarctions or died during follow-up. Conclusion: KD is a systemic vasculitis common in pediatric infants in which coronary artery involvement affects prognosis. Due to IVIG resistance and increased coronary involvement accompanying this vasculitis, it is an important problem in countries where the disease is common. It is important to know the factors that increase the risk of coronary involvement and IVIG resistance development.


This paper presents a real-time demand response (DR) strategy for optimal scheduling of home appliances. The uncertainty of the resident's behavior, real-time electricity price, and outdoor temperature is considered. An efficient DR scheduling algorithm based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) is proposed. Unlike traditional model-based approaches, the proposed approach is model-free and does not need to know the distribution of the uncertainty. Besides, unlike conventional RL-based methods, the proposed approach can handle both discrete and continuous actions to jointly optimize the schedules of different types of appliances. In the proposed approach, an approximate optimal policy based on neural network is designed to learn the optimal DR scheduling strategy. The neural network based policy can directly learn from high-dimensional sensory data of the appliance states, real-time electricity price, and outdoor temperature. A policy search algorithm based upon trust region policy optimization (TRPO) is used to train the neural network. The effectiveness of our proposed approach is validated by simulation studies where the real-world electricity price and outdoor temperature are used.


The influence of feeding ovalbumin (OA) on the development of IgE/IgG antibodies and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) against OA was studied in rats colonized from birth with an Escherichia coli genetically manipulated to produce OA. At 21 days of age, colonized pups and pups with a normal intestinal flora were weaned onto either an OA-containing or a conventional diet without OA. At 2 months of age the colonized rats showed an increased DTH reaction to OA, but they did not have any anti-OA antibodies in serum. The rats were then immunized intracutaneously with OA in Freund's complete adjuvant. After immunization the colonized rats fed the conventional diet had a significantly higher DTH reaction to OA and significantly higher serum levels of IgE anti-OA antibodies than the uncolonized rats on the same diet. The colonized rats eating the OA-containing diet showed a 73% decrease in the DTH reaction to OA and also significantly lower levels of IgE and IgG antibodies against OA compared with the colonized rats fed conventional diet. The dams colonized as adults by the OA-producing E. coli developed IgE anti-lipopolysaccharide antibodies in serum while the pups colonized via the dams at birth did not. Neonatal colonization with an E. coli strain producing OA resulted in increased DTH reactivity against OA and priming for secondary IgE anti-OA response. Feeding the animals an OA-containing diet from weaning abrogated this intestinally induced hypersensitivity and rendered the animals orally tolerant to OA.


The report is the environmental assessment for the Rajasthan State Power Sector Restructuring Project, and addresses potential adverse effects on the environment as a result of the project. Adverse environmental impacts, and mitigating measures follow. Transmission lines, and substations will not disturb natural habitats, for those will be installed within 100 km of any wild life protection area, and, though lines pass through agricultural land, cultivation is permitted under the towers, and conductors, posing no threat to the surroundings. Soil erosion during construction will be controlled through the installation of retaining walls, and stone pitching, and, vegetation propagation will be ensured as needed. However, there is the potential for electromagnetic frequency (EMF) radiation, noise disturbances, and electric interference along transmission lines, therefore minimum transmission line clearance distances will address EMF effects, in accordance with the Electricity Act. Furthermore, the potential of electrocution hazard exist, thus the Rajasthan State Electricity Board will restrict public access, by fencing substations in accordance with the Electricity Act. The second volume, Social Policy and Procedures, address displaced populations losing land, who will be compensated as per the Land Acquisition Act, through rehabilitation grants to ensure replacement values.


