Summary

Previous investigations of reading improvement have failed to agree on the relative effectiveness of machine vs. book-centered training methods. In this report of gains achieved and retained by 114 scientists and engineers, 42 subjects were trained with the aid of mechanical equipment and 72 by means of a book-centered method. Equated forms of the Diagnostic Reading Tests were used as criteria of success. All participants had gained significantly in rate, comprehension, and index at the completion of training. However, follow-up eighteen months later clearly showed the superiority of book-centered training. A statistical analysis of pre-, post-, and follow-up scores is presented, as well as correlation of reading gains with other psychometric data.


To extend the clinical‐pathologic description of small cleaved cell lymphoma (SCCL), we reviewed the records of 106 patients with SCCL who were treated in accordance with a policy of watchful waiting and palliative therapy. Median age was 58 years. A pure diffuse pattern was seen in only 16 per cent of cases. Stage III or IV disease was present in 85 per cent of patients; marrow involvement was noted in 60 per cent of patients. 'B' symptoms were present in 25 per cent of patients.


This paper addresses a number of issues that were identified during two interview studies carried out at a middle sized industrial company Hägglunds Drives AB (HDAB) in Sweden. HDAB is expert at hardware design and have an excellent reputation for high quality products. The two studies concerned two hardware development projects carried out by HDAB starting in the early 1990: s. The objectives of the studies were to identify the value judgements used, design criteria, to review the expectations and outcomes and to learn lessons for future work. Additionally, the studies would be able to identify the managerial issues that significantly affected the design activity such as new software, use of design methods, planning and resource allocation. Furthermore, it was possible to identify obstacles to the incorporation of customer requirements. Interview studies were carried out consisting of 16 taped interviews. The interviews were transcribed and studied to identify the collective opinions of the interviewees In addition many more informal conversations were carried out with HDAB designers, market and after market representatives, sales representatives and others. The interviews were analysed using a Person-Product-Process-Press framework as developed in the field of creative problem solving.


Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not rolapitant is safe and effective in reducing the incidence of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in patients receiving emetogenic chemotherapy. Study Design: This review is based on three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) all published in 2015. The studies compared the safety and efficacy of rolapitant in decreasing the incidence of CINV. Data Sources: All articles used were published in English, in peer-reviewed journals, and found using PubMed and the Cochrane Review database. Outcomes Measured: All included studies measured the safety and efficacy of rolapitant on CINV. Specifically, studies evaluated incidence of emesis, use of rescue medications, and clinically significant nausea based on patient reporting in a study diary and answers to a studyspecific questionnaire. Results: Rapoport et al. found statistical significance (p = 0.032) in the effectiveness of rolapitant in reducing CINV in the overall phase. Rapoport et al. also found statistical significance of this (p = 0.0013) as well as Schwartzberg et al. (p = 0.0012). In the two studies conducted by Rapoport et al. it was found that rolapitant achieved statistical significance in achieving a CR in the acute, delayed, and overall phases. In Schwartzberg et al. rolapitant did not achieve a significant response in the acute phase but it did in the delayed phase. Overall rolapitant was well tolerated and any mild side effects were presumed to be a result of the underlying malignancy or the chemotherapy. Conclusions: Results of all 3 studies included indicate that prophylactic 180mg rolapitant is effective in reducing the incidence of CINV in patients receiving either moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Since all three studies used concomitant 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, further studies are warranted to prove the benefit of rolapitant as monotherapy. The question of the effectiveness of rolapitant as compared to others in its same class (NK-1 receptor antagonists) remains as well.


Patient activation is a key determinant of health and economic outcomes in patients with long term conditions [1]. A new community pharmacy service incorporated this measure into the evaluation of a new pharmacy service in West Yorkshire, UK, which focussed on the agreement of goals between the pharmacist and patient during multiple consultations over 12 months. The aim was to determine the change in patient activation in patients participating in a community pharmacy service focussed on goal setting. Institutional ethical approval was obtained. Pharmacies in West Yorkshire were selected as this provided good coverage for all pharmacy companies. The local pharmaceutical committee was also research active in this area. Patients over fifty years of age and prescribed multiple medicines including at least one for cardiovascular disease or diabetes were enrolled. Patients were identified from the Pharmacy Medication Record or referred via the GP. Medication review and person centred consultation resulted in agreed health goals and steps towards achieving them. The Patient Activation Measure (PAM ) was administered via a questionnaire at baseline and follow-up (12 months). Patients were characterised according to their PAM score from 0 to 100 with a higher PAM score indicating higher activation. These scores were then converted into activation levels: 1 for low to 4 for high. Number and type of goals agreed and met were also characterised at the end of the study. In total, 710 patients registered for the service in 42 pharmacies. Of these 378 (53.2%) had complete data from the questionnaire at baseline and follow-up. The mean (SD) baseline PAM score was 60.5 (14.3) compared to 65.9 (15.5) at follow-up; a significant difference (P < 0.001 Paired samples t-test). The number of patients with the highest activation score (level 4) increased from 57 (15.4%) at baseline to 100 (27.0%) at follow-up. In terms of goals, 683 (96.2%) of patients set goals during the service, frequently setting more than one goal. The majority of goals focussed on weight loss. Examples of goals included: 'lose 1 kg every 2 weeks to achieve total weight loss of 10 kg to bring BMI to 25' and 'reduce to 10 cigarettes a day within 3 months'. Further analysis, to be presented, is being undertaken on the number of these goals that patients felt they met over the course of the study. This new community pharmacy service aimed at patients with long term conditions demonstrated an increase in activation over the 12-month service. As a before-and-after study, more work needs to be done to establish the normal rate of change of activation in patients who have not received the service or who have dropped-out. The higher the level of activation, the greater confidence and skill a patient has to manage their own health. Evidence suggests that an increase in PAM will lead to better clinical, economic and humanistic outcomes for patients as well as greater satisfaction with health services. Further work is being conducted to determine the relationship between activation and these other outcomes in this population in this setting.


THIS invention provides a method for removing contaminants FIBER SIDE, WATER FROM PAPER PROCESSING. This method involves adding a polyvinyl chloride, a coagulant polymeric cationic AND polymeric flocculant, A WATER PROCESSING PAPER, CONTAINING CONTAMINANTS FIBER SIDE IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO agglomerating such pollutants in the form particle size ELDERLY AND ELIMINATE WATER POLLUTANTS SUCH SECONDARY PROCESSING, by a technique of clarification Dissolved Air flotation. THE ADDITION OF POLYVINYL CHLORIDE IN CONJUNCTION WITH PARTICULATE POLYMERIC coagulant and flocculant, CLARIFICATION BEFORE THE PROCEDURE QUOTED MAKES POLLUTANTS RESULTING COATED WITH PARTICLE PREFERABLY polyvinyl chloride. COATING IS SAID THAT MAKES BACK POLLUTANTS ELIMINATION OF SECONDARY FIBER IN PROCEDURE CLARIFICACIONDESCRITO more effective.


ABSTRACTRecent excavations at the Houghton Road site (AZ BB: 13: 398) provide new insights into a virtually unknown time in Tucson Basin prehistory. Houses at the site date to what has recently been termed the Plain Ware horizon, the first stage of Formative culture in southern Arizona. This stage is distinguished from the Late Archaic San Pedro stage Cochise by the introduction of ceramic vessel production and the construction of large, formal pit houses. In other respects, the material culture and socioeconomic system evidenced at Houghton Road differs little from San Pedro Cochise and does not suggest a fully sedentary, maize-dependent lifestyle. Ceramic and architectural styles also are distinct from those that came to characterize the later Hohokam- influenced culture of the region. This suggests the presence of a pan-South-westem root culture with affinities to the Early-Pit-House-period Mogollon culture. These distinctive characteristics are defined here as the Agua Caliente phase, the Plain Ware h...


Abstract : This history represents the first comprehensive written and pictorial record of the Corps of Engineers in northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. Since the early days of the Gold Rush, Army engineers have played an integral in the mammoth task of opening up the west and developing irs vital water resource. The story describes how progress has been achieved mainly through the Army engineers developing working relationships with local governing officials, community groups and private citizens. This same spirit of cooperation has continued to our present day activities. Although the Corps' mission and responsibilities have greatly increased to keep pace with the water-oriented needs of expanding metropolitan and rural community areas, we have also continued our role as chief steward of this area's coastline, it sports, harbors and rivers. The district maintains the navigation channels, develop water and energy resources and improves flood plain management while preserving the natural environment and cultural heritages, and increasing recreational opportunities.


Ala97Ser (A97S) is the major transthyretin (TTR) mutation in Taiwanese patients of familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP), characterized by a late‐onset but rapidly deteriorated neuropathy. Tafamidis can restore the stability of some mutant TTR tetramers and slow down the progression of TTR‐FAP. However, there is little understanding of the biophysical features of A97S‐TTR mutant and the pharmacological modulation effect of tafamidis on it. This study aims to delineate the biophysical characteristics of A97S‐TTR and the pharmacological modulation effect of tafamidis on this mutant.


Andrographolide, a diterpenoid lactone isolated from the herb of Andrographis paniculata and known to possess antitumor activity in breast cancer models was subjected to semisynthesis leading to the preparation of a number of derivatives. After protection of the two hydroxyl groups present at C-3 and C-19 to give 3,19isopropylidene and 3,19-benzylidene andrographolides, the remaining hydroxyl group at C-14 of andrographolide was treated with acid anhydride or acid chloride under base condition. Unfortunately, the reactions gave only 14dehydroandrographolide as well as unidentified diacyl compounds in replace of the target molecule 14-O-acyl andrographolide. An alternative procedure using neat acetic anhydride under reflux gave the acetyl derivatives. The resulted compounds exhibited cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells with better growth inhibition than the parent compound andrographolide.


