Using a large administrative data set, this paper studies the evolution of the East German wage structure throughout the transition period 1992-2001. Wage dispersion has generally been rising. The increase occurred predominantly in the lower part of the wage distribution for women and in the upper part for men. Sectoral transition affected women to a much larger extent than men. A sequential decomposition analysis using quantile regressions reveals that changes in industry-specific remuneration schemes contributed strongly to the rise in wage inequality in the lower part of the distribution for female workers. On the other hand, inter-industry trends away from the manufacturing sector towards service sectors contribute to the smaller increase of inequality in the upper part of the distribution, while causing wage dispersion in the lower part of the distribution to decline. Changes in the industry composition alone would have led to a polarization of wages for female workers. For men, changes in individual characteristics and a general time trend contribute the largest part to the increasing wage dispersion. These gender differences result from employment segregation across industries right after German reunification, and a particularly strong concentration of females in the public sector.


Deep learning (DL) has become a key tool for solving complex scientific problems. However, managing the multi-dimensional large-scale data associated with DL, especially atop extant multiple graphics processing units (GPUs) in modern supercomputers poses significant challenges. Moreover, the latest high-performance computing (HPC) architectures bring different performance trends in training throughput compared to the existing studies. Existing DL optimizations such as larger batch size and GPU locality-aware scheduling have little effect on improving DL training throughput performance due to fast CPU-to-GPU connections. Additionally, DL training on multiple GPUs scales sublinearly. Thus, simply adding more GPUs to a system is ineffective. To this end, we design MARBLE, a first-of-its-kind job scheduler, which considers the non-linear scalability of GPUs at the intra-node level to schedule an appropriate number of GPUs per node for a job. By sharing the GPU resources on a node with multiple DL jobs, MARBLE avoids low GPU utilization in current multi-GPU DL training on HPC systems. Our comprehensive evaluation in the Summit supercomputer shows that MARBLE is able to improve DL training performance by up to 48.3% compared to the popular Platform Load Sharing Facility (LSF) scheduler. Compared to the state-of-the-art of DL scheduler, Optimus, MARBLE reduces the job completion time by up to 47%.


Similarity-based search has been a key factor for many applications such as multimedia retrieval, data mining, Web search and retrieval, and so on. There are two important issues related to the similarity search, namely, the design of a distance function to measure the similarity and improving the search efficiency. Many distance functions have been proposed, which attempt to closely mimic human recognition. Unfortunately, some of these well-designed distance functions do not follow the triangle inequality and are therefore nonmetric. As a consequence, efficient retrieval by using these nonmetric distance functions becomes more challenging, since most existing index structures assume that the indexed distance functions are metric. In this paper, we address this challenging problem by proposing an efficient method, that is, local constant embedding (LCE), which divides the data set into disjoint groups so that the triangle inequality holds within each group by constant shifting. Furthermore, we design a pivot selection approach for the converted metric distance and create an index structure to speed up the retrieval efficiency. Moreover, we also propose a novel method to answer approximate similarity search in the nonmetric space with a guaranteed query accuracy. Extensive experiments show that our method works well on various nonmetric distance functions and improves the retrieval efficiency by an order of magnitude compared to the linear scan and existing retrieval approaches with no false dismissals.


Aluminum-Lithium alloys are attractive choices for weight saving of aerospace structures. By addition of Lithium to Aluminum alloys, the mechanical and physical properties are improved, density decreases up to 10% and module of elasticity increases up to 15%. As-cast Al-Li ingots include some continues brittle phases in grain boundaries that decrease formability by crack initiation during hot rolling. In the present work, influence of homogenization on hot rolling of Al- Li alloys was studied. Homogenization temperature determined based on DTA test and homogeneity properties were characterized by microstructures observation. One specimen was cast in conventional method and the other was cast by direct casting (DC) method. Homogenization was performed at four different times: 10, 24, 50 and 100 hours at 500°C also no cracking has been observed in both ingots in 100 hr and 24 hr at 500°C respectively due to eliminate the brittle phases.


Complete remissions of early stage human lung and bladder cancers have been obtained with an experimental form of therapy called photoradiation therapy (PRT). Researchers presenting the studies at the XIII International Cancer Conference in Seattle were enthusiastic about the treatment, entailing use of a photosensitizing agent activated by exposure to visible light. A dozen hospitals in the United States are already using this technique, and as many more are gearing up to do so. But some investigators caution that results are still preliminary and that the treatment seems applicable only to a limited number of patients. The key to the therapy is hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD), which "seems to have most of the qualities we want in a photosensitizing agent to treat cancer," according to Thomas J. Dougherty, PhD, of Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo, who has pioneered the development of the HpD system ( JAMA [MEDICAL NEWS] 1979;242:403). Three days


Online mental health interventions are increasingly important in providing access to, and supporting the effectiveness of, mental health treatment. While these technologies are effective, user attrition and early disengagement are key challenges. Evidence suggests that integrating a human supporter into such services mitigates these challenges, however, it remains under-studied how supporter involvement benefits client outcomes, and how to maximize such effects. We present our analysis of 234,735 supporter messages to discover how different support strategies correlate with clinical outcomes. We describe our machine learning methods for: (i) clustering supporters based on client outcomes; (ii) extracting and analyzing linguistic features from supporter messages; and (iii) identifying context-specific patterns of support. Our findings indicate that concrete, positive and supportive feedback from supporters that reference social behaviors are strongly associated with better outcomes; and show how their importance varies dependent on different client situations. We discuss design implications for personalized support and supporter interfaces.


Parent ratings of their children's behavioral and emotional difficulties are commonly collected via the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). For the first time, this study addressed the issue of interparent agreement using a measurement invariance approach. Data from 695 English couples (mothers and fathers) who had rated the behavior of their 4.25-year-old child were used. Given the inconsistency of previous results about the SDQ factor structure, alternative measurement models were tested. A five-factor Exploratory Structural Equation Model allowing for nonzero cross-loadings fitted data best. Subsequent invariance analyses revealed that the SDQ factor structure is adequately invariant across parents, with interrater correlations ranging from .67 to .78. Fathers reported significantly higher levels of child conduct problems, hyperactivity, and emotional symptoms, and lower levels of prosocial behavior. This suggests that mothers and fathers each provide unique information across a range of their child's behavioral and emotional problems.


The development process for a Functional Product (FP) is complex and there is a need to share information as well as to communicate it among the parties involved in the process. The paper concerns shared information that is of specific interest when developing FPs, in contrast to information that must be shared during a general product or service development process. The findings are compiled in a conceptual table comprising such specific information items pertaining to both the initial development as well as post development parts of an FP's lifecycle. This table can be used as an aid to any development process or method, as it points out information items that must necessarily be shared, but not how they to be shared.


BACKGROUND: In comparison with other study designs, randomised trials are regarded as particularly likely to benefit from patient and public involvement (PPI). Using mixed-methods research we investigated PPI from the perspectives of researchers and PPI contributors. METHODS: Randomised trials in receipt of funding from the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme between 2006 and 2010 were identified. Funding applications and board and referee comments were obtained and data relevant to PPI extracted. Chief investigators (CIs), PPI contributors and UK Clinical Research Collaboration Registered Clinical Trials Units (RCTUs) were surveyed. Interviews were conducted with researchers and PPI contributors. RESULTS: A total of 111 trials were included. Text relevant to PPI was identified in half of the trials for which the first-stage applications were available, but only one-quarter described PPI within their development. In the second stage of the application, the majority provided some text relevant to PPI, with over half having PPI in their development. Fewer than half of referees commented on PPI, and funding boards rarely provided comments in relation to PPI. Seventy-three per cent (81 of 111) of CIs responded to the survey and 98% (79 of 81) included PPI at some stage in their trial. CIs considered high impact from PPI contributors to occur more frequently in trial setup, with low or no impact being more common during trial conduct, analysis and dissemination. Only one-third of CIs provided PPI contributor contact details but all contributors contacted completed the survey. The majority of contributors felt engaged and valued by the research team. Interviews were conducted with researchers and/or PPI contributors for 28 trials identifying two main influences on perception of PPI impact: whether or not CIs expressed personal goals and plans for PPI; and the quality of their relationship with the PPI contributors. The importance of early engagement was identified, with opportunity for input thereafter limited. Three PPI roles were identified: oversight, managerial and responsive. Oversight roles, as required by funders, were associated with low impact in comparison with responsive or managerial roles. Most researchers could see some value in PPI training for researchers, although those that had received such training themselves expressed concerns about its purpose and evidence base. Training for PPI contributors was considered unnecessary, with conversational approaches preferred, although this did not appear to provide an opportunity for role negotiation. The RCTU survey response rate was 85% (39 of 46). The majority (37 of 39) reported PPI within trials co-ordinated by their unit. Trial characteristics were used by half to determine the approach to PPI. Two-thirds reported recent developments or changes in implementing plans for PPI (21 of 33). Support to PPI contributors was commonly offered through members of staff at the unit. CONCLUSIONS: PPI is occurring in the majority of trials funded by the HTA programme, but uncertainty remains about how it is assessed and valued. Early involvement, building a relationship between researchers and contributors, responsive or managerial roles, and having defined goals for PPI were associated with impact. Efficiency could be gained by utilising the RCTU network to identify and tackle challenges, and develop a risk-based approach utilising trial characteristics. Recommendations are made to trial funders and the research community. Given the difficulties for some informants in recalling PPI contributions, future research using a prospective approach would be valuable. Ethnographic research that combines observation and multi-informant interviews is likely to be informative in identifying impact. The research community needs to give further consideration to processes for selecting PPI contributors and models of implementing PPI.


