Cyanogen chloride (CNCl) and trichloramine (NCl3) are important disinfection byproducts in chlorinated swimming pools. However, some unknowns exist regarding the precursors of their formation. In this study, uric acid is shown to be an efficient precursor to formation of CNCl and NCl3. The molar yields of CNCl and NCl3 were observed to be as high as 44% (pH = 6.0, chlorine/precursor molar ratio [Cl/P] = 6.4) and 108% (pH = 7.0, Cl/P = 30), respectively, both being strong functions of Cl/P, pH, and temperature. Analysis of swimming pool water samples, combined with the results of experiments involving chlorination of uric acid, and chlorination of body fluid analog mixtures, indicated that uric acid chlorination may account for a large fraction of CNCl formation in swimming pools. Moreover, given that uric acid introduction to pools is attributable to urination, a voluntary action for most swimmers, these findings indicate important benefits to pool water and air chemistry that could result from improved hygiene habits on the part of swimmers.


It is important that plasma low-density lipoprotein and, ideally, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentrations should be measured in all hypertensives in order that progress can be measured, because the risks of combined hypertension and hyperlipidaemia are so great. The dietary recommendations, however, are for whole populations and are in effect of a prophylactic nature against the commonest complications of hypertension.


Shelter Network is a nonprofit organization that delivers a range of services that meet the needs of homeless families and individuals in order to help them achieve stable housing and self-sufficiency. The agency began as a grassroots community effort to respond to the growing problem of homelessness and its relationship with its external community continues to play an important role in its financing, growth, and development. Over its 20-year history, Shelter Network has overcome multiple challenges related to leadership, finance, and community support and has grown from a grassroots agency into an organization with a budget of $7 million.


Selecting an appropriate, effective euthanasia agent is controversial. Several recent publications provide clarity on the use of CO 2 in laboratory rats and mice. This review examines previous studies on CO 2 euthanasia and presents the current body of knowledge on the subject. Potential areas for further investigation and recommendations are provided.


Kenya is an oil importing developing country with rapidly increasing commercial energy consumption whereas the oil industry is a very important sector in the economy. The oil prices revolution has profound impact on the Kenyan economy. Severe effects are felt in form of inflation, unemployment and direct income losses resulting in large current account deficit. Petroleum is the second largest source of primary energy and the largest source of commercial energy for the modem sector in Kenyan economy. Light diesel oil is the most consumed petroleum product. Motor spirit is third after fuel oil. Thus demand for gasoline (motor spirit and light diesel oil) is, therefore, central to economic development. On the other hand, gasoline consumption has negative effects to the environment in form of vehicular emissions. This calls for further investigation on the determinants of gasoline demand and its impact on the environment. The objective of this study is to analyze the factors that determine gasoline consumption in Kenya. It incorporates a more detailed analysis of the relationship that constitutes the demand for gasoline and the environment in Kenya and uses the results to make policy suggestions. The exercise is deemed necessary to provide important information to policy makers on the energy sector. Ordinary Least Square estimation method is applied on a dynamic double-log model for motor spirit (regular and premium) and light diesel oil using annual countrywide data The parameters in the model are estimated using time senes data and the cointegration approach is applied. The data was extracted from secondary sources in yearly series for the period 1963 to 2000. The results show that gasoline is significantly driven by income. The income was found to be elastic. Other variables affect gasoline differently. The policy recommendation based on the results of estimated model emerged that pricing policies should be accompanied by other policies to achieve the desired objectives.


The detection and characterisation of corrosion in pipework is a significant challenge across a wide range of industries. A common inspection technique is the use of monolithic ultrasound probes to perform pulse echo measurements to characterise the remaining wall thickness. Although this is one of the most conceptually straightforward ultrasonic measurements, there are complicated interacting effects such as surface roughness, probe size, operating frequency and signal analysis method. The use of numerical modelling rather than experimental trials can accelerate the optimisation and qualification of the inspection. This paper presents results of applying an efficient sampling and interpolation algorithm that minimises the number of model evaluations required to build an accurate surrogate model of the inspection outcome. The application of sensitivity analysis to this model demonstrates that the inspection is insensitive to the dimensions of the probe and is highly sensitive to changes in the wall thickness and changes in the frequency properties of the probe, demonstrating the suitability of the inspection.


ABSTRACT In furniture factories, the cutting of medium density fiberboard (MDF) generates high concentrations of particulates suspended in the air, which, depending on their dimensions, can reach the sensitive areas of the respiratory tract of workers. The aim of this study was to test a method to measure particle sizes derived from the cutting of wood paneling. The experiment was conducted in two small furniture factories located in the municipality of Lavras, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. During the cutting of MDF, airborne particles were collected and measured by means of optical microscopy. The data obtained showed a critical condition in the work environments, with high concentrations of small particles (<10 microns), which could be lodged in the workers' lungs. The particle measuring process proved to be accurate and easy to perform. In addition, it is worth noting the importance of investment in personal protective equipment (PPE) such as hoods and/ or PFF2 dust masks for the protection of workers.


The concepts of a general hardware and software architecture for the execution control of autonomous mobile robots are discussed. These concepts were applied to build HILARE II, a new experimental mobile robot. By definition, a control structure is composed of the software elements responsible for the execution control of robot actions. In this approach, the control structure of a complex robotic system can be viewed as successive software layers, built on the top of the physical robot. The first layer (logical robot) implements the access to the physical robot by higher level software layers. The next layer (module substratum) consists of a group of functional modules which cooperate to accomplish the tasks required by a central controller. Each module is capable of executing specific services, by acting either on the logical robot or on other modules. The module substratum represents the distributed control component of the system. A central controller verifies the robot's and the environment's state evolution, ensures the applicability of planned actions, starts the execution of these actions, and defects/recovers from possible failures.<<ETX>>


Objective To perform an external validation and direct comparison of published prognostic models for early prediction of the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, including predictors applicable in the first trimester of pregnancy. Design External validation of all published prognostic models in large scale, prospective, multicentre cohort study. Setting 31 independent midwifery practices and six hospitals in the Netherlands. Participants Women recruited in their first trimester (<14 weeks) of pregnancy between December 2012 and January 2014, at their initial prenatal visit. Women with pre-existing diabetes mellitus of any type were excluded. Main outcome measures Discrimination of the prognostic models was assessed by the C statistic, and calibration assessed by calibration plots. Results 3723 women were included for analysis, of whom 181 (4.9%) developed gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnancy. 12 prognostic models for the disorder could be validated in the cohort. C statistics ranged from 0.67 to 0.78. Calibration plots showed that eight of the 12 models were well calibrated. The four models with the highest C statistics included almost all of the following predictors: maternal age, maternal body mass index, history of gestational diabetes mellitus, ethnicity, and family history of diabetes. Prognostic models had a similar performance in a subgroup of nulliparous women only. Decision curve analysis showed that the use of these four models always had a positive net benefit. Conclusions In this external validation study, most of the published prognostic models for gestational diabetes mellitus show acceptable discrimination and calibration. The four models with the highest discriminative abilities in this study cohort, which also perform well in a subgroup of nulliparous women, are easy models to apply in clinical practice and therefore deserve further evaluation regarding their clinical impact.


Low-volume – high intensity exercise has been shown to potentially be a time-efficient way to produce beneficial effects of exercise. Studies however have often demonstrated this in groups with existing pathophysiology and the relative benefits of high-intensity versus more usual moderate intensity interventions or resistance training remains unclear, as well as the durations required. Using a cross-sectional and an interventional approach we assessed relationships between exercise and cardiovascular risk factors within a young healthy population. 136 individuals had key measures of common cardiovascular risk including blood pressure, cholesterol and a 12-lead ECG taken, as well as completing a detailed exercise diary detailing volumes and intensity of exercise participation. A sub-set of 22 subjects participated in a six-week high-intensity exercise training programme comprising three sessions per week performing 10 sprints at 90–100% heart rate reserve (as assessed from measures of maximal heart rate reassessed every two weeks). All procedures were approved by the University of Leeds ethics committee. Weekly volume of exercise participated in did not significantly correlate with systolic blood pressure or total cholesterol, however intensity of exercise over the preceding 3 months did correlate significantly but positively with systolic pressure (p = 0.0164, regression coefficient 0.268 from Pearson correlation), a surprising potentially negative effect. Resistance training participation showed no correlation with blood pressure in terms of volume or intensity. Total volume of exercise participated in correlated with HDL cholesterol (r = 0.2, p = 0.03), but not intensity. With respect to ECG parameters volume of exercise showed no correlation with Tpeak-Tend but intensity of exercise correlated with the amplitude of T-wave alternans (r = 0.35, p < 0.05), a commonly used indicator of arrhythmia risk. The intense interval training protocol lead to a small but significant fall in total cholesterol (–0.3 mg.dl-1, p = 0.01; paired t-test) but not systolic blood pressure and had no effect on HDL cholesterol. The interval training protocol however also lead to a significant increase in the amplitude of T wave alternans (from 3.9 ± 1.4 µV to 7.62 ± 4.22 µV, p = 0.01) as well as increased T and R wave amplitudes in only six weeks. The data show the diverse possible impacts of exercise intensity versus volume. Volume and duration of training appears to be necessary for beneficial effects on HDL cholesterol. In contrast high intensity training offers potentially no benefit and possibly even negative effects. The ability of such a short intense protocol to effect notable cardiac electrical changes presumably mapping to structural remodelling and changes in cardiac repolarisation stability raises questions with regards to the use of, and effectively monitoring the safety of participation in intense exercise training programmes.