Background : Probiotics are living organisms which upon ingestion in certain numbers exert health benefits beyond inherent basic nutrition, they are used for the treatment of Gastric ulcer. The lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactococcus lactis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are the most significant groups of  probiotic organisms. Objectives : The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a probiotic strains for treatment of peptic ulcer. Methodology: Gastric ulcers were induced by indomethacin in rats .probiotics were given for three days. The strains significantly reduced gastric ulcer area as compared to control and negative control groups. Neutrophils were strongly increased for treatment of peptic ulcer. Results: The results showed that lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacteria, Lactococcus lactis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae that used in dairy milk products and yogurt enhanced gastric ulcer healing via stimulating immune system.


Excellent publications have been available on project management for many years and much discussion has taken place extolling the virtues of this aspect of management and its great influence on the overall successful operation of organizations in all sectors. When being considered in its generic form, project management can also be applied to any set of activities, and in this context it is no less than a universal management tool. This paper examines the feasibility and practicality of applying a quality management approach to project management. The model used for the analysis is the criteria of the Canada Awards for Excellence, the internationally recognized quality award program.


The present invention relates to a thin film transistor liquid crystal display device that can improve the luminance as a liquid crystal display apparatus, in particular, changing the positions of formation of the thin film transistor. The present invention is red, blue, and the luminous characteristics of the switching element of the green pixel area according to the pixel region of green used that is a difference in the luminous characteristic of the person to widen the area of the most luminous characteristics good green pixel area as much as possible to form a bad blue pixel regions improve the overall brightness of the LCD device by minimizing the pixel area of the blue light, so when formed by changing only the position structure of the thin film transistor does not need a separate step to reduce the production cost have. A thin film transistor, the luminous properties, a green pixel, a blue pixel, L-shaped channels, the brightness


All over Europe, from Westminster to Rouen, the cathedrals of the Middle Ages still stand. This book explores the world of the medieval master mason. How were these structures built when only primitive machinery was available? Who initiated and designed them? Who built and paid for them?


The primary objective of this paper is to alleviate the over-frequency problem in low-inertia power systems through optimal allocation of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). With prolific integration of wind power, conventional fossil-fuel driven synchronous generators are being replaced in the generation fleet. Variable speed wind machines are connected to the grid via power electronics converters. As such, these machines usually do not participate in frequency regulation. During high wind penetration, a generation-rich zone of an interconnected power system may face significant over-frequency following the loss of interconnection. If the frequency goes above a certain threshold, an Over-Frequency Generator Shedding (OFGS) scheme is activated. This may cause considerable amount of generation cut in a low-inertia power system. To address this challenge, this paper develops a siting and sizing methodology of frequency-responsive BESS to simultaneously maintain frequency and voltage stabilities. As such, BESS is placed at the most voltage-sensitive bus, determined by an index called reactive power margin. Furthermore, an optimization model is formulated to determine the BESS size to avoid generation shedding. The proposed technique is applied to a low-inertia power system, which resembles the equivalent high-voltage transmission network of South Australia. The simulation results reveal that the developed methodology successfully mitigates the over-frequency phenomenon. In addition, the proposed technique is found to be more effective than its counterpart (i.e., without BESS) to enhance the frequency resilience of a low-inertia grid.


We review a general representation for retrieving seismic Green's functions between two observation points in lossless arbitrary inhomogeneous media and evaluate its application for passive seismic exploration. The theory is validated with a field example, in which several coherent events are retrieved from seismic background-noise recordings in a desert area. Results match well with events in an active exploration data set at the same location. The retrieval of the Earth's reflection response from crosscorrelations of seismic noise recordings can provide valuable information, which may otherwise not be available due to limited spatial distribution of seismic sources, difficult terrain conditions, economical reasons, etc.


Self-organisation is an idea whose time has come. As an explanatory concept, self-organisation is central to complexity theory, which is quickly becoming a powerful and perhaps even dominant paradigm in both the natural and social sciences. As a political ideal, self-organisation is filling the void that is opening up as both the state and market are increasingly perceived as undemocratic, unjust and inefficient. Drawing on observations from the Dutch city of Rotterdam, this paper argues that self-organisation indeed is an inspiring ideal but that it is often misunderstood and may produce adverse consequences when used as a policy guide. While self-organisation is too inspiring to abandon, its harsh realities need to be accounted for if we want to think and work with it.


A 54-year-old male patient underwent percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) twice for acute myocardial infarction. Five sirolimus-eluting stents were implanted in the first PCI and the patient developed chest distress and short of breath 5 weeks after the operation. Exertional angina was considered. The second PCI with 2 sirolimus-eluting stents implantation was conducted on day 5 after the symptoms appeared. Chest distress recurred on day 4 after the second operation and gradually aggravated. The chest distress did not relieve after 2 days of treatments of cardiac insufficiency. Laboratory tests on day 5 after the second operation showed a white blood cell count of 15.5×109/L and neutrophils of 0.90. Anti-infection therapy with cefotiam was given but the symptom did not improved and fever appeared (up to 38.5 ℃). On day 9 after the second operation, chest CT examination showed interstitial pneumonia in bilateral lungs, which were considered to be induced by sirolimus-eluting stents. Methylprednisolone, imipenem, and oseltamivir were given. Two weeks later, the patient′s symptoms improved markedly and chest CT examination showed improvement of interstitial pneumonia in bilateral lungs.

Key words:
Drug-eluting stents; Sirolimus; Pneumonia; Lung diseases, interstitial


Stunting in Indonesia is a national public health problem that needs serious attention, because it is classified as high according to WHO standards, reaching 30-39%. Stunting reflects chronic malnutrition and can have long-term effects, resulting in stunted growth, decreased cognitive and mental abilities, susceptibility to disease, low economic productivity, and low quality of reproductive output. One of the causes of stunting can be influenced by several factors such as environmental sanitation, food processing, and also mother's knowledge of stunting. Unhealthy environmental sanitation will affect the health of children under five and in the end can affect the nutritional status of these toddlers. This activity begins with analysis, then continues with licensing and preparation of infrastructure facilities and then the implementation will be carried out on March 17, 2022 by the ITKes Muhammadiyah Sidrap community service team. This socialization was attended by 30 people from the community, 3 village officials, 2 village midwives and 10 midwifery teams from ITKes Muhammadiyah Sidrap. This socialization received support from the community with the enthusiasm of the community in participating in the activity until it was completed


Our country not only has sufficient and favorable conditions of raising milk goats but also has a certain quantity advantage of the rapid development of milk-producing goats industry.For a long time,our country has accumulated rich experience and knowledge about it.In today's world market,the demand of high quality and big numbers of milk product is very large.Therefore,our country would occupy an abroad market space if we develop the milk-producing goats industry.On the base of understanding of milk goats breeding development situation in Small Jianshan village,Kunming City,this paper analyzed the advantage and disadvantage conditions of its development,pointed out the problems which may exist in the development process and puts forward some counterneasunts to the breeding industrialization development of Small JianShan village milk goats.


The hydraulic conductivity distribution in a natural porous media is characterized by a great heterogeneity that makes its spatial assessment problematic and expensive. At the same time, a detailed knowledge of the hydraulic properties, as porosity, storativity, transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity K, is fundamental for the prediction of groundwater flow and solute transport in natural formations. Among the hydraulic properties, being the subsurface transport phenomena in natural formations mainly controlled by the Darcy's law, the proper definition of the K spatial distribution at different scales plays a fundamental role to evaluate the evolution of a contaminant plume, to define the well-catchment areas or to monitor a landfill site. To estimate aquifer hydraulic properties, inverse models have long been studied and, beyond the traditional hydraulic conductivity and head measurements, tracer test analyses have been widely adopted in the past and their use have increased in the recent years thanks to a great improvement of geophysical techniques. Among others, the Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) allows to monitor a tracer test injection, providing time-lapse informations about the plume evolution with limited cost.
Assuming that time-lapse spatially distributed data deduced from a tracer test are available, the present work investigates different approaches aimed to the estimation of the local K distribution. At this purpose, Kalman filter based data assimilation techniques are coupled with the Lagrangian transport model and applied in different synthetic contexts


BACKGROUND
Social-economic factors and health behaviours may be driving variation in ethnic health inequalities in multimorbidity including among distinct ethnic groups.

METHODS
Using the cross-sectional nationally representative Health Surveys for England 2011-18 (N = 54 438, aged 16+), we performed multivariable logistic regression on the odds of having general multimorbidity (≥2 longstanding conditions) by ethnicity [British White (reference group), White Irish, Other White, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, African, Caribbean, White mixed, Other Mixed], adjusting for age, sex, education, area deprivation, obesity, smoking status and survey year. This was repeated for cardiovascular multimorbidity (N = 37 148, aged 40+: having ≥2 of the following: self-reported diabetes, hypertension, heart attack or stroke) and multiple cardiometabolic risk biomarkers (HbA1c ≥6.5%, raised blood pressure, total cholesterol ≥5mmol/L).

RESULTS
Twenty percent of adults had general multimorbidity. In fully adjusted models, compared with the White British majority, Other White [odds ratio (OR) = 0.63; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53-0.74], Chinese (OR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.36-0.93) and African adults (OR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.42-0.69), had lower odds of general multimorbidity. Among adults aged 40+, Pakistani (OR = 1.27, 95% CI 0.97-1.66; P = 0.080) and Bangladeshi (OR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.16-2.65) had increased odds, and African adults had decreased odds (OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.47-0.83) of general multimorbidity. Risk of cardiovascular multimorbidity was higher among Indian (OR = 3.31, 95% CI 2.56-4.28), Pakistani (OR = 3.48, 95% CI 2.52-4.80), Bangladeshi (OR = 3.67, 95% CI 1.98-6.78), African (OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.05-2.47), Caribbean (OR = 2.18, 95% CI 1.59-2.99) and White mixed (OR = 1.98, 95% CI 1.14-3.44) adults. Indian adults were also at risk of having multiple cardiometabolic risk biomarkers.