Objectives : To evaluate the population-based performance of the SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test as a tool for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection during the pandemic in 2020. Methods : We analysed SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR results of 162,457 people living in Münster, Germany screened at nursing homes, testing sites, at schools, regional hospitals, and by general practitioners. All PCRs were done with the same cobas SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR system (Roche Diagnostics). We stratified positive RT-PCR results by cycle threshold (Ct) values, periods of the national test strategy, age, sex, and symptoms. Results : Among 162,457 individuals, 4164 (2.6%) had a positive RT-PCR test result, defined as Ct<40. Depending on the national test strategy, higher positive rates were associated with testing predominantly symptomatic people. Children (0-9 years) and older adults (70+ years). Only 40.6% of test positives showed low Ct values < 25 (potentially infectious). The percentage of Ct values below 25 was lower among children (0-9), adolescents (10-19), and among the elderly (70+ years). Conclusions : RT-PCR testing as a tool for mass screening should not be used alone as a base for pandemic decision making including measures such as quarantine, isolation, and lockdown. 5 Germany, derived from a single fully automated high throughput RT-PCR platform with the same gene targets (E-gene, ORF1a/b gene). Our study aims to describe the changes in the prevalence of positive RT-PCR tests over time, assessed with a consistent methodology during the complete study period. In addition, the influence of covariates such as age, sex, calendar time, and symptoms at the time of first RT-PCR test on the distribution of Ct values and their consistency are analysed and compared with the findings of other Ct value surveys.


Trust has long been identified as an essential component of social, economic and political life. Since the mid-1990s, there has been renewed interest in the concept driven by its perceived decline and reengagement with concepts of social capital. The article acknowledges these debates, especially the general context of decline in trust in western democracies, including in France, our country case. It is framed to answer a more parsimonious question, however. The analysis developed within the paper considers political trust within multiple layers of government at a single point and therefore provides a clearer picture of how citizens engage with complex governance arrangements where the primary responsibility for specific policy areas is often unclear. While attempts to measure or evaluate levels of political trust have generally been applied to the local or national level or, within the European context, the EU level, the article breaks new ground, by looking at how political trust varies within a multi-level governmental system. This article, which reports findings from a major nationwide survey of trust in France, concludes that distinct logics of institutional orders matter more for political trust than socio-demographic explanations.


Powder compaction is a well-established process for manufacturing a wide range of products, including engineering components and pharmaceutical tablets. During powder compaction, the compacts (green bodies or tablets) produced need to sustain their integrity during the process and possess certain strength. Any defects are hence not tolerable during the production. Therefore, understanding failure mechanisms during powder compaction is of practical significance. In this paper, the mechanisms for one typical failure, capping, during the compaction of pharmaceutical powders were explored. Both experimental and numerical investigations were performed. For the experimental study, an instrumented hydraulic press (a compaction simulator) with an instrumented die has been used, which enable the material properties to be extracted for real pharmaceutical powders. Close attentions have been paid to the occurrence of capping during the compaction. An X-ray Computed Microtomography system has also used to examine the internal failure patterns of the tablets produced. Finite element (FE) methods have also been used to analyse the powder compaction. The experimental and numerical studies have shown that the shear bands developed at the early stage of unloading appear to be responsible for the occurrence of capping. It has also been found that the capping patterns depend on the compact shape.


Fluorogenic sensors capable of selective interaction with analyte, which leads to a change in the position or intensity of the fluorescence band, allow to detect ions or molecules in situ and in vivo and possess high sensitivity and efficiency. Currently, they are widely used in organic, biological, and medical chemistry and environmental sciences for express monitoring of the ionic composition of the medium. They represent a serious alternative to the bulky, expensive, non-transportable technical devices traditionally used for this purpose, such as atomic absorption, atomic emission, and XRF spectrometers. Polyfunctional sensors capable of independent detection of two or more kinds of "guests" from a multiple mixture of cations, anions, or molecules due to specific spectral responses via the same or different channels constitute a rapidly developing area of chemosensory science. This specific feature is associated with the presence of two or more coordination centers in their molecules, or the capability of one center to selectively respond to various analytes with individual spectral changes. Coumarin (2H-chromene-2-one) core is one of the most versatile frameworks for the design of fluorogenic polyfunctional chemosensors for multianalyte detection. In this chapter, we report on the review of sensing properties of this group of chemosensors based on functionalized coumarin derivatives, including their applications in bioimaging.


A study of 1000 cases of septic endocarditis served as a basis for an analysis of the natural history of the diseases (1939-1972): changes in its etiology, clinical course and therapy. The increasing frequency of hospital infection (endocarditis) is emphasized. The characteristics of Staphylococcal and fungal endocarditis are presented, those of the lesion developing on heart valve prostheses as well. The classification of septic endocarditis is analysed, the stages of its activeness are described (III, II, I) along with the clinical and laboratory signs. Schemes of etiotropic therapy are presented, as well as rational combinations of antibiotics. The role of surgery in the management of primary septic endocarditis is described, and the rationale of preventive employment of antibiotics is discussed.


This paper presents a Military Space Plane design concept. While the current military space plane activity is focused on rocket-powered concepts, the concept presented here is powered by a rocket-based combined cycle engine that uses both rocket and airbreathing engine cycles. The design concept is the reference SSTO design concept used in the NASA HRST ANSER study. The reference concept is a derivative of the NASA airbreathing Access to Space study SSTO design concept. The Access to Space air-breathing vehicle's combined cycle engine was replaced by the Aerojet rocket-based combined cycle engine. The orbital performance capability of the reference design concept is presented for 100 n mi., polar, and 225 n mi., 51 deg. orbits. The sensitivity of GTOW to payload and margin is also presented.


Background: Community health care is the arena in which most care-dependent older people receive professional nursing assistance. The main objective of home nursing care is to improve the patient's quality of life and/or to maintain his/her independence. Aims: To describe the characteristics of people receiving home nursing care (HNC), and how the recipients define their health. To examine the mechanisms underlying the loss of independent living and the allocation of home nursing care, and whether home nurses give priority to the overall goals of HNC. Respondents/methods: 242 respondents were aged 75 years or older, receiving HNC. A survey with baselineand follow-up data (a 2-year period) was undertaken. Results: The oldest patients were the healthiest. Subjectively perceived health was more important in the perception of health than objective health measures. Strong perception of social support and a high self-rating of health predicted a longer period of independent living. Functional and cognitive decline and being male were the most important predictors of loss of independent living. Compensatory or complementary assistance from informal networks did not influence the period of independent living. Coping resources, measured as Sense of Coherence (SOC), did not prolong independent living. The allocation of home nursing care was mainly influenced by impaired functional health, and not influenced by subjective health measures. Conclusion: Older persons with a poor perception of subjective social and health conditions are vulnerable since these are not intercepted as a reason for care assistance. Implications: Nurses should emphasize the identification and treatment of subjective health problems. The salutogenic approach should be given stronger attention as a principle for nursing practice. More research should be done with regard to how the dimensions of sense of coherence influence health promotion. This includes both the individual patient, and how services are organized


Linking survey data with administrative records is becoming more common in the social sciences in recent years. Regulatory frameworks require the respondent's consent to this procedure in most cases. Similar to non-response, non-consent may lead to selective samples and could pose a problem when using the combined data for analyses. Thus investigating the selectivity and the determinants of the consent decision is important in order to find ways to reduce non-consent. Adapting the survey participation model by Groves and Couper (1998), this paper identifies different areas influencing the respondents' willingness to consent. In addition to control variables at the individual and household level, two further areas of interest are included: the interview situation and the characteristics of the interviewer. A multilevel approach highlights the importance of the interviewer for the consent decision: the empty model shows an intra-class correlation of 55%, which can be reduced to 35% in a full model including interviewer variables. An additional analysis including measures of interviewer performance shows that there are further unobserved interviewer characteristics that influence the respondent's consent decision. The results suggest that although respondent and household characteristics are important for the consent decision, a large part of the variation in the data is explained by the interviewers. This finding stresses the importance of the interviewers not only as an integral part in data collection efforts, but also as the direct link to gain a respondent's consent for linking survey data with administrative records.


Renal ammonia metabolism and transport mediates a central role in acid-base homeostasis. In contrast to most renal solutes, the majority of renal ammonia excretion derives from intrarenal production, not from glomerular filtration. Renal ammoniagenesis predominantly results from glutamine metabolism, which produces 2 NH4(+) and 2 HCO3(-) for each glutamine metabolized. The proximal tubule is the primary site for ammoniagenesis, but there is evidence for ammoniagenesis by most renal epithelial cells. Ammonia produced in the kidney is either excreted into the urine or returned to the systemic circulation through the renal veins. Ammonia excreted in the urine promotes acid excretion; ammonia returned to the systemic circulation is metabolized in the liver in a HCO3(-)-consuming process, resulting in no net benefit to acid-base homeostasis. Highly regulated ammonia transport by renal epithelial cells determines the proportion of ammonia excreted in the urine versus returned to the systemic circulation. The traditional paradigm of ammonia transport involving passive NH3 diffusion, protonation in the lumen and NH4(+) trapping due to an inability to cross plasma membranes is being replaced by the recognition of limited plasma membrane NH3 permeability in combination with the presence of specific NH3-transporting and NH4(+)-transporting proteins in specific renal epithelial cells. Ammonia production and transport are regulated by a variety of factors, including extracellular pH and K(+), and by several hormones, such as mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids and angiotensin II. This coordinated process of regulated ammonia production and transport is critical for the effective maintenance of acid-base homeostasis.


