The inevitable transformations brought about by the rapidly changing Internet of Things (IoT) impact all aspects of life today, including management and businesses. Specifically, areas of businesses depending mainly on internal supply chain capacity are experiencing a paradigm shift to ensure effective company performance regarding purchases, production, company sales, and product distribution. This shift means that challenges faced by the internal chain supply unit can be solved by adopting and adapting IoT as a new way to minimize work delays and save time. Moreover, IoT automatically leads to performance and productivity increases. Therefore, the present paper aims to justify adopting and adapting IoT applications in Indonesian companies, including retail businesses. Most companies' internal supply chain units face several difficulties during and after the devastating peak of COVID-19, which has led to a total global lockdown. These problems' complexity is exponential and requires innovative ways to solve their prevailing challenges. This study used observation, interview, and documentary research methods through a large-scale survey. The survey obtained the necessary information regarding how companies utilize IoT to improve their performance and productivity without hindering their internal supply chain and production units. The study concluded that the adoption of IoT, if well implemented, leads to a sustainable company and uninterrupted supply chain performance, indicating the proper performance of the organization. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-SP1-017 Full Text: PDF


CRISPR-cas9 Aditya Dewanjee Introduction The vascular system in plants is responsible for the effective transport of water, nutrients, and photosynthates. This network supports the growth of large plant species, and elucidating the processes of vascular tissue development is crucial for horticultural purposes. The process of both xylem and phloem cell differentiation is tightly controlled by various regulatory proteins. Microarray analysis revealed that several members of the NAC family proteins are expressed during phloem development. We are interested in elucidating the functions of these NAC genes in phloem cell differentiation.


A mathematical model and a computer program are described for simulating the high-temperature (2000 to 4000/sup 0/K) pyrolysis of normal paraffins (C/sub 4/+) to produce acetylene as the primary product and calculation are presented. Kinetic model assumes the achievement of an intermediate nonequilibrium state followed by decomposition to the final pyrolysis products.


The environmental impacts of producing asphalt mixtures with different percentages of asphalt binder replacement (ABR) are assessed using the technique of life cycle assessment (LCA). In this paper, only the material production phase of the pavement life cycle is considered. To improve the quality of the LCA, a regionalized life cycle inventory (LCI) database for the Northern Illinois region is compiled for the production of various materials used in flexible pavement construction. Data from local questionnaires, published literature, and commercial LCI databases are used to validate and model unit processes with a LCA software. The environmental impacts modeled include energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from producing asphalt binder, recycled asphalt materials, and aggregates as well as from operating hot-mix asphalt plants. Using the regionalized LCI database, a partial LCA is used to investigate the environmental effects of producing asphalt mixtures with increasing ABR contents. Eleven mixes containing varying percentages of recycled asphalt pavement and recycled asphalt shingles are analyzed. When compared to a mix with 0% ABR content, 25% ABR mixes show an average decrease of 6.3% in energy and 6.5% in GHGs while a 60% ABR mix shows savings of 20.9% and 21.8%, respectively. In addition, conducting the same case study using asphalt binder LCI data from different sources reveals differences of up to 135 GJ and 9.9 tonnes of CO2e per 3-inch-lane-mile in environmental savings for using the 60% ABR mix, emphasizing the importance of using the most relevant LCI data when performing environmental analyses.


AGRICULTURE in the United States is in a period of critical change. The forces of change include rapid technological advance, rapid growth and structural change in the industrial and commercial environment within which agriculture functions, and an accompanying intensification and realignment of political pressures impinging on agriculutral policy. The response of agriculture is confused: There is a welcoming and rapid adoption of some types of changes, resistance to others that may be inevitable concomitants of the changes that are adopted; an intensification of the contradictions between responses to which farmers are motivated individually and the collective consequences of such responses for the welfare of the group; resulting strong political conflicts between those who seek at all costs to protect the group and those who believe that attempts in this direction only prolong the agony of adjustment, at great public expense, and with attendant undermining of the very values (moral as well as economic) that the farmers' advocates seek to protect. The economic and social consequences of these changes in agriculture are far-reaching and arouse wide-spread concern. These consequences include serious chronic distress within major sectors of agriculture itself, in spite of public remedial programs that have grown to unmanageable proportions, and an accelerated movement of population out of agriculture that nevertheless appears to fall short of the rate needed for economic adjustment. Among families that remain in agriculture, the income gap widens betwen those able to adopt progressive technology and those lacking the necessary financial resources or personal capabilities. Successive sectors of agriculture are being increasingly controlled by outside com-


LoRa is a long-range, low-power, low-bit rate, wireless telecommunications system, promoted as an infrastructure solution for the Internet of Things: end-devices use LoRa across a single wireless hop to communicate to gateway(s), connected to the Internet and which act as transparent bridges and relay messages between these end-devices and a central network server. This project provides an overview of LoRa and an in-depth analysis of its functional components. The physical and data link layer performance is evaluated by field tests and simulations. Based on the analysis and evaluations, some possible solutions for performance enhancements are proposed. Prepaid electricity billing system and automated smart meter reading have been widely adopted by electricity companies worldwide nowadays to reduce the error of human reading and improve the efficiency of the billing process. To activate the prepaid system, a robust and reliable network is essential. So we have designed this system to manage customers and prepaid bills by using IoT and GSM Technology.


The premise of the construct of EA conception is the understanding of "ecology".This paper holds that "ecology" does not just refer to the natural existence mode,nor to the mono state of the relation between human and nature.Ecology is different from environment.The latter is a human centrality terminology,a product of binary opposite separation between subject and object.Ecology shows more of the entire systematic contact of mutual dependence.Therefore,"ecology" is what Heidegger meant by the poetic existence mode of "being".EA is the theory of rumination about human EA conception.In this sense,the object of EA research should not remain at the level of environmental pollution,desertification of land,etc.EA research should first be conducted on the state of the existence of natural beauty or the state of the relation between human and nature.EA research should then also include the ecolizational problem of the being of human society.While ecology results from the development of biology,in EA research people shoud not adopt the scientific methods used in doing researches on the sciences of environment biology,etc.Likewise,in EA research,people should not take epistemology as its philosophical basis,for ecology is not a conception of separation between subject and object,but rather one in its entirety.So EA research should take the theory of noumenon as its method basis in other words, EA should take the theory of noumenon as its theoretical premise.


Various LaPO4:Gd3+ samples were synthesized by the hydrothermal method under different conditions to investigate the influence of crystalline structures, compositions and morphologies on the photo-luminescence. The compositions, crystal structures and morphologies were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and photo-luminescence emission spectrum (PL). The results revealed that the emission intensity of LaPO4:Gd3+ reached the maximum value as the mass percentage concentration of Gd3+ ions ascended to 3%. Monoclinic LaPO4:Gd3+ had stronger emission intensity than hexagonal sample which had more zeolitic water, higher symmetry and lower crystallinity. The nanospheres which dispersed better and had higher uniformity and surface atom fraction had the stronger PL intensity than the nanorods. It has been found that the La0.97Gd0.03PO4, which was prepared under the condition of pH=1, T=20 °C and excess PO43-, performed the best PL property after heat treatment at 900 °C for 4h.