CONCLUSION
Ethnic inequalities in multimorbidity are independent of social-economic factors. Ethnic minority groups are particularly at risk of cardiovascular multimorbidity, which may be exacerbated by poorer management of cardiometabolic risk requiring further investigation.


In spite of modern environmental legislation, the administration of environmental matters in South Africa is still problematic (Snyman 'Towards co-operative governance in the North West Province : Integration of authorisation processes' IAIASA Conference Proceedings (2003) 295). The reasons for these problems are complex, resulting in many inconsistencies particularly in environmental governance and decision-making.


The twentieth century has seen more violence than any other. Perhaps as many as 100 million people have died as a result of warfare or persecution since 1900. As the century draws to a close, it would seem appropriate to turn to the prophet Ezekiel who more than his contemporaries devotes special attention to the crimes of murder which were committed by the people of Judah. This chapter examines how Ezekiel confronts the bloodshed perpetrated by the people and how he understands the ethical question of the value of human life. The book of Ezekiel has two foci: the inevitability of judgement and the hope for future restoration. The punishment which God brings is in due measure for the sin which had been committed. Many examples of sins in Ezekiel were transgressions against the sacred order; Israel had failed in this area by defiling the sanctuary. Keywords: God; human life; Israel; Judah; prophet Ezekiel


This study explores the bearing capacity of a three-dimensional (3D) twin-pile group subjected to combined vertical (V), horizontal (H), and bending moment (M) load using finite element limit analysis coupled with lower and upper bounds and mixed Gauss element formulations. The numerical results based on different element formulations are compared with those of the previous study under single-component loading. The failure envelope in the 3D V– H–M loading space is constructed through a simplified loading strategy. Several typical collapse mechanisms are identified to be associated with different load component values. Moreover, the influence of the pile spacing-to-diameter ratio, pile length-to-diameter ratio, and loading direction angle on the combined bearing capacity is discussed herein. A set of charts is developed as well. Finally, a closed-form design expression of failure envelopes considering the abovementioned influential parameters and the combined V–H–M load are derived based on the obtained numerical results.


A method for the determination of Al 2 O 3 nano particles in aqueous solution at different pH by UV/Vis spectrophotometry is presented.The factors affecting the procedure were examined.The results showed that the absorbance of the blank solution was low,while the absorbance of the working solution was high with-in a wide wavelength range.The correlation coefficients obtained for the calibration curves ranged from0.98to0.99.It was found that the ultrasonic dispersion in20min gave better result.The pH of the solution had also a significant effect on the degree of dispersion.Experimental results showed that the dispersing was best performed at pH ranges of4-8and10-12,respectively.Compared with the gravimetric method,the devel-oped method is rapid and the relative standard deviation has almost decreased by a factor of nine.


The electro-optical characteristics of field-induced microdomain liquid-crystal display modes are investigated. One side of the substrate has radial electrodes and the other side has concentric electrodes. Large numbers of multidomain structures are induced in one pixel. The electric field gradually decreases from the center to the outer multidomains due to the radial electrodes. The contrast ratio of the homeotropic alignment cell is 210:1. Symmetric viewing angle characteristics without gray scale inversion are also obtained.


This paper explores the performance characteristcs of a compact neutron detector based on the use of a silicon photo-multiplier (SiPM). These devices offer the first true solid-state alternative to traditional photomultiplier tubes in that they provide similar gain and photon-detection efficiency but with the small size and ruggedness of PIN diodes. The performance of a design based on the use of a 23mm diameter LiI crystal, viewed by a 14×14mm square SiPM, has been modeled and tested experimentally using Cf252 fission-neutrons. The design incorporates a 10mm thick HDPE moderator in front of the 3mm crystal and an acrylic light-guide behind it. This provides the ability to detect a 104 n/s source at 25cm in 12s with a confidence level of 93.5%. The gamma-ray rejection capability of the detector is excellent, allowing reliable detection of neutrons in a Co60 gamma-ray background equivalent to a count-rate equivalent to 100kcps in a 2×2" NaI crystal. The impact of temperature changes on the performance of the detector, have also been explored along with methods to compensate for these changes.


This paper describes the design of a 12-bit successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) designed and fabricated using 0.18 mum CMOS process. The ADC operates with a supply voltage from 0.9V to 1.4 V and up to 20 kS/s sampling rate. Using charge-scaling technique and a modified dynamic comparator structure, the ADC consumes only 100 nW at Vdd = 0.9 V and 1 kS/s sampling rate. The ADC was tested and verified for phonocardiography and heart-rate counting.


Today we commemorate the martyrdom of the "Six Gentlemen of the Hundred Days of Reform." The charge against the "Six Gentlemen," and for which they died, was "high treason"; by treason, it meant that they wanted reform; that was the term that they themselves used at the time. What is it that they wanted to reform? From what we can see of the new reformed laws and decrees that Kang Youwei helped put forth in the 103 days of reform, it included everything, such as politics, the economy, culture, and so on. However, in the end, what most riled the diehard conservatives was the reform in the area of personnel arrangement in the government bureaucracy—the most "quintessentially Chinese" thing of all—who is to be dismissed, who is to be withdrawn from office, and so on. Albeit it became something that these conservatives chastised incessantly, it was ultimately the political proposals for popular power, parliamentary procedure, and a sharing of sovereignty between the monarchy and the people that formed the cor...


In this paper, we consider a general non-convex constrained optimization problem, where the objective function is weakly convex and the constraint function is convex while they can both be non-smooth. This class of problems arises from many applications in machine learning such as fairness-aware supervised learning. To solve this problem, we consider the classical switching subgradient method by [62], which is an intuitive and easily implementable first-order method. Before this work, its iteration complexity was only known for convex optimization. We prove its oracle complexity for finding a nearly stationary point when the objective function is non-convex. The analysis is derived separately when the constraint function is deterministic and stochastic. Compared to existing methods, especially the double-loop methods, the switching gradient method can be applied to non-smooth problems and only has a single loop, which saves the effort on tuning the number of inner iterations.


The key to improve the container terminal efficiency is the integrated optimization of the quay crane (QC) and the yard truck (YT) scheduling, which is normally settled separately and considered in a certain condition in classical literatures. To improve the operation efficiency and simulate the practical operation, a PSO-based integrated QC-YT scheduling optimization model with uncertain factors is established in this research, considering two uncertain factors of YT travel speed and unit time of QC loading/discharging operation that affect the operating efficiency of the terminal greatly. The goal is the minimal operated time of QCs with the coordination of YTs. To solve this difficult combinatorial problem, the PSO algorithm is developed. PSO is evaluated for combinatorial problems with uncertain factors, which represents a new application of PSO. Numerical experiments show that the model of this research gives systemic simulation for the scheduling process with uncertain factors. And the results are better than model without uncertainties in terms of the accuracy and stability.


A novel construction of gas discharge tube has been tested for production of high densities of metal hydrydes. Its performance turned out to be comparable with the existing sources of the same type and even better. First results of the tests on NiH are reported and critically analysed. Plans for future modifiaction of the construction and application of the tube are discussed.


Abstract Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and Black Noddies are the two numerically dominant seabird species found in the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. This research provides baseline breeding population estimates for nine of 16 islands in the Capricornia Group over five years for Shearwaters (1996–2000) and four years for Noddies (1997–2000). With estimates of ∼302000 active breeding pairs of Black Noddies and ∼560000 breeding pairs of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters in the area, the research results have confirmed the importance of the Capricornia Group as a recognised breeding area for these birds.


AGI-30 impingers are widely applied for the efficient collection of bioaerosols. However, these glass vessels are not protected against solar radiation and changing ambient temperature during sampling, which may impair the sampling efficiency by too high or low temperatures of the sampling liquid leading to early proliferation of microorganisms or ice formation. In order to reduce such disadvantages, an impinger holder was developed and tested under laboratory and field conditions, which insulates and controls the temperature of the impinger and the sampling liquid by means of a Peltier element. The influence of various ambient temperatures and relative humidities on the temperatures of tempered and untempered impinger liquids such as mineral oil, peptone water, and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) during sampling periods of 30 min was investigated and compared. The type of sampling liquid greatly influenced the amount of residual liquid after sampling and the temperature in both the tempered and untempered impingers depended on the type of sample liquid, ambient temperature, and humidity. Mineral oil showed the lowest losses, followed by PBS and peptone water. Tempering of the impingers had some influence on the amount of losses. Tempering also strongly influenced the number of culturable bacteria (colony-forming unit [CFU]) in the sampling liquids. In the tempered impingers, three times higher CFU/m3 were found than in the untempered impingers. A great advantage of tempering was that sampling at ambient temperatures as low as −5°C was possible. However, in spite of insulation and tempering the impinger to a fixed value, the variance was rather high due to varying ambient temperature and relative humidity, which always have a strong influence on condensation and evaporation and therefore on the amount of sample liquid and the resulting number of CFU. Nevertheless, the temperature-controlled AGI-30 impinger is a step forward to more stable results.


Quinone diimine (6-QDI) is a new rubber auxiliary with multi-functionality. Its synthesis and application characteristics in the processing of rubber and polymer are introduced. 6-QDI is mainly used as binding antioxidant, anti-ozonizing agent, antiscorching agent, antioxidant for polymer and liquid hydrocarbon, polymerization inhibitor for vinyl monomer.