292 3 mY 1986 119 of lithotripsy are therefore 3 8x£87 (inpatient) +£800 (procedure)-+£100 (other admission costs, such as investigations and records)=£1231. The costs of one stage percutaneous nephrolithotomy are 5 63 x£87 (inpatient)+£408 (procedure)+£100 (other)=£998. The appendix also omits maintenance, depreciation, rates, electricity, and servicing from the calculations for open surgery and percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Lithotripsy may not be the "cheapest" procedure: a controlled trial is required which must include an assessment ofbenefits for the patient (29 March, p g77). J J JONES


Abstract Methamphetamine (METH) is a potent psychostimulant known to produce neurotoxicity. The dopaminergic pathway is particularly sensitive to METH. Recent studies showed that 7-nitroindazole (7-NI), a selective inhibitor of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), provided protection against METH neurotoxicity both in vitro and in vivo. The present studies were conducted to determine the nNOS activity in various regions of the brain of young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats treated with different doses of METH. Rats were injected ip with 5, 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg and 24 h after the rats were sacrificed and the brain regions (hippocampus, frontal cortex, and cerebellum) were quickly dissected. The cytosolic fractions were prepared, and the nNOS activity was determined using the 3H-citrulline assay. The results showed that nNOS activity was significantly increased in all three brain regions of rats treated with METH. The increase was dose dependent reaching a maximum of 40-100% over the control values. Rats treated with 7NI 30 min prior to METH injection provided protection against the toxicity and also showed a reduction of nNOS activity. The activation of nNOS is known to increase the synthesis of NO which is involved in the regulation of several neurotransmitter pathways including catecholaminergic system. Reducing the METH-induced production of NO by pretreatment with selective inhibitor of nNOS, 7-NI, provided protection against METH neurotoxicity.


The corrosion inhibition performances of four imidazolium-based corrosion inhibitors on mild steel in acidic medium, namely benzimidazole (BI), 2-aminobenzimidazole (ABI), 2-phenylbenzimidazole (PBI), and omeprazole (OP) were investigated in this work. The experimental results confirmed by electrochemical measurements and a scanning electron microscopy study show that OP may exhibit the best inhibitive performance among the four compounds for mild steel in sulfuric acid solution. Furthermore, quantum chemical calculations of density function theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were applied to theoretically determine the relationship between molecular structure and inhibition efficiency. OP shows the highest reaction activity among the four molecules. The binding energies of the corrosion inhibitor molecules and iron surface follow the order of OP > PBI > ABI > BI, which agrees well with the experimental findings.


is crying out for sound leadership. It is quite clear that politicians do not lead, they are merely carried along by popular opinion and often the opinion of vocal minority groups. It is professional men and women who must bear the burden of leadership in matters of ethics and morality. Of the three great professions, the church, the law and medicine, it is the last (because of the number of contacts) which today is given the greatest opportunity to influence for good the lives of individuals. The responsibility given to members of the medical profession is matched by the esteem in which they are held. To quote the Lord Jesus: "Everyone to whom much is given, of him will much be required". The profession must lead rather than be led or society will continue to crumble.


Cotton plants (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. S4) were grown and irrigated with increasing salt concentrations: 0, 50, 100 and 150 mM NaCl. Lipids from developing seeds, at stages of 3, 4, 5 and 6 weeks after anthesis, were analysed. High salt dose (150 mM NaCl) affected triacylglycerol levels drastically at the end of ripening. HPLC analysis of triacylglycerols in control seeds showed ten molecular species. Palmitodilinolein (PLL) is the major fraction, representing about 25% of total triacylglycerols. The levels of trilinolein (LLL), palmitolinoleo-olein (PLO) and oleodilinolein (OLL) molecules varied between 13 and 16% of the total. The other molecular species: triolein (OOO), dioleopalmitin (POO) and dipalmito-olein (POP) are minor and do not exceed 5%. Moreover, the composition of triacylglycerol molecular species was almost constant during developing stages of control seeds. However, amounts of triacylglycerol species LLL, OLL and palmitodilinolein (PLL), as expressed on a dry-matter basis (mg/g), decreased severely under the highest NaCl concentration, while contents of triacylglycerol species OOO, POO, POP were unchanged. These findings confirm our previous results, which indicated that the amount of linoleic acid in cotton seeds was reduced by salt stress and that the amount of oleic acid remained unchanged.


We are all increasingly dependent on software systems to run the technology we use every day, so we need these systems to be both reliable and safe.This book presents papers from the NATO Advanced Study Institute Summer School Dependable Software Systems Engineering, held in Marktoberdorf, Germany, in July and August 2014. Lecturers were drawn from prestigious research groups representing both industry and academia, and the course was designed as an in-depth presentation and teaching of state-of-the-art scientific techniques and methods covering research and industrial practice as well as scientific principles.Topics covered included: syntax-guided synthesis; system behaviors and problem frames; dependable human-intensive systems; automatic alias analysis and frame inference; fault-based testing; and mechanized unifying theories of programming.Marktoberdorf is one of the most renowned international computer science summer schools, and this book, with its detailed overview of current research results and the discussion and development of new ideas will be of interest to all those whose work involves the engineering of dependable software systems.


This paper deals with prediction of improvement in surface roughness in helical scan grinding by simulation of virtual ground surface with a 3D-CAD model. It has been found that, by choosing the value of parameters of four grit conditions such as grit arrangement, protrusion height, apex angle and inclination angle randomly to a real wheel, the maximum unevenness of the virtual ground surface and tendency of its change with feed angle nearly coincide with the surface roughness in the experiment of helical scan grinding. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that this analyzing method can be applied to R-shaped groove grinding and suggested that helical scan grinding is effective in grinding bearing grooves.


(FePt)/sub 1-x/Cu/sub x/ nanoparticles were prepared by the simultaneous polyol reduction of platinum acetylacetonate and copper acetylacetonate, and the thermal decomposition of Fe carbonyl. The addition of copper reduces the transition temperature of disordered fcc structure to ordered L1/sub 0/ by about 50/spl deg/C-100/spl deg/C. Together with the X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) results, the structure of FePtCu ternary alloy was verified and the Fe site was replaced by Cu.


Application of concepts from nonlinear dynamics to EEG has suggested the existence of two different types of pathophysiology in diffuse encephalopathies. The first is characterized by decreased cortical activation. The EEG is then linear stochastic. The second is characterized by neuronal hyperexcitability and hypersynchronous oscillations. The corresponding EEG contains nonlinear deterministic structure. We examined the hypothesis that anoxic encephalopathy belongs to the second category. EEGs were recorded in 20 healthy controls (mean age 63.4 year; SD 3.7; 12 females, 8 males) and 15 patients (mean age 65.6 year; SD 17.7; 5 females, 10 males) with postanoxic encephalopathy following an episode of cardiac arrest. EEG epochs (16 seconds; sample frequency 250 Hz; 16 bit A-to D) were examined for nonlinear structure with the algorithm of MNLCP (multi channel nonlinear cross prediction). This algorithm characterizes each epoch in terms of its predictability pred, amplitude asymmetry ama and time irreversibility tir. Significant amplitude asymmetry or time irreversibility indicate nonlinear dynamics. EEGs of patients were significantly better predictable and more amplitude asymmetric than those of controls. Stronger evidence for nonlinear structure corresponded with less reactivity of the EEG to painful stimuli and a worse outcome. Evidence for nonlinear brain dynamics in postanoxic encephalopathy was found. This lends further support to the concept of 'linear stochastic' and 'nonlinear deterministic' encephalopathies characterized respectively by decreased cortical excitability and increased neuronal excitability and their associated EEG patterns. Nonlinear EEG analysis may provide information which has pathophysiological relevance. Also, nonlinear dynamics is associated with a worse prognosis in anoxic encephalopathy, which may be clinically relevant.


In architectural drawings, human figures are generally requested to express the scale of design space and to illustrate the functions, but many cases demonstrate they are capable of playing cultural roles, indirectly revealing the architects' ideological positions toward society. By comparing their use in the work of Otto Wagner, Mies van de Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Mansilla and Tunon, this article analyses their role as visual mediator between representation and reality according to the different graphical techniques and their intertextual potential to connote the representation and the specific figures adopted. In particular, it focuses on the case of the cameo, and the cameo of the architect in particular, to discuss the semantic consequences on the drawing and to frame it into the wider, pictorial typology of the portrait of an architect.


In this paper, we develop formulation of a multi-objective optimization problem (MOOP) to optimally size a battery unit (BU) ultracapacitor (UC) hybrid energy storage system (HESS) for plug-in electric vehicle (EV). In this application, the objectives were to minimize cost, weight, volume of the HESS simultaneously maximizing the remaining cycle life of the BU at the end of the driving cycle. The MOOP is solved by the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm type 2 algorithm. Detailed mathematical models for the BU and UC are given. The thermal effect on performance and sizing are also included in the formulation. The power demand by the EV powertrain is shared amongst the BU and HESS by two methods: First is by using wavelet transformation, while the second is by using power split ratio. The ratio of the power (i.e., power split) handled by each storage unit was determined by the optimizer. A sensitivity analysis was conducted for the power splitting ratio verification. The problem was solved for using the urban dynamometer driving schedule and the highway fuel economy test driving profiles. This has resulted in sizing of an HESS with lower cost, volume, and weight than those existing in literature. Finally, the effect of changing the motor type on the MOOP result was investigated.


Although ART has changed the lives of many people, it has increased the burden on neonatologist and ophthalmologists with all types of complications related to prematurity in multiple births. In the last 20 to 25 years, there has been vast improvements in ART and neonatal intensive care, which has resulted in increased survival of most of the immature infants. There are specialized centers, which provide high‐risk obstetric care, intensive neonatal care, use of steroids in the prenatal care, improved postnatal treatment with surfactant and nitric oxide and better respirators and advanced equipment for the care of extremely immature infants. All these have contributed to improved survival. Therefore, current changes in neonatal care warrant careful ongoing evaluation during the coming years regarding ROP.