We derive a fast algorithm for calculating the Capon maximum likelihood method (MLM) power spectrum estimate when given uniformly spaced samples of the correlation function. This algorithm computes a weighted correlation of the predictor coefficients found by running Levinson recursion. The Fourier transform of the result gives the MLM spectrum. This approach also suggests an interesting new comparison between MLM and MEM.


The future of applied sociology is being shaped by a variety of factors including the historical development of the discipline, the institutional context of colleges and universities, and a wide variety of social trends related to the goals and funding of higher education. Five alternative scenarios for the future of applied sociology are set forth: "Down and Out," "Subfield Status," "Increasing Focus," Ascension of Applied Sociology," and "Leaving Home." Internal and external factors shaping contemporary higher education and their possible impacts on the fu to of applied sociology are considered in order to assess the likelihood of the five alternative futures.


We investigate the dissipative dynamics of quantum discord in a decoherence model with two initially entangled qubits in addition to a quantum kicked top. The two qubits are uncoupled during the period of our study and one of them interacts with the quantum kicked top. We find that the long-time behavior of quantum discord could be well described by the fidelity decay of the quantum kicked top; for short-time behavior, however, the phase of the amplitude of the fidelity decay is necessary to provide more specific information about the system. We have made a comparison between the quantum kicked top and the multi-mode oscillator system in describing the environment, and also compared the dynamics of the entanglement with that of quantum discord.


Objectives Our objective is to report a modified and simplified technique of sensory and motor segmental conduction studies to improve diagnostic sensitivity, especially in cases with mild carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Patients and methods Patients with suspected CTS referred to our electrophysiology laboratory and a control group were included. The data were collected prospectively. The following measurements made: median sensory conduction velocity wrist digit 1(W-1), median sensory conduction velocity wrist digit 3 (W-3), median wrist palm sensory conduction velocity (W-Ps), distoproximal ratio of velocity (D/P), median distal motor latency wrist (MDML) -APB (Abductor pollicis brevis), and median wrist -palm segment motor conduction velocity (W-Pm). Results The highest sensitivity test for an electrodiagnostic CTS diagnosis was D/P (63.7%), W-Pm (43.1%), W-Ps (39.2%), median distal motor latency (33.3%), median sensory conduction velocity wrist digit 1 (31.4%), and median sensory conduction velocity wrist digit 3 (29.4%), correspondingly. A total of 52 patients were diagnosed as having CTS electrophysiologically after containment of W-Ps, 58 patients were defined as having CTS after containment of W-Pm, and 55 patients were diagnosed as having CTS electrophysiologically after containment of D/P. Of 102 hands with CTS, 70 were defined as an electrophysiologically proven CTS using routine electrophysiologic tests together with D/P, W-Pm, and W-Ps segmental studies, increasing the sensitivity of diagnoses by nearly 55.5%. Conclusion The results of this study suggested that motor or sensory segmental studies have an important inputs in the diagnosis, particularly for mild cases of CTS.


Operations Research is an unusual area for the application of Dimensional Analysis but one that has some potential. It has its own set of fundamental dimensions and a rich zoo of dimensional variables, particularly in inventory theory. So DA should prove valuable in developing solutions and preventing errors. It is certainly possible to improve the eciency of one part of of OR, queues and discrete-event simulation, by using simple DA ideas which might be obvious to an engineer or physicist but appears not to be for those of other disciplines. On the other hand we have found Statistics to be less rich in applications though when it can be applied in particular areas it can prove useful. I illustrate the talk with a few examples.


A recently proposed power router has a function to realize circuit switching of power distribution network. In this paper, a feasibility of circuit switching with multiple power routers is investigated. In particular, the switching operation is discussed in parallel and serial configuration connections of the power routers. These are enough to confirm the feasibility in distribution network.


Objective
To investigate the status quo of autonomy perception of elderly patients in Taiyuan city and analyze the influencing factors.

Methods
A total of 400 elderly patients in 4 hospitals were surveyed by Simplified Chinese Version of the PEA Scale (PEAS-SCV).

Results
The overall score of freedom perception in elderly patients was (61.33±8.51)points.Multivariate stepwise regression analysis showed that the influencing factors of elderly patients' autonomy perception level were age, education, income, personal income, medical expenses, payment method, coping style and life satisfaction, and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).

Conclusions
The elderly patients in Taiyuan have a better level of autonomy perception, but there is still room for improvement.Nurses should pay attention to the cultivation of elderly patients' autonomy level, and take effective measures in combination with relevant influencing factors, so as to provide a new intervention perspective for guiding elderly patients to form a positive perception of autonomy to improve their health and actively respond to aging.

Key words:
Elderly patients; Autonomy; Autonomous perception; Analysis of influence factor


The invention discloses a novel photovoltaic power optimization control system. According to the photovoltaic power optimization control system, a layered and area-divided system structure is adopted, inverters and related equipment are divided into a plurality of areas, all the inverters in each area are connected with a corresponding second-stage controller through a corresponding second-stage switch, and the second-stage controllers are connected to a workstation and a first-stage controller through a first-stage switch; thus, the inverters of different areas can receive instructions simultaneously, the control cycle can be remarkably shortened, the control efficiency is increased, and the advantages are obvious when the photovoltaic power optimization control system is applied to photovoltaic power station projects with the capacity of 100MW or more; during the capacity-expansion upgrading of a photovoltaic power station, the capacity-expansion inverters can be divided into one or more areas, and the capacity-expansion upgrading can be realized by only increasing corresponding second-stage controllers without changing or even repealing the prior system structure and equipment. The photovoltaic power optimization control system has the advantages that the capacity-expansion upgrading of the photovoltaic power station can be carried out conveniently, the time/cost for the capacity-expansion upgrading can be effectively shortened/reduced, the progress of the projects is greatly increased, and the quality of the projects is greatly improved.


This paper will survey the various definitions of homology theories from the first Eilenberg-Mac Lane theories for group cohomology through the Cartan-Eilenberg attempt at a uniform (co-)homology theory in algebra, cotriple cohomology theories and the various acyclic models theorems that tied them all together (as much as was possible).


This demonstration allows the effects of substrate structure, leaving group, and solvent upon the rate of the SN2 reaction to be demonstrated with a visible color change that indicates the completi...