A learning control scheme is presented. The control action in this scheme is computed by referring to a decision table which is on-line modified, rather than by mathematically analyzing the dynamics of the control problems and then solving some equations. The controller combines the discretised input commands (if any) and feedback variables into a vector to address a memory where the appropriate output variables are stored. The learning algorithm is designed using the idea of sliding mode. Convergence conditions of a learning algorithm are given. The quantisation effects of measurement variables on convergence of learning are analysed.<<ETX>>


The Laser/Water-Jet (LWJ) hybrid machining system, introduced and developed by the Iowa State University's Laboratory for Lasers, MEMS, and Nanotechnology, was applied to overcome the major deficiencies associated with current ED M and laser machining techniques for shaping Polycrystalline Cubic Boron Nitride (PCBN) cutting tools from the blanks. For PCBN, the purpose of water in LWJ is twofold: phase transformation and t hermal shock. Previously LWJ was used to perform straight line cuts on va rious materials including PCBN. In this work, a further investigation of an understanding of the action of water and two-dimensional contour cutting of PCBN was carried out. The role pl ayed by water in LWJ was compared with that of other fluids (argon, nitrogen, oxygen, and air) to illustrate the effectiveness of water in the controlled fracture mechanism of P CBN. In addition, a twodimensional contour cutting of PCBN using LWJ was investigated by c hanging the crack direction to 60, 108, 120, 135 degrees and following a curve with 1 mm radius in ac cord nce with the standard PCBN tool shapes. The phase transition and the cut qua lity were investigated using Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscop y (SEM), and optical profilometer. Results indicated that water is the best medium to control the phase transition and apply the controlled fracture mechanism for PCBN. Also, it was shown that successful cuts were made with obtuse angles in contrast to acute angles . A preliminary qualitative model was presented to explain the observed experimental results.


A novel short term toxicity assay utilising the unicellular green alga Chlorella vulgaris is described. The test is based upon the premise that all living organisms contain non-specific esterase enzymes, the activity of which can be assessed by the measurement of the disappearance of the ester, or appearance of the product. The novel assay described utilises fluorescein diacetate which is metabolised to fluorescein. The appearance of fluorescein, after 15 minutes exposure to the toxicant, was measured fluorimetrically. The concentration causing a 50% decrease in fluorescence, as compared to a control, was determined for 10 non-polar and 10 polar narcotics. Toxicity was related significantly to hydrophobicity for both mechanisms of action, with the QSAR for polar narcosis having a lower slope and higher intercept than that for non-polar narcosis. Significant inter-species relationships of the toxicity data with those for a 6 hour Chlorella vulgaris, and 40 hour Tetrahymena pyriformis, toxicity assay were also observed.


The escaping atmospheres of hydrogen driven by stellar X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (XUV) have been detected around some exoplanets by the excess absorption of Lyα in the far-ultraviolet band. In the optical band the excess absorption of Hα is also found by ground-based instruments. However, it is not certain if the escape of the atmosphere driven by XUV can result in such absorption. Here we present the XUV-driven hydrodynamic simulation coupled with the calculation of detailed level population and the process of radiative transfer for WASP-121b. Our fiducial model predicts a mass-loss rate of ∼1.28 × 1012 g s−1 for WASP-121b. Due to the high temperature and Lyα intensity predicted by the fiducial model, many hydrogen atoms are populated into the first excited state. As a consequence, the transmission spectrum of Hα simulated by our model is broadly consistent with the observation. Compared with the absorption of Hα at different observation times, the stellar XUV emission varies in the range of 0.5–1.5 times fiducial value, which may reflect the variation of the stellar activity. Finally, we find that the supersonic regions of the planetary wind contribute a prominent portion to the absorption of Hα by comparing the equivalent width of Hα, which hints that a transonic outflow of the upper atmosphere driven by XUV irradiation of the host star can be detected by a ground-based telescope and that Hα can be a good indicator of escaping atmosphere.


Several water tanks installed in the building were damaged during the Gyeongju earthquake (2016) and the Pohang earthquake (2017). Since a water tank for fire protection is very important component, seismic safety should be ensured. In this study, an interaction between a water tank and a building was studied by the dynamic analysis of the RC building with the water tank. In case the water tank was installed on the roof of the RC building, it was confirmed that it did not significantly affect the response of the building. Based on the result, dynamic response characteristics of the water tank in the building were studied using two SDOF models represented dynamic behavior of the water tanks under earthquake. An earthquake time-history analysis was carried out with variables of aspect ratio of the tank, story of the building, and installed location in the building using three kinds of earthquakes.


reflection of the synovial membrane on to the bone, as is occurring in a case which I have at present under observation, and ultimately the joint assumes the appearance of a tubercular joint. These cases are usually diagnosed in the first instance as simple hydrops, and it is not, as a rule, till the thickening of the synovial membrane has occurred that their true nature can be recognised, or that operative interference seems to be called for, and consequently I have no specimen at the early stage to show. Konig, however, bas examined these cases at an early stage, and he stated that there is a formation of a thin layer of tubercles on the surface of the synovial membrane along with a slight amount of chronic inflammation. The empyema tuberculosum is a similar condition, where, however, there is caseous pus in the joint cavity, also, without any marked thickening of the synovial membrane in the first instance. The typical cases of this kind are primarily synovial affections, occur especially in old people, and are particularly intractable. A very similar condition may, however, be found in some cases soon after an osseous deposit has opened into a joint: and the specimen which I show is one of this kind, where taere was a primary deposit in the Datella. The annearance of the svnovial membrAne is very similar to that wbere this condition is primarily synovial except that the membrane is somewhat thicker.


Accessible SummarySome of the papers in this issue focus on supporting people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.One paper is about support during Covid‐19 times and some papers are about therapy support following difficult times in people's lives, including (alleged) abuse.There are also papers about using mobile phones, learning to do research, and parents adjusting to advocate for their child with learning disabilities.In journal updates, the editors will be discussing accessibility of journal papers with the authors of the In Response papers.


Injection of foreign materials, e.g., genes, enzymes, antibodies, and drugs, into individual cells has found significant applications as an important embodiment of bio-manipulation. Matsuoka et al. developed a robot and relevant devices that enabled efficient injection even into individual cells and the quantity of injected material can be controlled at femto gram level [1]. They have succeeded in evaluating the utility of decoy oligodeoxynucleotide delivery via femtoinjection in an embryonic stem cell in which Venus fluorescent protein was expressed under the control of the tet-off system [2].


Single image super-resolution attempts to reconstruct a high-resolution (HR) image from its corresponding low-resolution (LR) image, which has been a research hotspot in computer vision and image processing for decades. To improve the accuracy of super-resolution images, many works adopt very deep networks to model the translation from LR to HR, resulting in memory and computation consumption. In this article, we design a lightweight dense connection distillation network by combining the feature fusion units and dense connection distillation blocks (DCDB) that include selective cascading and dense distillation components. The dense connections are used between and within the distillation block, which can provide rich information for image reconstruction by fusing shallow and deep features. In each DCDB, the dense distillation module concatenates the remaining feature maps of all previous layers to extract useful information, the selected features are then assessed by the proposed layer contrast-aware channel attention mechanism, and finally the cascade module aggregates the features. The distillation mechanism helps to reduce training parameters and improve training efficiency, and the layer contrast-aware channel attention further improves the performance of model. The quality and quantity experimental results on several benchmark datasets show the proposed method performs better tradeoff in term of accuracy and efficiency.


Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is one among the five major cereals of the world, being grown extensively in tropical and sub-tropical climate. In the present investigation six existing and recently released cultivars of Sorghum were taken to test their water stress tolerance. These cultivars are presently used extensively in the commercial production in Indian farmers. The field trials was laid out in The field experiment was laid out in a Factorial Randomized Blok Design (FRBD) with three replications in field Condition involving with six genotypes viz., Phule Yashoda, Phule Revati, Phule Chitra, Phule Vasudha, Phule Anuradha and Phule Maulee and four moisture regimes (25%, 50%, 75% and > 90% of field capacity). The effect of moisture stress was assessed using various physiological parameters. Among the six genotypes, the Phule Yashoda and Phule Revati showed significantly maximum mean chlorophyll a, b and total, RLWC, rate of photosynthesis, rate of transpiration, A-PAR, stomatal conductance and resistance at 25% of F.C. It could be inferred that the genotype Phule Chitra and Phule Maulee are more suited under limited soil moisture condition (which moisture regime). While, the genotype RSV-1006 and Phule Yashoda found well suited for medium soil for stress as well as non stress condition. Irrespective of moisture regime Phule Yashoda and RSV-1006 found to better than rest of genotypes based on physiological parameters. However, Phule Chitra and Phule Maulee had some physiological parameters which suited under water stress condition (M1). The resilience to drought shown by recent varieties is a good premise for their use in areas subjected to dry spells.


This article takes Weinan city as an example,to analyze the water historical condition of bearing capability and using structure,so as to to discover the problem.Then economy,population which dominate the bearing capability,water bearing-capability of Weinan city in macroscopically were calculated.Finally,the adaptation condition to each other about water resource,economy and population were obtained.Finally,it is concluded that the three are related.


Modern institutions of higher education are gradually moving away from the traditional model of providing educational services to the model of conscious provision of educational services and the implementation of scientific research taking into account the needs of the region. In the conditions of university autonomy, the possibilities of taking into account the expectations and needs of employers regarding the competencies of their staff in the development of curricula and programs are expanding. The purpose of the paper is to justify an approach that will harmonize the interests of employers and institutions of higher education in terms of sustainable regional development. The research methods are: analysis and synthesis (for determining theoretical and practical aspects of ensuring the quality of the educational process); expert survey (for determining the most effective forms of interaction between business and universities); abstract-logical method (for theoretical summarization and conclusion); graphics (for visualization of the model of providing educational services on the basis of harmonization of interests of employers and institutions of higher education). The results of the research: forms of cooperation between universities and companies; the model for forming the competencies of specialists as a basis for ensuring their attractiveness in the labor market. The proposed approach allows effective management of educational activities on a systematic basis, improves the quality of education, and contributes to sustainable regional development.