Background: Victim-Offender Mediation (VOM) is a known restorative justice solution around
the world. However, not many victims are participating in this form of mediation. This is often
due to insecurities towards the offender and lack of preparation for mediation. Here, Virtual
Reality (VR) is expected to be a solution that could help to enhance participation. In clinical
cases, VR has been shown to help clients to overcome their fear, get more comfortable and
familiar with specific situations. Thus, the aim of the study was to investigate the factors that
lead people to try VR in this context. Thereby, performance expectancy and social support were
expected to be positively related and effort expectancy was expected to be negatively related to
the behavioral intention to use the system. The variables were derived from the Unified Theory
of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. In addition, age and gender were
expected to moderate this relationship.
Methods: A convenience sample of 97 people who participated in the online study about using
VR in the context of VOM was taken. Participants imagined being a victim of a given scenario.
Afterwards, they got information about the possibility to participate in VOM. Further, they got
insights into a VR application that would get them acquainted with VOM. Questions asked were
meant to measure the mentioned independent variables and the dependent variable.
Results: Analysis revealed that performance expectancy and social support were, as expected,
positive predictors for the intention to use VR. Yet, fear, the indication to actually meet the
researcher to try VR in VOM and the wish to participate in VOM were all positive predictors as
well. Moreover, men who have more social support were found to be more inclined to use VR
for VOM than women who have more social support.
Conclusion: Overall, this research was a first step towards the use of VR in the context of VOM
and shows that people who think they would perform well with the application and people who
imagine that significant others would think using the VR system is a good idea are more inclined
to use such an intervention.


This work develops a methodology for the calculation of the redistributive effects at territorial level caused by the budgetary activity of the regional governments and applies it to the Autonomous Community of Aragon in the 1999-2001 period. The obtained results show that the regional governments can cause important redistributive effects at provincial level and that such effects move away substantially of the habitual normative criterion that takes as reference the population and the GDP. These effects are much more noticeable and less predictable than the ones generated by the central government, according to the most recent estimations of the regional fiscal balances.


The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of capital intensity, sales growth, leverage on tax avoidance and profitability as a moderator. Tax Avoidance in this study was measured using the cash effective tax rate (CETR) approach and leverage was measured using the debt to equity ratio (DER). Profitability as a moderating variable is measured using return on assets (ROA). The research sample uses food and beverage sub-sector manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The research method used is a purposive sampling approach. The number of companies used in this study were 11 companies with a research period span of five years, so the number of samples used in this study was 55 samples. The model in this study uses multiple linear regression. The results of the study prove that the variables of capital intensity and sales growth have an effect on tax avoidance. On the other hand, leverage proxies with DER has no effect on tax avoidance. The results of this study can also prove that profitability is proxyed by return on assets to moderate the effect of leverage on tax avoidance. On the other hand, profitability as proxied by return on assets cannot moderate the effect of capital intensity and sales growth on tax avoidance.


This paper analyses the plane strain problem of a fracture, driven by injection of an incompressible viscous Newtonian fluid, which propagates parallel to the free surface of an elastic half‐plane. The problem is governed by a hyper‐singular integral equation, which relates crack opening to net pressure according to elasticity, and by the lubrication equations which describe the laminar fluid flow inside the fracture. The challenge in solving this problem results from the changing nature of the elasticity operator with growth of the fracture, and from the existence of a lag zone of a priori unknown length between the crack tip and the fluid front. Scaling of the governing equations indicates that the evolution problem depends in general on two numbers, one which can be interpreted as a dimensionless toughness and the other as a dimensionless confining stress. The numerical method adopted to solve this non‐linear evolution problem combines the displacement discontinuity method and a finite difference scheme on a fixed grid, together with a technique to track both crack and fluid fronts. It is shown that the solution evolves in time between two asymptotic similarity solutions. The small time asymptotic solution corresponding to the solution of a hydraulic fracture in an infinite medium under zero confining stress, and the large time to a solution where the aperture of the fracture is similar to the transverse deflection of a beam clamped at both ends and subjected to a uniformly distributed load. It is shown that the size of the lag decreases (to eventually vanish) with increasing toughness and compressive confining stress. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The ding-dong charade of Edo State Council for Arts and Culture Performing Troupe (ESCFAACPT) cannot be divorced from the vacillating condition the establishment had been experiencing since its establishment. This condition is fore-grounded, first, on the cacophony of nomenclature that the council had been associated with, and second, on the mindset of the various governors that have ruled the state since its inception. Another aspect of this discourse would be the achievements of the troupe, and the calibre of artists it had bred and accommodated over the years. Deploying historical-analytic and interview methods, this study is anchored on performance studies and historicity as proposed by Richard Schechner (2013). It advocates that successive governments since the middle of the nineteen nineties had suppressed performance and creativity in the ESCFAACPT through neglect and disinterestedness. This has made the troupe to become ineffective, ineffectual, and incapable of adapting to modern techniques in arts and cultural administration, management and performance, which are vital for its survival and success in contemporary performance. Keywords: ESCFAACPT, Cultural administration, ACFN, FESTAC, ESAC, Edo State, Nigeria


Nowadays, a passive vibration control technique using dynamic vibration absorbers (DVA) has drawn many researchers' attention in the structural dynamic field. The reason is that this technique is simple and it can work effectively in reducing the vibration response when its parameters are optimally designed. The DVA fundamental concept is the addition of a new vibration system to the primary system. This new system addition causes reduction of the vibration response of the primary system during excited by a dynamic load. One simple technique to realize the DVA for structural application is by using water vibration. This research is aimed to develop one type of dynamic vibration absorber using the water vibration system in a U-shaped container for a two-story building structure model. Besides being used as the dynamic absorber, this U-shaped container is also functioned as the water storage tank in the building. Regarding reduce the first bending mode response of the structure in x-z and y-z plane, two U-shaped water storage tanks are placed on the upper floor of the building. The dimensions of the water storage tanks are designed so that the natural frequency of moving water in the tank is the same as the natural frequency of the first bending mode of the structure in x-z and y-z plane. The performance of dynamic absorber is evaluated by applying the impulsive and seismic loads on the building. The simulation results show that the U-shaped water storage tank placed on the upper floor of the building can reduce the response amplitude of the structure under impulsive loads. Meanwhile, for the seismic load case, the performance of dynamic absorber is clearly seen when the excitation frequency is close to the natural frequency of the building structure.


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology in which alternate Six Sigma projects are prioritized and selected using appropriate multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods in healthcare organizations. This study addresses a particular gap in implementing a systematic methodology for Six Sigma project prioritization and selection in the healthcare industry.

Design/methodology/approach
This study develops a methodology in which alternate Six Sigma projects are prioritized and selected using a modified Kemeny median indicator rank accordance (KEMIRA-M), an MCDM method based on a case study in healthcare organizations. The case study was hypothetically developed in the healthcare industry and presented to demonstrate the proposed framework's applicability and validity for future decision-makers who will take place in Six Sigma project selection processes.

Findings
The study reveals that the Six Sigma project prioritized by KEMIRA-M assign the highest ranks to patient satisfaction, revenue enhancement and sigma level benefit criteria, while resource utilization and process cycle time receive the lowest rank.

Practical implications
The methodology developed in this paper proposes an MCDM-based approach for practitioners to prioritize and select Six Sigma projects in the healthcare industry. The findings regarding patient satisfaction and revenue enhancement mesh with the current trends that dominate and regulate the industry. KEMIRA-M provides flexibility for Six Sigma project selection and uses multiple criteria in two-criteria groups, simultaneously. In this study, a more objective KEMIRA-M method was suggested by implementing two different ranking-based weighting approaches.

Originality/value
This is the first study that implements KEMIRA-M in Six Sigma project prioritization and selection process in the healthcare industry. To overcome previous KEMIRA-M shortcomings, two ranking based weighting approaches were proposed to form a weighting procedure of KEMIRA-M. As the first implementation of the KEMIRA-M weighting procedure, the criteria weighting procedure of the KEMIRA-M method was developed using two different weighting methods based on ranking. The study provides decision-makers with a methodology that considers both benefit and cost type criteria for alternates and gives importance to experts' rankings related to criteria and the performance values of alternates for criteria.


Metal clusters really close-up Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be used to reveal subatomic structures. By this means, Emmrich et al. found that individual copper and iron atoms formed toroidal structures on a copper surface. These shapes arise from the electrostatic attractions in the center of the atoms and Pauli repulsions at their edges. Individual atoms within clusters have underlying surface symmetry and can bind to different surface sites as clusters form. Science, this issue p. 308 Torodial images of adsorbed metal atoms and clusters reflect their bonding symmetry. Clusters built from individual iron atoms adsorbed on surfaces (adatoms) were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) with subatomic resolution. Single copper and iron adatoms appeared as toroidal structures and multiatom clusters as connected structures, showing each individual atom as a torus. For single adatoms, the toroidal shape of the AFM image depends on the bonding symmetry of the adatom to the underlying structure [twofold for copper on copper(110) and threefold for iron on copper(111)]. Density functional theory calculations support the experimental data. The findings correct our previous work, in which multiple minima in the AFM signal were interpreted as a reflection of the orientation of a single front atom, and suggest that dual and triple minima in the force signal are caused by dimer and trimer tips, respectively.


Plantations for Energy in Brazil Brazil has over 4 million hectares of eucalypt plantations. Within that estate some plantations are dedicated to the production of charcoal while in some areas multiple land use includes forestry and agricultural production. Focus in recent years has been on very high initial stocking of eucalypts combined with short rotations. End use varies from bioenergy to pulp and reconstituted board companies who seek more efficient fibre production. The issue of cost effective harvesting machinery has yet to be solved although using new harvesting technologies developed for willow in the northern hemisphere and eucalypts in Australia provides concepts to be verified in Brazil.