Department of Forest Biology, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand Center for Advanced Studies in Tropical Natural Resources, NRU-KU, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand Faculty of Agricultural Production, Maejo University, Chiang Mai 50290, Thailand Cooperation Centre of Thai Forest Ecological Research Network, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand Department of Agroforestry, Maejo University, Phrae Campus, Phrae 54140, Thailand Man and Biosphere Programme, Mae Sa-Kog Ma Biosphere Reserve Office, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Bangkok 10900, Thailand


It is well known that the magnetic properties of Co-Cr film vary with several sputtering parameters, among which impurities of sputtering gas and target are very important. However, the effect of impurities in the target has not previously been investigated. In this paper, we describe the effect of oxygen content in sputtering targets on the magnetic properties of Co-Cr film. In a range of a small amount of oxygen, with increasing oxygen content Hk and Hc(⊥) of Corich magnetic particles was thought to be enhanced. However, with further increase of oxygen content, the crystal orientation was so markedly degraded that the Hk and Hc(⊥) showed too small values for a perpendicular medium. This effect is more severe for thinner Co-Cr film below 0.1μm. Finally, it is concluded that the impurity oxygen content of the target should be as small as possible to realize excellent properties of the Co-Cr medium in a mass production system.


In this paper, a new cross-correlation Green's function (CGF) is formulated, considering the mutual interaction between electric and magnetic source current distributions. This additional CGF is essential for complete analysis of envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) for "hybrid" MIMO antenna systems that contain both dipoles (electric current source) and slots / patches (magnetic current source). Preliminary numerical analysis on the ECC of a system containing two infinitesimal dipoles (one electric and one magnetic) is carried out.


The important role of information management in improving baseline data for natural hazards has been demonstrated through a collaborative pilot project between Geoscience Australia, Mineral Resources Tasmania and the University of Wollongong. The result is a 'virtual' landslide database that makes full use of diverse data across three levels of government and has enabled landslide data to be collated and accessed from a single source. Such a system establishes the foundation for a very powerful and coordinated information resource in Australia and provides a suitable basis for greater investment in data collection. This paper highlights the capacity to extend the methodology across all hazards and describes one solution in facilitating a sound knowledge base on natural disasters and disaster risk reduction.


It has been recently discovered that highly inclined, highly eccentric disposal orbits can be caused to reenter the atmosphere by selection of initial inclination and apogee altitude. Results presented here show that there are regions in inclination-apogee altitude space that offer significant lifetime reduction. In particular, stable Molniya orbits can be caused to decay within 25 years by increasing inclination. Results show that the required ∆V to achieve this inclination change can be less than the ∆V required by a retrograde burn at apogee to lower perigee into the atmosphere. This disposal method is particularly attractive for upper stages.


Patients with rare diseases (RDs) need tailored, continuous, and multidisciplinary hospital care. This retrospective cohort study aimed to analyse the healthcare burden of RD patients using a multi-database approach, by linking the data of the Rare Diseases Registry of Tuscany with the regional hospital discharge database. The study population included 21,354 patients diagnosed with a RD between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2017. The healthcare burden was evaluated for all the RDs during 2009–2018 period. The hospitalisation rate (per 1000) decreased over the years, ranging from 606.9 in 2009 (95% CI: 589.2–625.0) to 443.0 in 2018 (95% CI: 433.2–453.0). A decrease in the average length of stay (LOS) was observed in the earlier years, followed by an increase up to a steady trend (8.3 days in 2018). The patients with RDs of metabolism and the genitourinary system showed the highest hospitalisation rate (903.3 and 644.0 per 1000, respectively). The patients with rare immune system disorders and diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue showed the highest LOS (9.7 and 9.5 days, respectively). The methodological approach presented in this population-based study makes it possible to estimate the healthcare burden of RDs, which is crucial in the decision-making and planning aimed at improving patient care.


Statistics in Brief publications describe key findings from statistical tables to provide useful information to a broad audience, including members of the general public. They address simple and topical issues and questions. They do not investigate more complex hypotheses, account for inter-relationships among variables, or support causal inferences. We encourage readers who are interested in more complex questions and in-depth analysis to explore other NCES resources, including publications, online data tools, and publicand restricteduse datasets. See nces.ed.gov and references noted in the body of this document for more information. This publication was prepared for NCES under Contract No. ED-IES-12-D-0002 with American Institutes for Research. Mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The Years Before School: Children's Nonparental Care Arrangements From 2001 to 2012


Why is it interesting to try to understand the origin of the universe? Everything we observe today, including our existence, arose from that event. Although we still do not have a theory that allows us to describe the origin itself, the study of the very early era of the universe involves the ideal terrain to analyze the interface between two of today's most successful physical theories, General Relativity and Quantum physics. But it is also an area in which we have a large number of observational data to test our theoretical ideas. Two of the fathers of Quantum physics, Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, shared some thoughts that could be described with these words: "Quantum physics tells us that there is a line between the observed and the observer, and therefore science should be limited to what is observed. We must give up a complete, objective and realistic theory of the world". This article will orbit around these ideas and summarizes how it is that today, from recent works, we are in a position to try to challenge them (at least in part) through cosmology, seeking the quantum description of the early universe.


Media pay considerable attention to episodes that involve children and adolescents and the internet. Usually, the excessive time spent on social networking sites is highlighted as the principal source of risk for cyberbullying as well as for the various types of cyber addictions that can develop. Anonymity is reported to be one of the principal factors that favor cyberbullying, whilst sexting and homophobia are indicated as being among the principal circumstances that bring victims to commit suicide. In this chapter, some relevant aspects of the use of social networking sites will be illustrated and some notions regarding how the internet works will be introduced. Other questions, such as the spread of cyber hate and online incivility will be discussed, and a case of the incautious use of Facebook by a higher public education institution will be reported. Many concepts highlighted here will be useful in the following chapters in which strategies for the prevention of cyberbullying will be considered.


When using the random forest algorithm to classify remote sensing images of each target year in the study area, the number of decision trees and the maximum number of features for constructing the optimal model of decision trees have a great influence on the accuracy of the random forest classification results. Based on this, this paper proposes an adaptive parameter tuning strategy based on GridSearchCV to improve the random forest algorithm. The method can select the best parameters according to different sample data and study area conditions. By comparing with unoptimized random forest, decision tree, and support vector machine algorithms, the results suggest that: the optimized random forest algorithm has good classification accuracy, and the overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient of classification results are above 0.90.


One of the main concerns in Multicriteria Decision Aid (MCDA) is robustness analysis. Some of the most important approaches to model decision maker preferences are based on fuzzy outranking models whose parameters (e.g., weights and veto thresholds) must be elicited. The so-called preference-disaggregation analysis (PDA) has been successfully carried out by means of metaheuristics, but this kind of works lacks a robustness analysis. Based on the above, the present research studies the robustness of a PDA metaheuristic method to estimate model parameters of an outranking-based relational system of preferences. The method is considered robust if the solutions obtained in the presence of noise can maintain the same performance in predicting preference judgments in a new reference set. The research shows experimental evidence that the PDA method keeps the same performance in situations with up to 10% of noise level, making it robust.