A series of neutral and cationic group 4 and neutral group 3 model complexes of the Me2Si(eta^5-C5H4)(eta^5-3-(CMe3)-C5H3)(tBuSp) ligand have been prepared: tBuSpZrCl2(1), tBuSpZr(CH2SiMe3)2 (8), tBuSpZrMe2 (9), [tBuSpZrH2]2 (10), tBuSpZrMeCl (11), tBuSpZrMe(CH2CMe3) (12), tBuSpZrMe(CH2SiMe3) (13), tBuSpScCl(THF) (14), tBuSpScCH(SiMe3)2 (17), [tBuSpScH] (18), and tBuSpTiCl2 (19). The kinetically preferred isomers of 12 and 13 have been identified, and in both cases the syn isomer is preferred. We have obtained solid state structures of [tBuSpZrH2]2 (10), tBuSpZrMeCl (11), tBuSpZrMe(CH2CMe3) (12), and tBuSpScCl(THF) (14). Complexes 12 and 13 isomerize to form predominantly the thermodynamically preferred anti isomers. The ratio of isomers observed for [tBuSpZrMe]+[MeB(C6F5)3]- (21) and [tBuSpZrCH2SiMe3]+[Me B(C6F5)3]- (22) suggests that the tBuSp ligand does not distinguish very well between different groups in the metallocene wedge ([delta]G = 0.27-0.89 kcal/mol). The tBu group is not an effective stereodirector in the ground state structures and the remarkable stereodirecting capability of this ligand in propylene polymerizations must be reconciled by its effect on transition state energies. A series of scandocene tetramethylaluminate have been prepared, including Ind2Sc(mu-Me)2AlMe2 (1), Cp2Sc(mu-Me)2AlMe2 (2), Cp*CpSc(mu-Me)2AlMe2 (3), and meso-DpSc(mu-Me)2AlMe2 (4). These complexes display characteristic terminal and bridging methyl resonances in solution at room temperature, indicating static structures. Complexes 1-4 oligomerize 1-pentene to form a range of oligomers. The tetramethylaluminate complexes initiate oligomerization from a scandium-methyl species after dissociation of AlMe3, and the primary mechanism of chain transfer is beta-hydrogen elimination. Complexes 1-4 react with L donors (L = DMAP, THF, PMe3) to form (RnCp)2ScMe(L) compounds (5-9). To study the chromium-based ethylene trimerization catalyst involving the diphosphine ligand (o-MeO-C6H4)2PN(Me)P(o-MeO-C6H4)2 (PNPOMe (1)), we have synthesized (PNPOMe-d12)CrPh3 (11), (PNPSMe-d12)CrPh3, (12), and (PNPOMe-d12)CrPh2Cl (14) containing deuterated PNP ligands. Activation of 11 by protonation with H+(OEt2)2B[C6H3(CF3)2]4- in the presence of ethylene provides an active trimerization catalyst that gives similar selectivity and activity to 1-hexene as the originally reported system and represents the first examples of an active, well-defined trimerization catalyst based on chromium. The trimerization of a 1:1 mixture of C2H4 and C2D4 gives only C6D12, C6D8H4, C6D4H8, and C6H12, the 1-hexene isotopomers without H/D scrambling, which is consistent with a trimerization mechanism involving metallacyclic intermediates.


Structured variation in the frequency spectrum of critical hydrologic variables can have important implications for the design and management of water resources infrastructure, yet traditional hydrologic frequency analysis often ignores the influence of exogenous factors that can both precede and exert control over hydrologic responses. Moreover, emerging literature that has addressed predictable low‐frequency oscillations in the probabilistic nature of hydrologic variables has focused almost exclusively on flood flows. This study explores a new approach for conditioning the frequency spectrum of hydrologic extremes on seasonal predictors and applies the method to annual minimum 7 day low flows, a critical low‐flow statistic often utilized in water quality management and planning. A semiparametric local likelihood method is used to condition quantile estimates of the 7 day low flow on year‐to‐year hydroclimatic forecasts for two major rivers in the northeast United States. The local likelihood approach is employed in a Bayesian framework in which regional information is used to inform prior distributions of model parameters. The method is compared against a baseline approach that applies a static Bayesian inference with noninformative priors to derive unconditional parameter and quantile estimates. The implications of the approach for the efficacy of water quality regulations and as an adaptation to climate change are discussed.


The grayscale-thermal tracking has attracted increasing attention due to the fact that it can make thermal information complement with grayscale information. Since there exists a large gap between the grayscale and the thermal video sequences, how to exploit the intrinsic relation between the grayscale and the thermal targets has become the key point. To address this issue, in this paper, we propose an inverse sparse representation based framework for the grayscale-thermal tracking, in which a canonical correlation analysis based inverse sparse representation model is adopted to jointly encode the target candidates in the grayscale and the thermal video sequences. The target coding process can explore the similarity between the grayscale and the thermal appearance in a common subspace, which can highlight the useful and discriminative information in both grayscale and thermal targets. The experiments on OSU-CT dataset can illustrate the promising performance of our tracking framework.


A statistical analysis of intentional interference influence on the performance of microwave holography imaging system comparing to unintentional interference is carried out. Azimuthal resolving power of such systems is chosen to be a criterion of their electromagnetic compatibility with interference sources. Unintentional and intentional interferences are described by complex Gaussian noises, uncorrelated or spatially correlated with the exponential or quadratic-exponential covariance models respectively. The dependences of probability of correct objects resolution in the test scene on the signal to noise ratio and the spatial correlation coefficient are obtained. Signal to noise ratio thresholds necessary to provide the given probability of correct resolution under investigated interferences are estimated. The results can be useful for design of such systems as remote microwave observators, ground penetration radars, autonomous surveillance systems and other applications and for the prognosis of their performance under interferences.


This chapter investigates the political, social, moral, and judicial currents that converged since the independence of Sudan in 1956 to make presidential politics seek to profit from the historical and cultural resources of the Manichaean Judiciary. It may sound politically correct to dismiss Ismail Al-Azhari's and Nimerie's Islamism as a means of exploiting religion. The chapter examined the various ways the colonial Manichaean geography of the Judiciary played out in the politics of the postcolony. It described how a rage against sexual perversion, which could have been addressed by 'modern' laws upholding civil decency, translated into a national program of Islamizing the state. In the process, the presidential politics allied itself with the Sharia Division and its law in an attempt to surmount the crisis of political legitimacy based on a history of nationalism and resistance.Keywords: Ismail Al-Azhari; moral injury; Sharia court; Sudan


A waveguide circular polarizer with reconfigurable polarization sense is proposed in this paper. The polarizer can be switched between right and left hand circular polarization. The polarization sense is controlled by RF MEMS switches, which commute between two states for allowing or blocking adequately two different signal paths inside the waveguide structure. The polarizer is made up of three building blocks, involving E-plane waveguide MEMS SP2T switch, ridge to waveguide transitions and a septum-orthomode transducer. A switchable Ku-band polarizer prototype is designed and tested as a proof of concept. The experimental performance shows acceptable return losses and axial ratio levels in the 12.7 to 14.8 GHz band (15.3% fractional bandwidth). The proposed structure is compact and is useful for applications that require fast polarization switching.


In order to evaluate the response of effective vernalization days on the soluble sugar and total nitrogen contents and the emergence of Lilium longiflorum plant shoots, cv 'Snow Queen' bulbs were kept under different vernalization temperatures and periods of treatment under vernalizing temperatures, and cultivated in a plastic greenhouse after the vernalization. The experiment was carried out at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, RS, in two seasons: from 03/20/02 to 11/05/02 and from 12/05/02 to 05/15/03. The treatments were 0, 9, 11, 14, 19, 23, 28, 29, 34, 38, 42, 45 and 56 effective vernalization days, calculated with a beta response function to temperature. The soluble sugar and total nitrogen contents, and the duration of the planting-emergence (P-M) phase were determined. The vernalization promoted the mobilization of sugar and nitrogen reserves, which is important for the nutrition of the emergence of the shoot. The increasing number of the effective vernalization days reduced the duration of the P-E phase. Bulbs treated under temperatures of 10oC for 6 to 8 weeks of storage (34 and 45DV), had the shortest duration of the P-E phase.


This paper develops and estimates a demand model to describe a household's demand for distance from a landfill with hazardous wastes. This model provides one basis for gauging the intensity of a household's desire to avoid living near this type of facility. Using the conceptual framework of a hedonic property value model to provide the basis for demand for distance questions, a survey in suburban Boston elicited this information from 609 households. The demand estimates imply that the average household would realize a consumer surplus between $330 to $495 annually for each mile between its residence and a landfill containing hazardous waste.