The candidate gases for the replacement of SF6 in magnesium melt protection were reviewed from the viewpoint of environmental effects, melt protection properties, and chemical properties. The surface films formed under fluorine bearing gases were analyzed by using XPS. The XPS results revealed that the surface films consist of MgO and MgF2. The fluorine content of the surface film increases with increasing gas concentration and exposure time. The Pilling- Bedworth ratio (PBR) of MgO was 0.73, and the porous magnesium oxide could not cover the whole melt surface. PBR of MgF2 was 1.29, and the surface film which contains MgF2 could cover a lager area of the melt surface. This higher PBR of composite surface film prevented further oxidation and evaporation of magnesium.


Much research in QoS routing has focused on the unicast communication paradigm. However, another communication paradigm - anycasting - has grown in importance. In the anycast paradigm, one endpoint is specified and the other is selected from a set of "equivalent" endpoints. An anycast service in a QoS-based network requires selection of both an endpoint and a path that satisfies a QoS constraint. This article provides background material on anycasting in both best-effort networks and QoS-based networks. We then focus on the differentiated services QoS model, and present the design of a QoS-based anycasting architecture consistent with that model. Via simulations, we explore the design options implied by the architecture, including signaling protocols, server selection/sorting algorithms, and resource reservation granularity. We conclude by highlighting open problems in the emerging area of QoS-based anycasting.


This article provides an overview of freedom of establishment and developments in the European market for corporate charters twenty years after the ECJ's important Centros decision of March 1999. Both for initial incorporations and reincorporations, ECJ case law has emerged as a key driver in providing the demand side the possibility to freely choose the applicable law. In fact, private limited companies in particular have reacted positively to the opportunities offered. From the supply side perspective, Member States have responded to the new challenges, particularly with respect to the relaxation of the minimal capital requirements of private limited liability companies. Nevertheless, the recent Kornhaas case of 2015 has complicated the picture of the European market for corporate charters, with the possible intersections between company law and insolvency law that may modify the incentives for a free choice of company law.


OBJECTIVEConventional MRI is routinely used to demonstrate the anatomical site of spinal cord injury (SCI). However, quantitative and qualitative imaging parameters have limited use in predicting neurological outcomes. Currently, there are no reliable neuroimaging biomarkers to predict short- and long-term outcome after SCI.METHODSA prospective cohort of 23 patients with SCI (19 with cervical SCI [CSCI] and 4 with thoracic SCI [TSCI]) treated between 2007 and 2014 was included in the study. The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) score was determined at the time of arrival and at 1-year follow-up. Only 15 patients (12 with CSCI and 3 with TSCI) had 1-year follow-up. Whole-cord fractional anisotropy (FA) was determined at C1-2, following which C1-2 was divided into upper, middle, and lower segments and the corresponding FA value at each of these segments was calculated. Correlation analysis was performed between FA and ASIA score at time of arrival and 1-year follow-up.RESULTSCorrelation analysis showed a positive but nonsignificant correlation (p = 0.095) between FA and ASIA score for all patients (CSCI and TCSI) at the time of arrival. Additional regression analysis consisting of only patients with CSCI showed a significant correlation (p = 0.008) between FA and ASIA score at time of arrival as well as at 1-year follow-up (p = 0.025). Furthermore, in case of patients with CSCI, a significant correlation between FA value at each of the segments (upper, middle, and lower) of C1-2 and ASIA score at time of arrival was found (p = 0.017, p = 0.015, and p = 0.002, respectively).CONCLUSIONSIn patients with CSCI, the measurement of diffusion anisotropy of the high cervical cord (C1-2) correlates significantly with injury severity and long-term follow-up. However, this correlation is not seen in patients with TSCI. Therefore, FA can be used as an imaging biomarker for evaluating neural injury and monitoring recovery in patients with CSCI.


The problem of evil is of universal concern to humankind. Various attempts have been made to account for it in Western philosophy as well as in world religions such as Christianity, Islam and African traditional religion. This article examines the Yoruba existentialist attitude to the problem of evil. Using the Yoruba oral tradition, it posits that for the Yoruba evil is the creation of each individual, so that God cannot be blamed for its existence. I conclude the article with my own personal view that given the individual as a carrier of evil seed, the best existential outlook is to be ready to face, with stoic courage, whatever life brings one's way. Key Words Ibi , Yoruba, Traditional-Existentialist, Evil


This study aimed to explore EFL learners' views toward Blended English language learning (BL) as a course. It was focused on three domains of the questionnaire of BL for English course consisting of perceptions and attitudes of BL, negative impressions of BL, and the concept of BL as the learners perceive them (Ja'ashan, 2015). The method of this study was descriptive design which employed a questionnaire as the main instrument. The data were analyzed by estimating frequency and percentages, means and SD, and by exploring significant differences between male and female EFL learners' views of BL. The results revealed that there are several problems and weaknesses found in BL such as non-interactive and complicated activities, slow internet connectivity, unavailability of instructors, unorganized materials, complicated instructions. BL has some benefits for the learners such as collaborative delivery method, more reading materials, useful computer programs, helpful social network application, and more valuable information.


ABSTRACT A novel Pickering-stabilized emulsion gel with controlled rheological properties was derived from wheat gliadin nanoparticles-stabilized emulsions by altering preparation conditions (pH, ionic strength or oil content). The formed nanoparticles were relatively small uniform spheres particles (d < 120 nm), whose surface potential (ζ-potential) changed from +9.9 mV to −14.19 mV with the pH of the solution increased from 3.5 to 9. The isoelectric point of gliadin nanoparticles was around pH 6.8. The nanoparticles were highly susceptible to aggregation at pH values near their isoelectric point due to a reduction of electrostatic repulsion between them. Pickering-stabilized emulsions could be formed by blending the nanoparticles with oil and water, and Pickering-stabilized emulsion gels were obtained by altering pH, ionic strength or oil content of the dispersions. Creaming stabilities and rheological properties of the emulsion gels were modulated. Stable Pickering-stabilized emulsion gels with relatively large elastic modulus were formed with 70% oil content at pH 5.5 and 6.0 in the absence of NaCl. The viscosity increased with the increasing of oil content and salt concentration, and the viscosity enhanced when the pH around the isoelectric point. These results may facilitate the design of novel viscoelastic emulsion gels with the Pickering-stabilize mechanism which are suitable for utilizing in foods and other products. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


Lineament identifi cation is a standard but controversial hydrogeologic practice. In this study, we present a rigorous examination of the hydrology of lineaments in a crystalline bedrock setting. Lineaments are reinterpreted as watershed-scale hydraulic barriers, in contrast to previous interpretations as fractured conduits that focus recharge and fl ow. In the study area, an ~900 km 2 watershed underlain by the granitic and gneissic terrain of the Canadian Shield, bedrock lineaments are associated with linear lake shores and perennial wetland complexes. Lineaments were identifi ed using a robust multi-image method and characterized by remote sensing, fracture mapping, drilling, hydraulic characterization, and numerical simulation of a coupled groundwater‐surface-water system. Results indicate that two principal lineament sets are oriented parallel to fracture and fault orientations, and thus lineaments are interpreted as structural features, either fault zones or fracture zones with limited displacement. Faulted lineaments are more effectively identifi ed by digital elevation model (DEM) topographic data rather than Landsat tonal imagery. Hydrogeological characterization and geomatic data indicate that the fractured bedrock underlying lineaments is composed of poorly connected zones of reduced permeability due to fault zone and/or fl uid fl ow processes. Field data and numerical simulations suggest that lineament areas are barriers to recharge and fl ow in this setting as a result of permeability reduction. Integrated data sets and models of lineament permeability that are geologically realistic result in a better understanding of fractured bedrock aquifers and patterns of flfl ow in the brittle uppermost crust.


The
earthquake in northeastern Japan that occurred on March 11, 2011 brought about
the nuclear accident, resulting in the detection of radioactive cesium in soil
and water over a wide region around Fukusihma. In this study, with the aim of
the establishment of an effective method for removing cesium from water
contaminated with cesium, the functionalized membrane with large cesium
adsorption capacity per unit mass was prepared by combining nanofibers having a
large specific surface area with iron ferrocyanide having a high selectivity
for cesium adsorption. The nanofiber membrane made of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)
was used as a base material of the functionalized membrane. Nanofiber membranes
were immersed in the dispersions of iron ferrocyanide with various
concentrations and pH values. After taking it out, it was dried at various
temperatures and then non-immobilized iron ferrocyanide was completely removed
through cleaning. As a result of the evaluation of completed affinity
membranes, the amount of iron ferrocyanide immobilized by the nanofiber
membrane increased significantly with the increase in the iron ferrocyanide
concentration but subsequently showed a tendency to decrease rapidly, resulting
in a distinct maximum at the iron ferrocyanide concentration of 3 wt%. And, the
supported amount of iron ferrocyanide to the nanofiber membrane increased as pH
became lower. Moreover, it was found that as high temperature as possible
without exceeding the glass transition temperature of PAN was optimal as a
drying temperature of prepared affinity membrane.