Because of their potential increased in vivo activity following oral administration and their possible advantage over testosterone in regard to duration of action, a series of testosterone derivatives were prepared. It was assumed that these might be absorbed more efficiently or metabolized less readily as a result of the chemical modifications performed upon them, yet would be converted back to testosterone in the body by nonenzymatic or enzymatic processes. In the chemical phase of these studies, much of the initial work was performed with cholesterol as the model compound prior to attempting to make the testosterone derivatives. The syntheses of both the cholesterol and testosterone derivatives are reported. In addition to syntheses, preliminary androgenic and myotrophic evaluation tests of aqueous testosterone derivative suspensions, administered orally, were performed in rats. Tests of eight of the derivatives revealed that testosterone acid succinate (X), testosterone amidosuccinate (XIII a ), and testosterone ethylene ketal methoxymethyl ether (XVI b ) displayed anabolic and androgenic activity; testosterone pyruvate (II), testosterone ethyl succinate (XII), testosterone N,N -dimethylamidosuccinate (XIII b ), and testosterone tetrahydropyranyl ether showed only androgenic activity. Testosterone glutarate (XI) showed a lower order of androgenic activity, and ditestosterone formal (XV b ) was virtually inactive.


Anti‐Candida activity of murine neutrophils and its regulation by immunomodulators were studied in vitro. Murine neutrophils which were prepared from peritoneal‐exudated cells inhibited the growth of Candida albicans at an effector: target (E/T) ratio of 30/1 or above. This anti‐Candida activity of neutrophils was augmented by lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli, murine tumor necrosis factor (TNF), murine interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) and murine granulocyte macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) but not by granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) added to the incubation medium. Greater extent of augmentation was obtained when TNF plus GM‐CSF or INF‐γ plus GM‐CSF were used in combination. These results indicate that anti‐Candida activity of murine neutrophils is regulated similarly to that of the human neutrophils reported previously. Therefore murine peritoneal neutrophils can be used as a favorable substitute for human neutrophils in studies on protective machinery against C. albicans infection.


Urban environments can have high‐risk spaces that can provide excess personal sun exposure, such as urban or street canyons, and the spaces between buildings, among others. In these urban spaces, sun exposure can be high or low depending on several factors. Polysulphone film (PSF) was used to assess possible daily solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure in urban canyons in Venice, Italy and, for the first time in Africa, in Johannesburg, South Africa. The photodegradation of PSF upon solar exposure was monitored at a wavelength of 330 nm by ultraviolet‐visible spectrophotometry, and the resultant change was converted to standard erythemal dose (SED) units (1 SED = 100 J m−2). Mean daily ambient solar UVR exposure measured for Venice and Johannesburg ranged between 20–28 SED and 33–43 SED, respectively. Canyon‐located PSF exposures were lower in Venice (1–9 SED) than those in Johannesburg (9–39 SED), depending mainly on the sky view factor and orientation to the sun. There was large variation in solar UVR exposure levels in different urban canyons. These preliminary results should be bolstered with additional studies for a better understanding of excess personal exposure risk in urban areas, especially in Africa.


The heart autonomic nervous system consists of both sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves.The heart sympathetic nerves contain not only efferent axons, but also the afferent nerve(transmitting messages to the heart).Myocardial ischemia activates cardiac sympathetic afferent nerve and transmits the information to the brain and cardiovascular centre, which results in sympathetic reflex excitability by excitatory sympathetic efferent. This causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, leading to the development of myocardial ischemia, hypoxia and angina pain. Therefore,the change in sympathetic function is a contributing factor to myocardial ischemia.


EDITORIAL COMMENT: Chorion villus sampling is likely to replace genetic amniocentes'is in many patients mainly because the procedure can be performed so much earlier in pregnancy (8–12 weeks rather than 16–17 weeks) when the safety of termination of pregnancy, should this be required, is greater. Most recent reports state that the risk of genetic amniocentesis is less than 1 %, but readers may find it difficult to believe that the loss rate following chorion villus sampling is as low as 2–3% when the spontaneous abortion rate is about treble this figure in patients with apparently normal pregnancies who book for confinement with their obstetrician at about the time that chorionic villus sampling is performed. The important point to note is that, many patients with apparently normal pregnancies clinically at 8–10 weeks have a missed abortion (blighted ovum) which would not be diagnosed unless ultrasonography and/or estimation of urinary or plasma oestrogen and pregnanediol were performed.


The presented paper investigates a new design of an adaptive single phase auto reclosing (ASPAR) single scheme using fuzzy logic (FL) algorithm to maintain synchronism and improvement of the power system reliability, integrity and stability. The suggested auto-reclosure system has been incorporated with distance measuring relay (DMR) to detect and diagnose fault occurrence. The proposed fault classification method, including fuzzy logic, router circuits, logic gates and timers, is able to precisely identify fault type depend on the angular difference of a positive and negative sequence analyzer value and coordination. The blocking signals of fuzzy fault classifier is used adaptively to recognize unclassified tripping signals of the conventional protection relay and correspond a trained signals to single phase auto-reclosure. The designed ASPAR with FL method has been modeled and tested with the double circuit overhead transmission line using MATLAB\SIMULINK. The simulation results describe FL performance and feasibly to discriminate among different types of faults and to provide a tripping and reclosing pulses for the appropriate poles of the multi-shot single pole circuit breaker with successful mechanism at transient faults and lockout case in permanent fault as well.


ABSTRACT Stent grafts play an important role in sealing vessel perforations, ruptures or aneurysms for remodeling vascular access, but maintaining long-term patency remains a major challenge after implantation. Silk fibroin (SF) is an ideal vascular graft material with excellent biocompatibility and physicochemical properties. In this study, we developed a series of composite grafts consisting of regenerated SF (RSF) and silk fabric, prepared using braiding technology and layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly, and investigated morphology, water permeability and cytotoxicity. The results showed that silk fabrics were covered effectively and tightly by RSF films, and the anti-water permeability of grafts was closely related to fabric structural parameters and self-assembly layers, in which the braiding angle of 90° and number of axial yarns above 60 threads/10 cm obtained very low water leakage. In particular, the graft prepared by 1 × 2 silk yarn had a thinner and more uniform thickness (70–80 μm), and showed lower water permeability (8.8 mL/min·cm2). Tests on L929 fibroblast cells showed that grafts had no significant cytotoxicity, and unreacted substances could be removed by LBL rinsing. These composite grafts may be promising biomaterials for the repair and regeneration of vascular access.