The Internet is a privileged means of communication towards Sustainable Development (SD), where information disclosed knows no borders. The aim of the study is to determine the nature of the content that is disclosed on the corporate website and the profile of the certified Portuguese organizations which disclose information on SD, that is, about Integrated Management Systems (IMS), Corporate Sustainability (CS) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This research consists of an exploratory analysis of the institutional website of 422 organizations with certified management systems in quality (ISO 9001), environment (ISO 14001) and occupational health and safety (BS OHSAS 18001). The research was based on the content analysis method, which allowed quantifying the contents of the information disclosed on the website by category and subcategories of analysis. The content available on the website was quantified using the Information Disclosure Index (IDI). The certified Portuguese organizations with greater business volume (turnover) and the public limited companies (PLC) disclose more information on SD on their website than the others.


Abstract Tannins are a large group of polyphenolic compounds and natural protective substances for plant survival. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of Micromelalopha troglodyta (Graeser) under tannin stress were studied by Solexa sequencing technology. A total of 51,797,038–54,991,822 and 51,674,478–52,307,172 clean reads were obtained from the tannin treatment (TT) library and the control (CK) library transcriptomes, respectively, and assembled into 21,236 nonredundant consensus sequences. The expression of 1,627 unigenes in the TT library was remarkably different from that of the CK library; 885 genes were upregulated, and 742 genes were downregulated (P ≤ 0.001). The expression of 18 DEGs was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, and the trend of gene expression was consistent with that of transcriptome data. In the biological process category, the DEGs were primarily related to cellular processes, metabolic processes, and single-organism processes. In the molecular function category, the DEGs were mainly involved in binding and catalytic activity, and in the cellular component category, the DEGs were mainly related to the cell, cell part, and organelle. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that drug metabolism-cytochrome P450 and glutathione metabolism may be associated with detoxification-related processes under tannin stress, and glutathione S-transferases and other detoxification enzyme genes play an important role in detoxifying tannins in M. troglodyta larvae. This study also provides important resources for further study of the genes related to pesticide targets and metabolic processes in M. troglodyta.


Cetacean stranding reports in the North Aegean Sea were recorded since 1998 from Strimonikos Gulf in Chalkidiki up to Alexandroupoli on the Turkish border and in a few northern Aegean islands. On site, the specimens were examined to identify species, gender, approximate age and, when possible, cause for stranding. A total of 26 filled stomachs of five cetacean species collected since 2002 were analysed: bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus (N = 8), common dolphins Delphinus delphis (N = 8), harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena (N = 5), striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba (N = 4) and Risso's dolphins Grampus griseus (N = 1). From the analysed stomachs it was found that the bottlenose dolphins fed mainly on snake blenny Ophidion barbatum (34%), bogue Boops boops (22%) and round sardinella Sardinella aurita (13%); common dolphins on round sardinella (17%), picarels Spicara spp. (10%) and Cocco's lantern fish Lobianchia gemellaris (9%); harbour porpoises on Gobidae (four-spotted goby Deltentosteus quadrimaculatus 41% and black goby Gobius niger 37%) and round sardinella (7%); striped dolphins on Myctophydae (Madeira lantern fish Ceratoscopelus maderensis 51%), and on Pfeffer's enople squid Abraliopsis morisii (10%) and bogue (8%); and Risso's dolphin exclusively on Teuthidae (31%), the umbrella squid Histioteuthis bonellii (30%) and the reverse jewel squid H. reversa (14%). The present work represents the first attempt to investigate the diet up to species level for several cetaceans in Greek waters and for harbour porpoises stranded in the Mediterranean Sea.


The instability of world prices of traditional cash crops led to the promotion of nontraditional crops. Among the latter, vegetable farming is positioned as strategic cropping for meeting urban and periurban food consumption in most West African countries. Seasonality differences between coastal and sahelian countries, coupled with, the logic of vegetable producers, and the requirements of crops and the prices variability resulted in the development of production and marketing strategies favorable to market integration in West African countries. This study aims at providing preliminary information on tomato market integration between Benin and Burkina Faso. Data from fields surveys and on monthly prices, extracted from ONASA and DGSA databases are used to analyze the regional market integration. Cointegration models based on Johansen approach and Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach of Pesaran are used for analysis. The hypothesis on the existence of a potential weak integration of tomato markets was confirmed and corroborated in this study. Established chains of integration were identified between the Cotonou market and the main tomato-producing areas of Burkina Faso and Benin production areas with the markets of Boulkiemde, Kenedougou, Oubritenga Sanguie respectively. The integration chain of Cotonou was found to be more established than the Bohicon and the Malanville chains and constitute a reference market for tomato wholesalers. However, there is need to conduct further in-depth analysis on integration to tap existing opportunities for enhanced vegetable producer's income and poverty reduction.


The new structural applications of aluminum materials are determined by intelligent lightweight design: the demand of safety, ecology, recycling and by economics. Al-Si alloys allow complex shapes to be cast. Metallurgical a high volume fraction of fine dispersoid which are less about 0.1 microns in size are useful for retaining a fine grain. In the 6061 series of alloys, iron combines with aluminium and silicon to form two types of commune inter-metallic, (beta AlFeSi and alpha AlFeSi).The type of inter-metallic that is present these alloys will have an important bearing on the homogenization time, workability and quality of the surface finish. The microstructure of the as-cast samples was evaluated by electronic microscopy and the morphology of inter-metallic compounds related to the efficiently modification. Mn-Ti-Sr modification of Al-alloys is normally accompanied by an increase in porosity in the casting.


Assessing the fire risk of vegetated roofs includes the determination of their possible contribution to fire. Green roof components such as plants and growing media are organic materials and present a fuel that can catch and support the spread of fire. The flammability characteristics of these components were analyzed and compared to a typical roof covering. Growing media with 15% of organic matter were tested using cone calorimeter apparatus. The fuel load and heat release rate of the growing media were measured in both moist (30%) and dry conditions. It was observed that growing media in a moist condition do not present a fire risk, reaching a maximum heat release rate of 33 kW/m2. For dry substrates, a peak heat release rate of 95 kW/m2 was recorded in the first minute, which then rapidly decreased to 29 kW/m2 in the second minute. Compared to a typical bitumen roof membrane, the green roof showed a better fire performance. The literature data report more severe results for plant behavior, reaching peak heat release rates (HRRs) of 397 kW/m2 for dried and 176 kW/m2 for a green material. However, a rapid decrease in HRR to much lower values occurs in less than 2 min. The results also show that extensive and intensive types of green roofs present 22% and 95% of the additional fire load density when installed on a modified bitumen membrane, 19.7 and 85.8 MJ/m2, respectively.


In this paper we address the study of the effects of product line diversification on firm performance in the mobile application market. Specifically, we shed light on whether the distribution platform ecosystem where developers commercialize their apps influence the effect of product line diversification, i.e., diversification across different app categories, on developer sales performance. To these purposes, we compare the sales performance of diversified developers with that of category-specialized developers in the two major app stores (namely, Apple's App Store and Google Play). Our results show that the diversification strategy has a positive impact on developer sales in Google Play, while no significant impact emerges in the Apple's App Store. The cross-platform differences in consumer willingness to pay are the rationale behind the different effect of diversification on sales performance across platform ecosystems. Our results have an important implication for developers as they suggest that developers should factor in the app ecosystem where they operate when making the decision on whether to diversify or not.


Background: The rise of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection has become a serious health issue. The emergence of mutidrug – resistant MRSA strains compounds chemotherapy and has raised public health concern. In this preliminary study, the distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of MRSA to 10 commonly used antimicrobial agents at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Nigeria were determined between June 2005 and May 2006.
Methods: S. aureus were cultured from various clinical samples using standard bacteriologic technique. Methicillin disc diffusion method for the detection of methicillin resistance and Kirby – Bauer NCCLS modified disc diffusion for antibiotic susceptibility tests were used.
Results: The MRSA prevalence rate was 37.5% (33/88) of all S. aureus isolates. Majority of the MRSA strains (15/33) were recovered from blood samples followed by isolates from wound exudates (11/33) and were statistically significant (p 50 years (60%) and were statistically significant (r = - 0.083). The MRSA isolates were resistant to penicillin and ampicillin (97.0%), tetracycline (93.9%), Cotrimoxazole (90.9%), Chloramphenicol (78.8%), Cefuroxime (66.7%), Erthromycin (60.6%) and Gentamycin (54.5%). Amoxycillin clavunanic acid and ciprofloxacin were most active with MRSA isolates showing 97% and 93.9% susceptibility to the two drugs respectively. Eighteen (54.5%) MRSA isolates showed resistance to more than four antibiotic groups. One strain was resistant to all of the antimicrobial agents used.
Conclusion: The study affirms the increasing prevalence of multidrug resistant MRSA in Nigeria. There is need for rational chemotherapy, routine detection and regular surveillance of MRSA to limit its spread. Keywords :incidence, MRSA, multidrug, resistance, chemotherapy; surveillance Sahel Medical Journal Vol. 11 (4) 2008: pp. 142-147


Phenolic diterpenes present in Rosmarinus officinalis and Salvia officinalis have anti-inflammatory and chemoprotective effects. We investigated the in vitro effects of carnosol (CL), carnosic acid (CA), carnosic acid-12-methylether (CAME), 20-deoxocarnosol and abieta-8,11,13-triene-11,12,20-triol (ABTT) in murine macrophages (RAW264.7 cells) and human chondrocytes. The substances concentration-dependently reduced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in LPS-stimulated macrophages (i.e., acute inflammation). They significantly blunted gene expression levels of iNOS, cytokines/interleukins (IL-1α, IL-6) and chemokines including CCL5/RANTES, CXCL10/IP-10. The substances modulated the expression of catabolic and anabolic genes in chondrosarcoma cell line SW1353 and in primary human chondrocytes that were stimulated by IL-1β (i.e., chronic inflammation In SW1353, catabolic genes like MMP-13 and ADAMTS-4 that contribute to cartilage erosion were down-regulated, while expression of anabolic genes including Col2A1 and aggrecan were shifted towards pre-pathophysiological homeostasis. CL had the strongest overall effect on inflammatory mediators, as well as on macrophage and chondrocyte gene expression. Conversely, CAME mainly affected catabolic gene expression, whereas ABTT had a more selectively altered interleukin and chemokine gene exprssion. CL inhibited the IL-1β induced nuclear translocation of NF-κBp65, suggesting that it primarily regulated via the NF-κB signalling pathway. Collectively, CL had the strongest effects on inflammatory mediators and chondrocyte gene expression. The data show that the phenolic diterpenes altered activity pattern of genes that regulate acute and chronic inflammatory processes. Since the substances affected catabolic and anabolic gene expression in cartilage cells in vitro, they may beneficially act on the aetiology of osteoarthritis.