This paper surveys sensing assessment solutions from the literature with a particular focus on techniques which can be used in unknown environments, including the following: sensor fault detection and identification (FDI), sensor or source evaluation, and isolating poorly sensed regions. Each approach is evaluated in terms of its ability to perform sensing assessment tasks in unknown environments and its coverage of the range of potential sensing problems. These tasks include sensing problem detection and characterization, as well as performance evaluation (e.g., estimating accuracy or reliability), for a sensor or group of sensors. This survey shows that over 40 existing approaches are focused on either detection and identification of traditional sensor faults (e.g., drift or physical damage) in known environments or evaluation of the reliability of a source (e.g., sensor or agent). Only eight approaches surveyed have tackled environment-dependent problems (e.g., exteroceptive sensor FDI, miscalibration, or use of an inappropriate sensor) in a useful manner for unknown environments. Even less work (two studies) appears to have been done on isolating poorly sensed regions. The survey concludes with a list of opportunities for future research, including developing methods for detecting and characterizing environment-dependent problems and creating comprehensive sensing assessment systems.


Corynebacterium Parvum is an anaerobic diphtherioid bacterium which suppresses the rate of development and spread of a wide variety of transplantable rodent tumours. It has also been suggested that the bacterium might be of therapeutic benefit to humans suffering from cancer. The experimental work of this thesis discusses some of the effects of C. Parvum on mononuclear phagocyte cells both in normal rats, and rats bearing carcinogen induced cancers of the colon. Particular attention has been paid to this class of cells since it is considered that they are the mediators of the anti tumour effects of the bacterium. In addition, the results of two clinical trials reporting the results of C. Parvum in the treatment of post operative human cancers are presented. Experimental Work The dose of C. Parvum used in the experimental work was calculated from preliminary experiments. C. Parvum was given to adult female Wistar Rats by a variety of routes at different dose rates. Stimulation of the reticuloendothelial system was assessed by measurements of the resulting splenomegaly. It was considered that the optimum dose calculated by this work would also cause stimulation of mononuclear phagocytes. An experimental rat model has been described at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology in Oxford which enables the continuous collection of effluent gut lymph containing mononuclear phagocytes. It is argued that these cells represent tissue mononuclear phagocytes and lymph collected in this way enables a dynamic assessment of cell traffic in the gut wall. A dose of C. Parvum which caused marked reticuloendothelial stimulation had no measured effect on these gut associated mononuclear cells nor on cells showing the capacity to ingest antibody coated sheep red blood cells. These studies were repeated in rats bearing small colonic cancers induced by dimethylhydrazine. Once again the dose of C. Parvum which was given had no effect on gut associated mononuclear cells or phagocytes. However, the numbers of phagocytic cells were markedly suppressed in all of the tumour bearing rats, whether or not they had been treated with C. Parvum. Since the dose of C. Parvum caused splenomegaly but had no effects on mononuclear phagocytes in effluent gut lymph, other effects of this treatment were studied. The dose of C. Parvum which was used caused; 1. Blood changes : an immediate lymphocytopaenia with a concomittant granulocytosis in peripheral blood. Subsequently the granulocyte level returned to normal levels but the lymphocytes showed a small, but significant increase above the original value by two weeks after treatment. Monocyte numbers in the peripheral blood were not affected. 2. Peritoneal exudates and splenic macerates : esterase positive and phagocytic cells obtained from both of these sources showed a fall one week after treatment followed by a rise by two weeks. 3. Histological changes : there was a marked increase in the area of the white pulp, and probably also the red pulp of the spleen. Both the spleen and caecal lymph nodes showed histological evidence of stimulation of the reticuloendothelial system. It had been hoped to identify tissue macrophages using acid phosphatase, glucuronidase and non specific esterase staining techniques. However, it was not possible to assess post treatment changes by this method. Clinical Two clinical trials are reported describing the use of C. Parvum in the adjuvant treatment of two common human cancers. In the first of these, the bacterium was given in a small intradermal dose along with an inoculum of autologous irradiated tumour cells to post operative patients after resection of Stage 1 and 2 lung cancer. In this trial an attempt was made to stimulate specific immunity against residual tumour cells. In the second trial C. Parvum was given by serial intravenous injections to patients who had undergone resection of Dukes stage B & C colorectal cancers. This approach attempted to non specifically stimulate the reticuloendothelial system with the aim of increasing the destruction of residual tumour cells by "activated" mononuclear phagocytes. In each trial nearly 100 patients were included with an equal distribution between the treatment and the control groups. It was apparent that the median times to recurrence or death were not influenced by the treatment in either trial. Considerable enthusiasm for the use of bacteria in the treatment of human cancers was generated in the early 1970's. This followed reports of improved remission rates notably after the use of B.C.G. in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and malignant melanoma. Carefully constructed clinical trials have failed to support the continued use of this kind of treatment. Both the experimental and clinical work described in this thesis suggest that immune stimulation mediated by bacteria will not provide an easy answer to the treatment of human malignant disease.


(03/11/2019) A Danish nonsense word corpus for phoneme recognition measurements Signal processing algorithms intended to improve speech intelligibility are common, e.g. in hearing aids. Due to the spectral and temporal variations between speech segments, the effect of such processing is likely to vary across the signal. To facilitate the analysis of these varying effects, a Danish speech corpus for measuring the perception of individual phonemes was developed. More than 1150 nonsense words were created according to a common template and audio-visually recorded with two male and two female talkers. Carrier sentences were also recorded. The audio recordings of all words were presented to ten normal-hearing listeners to ensure that phoneme recognition scores under optimal conditions were close to 100%. Accepted words were compiled into test lists with different characteristics. These lists were evaluated with seven normal-hearing listeners to determine norm data and to investigate memory effects. The speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) of the test lists varied between −7 to −0.9 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) depending on list type and talker. The recognition score sensitivity to the SNR was 5.2 to 8.9%/dB. Memory effects were small and not significant. The presented speech materials seem well suited for measuring phoneme recognition scores and thus for assessing signal processing effects that vary across speech segments.


One of the main limitations in the operability of modern infrared focal plane arrays of p-n junction diodes formed on molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown HgCdTe is the effect of localized defects. Such defects, including voids, triangles and microvoids, are a feature of the MBE growth regime and can compromise the performance of devices fabricated within the vicinity of electrically active defects. While such defects can often be identified visually, not all defects are electrically active such that they provide a current leakage path shunting the p-n junction of the individual photodiode. In this paper, the use of laser beam-induced current is proposed as a nondestructive characterization technique, and quantitative aspects of its use in the study of electrically active defects in photodiode arrays are examined.


Abstract. A CO2 enrichment experiment (PeECE III) was carried out in 9 mesocosms in which the seawater carbonate system was manipulated to achieve three different levels of pCO2. At the onset of the experimental period, nutrients were added to all mesocosms in order to initiate phytoplankton blooms. Primary production rates were measured by in-vitro incubations based on 14C-incorporation and oxygen production/consumption. Size fractionated particulate primary production was also determined by 14C incubation and is discussed in relation to phytoplankton composition. Primary production rates increased in response to nutrient addition and a net autotrophic phase with 14C-fixation rates up to 4 times higher than initial was observed midway through the 24 days experiment before net community production (NCP) returned to near-zero and 14C-fixation rates dropped below initial values. No clear heterotrophic phase was observed during the experiment. Based on the 14C-measurements we found higher cumulative primary production at higher pCO2 towards the end of the experiment. CO2 related differences were also found in size fractionated primary production. The most noticeable responses to CO2 treatments with respect to primary production rates occurred in the second half of the experiment when phytoplankton growth had become nutrient limited, and the phytoplankton community changed from diatom to flagellate dominance. This opens for two alternative hypotheses that the effects are either associated with mineral nutrient limited growth, and/or with a change in phytoplankton species composition. The lack of a clear net heterotrophic phase in the last part of the experiment supports the idea that a substantial part of production in the upper layer was not degraded locally, but either accumulated or exported vertically.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the frequency of systemic mastocytosis (SM) in a large series of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with t(8;21)(q22;q22).

METHODS
We retrospectively characterized 40 bone marrow aspirate smears and biopsy specimens from patients with AML with t(8;21) for the presence of SM. Cases were assessed for mast cell morphology and immunohistochemistry, as well as KIT exon 8 and 17 mutational assessment by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS
Four patients met criteria for SM, 1 met criteria for myelomastocytic leukemia, and 8 demonstrated the benign finding of mast cell hyperplasia.

CONCLUSIONS
We recommend examining all cases of AML with t(8;21) for the presence of SM via morphology, immunophenotyping, and KIT mutational analysis studies.


In recent times, online communities are emerging as a potential source of information technology-led socio-economic development by enabling new generative mechanisms. Existing studies provide useful insights yet do not recognize the contributions of online communities in achieving socio-economic development. To address this knowledge gap, this paper documents a netnography study conducted on an online community for teaching the youth how to earn income online legitimately. We applied the theoretical notion of IT affordances to examine the possibilities for socio-economic action via online communities in the context of a developing country. Preliminary findings show how the online community contributes to socio-economic development by fostering collaboration, information sharing, and learning leading to income generation.


: Morbidity and lethality rates in pneumococal infections are higher among children with underlying diseases associated with restricted or absent splenic function. Vaccination with polyvalent vaccine is indicated in all children who are more than 2 years old and who have been splenectomized or have a congenital asplenia. Since protection by vaccination is 80% only, we combine the vaccination with penicillin prophylaxis for at present at least three to five years after splenectomy and draw the express attention of parents and family physicians to the limited nature of protection afforded by vaccination. An increase in the immunogenicity of polysaccharid antigen vaccine might lead to successful vaccination of children below 2 years of age who are notable for a particularly high risk of infection. First reports have been published in literature on the possibility of re-implantation of splenic tissue after post-traumatic rupture (17, 27, 28) so that it may become possible to employ this method additionally to pneumococcus vaccination. In case of haematological indication for splenectomy this should be postponed as far as possible until the child has completed his fifth year of life.