Course reading ebook, adapted by Ian D. Dunkle from Project Gutenberg's Treatises on Friendship and Old Age, by Marcus Tullius Cicero, translated by E.S. Shuckburgh: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2808


This paper was aimed to investigate the mixed empirical results on the effect of health insurance in reducing the risk of catastrophic health expenditure (CHE). We investigated a wide range of factors affecting the risk of CHE among patients admitted to hospitals in Tehran. We categorized hospitals into five groups from private hospitals to charity ones. The data used herein was extracted from the second round of Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool. Determinants of CHE were identified using logistic regression. We found that the significant effect of insurance on aggregate data was solely determined by its effect on reducing the risk of CHE in social security organization hospitals. Insured people by this organization allocate a higher proportion of their salaries to the health insurance and are admitted to the organizational hospitals free of charge. This finding shows the bias inherited in the aggregation and provides support for full pre-payments mechanisms. Our findings suggest that individuals relate CHE to the chosen hospitals, which, in turn, needs to be based on individuals' health insurance and socio-economic conditions.


We observe an enhanced spin polarization and reduction of surface sensitivity due to the intermediate unoccupied electronic states in spin-resolved two-photon photoemission (2PPE) from ultrathin ferromagnetic cobalt films. By comparison to one-photon photoemission (1PPE) measurements, we disentangle the 2PPE signals coming from the initial and intermediate electronic states and determine the influence of the unoccupied quantum-well states in the nonlinear two-photon transitions. Our results point out the importance of spindependent pathways in nonlinear photoemission and provide a possible mechanism of spin-filtering in optical transitions.


Abstract. Paracrine interactions between fibroblasts residing in the retro‐ocular space and infiltrating lymphocytes/macrophages are thought to be of central importance in the pathogenesis of Graves' opthalmopathy (GO). Although various roles have been suggested for interferon‐γ (IFNγ), tumour necrosis factor‐αTNFα) and interleukin‐lα (IL‐lα) in GO, their actual presence in Graves' retro‐ocular connective tissue has not been demonstrated. We examined surgical specimens obtained during orbital decompression from patients with severe GO (n= 6), and from normal individuals (n= 5), for the presence of IFNγ, TNFα and IL‐1α. We used immunohistochemical methods on frozen tissue sections and primary fibroblast cultures, and sodium dodecylsulfate polyacryl‐amide‐gel electrophoresis of tissue extracts and tissue culture supernatants. In addition, immunohistochemical staining of tissues for characterization of the mononuclear cell infiltrates was performed. Aggregates of mononuclear cells in retro‐ocular connective and fatty tissue were found in five of six GO tissue specimens, but in none of the control specimens. We detected immunoreactivity for the three cytokines (IFNγ, TNFα and IL‐lα) in the five GO tissue specimens that contained mononuclear cell aggregates. In addition, IL‐la immunoreactivity was demonstrable in primary and subsequent GO fibroblast cultures and in their supernatants. In contrast, no immunoreactivity for any of these cytokines was detected in tissue specimens, primary cultures or culture supernatants derived from normal individuals. The presence of mononuclear cell infiltrates and associated immunoreactivity for IFNγ, TNFα, IL‐1α in retro‐ocular connective tissue derived from patients with GO suggests that the previously demonstrated in vitro functions of these cytokines may indeed be operative in vivo. Our results further support the concept that IFNγ, TNFα and IL‐lα may play a role in the pathogenesis of GO.


While many collaborative learning systems still artificially impose collaboration on the community of learners our approach aims to support real collaborative learning. Working on distributed seismography collaborative effort is essential to integrate temporal-spatial measures into shared computations and the creation of seismic maps. Besides, persisting complexities and fuzziness in the nature and instruments of measurement as well as dispute on theoretic approaches afford participants to specify and argue about their sometimes conflicting research decisions and conclusions. Affordances of the field yield to potential learning goals of students moving from peripheral participation to the epicenter of the activity.


Most patients with a paralyzed leg have difficulty in putting the body weight on the heel when they stand up, as well as diminished motor function of the affected part. This paper proposes a new training system for increasing the heel load of the affected leg in several postures. The developed system integrates Ground Reaction Force (GRF) sensors and a graphical monitor with a motion support device. The GRF sensors measure the load of the heel and toe on both legs and the users can recognize their motor information by looking at the monitor. The users can also hold their standing position and half-rising posture by using the motion support device. A basic experiment confirmed that the GRF sensors have measurement accuracy within 5 % error and measures the GRF of the toe and the heel part separately. We carried out a feasibility experiment in two patients to confirm that the users were able to conduct the training by using the system, and the users increased the GRF of the heel part. All the participants recognized their movement of the affected leg by looking at the monitor, and increased the GRF of the heel part when the visual motor information was provided. Moreover, the orthosis decreased the number of times that spasticity occurred and the results suggest that the training is feasible, and the system is effective in helping patients with the affected leg to conduct the training for increasing the GRF of the heel part.


This paper summarizes some of the major inequalities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses avenues for policy intervention over the medium and long runs.


Thick films of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O on (100) MgO substrates have been prepared by the screen printing technique with the starting composition of 1112. The annealing process involves a two-step heat treatment. The first-step temperature is chosen between 874 °C and 898 °C for 45 min followed by slow cooling (2 °C/min) to 864 °C. In the second step, the films are kept at 864 °C for a time varying from 0 to 104 h. The T _c ( R = 0) and intensity of the characteristic peaks of the high T _c and the low T _c phases in the x-ray diffraction pattern are found to be dependent on the first-step temperature and the duration of the second step. The process of crystallization and the growth of plate-like grains as a function of annealing time at the second step are studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Kinetics of the growth of the high T _c phase has been explained in terms of a reaction mechanism involving the first and second annealing steps.


Fourteen percent of the population of the United States is affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although the mechanisms that are responsible for CKD remain unclear, there are many clinical and animal studies showing that low protein diets reduce the long term effects of CKD. One possible explanation for these benefits is the restricted urea load of the low protein diet suggesting a role for the urea transporters in this process. Unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) is a well known model to produce fibrogenic responses such as increased capillary macrophages, pro‐fibrogenic proteins, interstitial matrix, myofibroblasts, etc. in CKD rodents. We hypothesized that the urea transporters contribute to the development of renal fibrosis. We used UUO mice receiving a maximal urea load (high protein diet) to investigate contributions of urea transporters to renal fibrosis. C57Bl6 mice ± genetic ablation of UT‐A1 and UT‐A3 urea transporters (UT‐A1/A3 KO) underwent UUO surgery (ligation of the left proximal ureter). Four days after surgery mice were given a high (40%) protein diet for 10 further days. Mice were killed and obstructed kidneys collected for protein and histochemical analysis. All of the obstructed kidneys showed evidence of hydronephrosis after 14 days. BUN was unchanged by UUO: WT control: 44.2 mg/dl, WT UUO: 46.8 mg/dl, KO control: 43.4, KO UUO: 47.1. TGF‐b was increased in both WT and UT‐A1/A3 KO mice with UUO (302% and 389% respectively). WT with UUO showed a 320% increase in α‐SMA vs mice without UUO. UT‐A1/A3 KO mice with UUO showed a blunted 271% increase in α‐SMA vs unobstructed UT‐A1/A3 KO mice. Vimentin, another marker of fibrosis, was significantly increased 555% by UUO (vs no UUO). UUO in UT‐A1/A3 KO mice did not increase vimentin. H&E staining revealed similar infiltration of inflammatory cells in both UUO WT and UUO UT‐A1/A3 KO mice. Trichrome staining showed higher collagen levels in UUO WT vs UUO UT‐A1/A3 KO mice. Immunohistochemical staining for αSMA and vimentin revealed higher levels in UUO WT vs UUO UT‐A1/A3 KO mice. These data suggest that urea transporters do not prevent inflammation caused by UUO. However, the overall development of fibrosis in UUO mice fed a high protein diet is attenuated by the absence of urea transporters suggesting that urea reabsorption by urea transporters contributes to renal fibrosis. If urea transport inhibitors replicate the effects of genetic knock out, they may represent a promising future therapy.