Objective To explore the level of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) knowledge among allied health professions (AHPs) students and its associated factors. Methods This is a cross-sectional study assessing CPR knowledge among AHP students. A multidisciplinary expert panel designed a survey, which then was piloted to 20 potential participants. The survey had two sections, including demographics and knowledge questions. Knowledge questions scores ranged from 0 to 10, where 10 indicates all questions were answered correctly. Results A total of 883 students completed the surveys and were included in the study. The mean age was 21 years (±1.6) and the majority were females (73.1%). A total of 693 (78.5%) students did not receive previous CPR training and the top barriers to receiving CPR training were unawareness of training opportunities and a lack of time. Participants had a mean CPR knowledge score of 3.9 (±1.7) out of 10 maximum potential points. Trained participants had a higher mean score compared with the untrained (4.6 (±1.6) vs 3.8 (±1.6), p<0.001). Previous training (adjusted β=0.6; 95% CI 0.2 to 0.9; p<0.001) and being in the physical therapy programme (adjusted β=0.5; 95% CI 0.1 to 0.8; p=0.01) were associated with higher knowledge. Conclusion There is poor knowledge of CPR among AHP students including trained individuals. Efforts to increase the awareness of CPR should target students and professionals who are highly likely to encounter patients requiring CPR. Compulsory training courses, shorter training periods as well as recurrent and regular refreshing courses and use of various media devices are recommended.


Work in dynamic image based rendering has been presented by Kanade et al. [4] and Matusik et al. [5] previously. We present an alternative implementation that allows us to have a very inexpensive process of creating dynamic image-based renderings of digitally recorded photo realistic, real-life objects. Together with computer vision algorithms, the image-based objects are visualized using the Relief Texture Mapping algorithm presented by Oliveira et al [6]. As the relief engine requires depth information for all Texels representing the recorded object in an arbitrary view, a recording solution making depth extraction possible is required. Our eyes use binocular vision to produce disparities in depth, which also is the most effortless technique of producing stereovision. By using two digital video cameras, the dynamic object is recorded in stereo in different views to cover its whole volume. As the depth information from all views are generated, the different views from the image-based object are textured on a pre-defined bounding box and relief textured into a three dimensional representation by applying the known depth disparities.


Background: Microneedle-mediated drug delivery is a promising method for transdermal delivery of insulin, incretin mimetics, and other protein-based pharmacologic agents for treatment of diabetes mellitus. One factor that has limited clinical application of conventional microneedle technology is the poor fracture behavior of microneedles that are created using conventional materials and methods. In this study polymer microneedles for transdermal delivery were created using a two-photon polymerization (2PP) microfabrication and subsequent polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micromolding process. Methods: Solid microneedle arrays, fabricated by means of 2PP, were used to create negative molds from PDMS. Using these molds microneedle arrays were subsequently prepared by molding eShell 200, a photo-reactive acrylate-based polymer that exhibits water and perspiration resistance. Results: The eShell 200 microneedle array demonstrated suitable compressive strength for use in transdermal drug delivery applications. Human epidermal keratinocyte viability on the eShell 200 polymer surfaces was similar to that on polystyrene control surfaces. In vitro studies demonstrated that eShell 200 microneedle arrays fabricated using the 2PP microfabrication and PDMS micromolding process technique successfully penetrated human stratum corneum and epidermis. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a 2PP microfabrication and subsequent PDMS micromolding process may be used to create microneedle structures with appropriate structural, mechanical, and biological properties for transdermal drug delivery of insulin and other protein-based pharmacologic agents for treatment of diabetes mellitus.


We classify generalised Camassa-Holm type equations which possess infinite hierarchies of higher symmetries. We show that the obtained equations can be treated as negative flows of integrable quasi-linear scalar evolution equations of orders 2, 3 and 5. We present the corresponding Lax representations or linearisation transformations for these equations. Some of the obtained equations seem to be new.


Climate change policy is a prime example for the growing importance of expert advice to inform decision‐making. Consequently, a plethora of advisory bodies and processes have emerged around the world. However, there are marked differences in the way the interactions between science and politics are organized and practiced depending on a country's political system and culture. The degree of political competition, the role of state vis-a-vis non-state actors and the dominant modes of interest mediation provide specific conditions for the ways expertise is consulted and used in decision-making. Against this background, the paper presents the landscape of scientific advice in Austrian climate policy and asks in how far the traditionally strong culture of corporatism in Austrian politics manifests itself in practices of climate policy advice. Conceptually, the paper draws on analytical dimensions derived from the concepts of "national styles of policy-making" and "civic epistemology". Methodically it bases on an interview series and a workshop with representatives from science, politics, and intermediary organizations. Our analysis provides a differentiated picture: the neocorporatist culture still leaves its imprint in Austrian climate policy advice. But at the same time, the emergence of a new policy field, such as climate policy, undoubtedly opens up possibilities for new actors and forms of policy advice.


Graspetides are a class of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) that exhibits an impressive diversity in patterns of side chain-to-side chain ω-ester or ω-amide linkages. Recent studies have uncovered a significant portion of graspetides to contain an additional post-translational modification involving aspartimidylation catalyzed by an O-methyltransferase, predominantly found in the genomes of Actinomycetota. Here, we present a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis focused on graspetides harboring aspartimide for which we propose the name graspimiditides. From Protein BLAST results of 5,000 methyltransferase sequences, we identified 962 unique putative graspimiditides, which we further classified into eight main clusters based on sequence similarity along with several smaller clusters and singletons. The previously studied graspimiditides, fuscimiditide and amycolimiditide, are identified in this analysis; fuscimiditide is a singleton while amycolimiditide is in the fifth largest cluster. Cluster 1, by far the largest cluster, contains 641 members, encoded almost exclusively in the Streptomyces genus. To characterize an example of a graspimiditide in Cluster 1, we conducted experimental studies on the peptide from Streptomyces albus J1074, which we named albusimiditide. By tandem mass spectrometry, hydrazinolysis, and amino acid substitution experiments, we elucidated the structure of albusimiditide to be a large tetracyclic peptide with four ω-ester linkages generating a stem-loop structure with one aspartimide. The ester crosslinks form 22-, 46-, 22-, and 44-atom macrocycles, last of which, the loop, contains the enzymatically installed aspartimide. Further in vitro experiments revealed that the aspartimide hydrolyzes in a 3:1 ratio of isoaspartate to aspartate residues. Overall, this study offers a comprehensive insight into the diversity and structural features of graspimiditides, paving the way for future investigations of this unique class of natural product.


Two key developmental proteins that once appeared to be molecular twins perform different jobs and work in different parts of the cell, as Geffers et al. show on page 465.

Figure 1

DLL1 (top) studs the surface of the cell, whereas DLL3 (bottom) collects in the interior.

Among its many functions, the Notch pathway helps orchestrate the formation of somites that give rise to the vertebral column and other structures. The pathway appears to be full of redundancy. For example, mice carry four Notch genes and three for the Delta proteins that interact with the pathway. The jobs of two of the Delta proteins, DLL1 and DLL3, have remained unclear. Initial studies suggested that the proteins are interchangeable. But individually deleting the proteins, which are made in the same part of the mesoderm, induces different developmental defects, and a recent study suggested that DLL3 interferes with DLL1.

To sort through the confusion, Geffers et al. replaced one or both copies of the Dll1 gene with a short but functional version of the Dll3 gene. Mice lacking DLL1 die as embryos. The researchers found that mice that manufacture DLL3 instead of DLL1 also perished during embryogenesis, indicating that one protein cannot substitute for the other.

The team also gauged whether one protein inhibits the activity of the other by examining mice with three copies of Dll3 and one of Dll1. Animals with only one copy of Dll1 display some skeletal flaws. If the proteins were antagonists, the scientists reasoned, animals with the extra DLL3 should show even more severe abnormalities. But these mice were no worse off.

The researchers confirmed their findings by tracking Notch after its activation. When Notch switches on, its intracellular tail detaches and spirits the signal to the nucleus. Levels of this tail piece did not increase in embryos lacking DLL3, the scientists determined. DLL3 thus does not interfere with Notch activation.

So what is DLL3 doing? The researchers are still not sure, but they discovered that most of the protein lurked inside the cell, mainly in the Golgi apparatus, rather than on the surface, where DLL1 resided. The Golgi location suggests that, instead of triggering Notch, DLL3 has some other, undiscovered role in the pathway.