The 1999 Bologna Declaration signaled change for Europe's higher education institutions. Armenia joined the movement in 2004. By the London conference in 2007, 46 ministers of education had signed a commitment to the European Higher Education Area framework with a goal of common educational currency by 2010. During the London conference, ministers voiced a need to include more student views in policy issues. Thus, Armenian State Agrarian University (ASAU) students were asked about curriculum reform issues that influence their education plans. Nine of ten students reported aspirations to study abroad and wrote the USA, France, Russia, the Netherlands, and Germany as top choices—along with 32 other countries. Half of the sample of 801 indicated advancing professional careers as a highly motivating factor for planning study abroad experiences; four in ten were motivated to learn English or another language. Pragmatically, 46% of students noted subject matter specialty as an important factor when selecting study abroad programs. Students perceived the top three challenges were economic—funding their living expenses and studies, affordable housing, and other financial constraints. These findings led to three recommendations around a central theme of engagement and dialogue. One may expect considerable interest when students are involved in meaningful ways to engage in educational policy development. Actions to facilitate student scholarships and loans and to simplify international travel, university admission, and mobility would increase students study abroad participation. ASAU students are natural allies to assist with the university's emerging transformation into an era of knowledge exchange.


For tissue engineering of autologous cartilage, cell expansion is needed to obtain the cell numbers required. Standard expansion media contain bovine serum. This has several disadvantages, that is, the risk of transmitting diseases and serum-batch variations. The aim of this study was to find a serum-free medium with at least the same potential to expand cell numbers as serum-containing media. Ear chondrocytes of three young children were expanded in either serum-containing medium (SCM; DMEM with 10% fetal calf serum) or serum-free medium (SFM; DMEM with ITS+) supplemented with 5 or 100 ng/mL fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2). To promote cell adherence onto the culture flask, the serum-free conditions were cultured with 10% serum for 1 day after each trypsinization. After the fourth passage, the chondrocytes were encapsuled in alginate beads and redifferentiated in a SFM (DMEM with ITS+, hydrocortisone, and L-ascorbic acid) supplemented with 10 ng/mL IGF-I and 10 ng/mL TGFbeta-2. Results showed that expansion in SFM with 100 ng/mL FGF2 was comparable to expansion in SCM. Redifferentiation with SFM with IGF-I and TGFbeta-2 showed high collagen type II expression and high GAG/DNA production regardless of which expansion medium had been used. However, chondrocytes expanded in SFM with 100 ng/mL FGF2 resulted in less positive cells for collagen type I and 11-fibrau (a fibroblast membrane marker). The present study shows that it is possible to use serum-free medium for tissue engineering of cartilage. Expansion of immature ear chondrocytes in SFM supplemented with high-concentration FGF2 resulted in high cell numbers, which in addition had better redifferentiation capacity than cells expanded in medium with 10% serum.


We examine the geometry, kinematics, and dynamics of weakly nonlinear narrow-banded deep-water wave packets governed by the modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation (Dysthe, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A., vol. 369, 1979, pp. 105–114; MNLSE). A new derivation of the spatial MNLSE, by a direct application of Whitham's method, elucidates its variational structure. Using this formalism, we derive a set of conserved quantities and moment evolution equations. Next, by examining the MNLSE in the limit of vanishing linear dispersion, analytic solutions can be found. These solutions then serve as trial functions, which when substituted into the moment evolution equations form a closed set of equations, allowing for a qualitative and quantitative examination of the MNLSE without resorting to numerically solving the full equation. To examine the theory we consider initially symmetric, chirped and unchirped wave packets, chosen to induce wave focusing and steepening. By employing the ansatz for the trial function discussed above, we predict, a priori, the evolution of the packet. It is found that the speed of wave packets governed by the MNLSE depends on their amplitude, and in particular wave groups speed up as they focus. Next, we characterize the asymmetric growth of the wave envelope, and explain the steepening of the forward face of the initially symmetric wave packet. As the packet focuses, its variance decreases, as does the chirp of the signal. These theoretical results are then compared with the numerical predictions of the MNLSE, and agreement for small values of fetch is found. Finally, we discuss the results in the context of existing theoretical, numerical and laboratory studies.


Earth's fully turbulent atmosphere prevents ground-based optical and near-infrared telescopes (larger than 30 cm) to reach their full potential, i.e. their diffraction-limited capabilities. In order to overcome this limitation, real-time correction of the aberrations caused by the atmosphere is essential. This is done using a technique called Adaptive Optics (AO). Achieving wide-field correction requires an extension to this technique known as Multi-Conjugated Adaptive Optics (MCAO). My PhD concentrated on max- imising the scientific return of one such MCAO system, the LINC-NIRVANA (LN) instrument currently undergoing commissioning at the Large Binocular Telescope. Starting from alignment and calibration in the lab to the on-going commissioning, I have contributed to the optical assembly, integration, verifica- tion, and software development of the LN MCAO system. I also solved a particular challenge faced by the MCAO systems, namely the "partial illumination issue". In addition, I also developed a concept that can improve the AO performance, which we call as the "wind predictive control". Finally, to understand the astrophysical capabilities of an AO system, I studied a pre-main sequence star system, the T Tauri, using observations from two instruments with advanced AO systems capable of providing high-contrast high-resolution near-infrared imagery.


Ovarian cancer is a lethal disease that urgently requires new therapies. This thesis provides new insight into the role of a protein called DPP4 in ovarian cancer. The studies in this thesis show that DPP4 has potential as a marker for ovarian cancer progression or response to therapy. Targeting DPP4 using a drug called sitagliptin could improve the immune response in patients with late-stage ovarian cancer and shows promise when combined with other therapies. This research shows that using sitagliptin to target DPP4 in ovarian cancer should be considered in clinical trials to improve outcomes for women with this disease.


Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are commonly used devices by adolescents and young adults. Since their introduction, the popularity of e-cigarettes has increased significantly with close to twenty percent of United States high school students reporting current use in 2020. As the number of e-cigarette users has increased, so have reports of vaping related health complications. Overall, respiratory tract infections remain one of the top ten leading causes of death in the US for every age group. Specific to the pediatric population, lower respiratory tract infections are the leading cause for hospitalization. This review highlights the current evidence behind e-cigarette exposure and its association with impaired innate immune function and the risk of lower respiratory tract infections. To date, various preclinical models have evaluated the direct effects of e-cigarette exposure on the innate immune system. More specifically, e-cigarette exposure impairs certain cell types of the innate immune system including the airway epithelium, lung macrophage and neutrophils. Identified effects of e-cigarette exposure common to the lung's innate immunity include abnormal mucus composition, reduced epithelial barrier function, impaired phagocytosis and elevated systemic markers of inflammation. These identified impairments in the lung's innate immunity have been shown to increase adhesion of certain bacteria and fungi as well as to increase virulence of common respiratory pathogens such as influenza virus, Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pneumoniae. Information summarized in this review will provide guidance to healthcare providers, policy advocates and researchers for making informed decisions regarding the associated respiratory health risks of e-cigarette use in pediatric and young adults.


This paper focuses on the question whether Argentina is capable of guaranteeing food security to its population while increasing its role as a food exporter to the rest of the world. The results of this study show that Argentina has no major problems simultaneously serving as a local food provider and exporter—from a food availability perspective. However, Argentina has problems ensuring food access to all its population. In order to improve food access while exploiting the food export opportunity, the authors propose eliminating the export tax and its substitution for a food consumption subsidy in the form of a conditional income transfer to the population under food insecurity. This would also open new opportunities for agribusiness companies selling products in local and external markets.


Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder in women during fertilization age that reflects changing clinical symptoms. The genetic concept of PCOS is unclear and no significant genetic association with PCOS has been established. The level of Follicle stimulating hormone FSH is encoded by FSH receptor (FSHR) and abnormal FSHR affects follicle cogenesis and ovary and consist of 9 introns, 10 exons, and the region of chromosome promoter at 2p21. Sample of 93PCOS patients and 52 controls were collected from Province of Erbil in north of Iraq. Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood and genotype dissected was improved for the two population of study using PCR-RFLP with the restriction enzyme Eam1105I. The genotype distributions and allele frequency of Ala307Thr polymorphisms of FSHR were not statistically various between the controls and the PCOS patients. Significant elevation of body mass index with all genotype of PCOS was found when compared with controls. There were statistical differences in the BMI and most of the serum hormone and lipid profile parameters including LH, total testosterone, fasting glucose, Cholesterol, HDL and LDL, there were significant various in FSH and LH levels of hormones and HDL, LDL and VLDL with PCOS group conveying different genotypes of Ala307Thr polymorphisms. The variant of Ala307Thr was not associated with PCOS in Kurdistan women; there was no relationship between the POCS and gene of FSHR polymorphism at codons 307. There was a significant difference in FSH and LH levels with PCOS patients conveying different genotypes of Ala307Thr polymorphism.


The 1988 Federal Constitution set forth a new political-institutional moment in Brazil reasserting the Democratic State and defining a broad social protection policy including health as a social citizenship right. Since its promulgation, a great number of laws, ministerial decrees and administrative actions have attempted to make feasible the political project outlined in the Constitution. On the other hand, in the same period, the number of legal orders regarding health related demands has increased. Such a movement has revealed inconsistencies and contradictions in the legal and normative scope of SUS (Unified Health System), as well as problems not calculated by health policies, questioning the Executive Branch's actions and creating a new demand for legislation. This article discusses the role of the State in health as of 1990, considering the action of the Branches. The perspectives on the right to health in the construction of a democratic State oriented to social wellbeing, facing the challenges related to coordination mechanisms and balance among Branches in the health issue, are discussed.