This study presents the analysis of silicon hollow microneedle and polymeric valveless micropump for MEMS based transdermal drug delivery(TDD) system. Here two modules of TDD system is designed and simulated. Laminar flow is used for the simulation of needle and micrpump. Silicon is the material used for needle. Poly Di Methyl Siloxane (PDMS) material is used in micropump which has a load applied of 10 psi. The idea is when the PDMS is deflected using a time varying load the flow is supposed to be affected. Mechanical analysis of the microneedle is done to ensure the skin penetration. Future scope relies in the fabrication of the designed microneedle and micropump for the efficient TDD systems. The analysis is done through COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS 4.2a software.


Efficient expansion and innovative contents and patterns of mobile brief information services were discussed based on the operative model of mobile brief information service system and its structural features.The application of mobile information technology in libraries was also forecasted.


Objective: To explore the characteristics of coronary artery lesions according to coronary angiogram (CAG) in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients with bundle branch block (BBB). Method: We selected 39 CHD patients with BBB from 390 patients of CHD diagnosed by CAG in Liaoning cardiointervention center in 1999. The relationship between BBB and coronary artery lesions was analyzed. Three hundred and sixty four patients of CHD without BBB were enrolled as control group. Result: The morbidity of left main branch (LM), left circumflex branch (LCX) and three vessel lesions in trail group was higher than that in control group (P 0.01 , P 0.05 , P 0.05 ). Especially, patients got more lesions of left anterior descending branch (LAD) and right coronary artery (RCA) in the case of RBBB and more lesions of three vessels in patients with both RBBB and left anterior fascicular block (LAFB). Whereas in patients with LBBB, the occurence of LAD and LCX lesions increased. Patients with LAFB had a higher incidence of LAD lesions. Three vessels lesions were usually found in the case of atriventricular block (AVB) complicated with BBB. Conclusion: The occurrence of left coronary artery lesions is high in LBBB patients. RBBB predicts not only RCA lesions but also LAD lesions. Three vessel lesions often accompany with LM lesions and occur more likely in more than two kinds of BBB patients, especially with left anterior fascicular block or AVB.


In this article there are described and analyzed  the mechanisms of myth and science interaction. They are taken as the languages, as the forms of social activity and the forms of knowledge. Their interaction takes place in the modern society under the influence of the mass extending processes of a remifologization generated. Purpose. To analyze the social and cultural bases of spontaneous and the organized interaction of the myth and the science at the level of public consciousness. Methodology. The research of the social reality, the myth and science as its parts busing the phenomenological method. Results. The interaction of the myth and the science is the natural process and it has some deep cognitive roots. Their interaction happens in social reality and there are mainly the negative consequences of it as for the science as for the society. The research of different aspects of the remythologization (including the remythologization in the science sphere) shows that these processes are perspective for the further analysis. The research of the cognitive bases of the myth and science interaction allows to explain the social role of this process and to open mechanisms of its existing in various spheres of culture. Practical implications.  The conclusions can be used for the further analysis of problems of the myth and science sociology and the possibility of  their interaction with the other forms of culture and the other spheres of social life. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-10-4


Teeth are informative indicators for the study of human populations, serving as markers and the bases for comparisons of genetic origin. Mandibular first molar is represented as 36 or 46 in the FDI system. The occlusal surfaces of posterior teeth occlude with the opposing occlusal surfaces of posterior teeth. The occlusal morphology differs in each posterior tooth. The occlusal aspect of posterior teeth is developed into cusps ( 5 or 4 or 6 ) and grooves ( Y or + or X pattern ). These cuspal patterns and groove patterns help in forensic identification in cases like gender determination and also to identify the ethnic background of an individual. Variation in degree of expression and frequency of teeth in dentitions of different populations is different which may be helpful for forensic identification. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of different occlusal morphological patterns of permanent mandibular first molars. The study included a predominantly South Indian population. Approval was received from the Institutional Review Board. Study was conducted with 100 participants who were randomly selected. The occlusal morphology patterns (number of cusps and groove pattern) of left and right permanent mandibular first molar were assessed from the photographs of the oral cavity and the date was recorded. Results showed that the most prevalent number of cusps in permanent mandibular first molar was 5 cusps ( 71% ) and Most prevalent groove pattern in permanent mandibular first molar was Y pattern. It was also observed that the combination of the 5Y pattern was more prominent in females than in males.


Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) affects 1% of the world population and also their quality of life. Most of the patients suffering from chronic urticaria have no etiologic diagnosis or are considered as idiopathic. They continue to take oral antihistamines for symptomatic relief of troublesome wheals over a long duration of time. However, about 50% of these patients are refractory to H1-antihistamines because of varied reasons, including tachyphylaxis. Apart from antihistamines, there has been no good drug to nullify the effects of histamine or drugs that would directly decrease levels of free IgE which mediates Type-I hypersensitivity or IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reactions such as urticaria. OMA was developed as a humanized monoclonal anti-IgE antibody that binds with free IgE antibodies and reduces the circulating levels of free IgE. It does not bind to FcεRI receptors or receptor-bound IgE. OMA has been reported to work in solar urticaria, cold urticaria, and dermographism.[1]


The evaluation of physical and chemical aspects of peach fruits destined to fresh consumption varies between crops. This variation depends on many factors, but mainly on the growth conditions imposed by the environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical and chemical qualities of fruits from sixteen different peach cultivars produced during three seasons in Vicosa-MG. The following cultivars; Aurora 2, Baroness, Biuti, Colibri, Coral, Crystal, Delicious Early, Prince Flower, Joia 4, Lake City, Marli, Iataquera Pearl, Rubimel, Talisman, Tropical and Tropic Beauty were grafted on Okinawa rootstocks at the experimental orchard of the Federal University of Vicosa, Vicosa-MG in 2008. The cultivars were evaluated on color characteristics of the exocarp (b * h °), mesocarp color (b * h °), fruit weight (g) polar diameter (mm) , equatorial diameter (mm), sutural diameter (mm), Firmness pulp (N), soluble solids content (Brix), Vitamin C (mg / 100g), titratable acidity (% malic acid), Carotenoids (mg / 100g ) and ratio (soluble solids content and titratable acidity ratio) during the harvests of 2011, 2012 and 2013. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design with sixteen treatments, three replications and 10 fruits per plot. There were differences between the characteristics evaluated from the three seasons, being Flordaprince the cultivar with the most intense exocarp color as well as higher vitamin C content.