The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel (Panel) reviewed the safety of barium sulfate, which functions as an opacifying agent in cosmetic products and is being used at concentrations up to 0.99% and 37% in rinse-off and leave-on products, respectively. The Panel noted that the history of safe medical use of barium sulfate indicates no significant toxicity concerns relating to systemic exposure to this ingredient. Furthermore, the extensive clinical experience of the Panel, including the results of numerous patch tests, indicates that barium salts do not have the potential to induce sensitization. The Panel noted that since salts of sulfuric acid can be irritating to the skin, cosmetic products containing barium sulfate should be formulated to be nonirritating. The Panel concluded that barium sulfate is safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration described in this safety assessment when formulated to be nonirritating.


Every company encounters a lot of problems in terms with their business processes. Rodsy company, a buy and sell enterprise in Davao City, which is the focus of this endeavor encounters difficulties in retrieving data from voluminous papers, generates insufficient reports, and finds hard time in listing their products. The purpose of their project is to identify and solve the problems regarding their sales and inventory management. The proponents' analysis has found that SMS and PDU Integration in a Sales and Inventory Management could solve the current problems of the company. This study included the cost and benefits that the company could get from this project, its impact towards the employees, and how will this work. The project was conducted from the second semester of the school year 2008-2009 up to the school year of 2009-2010. Based on the results of the evaluation, the proponents found that the SMS and PDU Integration in a Sales and Inventory Management is cheaper, faster, more effective, and more efficient as compared to the other alternative solutions and the current system. For the enhancement of the system, the proponents recommended to include a back-up system for emergency use. The system may also be uploaded in the internet for the other branches to use it.


Two real-life workplaces, a studio and an office, are described. Both have virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality counterparts. Issues of work processes and social interaction taken from CSCW are utilised to understand the functionalities that virtual studios and offices need to provide. It is broadly concluded that different media (documents, audio, video, VR) all have different strengths and weaknesses, and each may be appropriate for different purposes in different contexts. Offices and studios are best extended into virtuality by a mix of media (mixed realities) with a VR interface. The integration of video into VR environments presents the greatest technical difficulties, and some of these are considered from the viewpoints of computational load and networking. It is concluded that an optimal solution would be to provide separate network architectures for real-time interactive VR and video.


ABSTRACT
 Eleven species of archaeopterodactyloid pterosaurs have been reported in China, mostly from the Yixian Formation of western Liaoning. The first uncontroversial archaeopterodactyloid from the Jiufotang Formation is described here. A new genus and species, Forfexopterus jeholensis, is erected on the basis of a unique combination of characters and one autapomorphy: the first wing phalanx is shorter than the second, but longer than the third. The sternum of Forfexopterus is nearly complete and provides the first incontrovertible evidence about the position of sternocoracoid articulations in the Archaeopterodactyloidea. A preliminary geometric morphometric analysis of sterna was carried out with data from 17 species of Pterodactylomorpha. The results document the variation in the shape of the sternum, including the length of the cristospine, the shapes of the lateral, posterior, and anterior margins, and the constriction and expansion of the cristospine. These characters can be used to compare sterna in different pterosaur taxa.


Abstract In this study, the flame retardancy contribution of zinc borate when used together with a traditional flame retardant (aluminum diethylphosphinate compound) was investigated for neat polyamide-6 and for 15 wt% short glass fiber reinforced composite. Melt mixing with twin-screw extrusion was the compounding method while injection and compression molding were the shaping methods of specimens. Three different flammability tests (limiting oxygen index, UL-94 vertical burning, mass loss calorimetry) indicated that many flame retardancy parameters could be improved significantly by replacing a certain amount of aluminum diethylphosphinate with zinc borate. For example, using aluminum diethylphosphinate alone resulted in only 32 % suppression in the value of the peak heat release rate for neat polyamide-6, while it was 82 % (more than two-fold) when used together with zinc borate. It was revealed by evolved gas analyses, char analyses, x-ray diffraction and thermogravimetry that the main contribution of zinc borate to aluminum diethylphosphinate was in terms of a barrier mechanism via formation of additional boron phosphate inorganic content in the barrier layer.


Among the different earth architectural techniques largely diffused in the Italian regions – rammed earth, various types of "adobe", light earth and cob – the last one is the less known due to its prevalent use in traditional rural buildings and in a few small settlements in Central Italy, partially abandoned in the last 50/60years. Only recently the administrations of the Regions where the majority of this cultural heritage is located developed an interest in the cob technique and earth architecture, mainly in the Marche and Abruzzo regions. Conservation and ecological interest are the main aim of the local groups which have to face the very "heavy" task to cope with national technical norms, particularly seismic ones which do not include traditional earth based building technologies. A detailed study has been carried out to assess the technological and structural pathologies of a typical rural residence in Treia (Macerata Council, Marche Region) now abandoned in critical conditions due to the lack of maintenance and to the destructive use of concrete and bricks in previous repair interventions. An appropriate technological and cultural sound restoration was proposed along with a structural improvement taking into account the seismic hazard of the area, by means of a wooden grid included into the outside facade of the cob structure. Seismic forecast performance of the proposed system is based on the experience of the Colombian research group "Tierra Viva Foundation" and was also studied by means of a numerical modelling.


Laboratory studies of terrestrial–breeding frogs have demonstrated that wetter substrates produce fitter offspring but the relevance of substrate wetness to adult reproductive strategies is unknown. I hypothesized that male toadlets (Pseudophryne bibronii) would select wetter areas for nesting and would advertise wet nests strongly, and tested these predictions by manipulating water potentials at a breeding site. Males preferred to nest in the wettest areas, and called at greater rates on almost twice as many nights as males occupying drier nests. Overall, males that mated called on significantly more nights than unmated males. Hence, because males occupying wet nests called more, they also mated more and in 19 out of 20 cases, oviposition occurred in wet nests that were suitable for embryonic development. Males occupying drier nests may have risked dehydration by calling, and so were less able to signal to females. Hydration states therefore have the potential to influence the reproductive success of terrestrial male frogs.


Level crossing, also known as railroad and highway crossings, pose a risk to those who use both modes of transport due to collisions that may occur. This risk associated with level crossings is of great importance both in Turkey and in the world. In this study, data envelopment analysis was performed on the accident data occurring on five types of level crossings in Turkey and a measurement of safety performances of level crossings in Turkey was provided. As a result of the analysis, the most efficient three-level crossings were found to be Hilal-Bandırma in Manisa, Samsun-Kalın in Amasya_1, and Samsun-Kalın in Amasya_2. In addition, a linear regression model that serves with the variables which are the components of level crossing and the number of accidents is established. In this model, it is seen that the ratio of independent variables to dependent variables was statistically significant.


Ubiquitous vibration sensing forms a core requirement of Internet of Things (IoT) applications in condition-based monitoring (CbM). Such sensors can enable cost savings by identifying incipient failures in industrial machinery and, thereby, optimized maintenance schedule planning. Conventional piezoelectric and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based vibration sensors developed for such applications cost upwards of tens and hundreds of dollars, limiting the scale of their deployment. In this article, we present an extremely inexpensive vibration sensor prepared with commercially available polyurethane foam that is commonly used for packaging of fragile goods. We present a process to coat the pores of the foam with conductive carbon ink to impart piezo-resistive properties to the material. A proof of concept realization of vibration sensor with 80-Hz sensing bandwidth is presented, along with experimental data demonstrating classification of vibration signals for different machine operating conditions. The spectral content of the measured vibration signal shows good agreement with spectral content of the audio recordings of corresponding acoustic measurements.


It is widely known that over the last 6 years there has been significant decline in the number of U.S. students who choose Computer Information Systems (CIS), Management Information Systems (MIX)) and Computer Science (CS) as a major. Studies show that there are several reasons for this decline, most of which involve students' inaccurate perception of the IT profession, particularly with respect to job prospects and career opportunities. This paper examines current research to compare students' perceptions of IT to the actual current and projected IT profession. This comparison may provide valuable information for CIS/MIS educators when counseling or recruiting students who are considering CIS/MIS as a major.


The paper is concerned with the development of extramedullary blast infiltrates in Ph-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. Two cases are described. In one case during the blastic phase lasting 27 months, a female patient developed by turn skin leukemids, lesions of the soft tissues in the knee joint, lesions of the stomach, lungs and heart. Administration of the treatment according to the "3 + 7" scheme (an anthracycline antibiotic plus cytosar) and to the TRAMPCOL scheme brought about the reverse development of the infiltrates. In the second case a male patient in the 12th year of the disease developed, in the absence of the blastic phase, massive blast lesions of the lymph nodes of the mediastinum followed by neuroleukemia. The lesions were removed by the treatment according to the ACOP scheme and endolumbal injections of methotrexate and cytosar. Ten months after diagnosing the enlargement of the lymph nodes of the mediastinum the picture of the blood and the bone marrow remained typical of the marked stage of the disease. The authors provide brief data on 27 patients with extramedullary blast infiltrates in the terminal stage of chronic myeloid leukemia together with short reported data.


We present records for six new stink bug species reported for Puerto Rico. These include two predatory species: Apateticus lineolatus (Herrich Schaffer) and Tylospilus acutissimus (Stal) (Asopinae); and four phytophagous species: Berecynthus hastator (R), Chlorocoris tau Spinola, and Acrosternum ( Chinavia ) ubicum Rolston (Pentatominae), and Alitocoris brunneus Sailer (Discocephalinae). Of these, B. hastatorhas been identified elsewhere as a vector of palm diseases, and A. brunneus appears to be a recent invasive species to Puerto Rico. Species reported here increase the number of stink bug species reported in Puerto Rico from 42 to 48, and the number of genera from 29 to 34. It is also the first report of a member of subfamily Discocephalinae on the island.