GaN epilayers were grown on lens shaped patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) (0001) and unpatterned sapphire substrate (UPSS) (0001) by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The quality of the grown GaN epilayers on the PSS and UPSS were compared. Structural characteristics, surface morphology and optical properties of the GaN epilayers were investigated using double crystal X-ray diffraction (DCXRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence (PL). A lens shaped pattern was formed on the sapphire substrate to reduce threading dislocation (TD) density and also to improve the optical emission efficiency by internal reflection on the lens. Scanning electron microscopy images show the growth of GaN epilayers at various times. Full coalescence is observed at a growth time of 80 min. It is seen from the DCXRD rocking spectrum that full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the GaN grown on PSS was 438.7 arcsec which is less than UPSS value. The lower value of FWHM indicates that the crystalline quality of the GaN epilayers grown on PSS is improved compared to GaN grown on UPSS. It is clearly seen from the AFM images that the dislocation density is less for the GaN grown on PSS. A strong and sharp photoluminescence (PL) band edge emission was observed for the GaN grown on PSS compared to UPSS. Defect related yellow luminescence was observed for GaN grown on UPSS which did not appear for PSS. The FWHM at the 364.3 nm peak position was evaluated to be 50.7 meV from the PL spectra for GaN grown on PSS. The above result indicates GaN epilayers can be grown on PSS with low TD density and will be useful for optical emission.


Accurate estimates of the diets of predators are required in many areas of ecology, but for many species current methods are imprecise, limited to the last meal, and often biased. The diversity of fatty acids and their patterns in organisms, coupled with the narrow limitations on their biosynthesis, properties of digestion in monogastric animals, and the prevalence of large storage reservoirs of lipid in many predators, led us to propose the use of quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) to study predator diets. We present a statistical model that provides quantitative estimates of the proportions of prey species in the diets of individual predators using fatty acid signatures. We conducted simulation studies using a database of 28 prey species (n = 954 individuals) from the Scotian Shelf off eastern Canada to investigate properties of the model and to evaluate the reliability with which prey could be distinguished in the model. We then conducted experiments on grey seals (Halichoerus grypus, n = 25) and harp seals (Phoca groenlandica, n = 5) to assess quantitative characteristics of fatty acid deposition and to develop calibration coefficients for individual fatty acids to account for predator lipid metabolism. We then tested the model and calibration coefficients by estimating the diets of experimentally fed captive grey seals (n = 6, switched from herring to a mackerel/capelin diet) and mink kits (Mustela vison, n = 46, switched from milk to one of three oil-supplemented diets). The diets of all experimentally fed animals were generally well estimated using QFASA and were consistent with qualitative and quantitative expectations, provided that appropriate calibration coefficients were used. In a final case, we compared video data of foraging by individual free- ranging harbor seals (Phoca vitulina, n = 23) fitted with Crittercams and QFASA estimates of the diet of those same seals using a complex ecosystem-wide prey database. Among the 28 prey species in the database, QFASA estimated sandlance to be the dominant prey species in the diet of all seals (averaging 62% of diet), followed primarily by flounders, but also capelin and minor amounts of other species, although there was also considerable individual variability among seals. These estimates were consistent with video data showing sandlance to be the predominant prey, followed by flatfish. We conclude that QFASA provides estimates of diets for individuals at time scales that are relevant to the ecological processes affecting survival, and can be used to study diet variability within individuals over time, which will provide important opportunities rarely possible with other indirect methods. We propose that the QFASA model we have set forth will be applicable to a wide range of predators and ecosystems.


In this research study, we evaluated the use of a micro-scrub bonding process as a potential method to eliminate the use of flux, and its associated cleaning, during flip chip thermo-compression bonding. Additionally, this process requires no plasma pre-treatment to eliminate tin oxide and contaminants from the micro-bump surface. This evaluation used a test vehicle with 20-μm/15-μm thick Cu/SnAg micro-bumps and Ni/Au pads at 61 μm pitch. The top die has more than 170,000 micro-bumps and both the top die and bottom die were larger than 600 mm2. The top die and bottom die were bonded with parameters developed for a micro-scrub bonding process. After each die makes contact with precise alignment, micro-scrub is applied under a specific force, temperature, and atmosphere during the bonding process. The mechanical micro-scrub action breaks up the native tin oxide film and improves the wettability of the solder. X-ray images confirmed there was no solder bump bridging across the full die area. Neither voids nor cracks were observed at the solder joints by SEM cross sectional analysis. CSAM results indicated there were no voids in the underfill.


ABSTRACT Bacterial pathogens have evolved to secrete strong anti-inflammatory proteins that target the immune system. It was long speculated whether these virulence factors could serve as therapeutics in diseases in which abnormal immune activation plays a role. We adopted the secreted chemotaxis inhibitory protein of Staphylococcus aureus (CHIPS) as a model virulence factor-based therapeutic agent for diseases in which C5AR1 stimulation plays an important role. We show that the administration of CHIPS in human C5AR1 knock-in mice successfully dampens C5a-mediated neutrophil migration during immune complex-initiated inflammation. Subsequent CHIPS toxicology studies in animal models were promising. However, during a small phase I trial, healthy human volunteers showed adverse effects directly after CHIPS administration. Subjects showed clinical signs of anaphylaxis with mild leukocytopenia and increased C-reactive protein concentrations, which are possibly related to the presence of relatively high circulating anti-CHIPS antibodies and suggest an inflammatory response. Even though our data in mice show CHIPS as a potential anti-inflammatory agent, safety issues in human subjects temper the use of CHIPS in its current form as a therapeutic candidate. The use of staphylococcal proteins, or other bacterial proteins, as therapeutics or immune-modulators in humans is severely hampered by pre-existing circulating antibodies. Summary: Chemotaxis inhibitory protein of Staphylococcus aureus dampens C5a-mediated responses in human-C5aR1 knock-in mice. Feasibility studies in a human phase I trial failed due to high levels of existing natural antibodies causing adverse effects.


In Dallas, Texas, in 1929, Justin Ford Kimball, executive vice-president of Baylor University, originated a plan whereby Dallas school teachers paid $6 a year to the University Hospital and were extended hospital care without further charge [1, p. 5 ]. From this beginning grew Blue Cross plans, pioneers in the health insurance field. Commercial insurance companies became important sellers of health insurance after 1941. More recently, independent health plans such as those sponsored by trade unions and management have emerged. At least 1,150 different organizations provide voluntary health insurance today [2, p. 47].At the end of 1957, about 121 million persons owned some form of hospitalization insurance. Ten years earlier the number was only 53 million [2, p. 41]. The growth and extention of medical care insurance shows no sign of slowing. Pressure upon the U.S. Congress to expand coverage among older persons is mounting.What consequences may be expected from continuation of the trend toward more comprehensive medical care coverage? The answer is surely as complex as it is important; in the present paper we hope to shed some light on the matter and to suggest directions for further research. Specifically we report the results of a statistical study of the impact of extended hospitalization-insurance protection on the utilization of hospital services. Our objective has been to consider the questions of how and to what extent people are likely to react to an increase in the availability of prepaid hospital services. Implications of such findings for the social costs of expanded health care, whether under governmental or private auspices, should be clear.


Energy consumption is a limiting constraint for both embedded and high performance systems. CPU-core, caches and memory contribute a large fraction of energy consumption in most computing systems. As a result, reducing the energy consumption in these components can significantly reduce the system's overall energy consumption. However, applying multiple independent power management policies in the system (one for each component) may interfere with each other and in some occasions increase the combined energy consumption.In this dissertation, I present three power management techniques that target more than a single component in a system. The focus is on reducing the total energy consumption in processors, caches and memory combinations. First, I present a memory-aware processor power management using collaboration between the OS and the compiler. The technique objectives are: (1) finish the application execution before its deadline and (2) minimize the combined energy consumption in processor and memory. Second, I present an Integrated Dynamic Voltage Scaling (IDVS) techniques for processor and on-chip cache power management in multi-voltage domains systems. IDVS co-ordinates power management decisions across voltage domains rather that being applied in isolation in each domain. Third, I present a Power-Aware Cached DRAM (PA-CDRAM) memory organization for reducing the energy consumption in DRAM memory and off-chip caches. PA-CDRAM exploits the high internal memory bandwidth by bringing the off-chip caches "closer" to the memory, which also improves the overall performance.The techniques in my thesis highlight the importance of designing power management schemes that consider multiple components and their interactions (in terms of power and performance) in the system rather than applying multiple isolated power management polices. This study should lay the foundation for further research in the domain of integrated power management, where a single power manager controls many system components.