Ochthebiinae, with c. 650 species distributed worldwide, are the second most speciose subfamily of the aquatic beetle family Hydraenidae. They are ecologically the most diverse hydraenid subfamily, with terrestrial species as well as species in almost all types of aquatic habitats, including hypersaline waters. Ochthebiinae include the tribes Ochtheosini (four species in three genera) and Ochthebiini. We provide here the first comprehensive phylogeny of the tribe Ochthebiini, based on 186 species and four subspecies from most genera, subgenera and species groups. We obtained sequence data for a combination of mitochondrial and nuclear gene fragments including the 5′ and 3′ ends of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, the 5′ end of 16S RNA plus the leucine tRNA transfer plus 5′ end of NADH dehydrogenase subunit I, and internal fragments of the large and small ribosomal units. The analyses with maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian probabilities consistently recovered a generally well supported phylogeny, with most currently accepted taxa and species groups as monophyletic. We provide a new classification of the tribe based on our phylogenetic results, with six genera: Meropathus Enderlein, Ochthebius Leach, Protochthebius Perkins, Prototympanogaster Perkins, Tympallopatrum Perkins and Tympanogaster Janssens. The genus Ochthebius is here divided into nine subgenera in addition to Ochthebius s.s.: (1) O. (Angiochthebius) Jäch & Ribera; (2) O. (Asiobates) Thomson; (3) O. (Aulacochthebius) Kuwert; (4) O. (Cobalius) Rey; (5) O. (Enicocerus) Stephens; (6) O. (Gymnanthelius) Perkins comb.n.; (7) O. (Gymnochthebius) Orchymont; (8) O. (Hughleechia) Perkins comb.n.; and (9) O. (Micragasma) Sahlberg. Within Ochthebius s.s., 17 species groups are proposed, five of them newly established (3, 9, 11, 13 and 16): (1) andraei; (2) atriceps; (3) corrugatus; (4) foveolatus; (5) kosiensis; (6) lobicollis; (7) marinus; (8) metallescens; (9) nitidipennis; (10) notabilis; (11) peisonis; (12) punctatus; (13) quadricollis; (14) rivalis; (15) strigosus; (16) sumatrensis; and (17) vandykei. We elevated to species rank two subspecies of Ochthebius: O. fallaciosus Ganglbauer stat.n. (former subspecies of O. viridis Peyron) and O. deletus Rey stat.rest. (former subspecies of O. subpictus Wollaston).


This paper proposes a participating-domain segmentation based server selection scheme in delay-sensitive distributed communication approach in order to reduce the computational time for solving the server selection problem. The proposed scheme divides the users' participation domain into a number of regions. The delay between a region and a server is a function of locations of the region and the server. The length between the region and the server is considered based on conservative approximation. The location of the region is determined regardless of the number of users and their participation location. We formulate an integer linear programming problem for the server selection in the proposed scheme and evaluate the performance in terms of computation time and delay. Numerical result indicates that the computational time using the proposed scheme is smaller than that of the conventional scheme, and the delay of the proposed scheme is comparable to that of the conventional scheme.


In this work, platform post-modifications using the Huisgen reaction are reported. Various platform surfaces are developed and post-functionalized with aryl side chains. The development of different conducting polymer platforms allows the study of the impact of the starting surface on the modified surface properties. Also in this work, different aryl side chains are investigated (with one, two, three, or four aromatic rings) in order to investigate the impact of the side chain on the final surface feature. All the combinations (surface vs aryl side chain) are investigated for their wettability. Highly hydrophobic features are observed with apparent contact angles θ higher than 140° and extremely high water adhesion. Surface morphologies are also investigated and important changes in morphology are observed after surface post-functionalization. The reported strategy to develop various highly hydrophobic surfaces with high water adhesion feature can be a powerful strategy for water trap elaboration.


The paper analyzed operating mechanism of data link layer of Profibus-DP protocol,described time parameters that compose Profibus-DP bus cycle in details,and gave concrete calculating formulas of real-time indexes of Profibus-DP system named message cycle time,token target rotation time and system reaction time.Combining an example of some Profibus-DP single master-station system,it analyzed factors which affect real-time performance of Profibus-DP single master-station system through calculating system reaction time,and finally proposed methods to improve real-time performance of Profibus-DP single master-station system,including improving communication speed and decreasing number of substations and changed data.


This is a story about getting rich quick...

Don't get high on your own supply, they say. It's good advice, because weed seems to dull the


Since the 1980s, advocates for change in higher education have called for double-loop learning. One of the main criticisms of the evaluation of colleges and universities was that they measured inputs rather than the outputs. Higher education now needs to apply the lessons of learning and change to campus leadership and organization.


The invention discloses a man-machine interface system with equipment control bridge and operating method of its design, wherein the man-machine interface system consists of main system and equipment control bridge; the main system has first microprocessor; the equipment control bridge has second microprocessor to connect the main system through bus and equipment end through communication port; the equipment control bridge possesses processing function with equipment control bridge, which reflexes the equipment end condition to the main system. The invention adopts paralleling pattern to design image component and equipment address conversion list separately during designing stage, which combines the image component and equipment address conversion list. The equipment control bridge writes the condition of equipment device into internal memory. The main system reads the internal memory to acquire the condition of device at equipment end.


The security situation of China's futures industry is currently in good condition on the whole, with strong industrial competitiveness and control force, as well as low external dependency. However, under the new normal, there still exist some problems, such as fewer trading varieties of futures, irrational investor structure and the slow internationalization process and so on. So we must accelerate the introduction of futures variety, constantly optimize investor structure, and speed up the internationalization process of futures market, in order to bring into full play the futures market's functions of hedging, price discovery and investment. On in this way, can the futures industry adapt to the requirements of transformation of economic development mode, and ensure the sound and rapid development of Chinese economy.