This paper examines relationship between audit delay and several company characteristics in Nigeria. The objective of this study is to measure the extent of audit lag in Nigeria and to establish the impact of selected corporate attributes on audit delay in Nigeria. A sample of 20 quoted companies was selected for a period of 2009 to 2011. The audit delay for each of the companies revealed that it takes a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 276 days for Nigerian companies to publish their annual reports. Nigeria listed companies take approximately two months on the average beyond their balance sheet date before they are finally ready for the presentation of the audited accounts to the shareholders at the annual general meetings. The results from the panel data which was estimated using Ordinary Least Square regression showed that the major determinants of audit delay in Nigeria include multinationality connections of companies, company size and audit fees paid to auditors. We therefore recommend that regulatory agencies in Nigeria should probe audit delay and formulate policies to enforce compliance with timely release of annual reports. Keywords: audit delay, audit lag, annual reports, company characteristics


We construct a valveless pump consisting of a section of elastic tube and a section of rigid tube connected in a closed loop and filled with water. By periodically squeezing the elastic tube at an asymmetric location, a persistent flow around the tubes is created. This effect, called the Liebau phenomenon or valveless pumping, has been known for some time but is still not completely understood. We study the flow rates for various squeezing locations, frequencies, and elastic tube rigidities. To understand valveless pumping, we formulate a simple model that can be described by ordinary differential equations. The time series of flow velocities generated by the model are qualitatively and quantitatively similar to those seen in the experiment. The model provides a physical explanation of valveless pumping, and it allows us to identify the essential pumping mechanisms.


Carbon nanofibers (CNF) were surface coated with a thin layer of poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) via plasma polymerization of acrylic acid (AA). The plasma polymerization treated CNF resulted in a significant change of its surface characteristics from hydrophobic to hydrophilic due to the polar groups in PAA-coating layer. Dispersion tests in water and ethanol confirmed a marked change in the hydrophobicity of the treated CNF. In addition, FTIR results showed a new signal for the treated CNF at 1046 cm-1, assigned to C-O groups and represented the presence of PAA. Morphology results by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the untreated CNF has a very smooth surface, whereas the treated CNF showed certain roughness on its surface due to the deposited PAA coating layer.PAA coating on the treated CNF was also observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and its thickness was determined to be between 14 to 18 nm. Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) was used to show that plasma polymerization improved the dispersion of treated CNF and prevented its agglomeration in water versus the poor dispersion observed with untreated CNF.


Finding the source of gaseous compounds released in the air with robots finds several applications in various critical situations, such as search and rescue. While the distribution of gas in the air is inherently a 3D phenomenon, most of the previous works have downgraded the problem into 2D search, using only ground robots. In this paper, we have designed a bio-inspired 3D algorithm involving cross-wind Lévy Walk, spiralling and upwind surge. The algorithm has been validated using high-fidelity simulations, and evaluated in a wind tunnel which represents a realistic controlled environment, under different conditions in terms of wind speed, source release rates and odor threshold. Studying success rate and execution time, the results show that the proposed method outperforms its 2D counterpart and is robust to the various setup conditions, especially to the source release rate and the odor threshold.


Bone cutting is a frequently used procedure in orthopaedic and neuro surgeries. Current research on bone cutting is concerned with the efforts to decrease the forces generated during cutting the bone as well as temperature to avoid mechanical and thermal damage (bone necrosis) induced by surgical tools. The paper presents results of finite-element simulations of conventional cutting (CC) and ultrasonically-assisted cutting (UAC) of bone in order to understand thermomechanics of the process. The study was aimed at investigating the levels of tool-penetration force and temperatures induced in the bone when a hard cutting tool penetrates into it in both types of cutting. The models allow the quantitative analysis of forces and temperatures produced during the cutting process. The use of UAC reduces the tool penetration force and temperature in the cutting region


Poly(vinyl chlorides) (PVC) constitute a major class of synthetic plastics, Many surveys of the voluminous literature have been performed. This report reviews the literature published in English from 1969 through 1984 and endeavors to be more interpretive than comprehensive. PVC compounds, in general, are among the more fire resistant common organic polymers, natural or synthetic. The major products of thermal decomposition include hydrogen chloride, benzene and unsaturated hydrocarbons. In the presence of oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water are included among the common combustion products. The main toxic products from PVC fires are hydrogen chloride (a sensory and pulmonary irritant) and carbon monoxide (an asphyxiant). The LC50 value calculated for a series of natural and synthetic materials thermally decomposed according to the NBS toxicity test method ranged from 0.045 to 57 mg l−1 in the flaming mode and from 0.045 to > 40 mg l−1 in the non-flaming mode. The LC50 results for a PVC resin decomposed under the same conditions were 17 mg l−1 in the flaming mode and 20 mg l−1 in the non-flaming mode. These results indicate that PVC decomposition products are not extremely toxic when compared with those from other common building materials. When the combustion toxicity (based on their HCI content) of PVC materials in compared with pure HCI experiments, it appears that much of the post-exposure toxicity can be explained by the HCI that is generated.


Our aim is to present the application of the hybrid method presented in part I to an inverse procedure to determine particle size and concentration under multiple-scattering conditions. The hybrid method is introduced as a combination of the four-flux method with coefficients obtained from Monte Carlo statistical simulations to take into account the actual three-dimensional geometry. Then an inversion scheme is expanded to enable the application of the hybrid method to particle size and concentration determination. We present the inversion method as well as exemplifying results of spectrum inversions.


This final project report is written based on the job training which was been done at DISBUDPAR Surakarta. The objectives of this report are to describes the promotion strategies of DISBUDPAR Surakarta, to find out the problems faced by DISBUDPAR Surakarta and the solutions to the problems faced by DISBUDPAR Surakarta in developing tourism in Surakarta. The data of this report are taken from observation and library study by collecting information from books, document, interview and other reliable literatures. Based on the observation conducted, conclusion can be drawn that DISBUDPAR did various promotion activities which are done continuously and organized. Promotion is done in order to create awareness among public about tourist attraction and also improve the tourist visit at Surakarta. There are several promotion activities done by DISBUDPAR, opening TIC, promoting tourism attraction, holding events and participating in national and international events, carrying out annual putra-putri Solo, and making coordination with other entertainment places. In relation to developing surakarta tourism, DISBUDPAR faced several problems. There are problem related to budget, bureaucracy and human resources. Therefore, the implementation of promotion activities by DISBUDPAR that were supported by proper budget, simple procedural administration system and reorganizing the schedule of DISBUDPAR officer is needed to develop surakarta tourism.


Background: The well-established scientific observation has shown that the process of sensing and making adaptive response to external stimuli in bacteria is regulated by the two-component signal-transduction systems (TCSTSs). Typical TCSTSs are composed of two different types of proteins, a histidine kinase (HK) and a response regulator (RR). This review focuses on the influence of TCSTSs on the virulence, competence, biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance, and further discusses the value of TCSTSs for the new drug targets.
Methods and findings: The HK protein is responsible for response to external stimuli by autophosphorylation, subsequently transfering this phosphate group to the RR protein, so then activating a series of biological processes. Loss of function or genetic mutation of these systems has been reported to study the function of the two component systems. It suggests that this system can regulate the expression of virulence factors, control the competence for transformation, modulate biofilm formation and cell envelope stress response, and influence the susceptibility to antibiotics.
Conclusion: The homologies of HK and RR proteins in different genera of bacteria are highly conserved respectively, especially in the residues located near active sites. Moreover the signal transduction in mammals has an entirely different mechanism compared with bacteria. Altogether, this system may be very suited as a good potential drug target for the development of novel antibacterial.


A fully revised and updated edition of this unique, well-established, classic work of reference and companion to all fields of modern thought. First published in Fontana paperback in 1977; second revised edition published in Fontana paperback in 1988; the third substantially revised edition made its first ever appearance in hardback in 1999. The Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought has been continuously in print in earlier editions for more than twenty years. The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought contains some 4000 entries by 326 expert contributors. Nearly 1000 entries are entirely new; and most of those that survive from the previous (1988) edition have been substantially revised or newly written for this edition. Areas which have been expanded include computing, identity politics and environmental studies, and there are new entries on God, communitarianism, perestroika, new world order, afrocentricity, ebonics, third wave feminism, hypertext, virtual reality, culture jamming, cloning, post-colonialism, fuzzy logic, artificial life, paper architecture, infopreneur!


This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. George Eliot's work has been subject to a wide range of critical questioning, most of which relates her substantially to a Victorian context and intellectual framework. This book examines the ways in which her work anticipates significant aspects of writing in the twentieth and indeed twenty first century in regard to both art and philosophy. This new book presents a series of linked essays exploring Eliot's credentials as a radical thinker. Opening with her relationship to the Romantic tradition, Newton goes on to discuss her reading of Darwinism, her radical critique of Victorian values and her affiliation with the modernists. The final essays discuss her work in relation to Derridean themes and to Bernard Williams' concept of moral luck. What emerges is a very different Eliot from the conservative figure portrayed in much critical literature.


Coercivity, induced uniaxial anisotropy field, angular dispersion, residual stress, magnetic domain wall, and magnetization creep of vapor-deposited 81.7 Ni-18.3 Fe films are reported. The thickness and temperature dependence of the coercivity and the induced uniaxial anisotropy field in the thickness range from 30 to 16 000 A are described. A substrate temperature range is given for minimum residual stress. Lorentz micrographs of magnetic domain walls and magnetization creep of films in the thickness range from 30 to 300 A are presented. It has been found that Neel walls creep under the influence of a unipolar hard-axis field pulse in the presence of a constant dc easy-axis field. The paper discusses the experimental results in the light of existing creep theories.