One of the major strengths of The World from 1450 to 1700 is its elegant narrative style. Wills tells a number of fascinating stories from the point of view of contemporaries, including witnesses at the siege of Constantinople, Muslim pilgrims on the Hajj, and the philosophical wanderings of the Chinese intellectual Wang Yangming. The vivid literary quality of the work, combined with its brevity (154 pages), do not allow readers to get bogged down in tedious details or academic interpretations. While Wills's analysis follows recent trends in world history scholarship, his interpretive framework does not intrude upon the narrative. Keeping a broad audience engaged occasionally leads Wills to give attention to more colorful events at the expense of weightier ones. For example, the machinations of Henry VIII of England garners more than two pages, but the Hapsburg drive to establish a European empire gets no mention at all. The book begins with the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, which makes sense because of its wide impact across Asia, Africa, and Europe. It is not clear, however, why Wills ends his synthesis in 1700, though the back cover identifies the Glorious Revolution of 1688 as the terminal point. While the revolution was certainly an important event in English and Atlantic history, its global significance seems quite limited. Nonetheless, it seems likely that a companion volume will pick up the story and carry it into the modern period. These minor criticisms notwithstanding, The World from 1450 to 1700 is a skillfully crafted work by an accomplished historian that renders the early modern world accessible to a large audience. charles h. parker Saint Louis University


A procedure incorporating the finite strip method and a spring system has been developed and applied to treat the dynamic response of plate structure resting on an elastic foundation to moving loads. The response to a single moving concentrated load is first investigated and then the effects of velocity, elastic foundation stiffness, moving path, and distance between multiple moving loads are studied. The response under a moving harmonic load with constant velocity is finally treated and the effect of the load frequency is investigated. Results indicate that the foundation stiffness and the velocity and frequency of the moving load have significant effects on the dynamic response of the plate and on resonant velocities. Some of these findings might find use in practical applications.


Sugar will eventually be exported transporters (SWEETs) have been identified as a unique class of sugar efflux transporters in all biological kingdoms. AtSWEET11 and AtSWEET12 in Arabidopsis act synergistically to perform distinct physiological roles, particularly in apoplasmic phloem loading, seed filling, and sugar level alteration at the site of pathogen infection. Plasma membrane-localized AtSWEET11 and AtSWEET12 transporters exclusively facilitate sucrose transport along the concentration gradient. This article examines the sucrose binding pocket of AtSWEET11 and AtSWEET12 using docking studies, and how they act synergistically in various functions throughout plant development and during abiotic and biotic stresses. Further, we highlight the phylogenetic and the in-silico analyses of AtSWEET11 and AtSWEET12 orthologs from 39 economically important plant species that could provide new platforms for future studies on sugar allocation mechanisms across the different plant families. In-depth understanding of these transporters and their molecular regulatory mechanisms could be harnessed for crop improvement and crop protection.


7. OWNER (If owned by a corporation, its name and address must be stated and also immediately thereunder the names and addresses of stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of stock. If not owned by a corporation, the names and addresses of the individual owners must be given. If owned by a partnership or other unincorporated firm, its name and address, es well as mat of each individual must be given. If the publication is published by a nonprofit organization, its name and address must be stated.) (Item must be completed)


The absence of collisionless damping of so-called zonal flows accounts for their prominance in the saturation of ion temperature gradient (ITG) turbulence in tokamaks. In fact, a tokamak responds to zonal flows with a reactive, neoclassical polarization current. This neoclassical polarization response is small, of order ε times the neoclassical factor, ω pi ω2 ci q ε2 , where ε is the inverse aspect ratio. Any increase in this polarization, which shields the zonal flow potential, could have significant adverse effects on tokamak transport. Even if the polarization response remains reactive, the zonal flows produced by ITG turbulence would be reduced and thereby raise the saturated turbulence level. A new effect which increases this neoclassical polarization by a factor of order ε−1 is presented in this paper. We show that this neoclassical polarization is equivalent to the pinch effect driven by the toroidal electric field. This equivalence orginates with the replacement of the time varying radial electric field by an inertial toroidal force, Fζ = −mic/Bp (∂Er/∂t), from which one can compute the radial currents in an exact, to order ε, replica of the pinch effect. This calculation is carried out using the Lagrangian formulation of neoclassical transport so that we can clearly understand, recognize and separate the collisionless flows of Rosenbluth and Hinton (RH) from potentially new collisional processes. The smallness of the RH polarization is attributed to a kinematic cancelation recognized some time ago for the Ware effect. Although trapped particles drift inward radially under the influence of the toroidal electric field, the circulating particles actually drift out, collisionlessly, canceling the Ware pinch completely, to leading order in ε . This same cancelation occurs for the RH polarization, leaving just the small residual, O ¡ε3/2¢. The new effect proposed here, which increases the neoclassical polarization, is identical to the process which produces the actual pinch in neoclassical theory — a collisional process on circulating particles whereby velocity and radial scattering (of mean orbits) are correlated. It is interesting that the net neoclassical polarization, including the new effect, behaves as though the trapped particles respond in the obvious way, vζ ∼ cEr/Bp, with no circulating particle response, just like the neoclassical pinch can appear to be the Ware pinch for trapped particles, with no circulating particle response. The true microscopic physics is in fact quite different. Simulation work is in progress to verify these predictions using GS2 and neoclassical codes. 1M.N. Rosenbluth and F.L. Hinton, Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 724 (1998). 2I.B. Bernstein and K. Molvig, Phys. Fluids, 26, 1488 (1983). 3W. Dorland, F. Jenko, M. Kotschenruther, B.N. Rogers, Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 5579 (2000).


M G Bowler Oxford: Pergamon 1976 pp x + 172 price £7.25 (cased) £5.25 (paperback) As the author emphasizes, gravity is now one of the most exciting areas of physics, both experimentally and theoretically. Relativistic gravitation is essential for the discussion of collapsed states in astrophysics; evidence for gravitational waves is still being investigated, and recent technology has allowed some extremely accurate experiments in the field of gravitation.


Cofactors linked to nutrient limitation Microbes require inventive ways to acquire scarce nutrients from the environment. Enzymes that catalyze the acquisition of phosphorus from dissolved organic matter, for example, rely on complex metal cofactors in the active site. Yong et al. determined the crystal structure of the PhoX alkaline phosphatase from Pseudomonas fluorescens (see the Perspective by Moore). The metal centers arrange themselves in a triangular structure of two iron atoms and one calcium atom, bridged together by an oxide ion. The presence of iron, which itself is a trace nutrient in most environments, suggests that it limits phosphorus acquisition. Science, this issue p. 1170; see also p. 1120 An intricate triangular complex containing two iron atoms makes up the active site cofactor of a bacterial alkaline phosphatase. [Also see Perspective by Moore] Alkaline phosphatases play a crucial role in phosphate acquisition by microorganisms. To expand our understanding of catalysis by this class of enzymes, we have determined the structure of the widely occurring microbial alkaline phosphatase PhoX. The enzyme contains a complex active-site cofactor comprising two antiferromagnetically coupled ferric iron ions (Fe3+), three calcium ions (Ca2+), and an oxo group bridging three of the metal ions. Notably, the main part of the cofactor resembles synthetic oxide-centered triangular metal complexes. Structures of PhoX-ligand complexes reveal how the active-site metal ions bind substrate and implicate the cofactor oxo group in the catalytic mechanism. The presence of iron in PhoX raises the possibility that iron bioavailability limits microbial phosphate acquisition.


Fracturing fluids play an important role in hydraulic fracturing treatments. The rheology of hydraulic fracturing fluids affects transport, suspension, and deposition of proppants, as well as flow back after placement. They should also be capable of developing the necessary fracture width to accept proppants or to allow deep acid penetration. Compatibility with formation fluids and material must also be taken into account. The rheology of fracturing fluids is fundamental for hydraulic fracturing design, i.e. prediction of fracture growth and geometry. Accurate measurements and good understanding of their rheological properties are essential for designing and executing an optimum treatment. Failure in selection of fracturing fluid will result in unsuccessful treatment in terms of reservoir conditions, oil production, and net present value. Borate cross-linked fluids have been widely used as a fracturing fluid in the oil industry. Experimental studies have been conducted to investigate the rheological properties of two borate cross-linked fluids. In this article the linear viscoelastic properties of these fracturing fluids are described in detail.


To the Editor: We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the letter by Abrahams et al regarding our recently published report ''Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections and the Development of Cutaneous Sarcoid Lesions: A Case Report.'' We would like to thank Abrahams et al for presenting the idea that silicone oil may be the agent responsible for causing the clinical manifestations in our patient. Silicone oil is a commonly used lubricant for syringes, often present in their internal coating. Abrahams et al hypothesized that syringes used during platelet-rich plasma injections may have contributed to the development of siliconomas in our patient, clinically mimicking sarcoidal granulomas. Although a feasible theory, we strongly believe that the clinical findings in our patient were secondary to the Koebner phenomenon in a patient with previously undetected sarcoidosis. There is considerable evidence in the literature that silicone oil from silicone injections and silicone breast implants may cause systemic autoimmune reactions. Although Lemes et al described a case of syringe silicone oil causing local dermatologic reactions, to our knowledge there are no reports of silicone oil from a syringe that resulted in systemic autoimmune reactions. Therefore, although it might be plausible for our patient's cutaneous lesions to be due to siliconoma formation, it is highly unlikely that silicone oil caused the characteristic sarcoidosis finding of pulmonary lymph node granuloma formation observed in our patient. Abrahams et al mentioned that patients with exposure to silicone, often used in medical implants, are at risk for the development of autoimmune/ inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants. Although this finding is pertinent, it is unlikely in our patient because the exposure was limited to silicone oil from syringes. In contrast, there is documentation of the Koebner phenomenon in patients with sarcoidosis


Queer art holds a troubled, and troubling, position in art and aesthetic discourse. The task of defining an authoritative queer aesthetics is complicated by the nature of queer theory, a framework liable to shifts in definition, and founded on a commitment to sociohistorical, sexual, and gender transgression. The range of artworks considered queer is both broad and ahistorical. Certain exhibitions have taken on the task of surveying or representing queer art; using different categorical guidelines, they have naturally achieved very different results. The thesis wants to 'out' the queer aesthetic dilemma by asking how the radically pliant, uncontainable nature of queer theory can be represented in queer art? Four queer artists--Kim Kielhofner, Robert Rauschenberg, Emily Roysdon, and David Wojnarowicz--and one queer arts community--Toronto's present-day Queen Street West arts community--are considered. Their production is evaluated in terms of its contributions to a theory of queer aesthetics based on divergence, or, as queer theorist Sara Ahmed puts it, "fail[ure] to make ... gestures of return." Identifying strategies of relationality, intergenerational transmission, cultural coding, alternative autobiography, and queer world-making as notable aspects of queer cultural production, this thesis shows how queer artists both resist and appropriate cultural hegemony in order to preserve queer legacies. It is through this engagement and disassociation that queer art and queer aesthetics come to be defined.