The Scan Line Corrector (SLC), which compensates for the forward motion of Landsat 7, failed on May 31, 2003. The lack of SLC resulted in data gaps in the observed images, affecting the spatially continuous fields that were usually provided. Fortunately, the observations acquired by Landsat 7 are highly geometrically and radiometrically accurate compared with many other sensors, allowing the opportunity to develop gap-filling approaches to address the problem. How best to do this remains an open question. A variety of simple and effective methods based on different ideas have been proposed. Most of these can be classified into two categories: deterministic interpolation or geostatistical estimation. Deterministic interpolation approaches calculate the values of the unknown pixels based on an assumed continuity with the values of neighbouring data points. Geostatistical approaches formulate a spatial model of variability that is used to estimate the missing values as well as to quantify the uncertainty of these missing values. Most current approaches are only applicable for relatively homogeneous areas. For example they cannot satisfactorily predict the presence of narrow or small objects such as roads or streams. As a result, such objects can be truncated after interpolation. This problem may drastically constrain the application of filled SLC-off images. In this study, a multiple-point geostatistics approach, the Direct Sampling method, is adopted as a solution to fill Landsat 7 images. The Direct Sampling method uses a conditional stochastic resampling of known areas in the observation image to simulate the unknown locations. This approach can reuse the complex patterns present in the incomplete image, and has the capacity to simulate narrow or small objects. Moreover, being a geostatistical method, it allows for the generation of multiple interpolations to compute uncertainty bounds on the interpolated values. Here, the Direct Sampling method is applied to both univariate and multivariate cases to demonstrate its application. Numerical experiments indicate that the Direct Sampling method is able to fill the gaps satisfactory, especially when combining the target image with a temporally close image. The results are satisfactory for filling narrow objects like roads or streams. Compared with other gap filling method, the Direct Sampling method is relatively simple and easily employed. However, it also has limitations, such as the appropriate selection of parameters, which can greatly influence the simulation effect and computation time. Further research advancing the optimisation and providing guidance on parameter selection is required.


Three-dimensional printers which are among the popular innovations of today are used increasingly more in the medical field as in every field of life and they make the surgical operation easier. When customizable materials are combined with technology, we have successful results and fewer complications. The objective of our study was to demonstrate the advantages provided by three-dimensional modeling methods in neurosurgery practice for both the surgeon and the patient. We reached the conclusion that 3D printing techniques were the practically and anatomically correct methods for the production of patient-specific models for surgical planning, simulation and training, tissue engineering implants and the secondary devices. Thus, the progress of this technology may contribute to the progress of the neurosurgery field in several aspects.


A series of transition metal ion complexes with new amino triazole ligands such as 4salicylidineamino-3-(4-chlorophenoxymethyl)-5-phenylamino-1,2,4-triazole HL1, 4-salicylidenen amino-3-(4-bromo phenoxy methyl)-5-phenyl amino-1,2,4-triazole HL2 and 4-(4-bromosalicylidenen amino-3-(4-bromo phenoxy methyl)-5-phenyl amino-1,2,4-triazole HL3have been synthesized and characterized by analytical, magnetic, electronic, infrared, 1 H NMR and ESR spectral studies. Theoctahedral structure with coordination number six has been proposed for all the metal complexes of HL1, HL2and HL3 ligands. Antibacterial and antifungal activities of all the synthesized ligands and their metal complexes have also been studied and it is found that the metal complexes of all the ligands show moderate to high activity against tested organisms than the corresponding ligand.


A planning application (ref 06/2013/0131) was submitted by Portergate Developments
(Preston) Ltd, for the demolition of existing shop buildings 101 to 110 Friargate,
Preston, Lancashire (NGR SD 53621 29741). Following demolition, the proposals
included the erection of a range of multi-storey buildings along Friargate and on land to the rear. A heritage assessment, carried out in 2013 by Archaeological Services
Durham University (ASDU), identified a number of potential heritage assets in the proposed development area that may be affected by the demolition and subsequent
development.
In consultation with Lancashire County Archaeological Service (LCAS), Preston City Council granted planning permission for the development subject to a number of
conditions including the completion of a programme of archaeological evaluation and building recording. In response, Portergate Developments (Preston) Ltd commissioned
Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) to carry out the work in accordance with a written scheme of investigation (WSI) issued by ASDU (RA13.206 and RA13.207).
Following a site visit by OA North and in agreement with LCAS, the scope of work specified by ASDU was amended due to various site constraints and concerns with both the remaining upstanding buildings and nature of the cleared land behind the buildings. OA North subsequently produced updated project designs for both the building recording and the implementation of a programme of strip, map and sample,
which replaced both of the WSIs issued by ASDU.


Notions of masculinity are changing. Many men conduct themselves in ways that blunt traditional hegemonic masculine norms of sexism and homophobia. Do these changes represent movement toward gender equality, or are they workings of an adaptive and amorphous system of power relations that is reshaping to fit with the times? This thesis is grounded within epistemologies of feminist standpoint theory and takes a phenomenological approach to methodology in investigating how men construct and experience their perceptions of masculinity and gender performance within homosocial networks. I conducted three focus groups with different male friend groups, and one focus group of a women's friend group. These are supplemented with an autoethnographic focus on reflexivity in which I investigate my own thoughts, reflections, and past life experiences in concert with these focus groups. I used objectification as a main theme of study both to understand the more nuanced qualities of its role within gender relations, and as a springboard to understand the wider ramifications of what attitudes toward objectification represented. These focus groups demonstrated wide gaps in phenomenological accounts and understandings of everyday life activity both between women and men, and between men and other men. Two themes emerged from the data. The first trend involved contemporary constructions of masculinity that incorporate historically unmasculine behaviors and attitudes. This is explored within debates of R. W. Connell's (2005) theory of hegemonic masculinity and two of its offshoots: inclusive masculinity (Anderson 2009), and hybrid masculinity (Bridges & Pascoe 2014). The second theme focused on empathy and the difficulties in its development when relationships of power, domination, and difference are involved. I argue that empathy needs to be developed in ways that favor more affective and compassionate forms of responding to others' emotions, rather than cognitive or role-taking forms that aim to understand others' emotions from their perspective. Finally, I incorporate these themes to discuss the possibilities, limitations, and complexities in forming a profeminist consciousness in men. This thesis aims to contribute to debates around recent changes and potential 'softening' in the structure of hegemonic masculinity by retaining a critical focus on relationships of power and domination. In doing so, I hope to skirt between the optimism of inclusive masculinity and the cynicism of hybrid masculinity to develop a model of profeminist consciousness that welcomes the softening of masculinity but places equal value in critically reflecting on one's power, privilege, and position within society.


The problem of social disorder has figured prominently in Australian historiography and in contemporary social theorising. However, the traditional categories of historical analysis provide a limited set of tools through which to understand the complexities of human behaviour in the past. By writing a social ontology into history, it is possible to rethink how 'ways of being' in the world are both constructed and represented, and to reconsider the consequences of this for our understanding of both history and the present. The way in which certain types of social disorder have been analysed in Australian history has meant that some social groups, or behavioural types, have been marginalised and excluded. This is the case with the figure of 'the larrikin', a common type in Australian historiography, yet represented in such a way that our understanding of them today bears little resemblance to the way in which they were understood in their own time. This discrepancy has been brought about through the tendency of some historical approaches to focus on the institutions and structures of nation building, or on the recognisably political forms of 'organised labour'. This type of analysis can only take our understanding of human behaviour so far. Psychoanalytic theory as developed by Freud and Lacan helps to show the way in which 'civilised society' relies on the repression and sublimation of 'instinctual' types of human behaviour, but that in so doing, a part of the human self is excluded. This exclusion occurs at both the personal and the social level, as the 'civilised' self, the 'civilised society', can only exist against what it has excluded. This psychoanalytic theory is linked with the work of Antonio Gramsci to show that what is excluded, and the process of exclusion, is related to the process of establishing hegemony, and that the resultant exclusion is the basis of subalternity. In late nineteenth century Sydney, the term 'larrikinism' came to represent a particular set of behaviours which were considered problematic for the development of 'civilised society'. An examination of the hegemonic mechanisms by which the exclusion of larrikin behaviour could occur, demonstrates that the imagination of a civilised society in late nineteenth century Sydney was centred around certain hegemonic principles which required a particular kind of human self – a disciplined worker, a desiring consumer – and suggests that larrikins resisted this process. Larrikins were made subaltern because they were a form of 'subjectivity', or a way of being in the world, that sought to challenge the making of a kind of human self considered necessary for industrial capitalism. In this way, larrikin behaviour can be understood as a type of 'excess', a frontier in the battle for hegemony around notions of youth, respectability and discipline. This historical process did not stop in 1899 but continued into the twentieth century and beyond, and continues to have ramifications for the way in which we think notions of politics and agency, and for the ways in which subaltern groups in contemporary society continue to be marginalised and excluded.


The paper contributes a new architecture for secure and scalable inter-domain group key management for N-to-N (conference) IP multicast. The architecture views the multicast routing infrastructure from the key management plane, and logically divides it into two general types of regions for key management to achieve scalability. The work extends the centralized solution of (Wong et al., 1998) into a distributed key management scheme suitable for inter-domain multicast group key management. Methods for initiating new multicast groups, as well as for members joining and leaving, are presented. The paper also considers two general types of IP-multicast that need to be made secure if multicast is to be one of the vehicles for future wide-scale delivery of voice, video and text over the Internet.


Background: Low Price-Earnings ratio, low Book-to market ratio and low stock prices can give the impression that a stock is "cheap". Is it through systematic use of these portfolio strategies possible to beat the market index – in other words does financial illusions exist? Purpose: To examine if the Stockholm Stock Exchange is an efficient market. Limitations: The efficiency is tested solely through the chosen portfolio strategies: low Price-Earnings ratio, low Book-to-market ratio and low stock prices. The research only includes stocks listed on the A-, O-, OTC- and Attract40 lists during the period 1998-01-01 to 2001-12-31. Methodology: With CAPM as an equilibrium model we are examining if the P/e, Book-to-market or the stock price portfolios generate systematic overperformance in comparision to the market index SIXRX. Significance tests on the 5 % level have been performed to determine if the returns are significantly separated from zero. Results: We can establish that none of the chosen portfolio strategies generated any significant systematic overperformance.