Hegel teaches that the whole series of categories or universal conceptions can be evolved from one – that is, from Seyn – by a certain process, the effect of which is to make actually thought that which was virtually latent in the thought. So that this reflection which constitutes Daseyn lies implicitly even in Seyn, and it is by explicitly evolving it from Seyn that Daseyn is evolved from Seyn. (Hegel's Werke, Bd. 3, S. 107.) The term "What is" has reference to pure Seyn only; the term "What is somehow" has reference to Daseyn.


In this paper a new methodology for detecting anomaly from few tomography projections is presented. This methodology exploits a statistical model adapted to the content of radiographs together with hypothesis testing theory. The main contributions are the following. First, using a generic model of the tomography acquisition pipeline, the whole non-destructive testing process is entirely automated. Second, by using testing theory the statistical properties of the proposed test are analytically established. This particularly permits the guaranteeing of a prescribed false-alarm probability and allows us to show that the proposed test is almost optimal. Experimental results show the sharpness of the established results and the relevance of the methodology.


Behaving in Public: How to Do Christian Ethics. By Nigel Biggar. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Publishing, 2011. 142 pp. $16.00 (paper). In an age of increasing divisiveness and polarization, Nigel Biggar's Behaving in Public proposes a compelling new way for Christians to engage issues of public concern. Eschewing the familiar options of "either a 'conservative' biblical and theological seriousness, which is shy of attending too closely to public policy; or 'liberal' engagement with public policy, which is theologically thin and bland" (p. xvii), Biggar develops a quintessentially Anglican ethic - which he calls "Barthian Thomism" - that can speak in public with theological integrity and practical wisdom. Biggar's Barthian Thomism is a "constructive integration" (p. 108) that situates Karl Earth's comprehensive theological vision within Thomas Aquinas's natural law framework. Like Earth, Biggar wants Christian ethics to display theological narrative integrity, meaning the narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and reconciliation ought to govern Christian thought, speech, and action. Like Aquinas, Biggar holds that the creation of the world by the one God entails the existence of one moral reality, which all human beings experience and know in varying degrees of clarity and completeness. The integration of these two perspectives yields the view that the revelation of God in Christ - which logically follows the revelation in creation - supplements and corrects what has been misunderstood about the natural law as a consequence of pervasive human sin (p. 109). Biggar contends this widespread yet imperfect awareness of God s revelation in the natural law justifies the conclusion that the story Christians tell, and the positions they advocate, can be understood and valued by non-Christians when properly explained. Thus, theological narrative integrity does not remove the option of forging some measure of consensus with non-Christians on pressing issues of public policy. Biggar is no sectarian. The classically Anglican feature of this ethic is its use of casuistry - which fits the British appreciation of the empirical and follows the example of Anglican moralists like Kenneth Kirk (pp. 1 10-1 1 1) - in moving from general theological and moral principles to formulate particular policy proposals and moral guidelines in concrete cases. Biggar, therefore, expounds an ethic that resists the "conservative/liberal" dichotomy. His confidence in Scripture and the Christian tradition motivates humble, charitable, and prophetic public engagement that ranges from "the theologically sublime" to "the casuistically meticulous" (p. 23). This delightful and important book is divided into five concise chapters. Chapter 1 defines theological narrative integrity. Biggar wants Christians to "tell it as they see it," all the while remembering the integrity of their speech is what matters, not its distinctiveness, as the former is a virtue and the latter "is an accident of history" (pp. …


In this paper, we implement the local fractional natural homotopy perturbation method (LFNHPM) to solve certain local fractional partial differential equations (LFPDEs) with fractal initial conditions occurring in physical sciences in a fractal domain. LFPDEs successfully exhibit the important properties of physical models occurring in a fractal medium. The working methodology depicts the feasibility and accuracy of the implemented approach for given LFPDEs. Moreover, the solutions for LFPDEs are obtained in a closed form and are in the good agreement with the previously determined results. The numerical simulations are also investigated for each of the LFPDE on Cantor set. The implementation of the method in view of numerical simulations authenticates that the applied method is precise, and useful to investigate the solutions of partial differential equations with local fractional derivatives.


ABSTRACT Enterochromaffin (EC) cells are the primary mechanosensors of the gastrointestinal (GI) epithelium. In response to mechanical stimuliEC cells release serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT). The molecular details ofEC cell mechanosensitivity are poorly understood. Recently, our group found that human and mouseEC cells express the mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo2. The mechanosensitive currents in a humanEC cell model QGP-1 were blocked by the mechanosensitive channel blocker D-GsMTx4. In the present study we aimed to characterize the effects of the mechanosensitive ion channel inhibitor spider peptide D-GsMTx4 on the mechanically stimulated currents from both QGP-1 and human Piezo2 transfected HEK-293 cells. We found co-localization of 5-HT and Piezo2 in QGP-1 cells by immunohistochemistry. QGP-1 mechanosensitive currents had biophysical properties similar to dose-dependently Piezo2 and were inhibited by D-GsMTx4. In response to direct displacement of cell membranes, human Piezo2 transiently expressed in HEK-293 cells produced robust rapidly activating and inactivating inward currents. D-GsMTx4 reversibly and dose-dependently inhibited both the potency and efficacy of Piezo2 currents in response to mechanical force. Our data demonstrate an effective inhibition of Piezo2 mechanosensitive currents by the spider peptide D-GsMTx4.


1. Quaternary Research in Indonesia: Introduction Susan G.Keates & Juliette M.Pasveer 2. New insight on the prehistoric chronology of Gunung Sewu, Jave, Indonesia H.Truman Simanjuntak 3. The cervids from the Ngebung site ('Kabuh' series, Sangiran Dome, Central Java) and their biostratigraphical significance Anne-Marie Moigne, Rokhus Due Awe, Francois Semah & Anne-Marie Semah 4. The significance of the Punung karstic area (eastern Java) for the chronology of the Javanese Paleolithic, with special reference to the Song Terus cave Francois Semah, Anne-Marie Semah, Christine Flagueres, Florent Detroit, Xavier Gallet, Sebastian Hameau, Anne-Marie Moigne & H.Truman Simanjuntak 5. A Late Pleistocene and Holocene sedimentary record in Central Java and its palaeoclimatic significance Anne-Marie Semah, Francois Semah, Rachid Moudrikah, Francois Frohlich & Tony Djubiantono 6. AMS radiocarbon dates on bone from cave sites in southeast Java, Indonesia, including Wajak Richard Shutler Jr, John M.Head, Douglas J.Donahue, A.J. Timothy Jull, Mike F.Barbetti, Shuji Matsu'ura, john de Vos & Paul Storm 7. Notes on the Palaeolithic finds from the Walanae valley, southwest Sulawesi, in the context of the Late Pleistocene of Island Southeast Asia Susan G.Keates 8. Leang Sakapao 1, a second dated Pleistocene site from South Sulawesi, Indonesia David Bulbeck, Iwan Sumantri & Peter Hiscock 9. Divided in space, united in time: The Holocene prehistory of South Sulawesi David Bulbeck 10. Late Quaternary faunal successions in South Sulawesi, Indonesia Allison Simons & David Bulbeck 11. Of nuts, seeds and tubers: The archaeobotanical evidence from Leang Burung 1 Victor J.Paz 12. South Sulawesi in the corridor of island populations along South Asia's Pacific rim David Bulbeck 13. Manuel Pinto's inland sea: Using palaeoenvironmental techniques to assesshistorical evidence from southwest Sulawesi Ian Caldwell & Malcolm Lillie 14. The bone industry of Ulu Leang 1 and Leang Burung 1 rockshelters, Sulawesi, Indonesia, in its regional context Sandra L.Olsen & Ian C.Glover 15. Prehistoric bone artefacts from the northern Moluccas, Indonesia Juliette M.PAsveer & Peter Bellwood 16. Pia Hudale Rockshelter: A terminal Pleistocene occupation site on Roti Island, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia Mahirta, Ken P.Aplin, David Bulbeck, Walter E.Boles & Peter Bellwood


The mechanism of partial discharge (PD) occurring in the CIGRE Method II (CM-II) electrode system, which is a representative closed-void model system is discussed in the context of a computer-aided PD measuring system. Measurements of PD are made for the CM-II electrode system. Effects of the pressure and gas inside the void on the PD are examined. Taking into account the experimental results, a model for the PD mechanism is proposed. This model assumes that the statistical time lag of discharge depends on the overvoltage and that the residual voltage depends on the PD magnitude. A Monte Carlo simulation of the PD distribution is made on the basis of this model. The computed results agree well with the experimental data and the appearance of swarming pulsive micro discharges. The physics of the model are discussed. >


This paper gives the complete analysis of the output current ripple in three-phase voltage source inverters considering the different discontinuous pulse-width modulation (DPWM) strategies. In particular, peak-to-peak current ripple amplitude is analytically evaluated over the fundamental period and compared among the most used DPWMs, including positive and negative clamped (DPWM+ and DPWM−), and the four possible combinations between them, usually named as DPWM0, DPWM1, DPWM2, and DPWM3. The maximum and the average values of peak-to-peak current ripple are estimated, and a simple method to correlate the ripple envelope with the ripple rms is proposed and verified. Furthermore, all the results obtained by DPWMs are compared to the centered pulse-width modulation (CPWM, equivalent to the space vector modulation) to identify the optimal pulse-width modulation (PWM) strategy as a function of the modulation index, taking into account the different average switching frequency. In this way, the PWM technique providing for the minimum output current ripple is identified over the whole modulation range. The analytical developments and the main results are experimentally verified by current ripple measurements with a three-phase PWM inverter prototype supplying an induction motor load.