To prevent AIDS,it was proposed that the prostitution should be legalized.But this would not be a best choice.From the bio-ethical perspective,this paper tries to clarify some misunderstandings in the views and reasons of legalizing prostitution.Firstly,the legalization of prostitution can not improve women's basic rights and interests.Nor can it block the transmission of AIDS.Secondly,we can't deny the anti-pornography campaign for the sake of the irrationality of current anti-pornography policy.Thirdly,the legalization of prostitution means the legalization of buying sex.What is worse,this will lead to the overall moral decline in China.Therefore,we strongly advocate that we should hold the moral and legal position that prostitution is social vices and will never legalize it from certain presumed utilitarian considerations(actually they do not work at all).In penalize the acts of buying sex and whoring,we should distinguish their respectively different moral and legal responsibilities.We should give more serious penalty to the sex buyers and intensify the education and guidance in improving the livelihood of whores.


A high speed, low offset fully differential comparator for high-speed analog-to-digital converter which can work at a sampling rate of 8GS/s is presented in this paper. The three-stage pre-amplifiers in the improved comparator structure is proposed to ameliorate its gain. The positive feedback regeneration circuit and the improved output buffer are used to ameliorate the comparator bandwidth. Operating with an input sine signal of 1GHz frequency, the circuit can oversample up to 8GS/s with 5bits of resolution. The simulated offset voltage of the comparator by Monte Carlo at 8GHz clock is 5.09mV.


Based on characteristics and connectivity of the groups in molecules,the group contribution method and topological method is combined together,a new method,the group contribution method,is developed that can be used to calculate the molar refractions of alkynes from molecular structure.The calculated results show that the calculated molar refractions of alkynes are in good agreement with the experimental data,and the mean relative deviation is 0.053% for 84 alkynes.


This letter investigates the joint effects of imperfect channel state information and co‐channel interferences on a two‐hop fixed gain amplify‐and‐forward (AF) relay network with beamforming. Specifically, the analytical expressions of the outage probability and the average symbol error rate for the AF relaying are derived. Moreover, the asymptotic analysis at high signal‐to‐noise ratio is also presented to reveal the diversity order and array gain of the considered AF relay system. Finally, computer simulations are given to confirm the validity of the analytical results. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We have prepared a series of molecular models of porous glass using a recently developed procedure (Gelb, L. D.; Gubbins, K. E. Langmuir 1998, 14, 2097) that mimics the experimental processes that produce Vycor and controlled-pore glasses. We calculate nitrogen adsorption isotherms in these precisely characterized model glasses using Monte Carlo simulations. These isotherms are analyzed using the Barrett−Joyner−Halenda (BJH) method to yield pore size distributions, which are tested against exact pore size distributions directly measured from the pore structures. The BJH method yields overly sharp distributions that are systematically shifted (by about 1 nm) to lower pore sizes than those from our geometric method.


Molten metal penetration and freezing phenomena wer e studied during the interaction with reactor core structures from the view point of he safety analysis of heavy liquid metal cooled reactor. For the determination of the fundam ental mechanisms underlying the penetration and freezing behavior of molten metal f lowing through a seven-pin channel was the main objectives of this study. The present ries of simulant experiments, therefore, has been performed to study the freezing phenomena of molten metal (wood's metal) which focus on fuel pin-bundle geometry under the v arious thermal conditions of molten metal and pins. The liquid penetration length into the flow channel and the proportion of adhered frozen metal onto the pin surfaces were mea sur d in the present series of experiments. Visual information was also obtained b y using a digital video camera. The comparison between the atmosphere and the water-coo lant experiments shows that characteristics of penetration and freezing behavio r will significantly change due to heat transfer from melt to coolant. The present results will be utilized to create a relevant database for the verification of reactor safely ana lysis codes.


Public regulation of the broadcast media is now under strong attack and may even be fighting for its life. Opposition to regulation has been gaining strength gradually over the last decade, but it has now gathered such force that even the very federal agency that developed the principal regulations at issue and has served as overseer of the regulatory system for the past half century is openly calling for a return to the free market system as the exclusive mechanism for ensuring a rich marketplace of ideas. That politics makes strange bedfellows has long been appreciated, but the alliance of political ideologies that stands behind this opposition to public regulation gives new life to that adage. The Federal Communications Commission's 1985 "Report on the General Fairness Doctrine Obligations of Broadcast Licensees," which issues the call for the abandonment of the fairness doctrine, draws heavily on the writings and opinions of Justice William O. Douglas. It is, indeed, the fairness doctrine that is now the primary battleground for the war being waged over public regulation of the media. Generally, three arguments are leveled against the doctrine. First, it is claimed that the doctrine chills more speech than it fosters. Because the doctrine imposes a variety of costs on broadcasters – such as the cost of covering opposing viewpoints at the broadcaster's own expense and the costs of resisting fairness doctrine complaints – broadcasters often choose not to cover public issues at all, thus reducing instead of expanding the amount of discussion of public issues on television and radio.


Based on the features of PVC polymerizayion kettle in Taiyuan Chemical Company Group and its requirements to temperature,the combination control methods to program control,cascade control and follow up control were adopted to control the temperature of polymerization kettle and gained satisfied effect.


The loads in rural area are predominantly pump sets used for lift irrigation. The loads have low power factor and low load factor. Further, load density is low due to dispersal of loads. The existing distribution system consists of three-phase 11 kV/433 Volts distribution transformer with lengthy L.T Lines. In this system, the losses are high, voltage profile and reliability are unsatisfactory. In this paper, HVDS has been introduced with small capacity distribution transformers. A simple load flow technique has been used for solving radial distribution networks before and after implementation of HVDS. An advantage of implementing HVDS over LVDS system is discussed.


The invention concerns in one embodiment a method of treating glaucoma or elevated intraocular pressure comprising administering a pharmaceutically effective amount of a composition comprising at least one prenyltransferase inhibitor. In another embodiment, the invention concerns a composition for the treatment of elevated intraocular pressure and glaucoma comprising a pharmaceutically effective amount of a prenyltransferase inhibitor. ® KIPO & WIPO 2009


A square wave voltammetry (SWV) method for the determination of trace amounts of paracetamol at carbon paste electrode modified with managanese (Mn-CPE) is proposed. The results showed that the Mn-CPE exhibited excellent electro catalytic activity to paracetamol. A quasi-reversible redox process of paracetamol at the modified electrode was obtained. The concentration of paracetamol and measuring solution pH was investigated. This electrochemical sensor shows an excellent performance for detecting paracetamol with a detection limit of 6.8×10 -10 mol.L -1 with the relative standard deviation of 2.0% (n=7). The sensor was successfully applied to the determination of paracetamol in a real sample tablets with satisfactory results.


This document reviews the verification of the basic shape quantification attributes in the MAMA software against hand calculations in order to show that the calculations are implemented mathematically correctly and give the expected quantification results.


The aim of "Robustness Analysis" is to assess aircraft stability in the presence of all admissible uncertainties. Models that are able to describe the aircraft dynamics by taking into account all uncertainties over a region inside the flight envelope have therefore been developed, using Linear Fractional Representation (LFR). In this paper Part 1 a friendly Graphical User Interface is developed to facilitate the generation of Linear Fractional Representation uncertainty models for the Cessna Citation X aircraft using 12 weight and Xcg configurations; thus, 26 regions of the flight envelope are developed for different Weight/ Xcg configurations to study the aircraft's longitudinal motion. In the aim to analyzed the robustness stability of Cessna Citation X in Part 2 using the Graphical User Interface developed in the Clearance Of Flight Control Laws Using Optimization (COFCLUO) project. This project aimed to boost the aircraft safety using computer computation.