In this work, a user-friendly chitin-based adsorbent (CT-PmPD) was synthesized by in-situ polymerization of m-phenylenediamine on chitin bead, which could effectively remove Cr(VI) from water. The structure and morphology of the CT-PmPD were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, zeta potential and XPS. Specifically, the effect of adsorbed dosage, pH, contact time, adsorption temperature and coexisting salt on the adsorption of Cr(VI) were studied. Besides, the adsorption mechanism of CT-PmPD toward Cr(VI) were also analyzed. Consequently, CT-PmPD exhibited a monolayer adsorption and the Langmuir model fitted a Cr(VI) adsorption capacity reaching 185.4 mg/g at 298 K. The high adsorption capacity was attributed to the abundant amino groups of CT-PmPD, which could be protonated to boost the electrostatic attraction of Cr(VI) oxyanions, thus providing electron to reduce Cr(VI). Additionally, the CT-PmPD revealed a good regeneration and reusability capacity, maintaining most of its adsorption capacity even after five cycles of adsorption-desorption. This high adsorption capacity and excellent regeneration performance highlighted the great potential of CT-PmPD for the removal of Cr(VI).


With of mathematical modeling define admissible conditions sweating plane Tu-154M at landing in high mountain and high temperature surrounding air.


Migraine is a neurological syndrome which causes moderate to severe head ache. The migraine headache is associated with nausea, vomiting, photophobia, pulsating sensationmostly at one side of the head and visual disturbances. Most of the migraines are treated and taken care only at the postdromal stage. Acute migraines are treated with the drugs which causes some gastro intestinal problems, chest pain, reduce in the blood pressure, dizziness. The other method for migraine treatment includes neurostimulation and nerve decompression.This project embraces the use of non-invasive method using a vibration where it is placed at the acupressure points. These points when used in a right manner can relieve Headaches and migraine. The vibration is created by a set of electronic components and arduino where the vibration frequency can be changed manually as per the wish of the patient's comfort. These readings of frequencies used with respect to the digital samples can be monitored by the external SD card where it can be further verified by the doctor on special cases.


By use of H-reflex technique reflex flexor muscles motoneurons recurrent inhibition was studied for man forearm muscle. It was observed the reduce of this inhibition with the muscles strain. The vibration, acting to the strained muscle, showed a disappearance of inhibition. It was marked that these features can be connected to both segmental or supraspinal action to motoneurons or Renshaw cells. The recurrent inhibition is reduced more effectively under complex vibration and muscle strain influence than under only strain factor, and it is connected to the vibration. It seems to be connected to the more activated receptors number. It is suggested that supraspinal inhibiting action on Renshaw cells is preferred in this mechanism. Possible role of the presynaptic inhibition is discussed that can be effective through skin or joint afferents of flexor reflex.


We present results about a laser-based method for the metallization of silicon heterojunction solar cells by Cu-plating. The method consists of first depositing a dielectric layer as plating mask onto the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) and then depositing a NiV seed layer onto the plating mask by laser induced forward transfer (LIFT). Afterwards, the seed layer is fired through the plating mask in a second laser step in order to form a contact to the TCO. By dividing the process into laser transfer and firing (LTF) each step can be optimized separately. The final metallization is produced by Cu-plating. A pulse plating process is applied to further reduce parasitic plating. Different dielectric layers are tested as plating masks for their resistance against parasitic plating. The combination of a 15 nm thick Al2O3 layer as plating mask in conjunction with pulse plating is completely free of parasitic plating. Finally an efficiency of 22.2% is reached outperforming the screen printed reference cells by 0.5%abs.


Abstract:Based on research in the Jacques Derrida collection acquired by Princeton University in 2015, this article takes an expansive view of what is considered to be a manuscript through close readings of the material makeup of literary artifacts. In particular, Derrida's copy of Hélène Cixous's first book, interleaved with surprising documents, and a handful of small notes Cixous gave to Derrida, suggest that the two writers' overlapping collections extend the scope of their friendship posthumously. These overlaps allow for the reader in the archive to contribute to the afterlives of these artifacts. The article invokes the ontological fluidity posited by new materialisms and new philologies to show how the holistic consideration of a literary artifact offers inroads into the divide between life and matter.