Dislocation core properties of tin (  -Sn) were investigated using the semi-discrete variational Peierls-Nabarro model (SVPN). The SVPN model, which connects the continuum elasticity treatment of the long-range strain field around a dislocation with an approximate treatment of the dislocation core, was employed to calculate various core properties, including the core energetics, widths, and Peierls stresses for different dislocation structures. The role of core energetics and properties on dislocation character and subsequent slip behavior in  -Sn was investigated. For instance, this work shows that a widely spread dislocation core on the {110} plane as compared to dislocations on the {100} and {101} planes. Physically, the narrowing or widening of the core will significantly affect the mobility of dislocations as the Peierls stress is exponentially related to the dislocation core width in  -Sn. In general, the Peierls stress for the screw dislocation was found to be orders of magnitude higher than the edge dislocation, i.e., the more the edge component of a mixed dislocation, the greater the dislocation mobility (lower the Peierls stress). The largest Peierls stress observed was 365 MPa for the dislocation on the {101} plane. Furthermore, from the density plot, we see a double peak for the 0˚ (screw) and 30˚ dislocations which suggests the dissociation of dislocations along these planes. Thus, for the {101} < 1̅ 01> slip system, we observed dislocation dissociation into three partials with metastable states. Overall, this work provides qualitative insights that aid in understanding the plastic deformation in  -Sn


Extended spectrum beta-lactamase –Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL -KP) is one of the leading causes of nosocomial infections seen with increasing prevalence worldwide. The present study was undertaken to know the prevalence of ESBL-KP and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern and to create a baseline antibiotic resistance data to implement effective infection control policy. A total of 225 non duplicate K. pneumoniae isolates were obtained from various clinical samples over a period of 18 months. Antibiotic susceptibility testing and ESBL detection was done by Kirby Bauer's disc diffusion and CLSI methods respectively. Highest resistance of 91.5% was noted to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Least resistance was recorded to imipenem (24.4%) and amikacin (39.1%). Resistance of > 85% was noted to third generation cephalosporins [85.7% each to cefotaxime and ceftriaxone; ceftazidime (91%)].ESBL positivity was 46.6%. ICU, wards and outpatient isolates revealed ESBLs of 51.3%, 39.7% and 52.7% respectively. Multi-drug resistance was 60%.Antibiotic resistance was higher in ICU isolates. Imipenem and amikacin may be preferred antibiotics in treating K pneumoniae infections. K e y w o r d s Klebsiella pneumoniae, Nosocomial Infections, ExtendedSpectrum Beta Lactamases, Multidrug Resistance.


Background Complex but common maternal diseases such as diabetes and obesity contribute to adverse fetal outcomes. Understanding of the mechanisms involved is hampered by difficulty in isolating individual elements of complex maternal states in vivo. We approached this problem in the context of maternal diabetes and sought an approach to expose the developing fetus in vivo to isolated hyperglycemia in the pregnant rat. Methodology and Principal Findings We hypothesized that glucose infused into the arterial supply of one uterine horn would more highly expose fetuses in the ipsilateral versus contralateral uterine horn. To test this, the glucose tracer [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) was infused via the left uterine artery. Regional glucose uptake into maternal tissues and fetuses was quantified using positron emission tomography (PET). Upon infusion, FDG accumulation began in the left-sided placentae, subsequently spreading to the fetuses. Over two hours after completion of the infusion, FDG accumulation was significantly greater in left compared to right uterine horn fetuses, favoring the left by 1.9±0.1 and 2.8±0.3 fold under fasted and hyperinsulinemic conditions (p<10−11 n = 32-35 and p<10−12 n = 27–45) respectively. By contrast, centrally administered [3H]-2-deoxyglucose accumulated equally between the fetuses of the two uterine horns. Induction of significant hyperglycemia (103 mg/dL) localized to the left uterine artery was sustained for at least 48 hours while maternal euglycemia was maintained. Conclusions and Significance This approach exposes selected fetuses to localized hyperglycemia in vivo, minimizing exposure of the mother and thus secondary effects. Additionally, a set of less exposed internal control fetuses are maintained for comparison, allowing direct study of the in vivo fetal effects of isolated hyperglycemia. Broadly, this approach can be extended to study a variety of maternal-sided perturbations suspected to directly affect fetal health.


Many industries rely on the continual and unimpeded operation of turbines, pumps, pulleys, fans, motors, gearboxes, and other associated fixed and mobile plant equipment. As such, reliable and remote condition monitoring and fault localisation can improve safety, prevent unnecessary downtime and reduce maintenance costs. Current methods of condition monitoring such as acoustic emissions (AE) testing can prove difficult to automate and require careful analysis by a trained analyst. This research investigates the use of adaptive beamforming for source localisation and signal extraction in conjunction with a convolutional neural network classification system based on spectrogram plots. Furthermore, it tests the effects of reducing the number of microphones in the microphone array on the deep network classification accuracy. This technology has been investigated with the use of 12-volt computer fans as an analogue for rotating machinery, with the primary challenge of reliably separating and classifying the unique spectral signal of each fan. The outcome of this research from over 450 test samples demonstrates damage detection accuracy consistently above 97% based on available data when adequate beamforming resolution and array gain are achieved. This technology shows promise for use in an automated monitoring system for industrial applications, with available scope for further refinements.


As companies with global operations adopt increasingly more innovative forms of organisation this paper assesses how this affects company law reform designed to enhance sustainability. Utilising a labour orientated interpretation of Coase's transaction costs theory it argues that companies adopt forms which best extract value from labour. The paper therefore suggests that improved labour governance initiatives would help resist companies' ability to side- step reform


The entorhinal cortex, in particular neurons in layer V, allegedly mediate transfer of information between the hippocampus and the neocortex, underlying long-term memory. Recently, this circuit has been shown to comprise a hippocampal output recipient layer Vb and a cortical projecting layer Va. With the use of in vitro electrophysiology in transgenic mice specific for layer Vb, we assessed the presence of the thus necessary connection between layer Vb and layer Va in the two functionally distinct medial (MEC) and lateral (LEC) subdivisions; MEC processes allocentric spatial information, whereas LEC represents the content of episodes. Using identical experimental approaches, we show that in LEC, but not in MEC, layer Vb neurons provide substantial direct input to layer Va neurons. This indicates that the hippocampal-cortex output circuit is present only in LEC, suggesting that episodic systems consolidation predominantly uses LEC-derived information and not allocentric spatial information from MEC.


Between 1948 and 1960, Aime Cesaire and Suzanne Cesaire drew on the successful
antislavery insurrection of May 22, 1848 in Martinique for artistic inspiration.
Both based their writings on a novel by Lafcadio Hearn in which a female enslaved
domestic, Youma, chose to die alongside her masters during the revolt. In his work
on Victor Schœlcher (1948), much like in his poems "Mots" (1950) and "Statue de
Lafcadio Hearn" (1955-1960), Aime Cesaire places the reader at the heart of an
"insurrection negre," and offers a positive depiction of the Quimboiseur sorcerer,
which Hearn had originally presented as a character worthy of being despised.
Suzanne Cesaire's reinterpretation of Hearn's novel entitled Aurore de la liberte(1952)
has not survived. An analysis of two under appreciated and invaluable
reviews suggests that these performances were revolutionary in aesthetic terms
and reveal how the playwright changed the ending of Hearn's novel. Instead of
staying to die alongside her masters (Hearn's interpretation), Youma changes
her name to Marie and chooses to join the revolt of 1848. In contrast to Aime
Cesaire's reinterpretation, Suzanne Cesaire develops the character Youma more
fully and in so doing gives voice to the neglected enslaved female domestics who
were killed on the 22 May 1848.


2 mm thick 6061-T6 aluminum alloy sheets were I square butt welded using 3kW Nd:YAG laser. Filler wires of 1 mm diameter, 5183A(Al-4wt.%Mg), 4043A(Al-5wt.%Si) and 4047A (Al-12wt.%Si) were used. The welds made with 4047A wire showed the lowest solidification cracking among the welds investigated. Abundant amount of Al-12wt.%Si eutectic which was observed at the grain boundaries of the 4047A wire feed welds was closely related with the reduced solidification cracking susceptibility. Yield and tensile strength, and formability of the welds made with 4047A wire were improved compared to the welds made with other filler wires, which is attributed to the reduced cracking susceptibility in the welds.


Heat-induced lesions in miners are characterized by syndrome of vegetovascular dysfunction presenting with a damage to the segmental and suprasegmental structures of the vegetative nervous system, worsening of the bodily heat status, decrement of physical performance. A distinguishing feature of vegetovascular dystonia in acute overheating is activation of sympathicus, while in chronic one that of parasympathicus. By patterns of function disorders and degree of their restoration acute overheating can be categorized into the following forms-mild, moderately severe and severe ones. In chronic overheating distinct syndromes are recognized depending upon the particular course of vegetovascular dysfunction, viz., permanent course vegetovascular dystonia, permanent paroxysmal one presenting with varying trend vegetative crises, apparent persistent bradycardia and syndrome of weakness of sinoatrial node. Acute overheating is more commonly seen in those miners with as yet little service duration while chronic overheating occurs more frequently in those persons with more than 8-year record of service in conditions of heating microclimate. Language: ru


Hybrid flow shop (HFS), as a production organization mode with characteristics of high flexibility, low cost and quick replacement job, has attracted extensive attention of research units and enterprises. In order to resolve the complex HFS scheduling optimization problem, an improved immune scheduling algorithm (ISA) model is proposed in this paper. A local search optimization algorithm,which can optimize the scheduling instance, accelerate the convergence of ISA, and improve scheduling results eventually, is adopted in the model on the basis of the job insert method. The results which simulate the manufacturing model of a camshaft enterprise show that the improved algorithm model is effective.