Brian A. Nosek and Yoav Bar-Anan (this issue) have produced a forward-looking treatise on what the future of scientific publishing in psychology might look like if some fairly dramatic changes were made to the current system. When I first heard Brian make some of these suggestions a year or so ago in a talk, many of the ideas struck me as quite radical, problematic, and/or impractical. However, on reexposure to them in this extended article, they seem less wild and crazy. Indeed, some are even starting to seem normal and inevitable. In agreement with the authors, I don't know anyone who is completely happy with the current publishing system we have. Some of this has to do with structural issues such as those Nosek and BarAnan raise, but much of it has to do with the specific behavior of individual editors and reviewers. Some of the structural changes they suggest (e.g., eliminating anonymous reviews) could have a positive effect on the behavior of the major players in the system, but some ideas (e.g., making producers of research rather than consumers of science bear more of the cost) seem irrelevant to current dissatisfaction and might even have a negative effect. In this brief article I comment on some of the suggestions Nosek and Bar-Anan made that I reacted to most strongly. The article begins with an illustrative case study of Nosek and colleagues' publication history. This is interesting and provides idiosyncratic data that social psychologists may enjoy comparing with their own experiences. Is my success rate higher? Does it take my papers longer to be published? But it is critical for everyone to remember that although there are many articles in Nosek's analysis, the appropriate N for the case study is 1. Thus, we can't know how representative Nosek's experience is for the field of social psychology as a whole. He works within a particular area and therefore will tend to get a particular set of decision editors and reviewers. Are editors and reviewers in other areas similar in their practices? We can't know. It helps that Nosek and his collaborators attempted to publish in a variety of different journals over a period that would encompass more than one editorial board for each journal, but given the number of scientists and reviewers in the field, one has to extrapolate from the data presented with caution. The bulk of the article deals with changes recommended to the entire publishing system. Before getting to these, Nosek and Bar-Anan note several problems with the current system, which I have boiled down to three. The first is that there often is either no or rather slow communication of research results. Indeed, a lot of data are never published, and data that are can take a long time to reach the intended audience. This is certainly true if one focuses only on the traditional journal publication process. But research results are disseminated in many ways. For example, one can wonder how many of Nosek's papers cited in his Table 1 were presented at professional conferences or meetings years before the final journal publication. I can't know if my own experience is similar to others, but virtually every published paper that I and my collaborators have done has been preceded by a presentation at a conference in some form and well before the journal article appeared. Thus, if societies would make searchable online archives available of these presentations, it would help to solve this problem. Further, it would set a minimal bar to placing material in the professional database. Researchers would have to think their results (whether supportive or nonsupportive of the null hypothesis) were important enough to present to others, even if they were not yet deemed worthy of writing up in a formal paper. An archive of such conference papers in each discipline would be extremely helpful in speeding access to at least the topics and core findings people have, and researchers interested in common problems could communicate with each other. Some major societies (e.g., SPSP) are already considering such a practice. As in the current system, a finding presented at a conference would not "count" in the scientific race to be the first to publish a finding because conference papers are not publications. Nevertheless, scholars aware of such prior work could still easily cite it. The major barrier to communicating one's results, then, would remain with the individual scientist. Do they submit their work to conferences? In my own lab, results of individual studies are not sent to conferences at the first opportunity if there is some doubt about their replicability or concern about whether an effect might be "scooped" if known too widely. But in nearly every case, there is a presentation of the results that precedes actual publication


In this work we present a comparative study of metal-face and N-face polarity GaN/AlN multiple-quantum-well structures grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy, using Ga as a surfactant for the growth of both GaN and AlN layers. The structural and chemical characterization of the superlattices was performed using high-resolution and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy. Experimental and simulated images were analysed using both a projection method and geometrical phase analysis. It was found that the interfaces of both Ga-face and N-face heterostructures are chemically abrupt at the monolayer scale; however, Ga-face interfaces are rather uniform and flat whereas roughness in N-face structures enlarges the interface width to 2–3 monolayers. Holt inversion domain boundaries of both 1 and 2 type were present in the N-face structure.


On the basis of Var model,the relationships among FDI in agricultural field,agricultural policies and agricultural development level were analysised by JJ Test,Impulse Responses and Variance Decompositions.The results showed that there was a dynamic balanced relationships in a long-term among FDI in agricultural field,agricultural policies and agricultural development level,and the dependence between FDI in agricultural field and agricultural development level was 61%,well,the dependence between FDI in agricultural field and agricultural policies achieved 31%.agricultural policies could regulate the fluctuation of FDI in agricultural field effectively;and appropriate adjustment of agricultural policies would be a good way to keep FDI in agricultural field in the face of economy downturn.Finally,with current situation that FDI in agricultural field takes an extremely small proportion,some feasible advices were listed for scale enlargement of FDI in agricultural field.


Use of live bacterial cells of a strain belonging to Lactobacillus helveticus in the manufacture of a medicament for increasing the frequency of defecation and the amount of faeces in an animal having an intestinal disorder.


This work presents a study of the rates of annihilation of positrons in molecular gases by calculating the annihilation parameter Zeff . The Gribakin-Lee (GL) model formulates a dipole-interaction-mediated positron capture mechanism, describing a resonant contribution to Zeff of the active-IR vibrational modes of the molecule. This model agrees very well when tested to the halomethanes in the experiment with positron beams, but fails when applied to the experiment with thermal positrons. In this context, some hypotheses were tested to explain the discrepancy between the GL model applied to the experiment with positron beams and the experiment with thermal positrons. It was shown how the GL model can be obtained as a particular case of the Feshbach projection operators formalism. The hypotheses tested to explain the discrepancy between the models were: (i) to disregard the zero-width approximation for a more realistic convolution of the annihilation parameter Zeff with the energy distribution of the positrons; (ii)to include combinations of IR-active vibrational modes and overtones, in addition to modes with Raman activity in the calculation of thermal Zeff ; (iii)to include rotational resonances in the GL model and; (iv) to propose a simplified model for the electron density considering its dependence on the nuclear coordinates of the molecule. It has been found that considering finite widths in the convolution of thermal Zeff and Zeff for the beams does not lead to a significant difference from the GL model, being legitimate the use of the zero width approximation for the vibrational Feshbach resonances. Regarding the inclusion of overtones and combinations IR-active , it was found that although this method is of extreme importance to fit Zeff in the case of the experiment with positron beams for methanol and ethylene, the influence of this contribution to thermal Zeff is modest. Molecules with very low binding energies, such as CH3F, may present a possible rotational contribution to Zeff , representing almost the entire resonant contribution to the annihilation parameter.


The paper pays attention to a kind of non-autonomous predator-prey system related to three species with Holling IV kind functional reaction and stage structure. Based on Logistic model and Lotka-Volterra model, three-species predator model is presented. We divide the prey into childhood stage and adult stage, while supposing the two-species predators only prey the adult prey and they have no effect with each other. Then putting forward a set of conditions which confined the equation coefficient, we prove that the system we built is permanent through the four conditions. Thus we obtain the sufficient conditions of persistent existence of the three species and provide numerical simulations to analyze the system.


A method of development of a technology of peat extraction for intensifying of dewatering which involves drying of peat raw materials in thick layers with a layer-by-layer harvesting into large-sized roll with further delivery to the field storage unit of the enlarged sizes is presented in the paper. Throughout the year storage raw materials may be transported to the customer or to the shopfloor for further processing. Considering dimension and mass characteristics, a crumbed peat of various moisture capacity is a major type of products to be of high demand. On the basis of the results of scientific studies regarding gravity dewatering of peat and its drying in field environment, the ways of intensifying of field dewatering of peat for extraction at shallow-peat lands and fine-limit fields are proposed. The presented results of the experimental performance of a technology of peat drying in thick layers with a layer-by-layer harvesting indicate an increase of seasonal harvesting and a decrease of the influence of unfavorable meteorological factors on the stability of the extraction process. Performed investigations allowed to develop a structure of technical operations for peat excavation with the stage dewatering in spreading and intermediate storage units providing rational state of the extraction process regarding a complex of technical factors. A suggested scheme of a process area for a primary and secondary period of deposit exploitation by a technology of peat excavation is considered.


Introduction Chronic conditions are related to 60% of disability adjusted life years and account for 75% of total health care expenditure worldwide. The economic burden of chronic conditions is much larger when considering the costs of productivity loss and informal care. The threat that chronic conditions pose to population health and economies increase because of increasing prevalence and multi-morbidity, which multiplies the burden of chronic conditions. Integrated care is seen as the means to tackle this threat by improving population health and patient experience with care, and reducing costs. It includes initiatives that seek to improve outcomes for those with (complex) chronic health problems and needs by overcoming issues of fragmentation through linkage or coordination of services of different providers along the continuum of care. In the era of personalized medicine and genomics, integrated care may be characterized by the recently suggested term 'humanomics' because it incorporates treatment based on personal need, preferences and capacity, it interacts with the context in which it is implemented, and its success depends highly on human behaviour [1]. Financial incentives are one of the main prerequisites for integrating care [2].


This article introduces the updated internationally adopted methodologies for the calculation of the measurement uncertainty, in a didactic and progressively way, through two simplified examples of a direct and an indirect measurement.


For large-scale, and real-time processing, cloud systems are widely used due to their high scalability and availability. In this paper, we propose workload distribution methods for location-based event processing on the cloud systems. We define a measure of the workload, and focus on the balanced distribution of workload because in cloud systems the workload distribution is very important with respect to the system performance. For the balanced distribution of workload, we propose four methods: (1) round-robin data distribution, (2) round-robin query distribution, (3) data/query distribution via space partitioning and (4) skew-aware distribution. The round-robin data distribution method focuses on a balanced distribution of event data whereas queries are replicated in all cluster nodes. In the round-robin query distribution method, queries are evenly distributed whereas the event is replicated. The data/query distribution via space partitioning distributes event data and queries based on their spatial attribute values. Lastly, the skew-aware distribution method considers the non-uniformity of event data and queries. With extensive experiments, we evaluate the performances of our proposed methods.


Oxidizing agents play a major role in the pathogenesis of liver diseases. Pistacia vera (P. vera), contains many antioxidant substances including coenzyme 10, vitamin E and beta-carotene. The current study was designed to evaluate the probable effects of P. vera on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in male rats. Frothy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups including normal, hepatotoxic (CCl4) and P. vera 10, 50, and 100 mg/kg + CCl4. P. vera extract (p.o., daily for 4 weeks) and CCl4 (1 ml/kg two times during the first week of study, 50% v/v in olive oil, i.p.) were administered to the animals. Serum analysis was performed to assay the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine amino transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL). Hepatic necrosis and inflammation were evaluated by histopathological examination (hematoxylin and eosin staining) of liver section. CCl4induced hepatotoxicity was evidenced by considerable increase in serum levels of ALT, AST and LDL (p< 0.05). Also, administration of CCl4 induced congestion in central vein and lymphocyte infiltration. Gavage of hydro-alcoholic extract of P. vera (10, 50, 100 mg/kg) significantly decreased mentioned indices (p<0.05). Histological analysis demonstrated that gavage of different doses of extract significantly decreased inflammation and tissue necrosis (p< 0.05). Our findings indicate hepatoprotective effects of the hydro-alcoholic extract of P. vera on CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.