Introduction of a (γ-alkoxycarbonyl) allyl group at the 2 position of 1-naphthol was achieved by a sequence of reactions involving a Claisen rearrangement, as illustrated in Chart 1, in overall yields of 62% (via 2a) and 50% (via 2b). By using the same technique, 5-methoxy- and 4, 5-isopropylidenedioxy-1-naphthols and 4-methoxyphenol were converted to the corresponding 4-aryl-2-butenoates (6a, b and 10), which underwent base-catalyzed cyclization to give dihydrofurans (7a, b and 11). Compounds 7a, b were readily transformed into (±)-nanaomycin A (14). 8, 10-Dimethoxy-1-anthracenone (19) was prepared from 6a in 77% yield by a standard method.


Contents: Preface 1. Theory and Method in Comparative Studies of Organizational Change 2. National Reforms: The Belgian and English Regimes 3. National Reforms: Hospitals 4. National Reforms: Police 5. National Reforms: Intersectoral Comparison 6. What Happened Locally: Hospitals 7. What Happened Locally: Police 8. Reflections on Theories of Change 9. Reflections on Doctrines of Comparison Appendix A: Design and Methods of the Brighton-Leuven Project References


The solar radiation reflected by an array of finite broken clouds corresponding to cumuli is examined. The importance of the distribution of cloud size is demonstrated by using the actual cloud pattern over Florida. The accuracy of simplified cloud models (plane-parallel infinite cloud or an array of identical clouds) to approximate the array of clouds with size distribution is examined. The result shows the following: (1) The model of plane-parallel infinite cloud causes fairly large error in the reflection. (2) The model of the array of identical clouds is still insufficient to approximate the array of distributed clouds. (3) When the sun is high, the difference between the models of cloud array becomes most evident and an accurate model for broken clouds is required. (4) The result of (3) is maintained even if the reflection from the clouds-earth surface system is considered.


The first reaction usually occurs between aromatic diisocyanates and relatively high molecular weight triols to produce urethane linkages. These groups confer the chemical build-up of flexible polyether chains to the polymer network and provide the elastomeric properties of the foam. The reaction between the diisocyanates and water occurs stepwise through amine intermediates to produce disubstituted ureas and generate carbon dioxide for expansion of the foam. A continuous matrix of solid urethane polymer with cellular structure is developed when the reactivities for the above reactions are in a proper balance. A judicious choice of catalysts and surfactants is necessary to ensure that the polymerization of the crosslinked network


Electrochemical characteristics of advanced lithium-ion batteries (ALBs) have been investigated using a three-electrode system. The reference electrode is a piece of lithium inserted between the anode and cathode. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows that both the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) and charge-transfer resistances depend on the battery's state of charge (SOC). In a fully charged ALB, the main contribution to the resistance comes from the SEI of the anode; whereas, in a fully discharged state, the contribution comes from the charge-transfer resistance of the cathode. The discharge capacity under high currents is limited by the diffusion of lithium ions within the cathode; the effects of the anode are small. The charge-transfer resistance of the cathode increased most, by approximately 200%, after 200 cycles at SOC = 50%, and thus this value has the largest effect on the cycle life of the ALB. During low-temperature discharge, the anode shows the largest cell resistance of 2.8 Ω, but near the completion of discharge, the cathode contribution starts to dominate (0.4-2.7 Ω), and the anode resistance decreases to 1.3 Ω.


Shear flows are ubiquitously present in space and astrophysical plasmas, and are known to be conducive to the acceleration of energetic charged particles. In particular, for relativistic flow speeds, efficient Fermi-type particle acceleration can be achieved, capable of producing momentum power-law particle distributions and sustaining energetic particles all along the shear. This paper reviews some of the key results concerning the stochastic acceleration of energetic particles in gradual shear flows and reports on some recent developments in the field.


The feasibility of continuous phosphate recovery, by adsorption on powdered Ca-activated zeolite (PAZ), was assessed in a hybrid sorption–membrane ultrafiltration (UF) system. The objective was to explore the influence of process parameters such as initial P(V) concentration, pH, and PAZ dose on P(V) recovery from a tertiary treatment effluent. The hydrodynamic parameters of the UF operation were also evaluated as a function of the PAZ dose. The P(V) recovery profiles as a function of the initial P(V) concentrations, at pH 8 and 2.5 gPAZ/L, indicated that the sorbent was not saturated, and recoveries reported were 1.8 ± 0.2, 5.7 ± 0.3, and 47.2 ± 2 mg P(V)/gPAZ for 10 ± 1, 25 ± 2, and 100 ± 6 mg P(V)/L, respectively. The increase of the pH of the feed solution from 8 to 9 increased the P(V) recovery up to 70 ± 4%. A P(V) fractionation protocol of the loaded samples confirmed that the phosphate-sorption process involves the formation of calcium phosphate mineral forms.


Objective To survey the density of dengue fever vector and its seasonal fluctuation,and analyze the correlation between mosquito density and climatic factors so as to provide scientific evidence for monitoring and preventing dengue fever at Jieyang port.Methods The human baited captured and ovitrap methods for mosquitoes density survey,and the relationship between mosquito surveillance data and climate variables from 2008 to 2010 were analyzed by SPSS 13.0.Results The mean densities of Aedes albopictus were from 2 to 29.8 pieces per hour during May to October in 2008-2010,and the ovitrap index were from 13.3 to 86.7.There was a positive correlation between the mean densities of Aedes albopictus adult and ovitrap index(P=0.041),and between the densities of mosquito and the monthly mean temperature,and pre-2-month precipitation.Conclusion The density of Aedes albopictus is at a high level at Jieyang port,and is affected by temperature and pre-2-month precipitation.


The intranuclear cascade model is investigated to explain composite particle productions in medium-energy proton-nucleus reactions. The composite particle production is governed mainly by the direct pick-up process in the medium-energy range. In the present work, the direct pickup process is introduced into the model in addition to the knockout and the indirect-pickup processes. Resultant double differential cross sections for proton-induced reactions are in good agreements with experiments over the entire energy range.


Summary Sonic dispersion curves have been shown to be useful at identifying many formation behaviors, such as the type of azimuthal anisotropy when there is shear wave splitting. In this case, stress-induced anisotropy has a signature of crossing dipole dispersion curves while TIV anisotropy, when the borehole is not along the TI axis, has noncrossing or "parallel" dispersion curves. With a borehole along the TI axis, however, no shear wave splitting occurs. In this case, comparing both the dipole and Stoneley dispersion curves to dispersion curves from an equivalent Homogeneous-Isotropic (HI) formation highlights key features of the TIV formations (e.g., shales). In this paper, we highlight five points using field data from Norway, Nigeria, and the US: a) Stoneley and dipole dispersions have systematically lower slownesses (i.e., higher speeds) in TIV formations than in an equivalent HI formation, except for the dipole at zero frequency; b) the Stoneley wave slowness dispersion can even be lower (i.e., higher speeds) than the dipole dispersion at zero frequency when C66 >> C44, c) in strongly TIV formations, the shear log characteristically shows an anomalously high slowness; d) the three parameter ANNIE model is a good approximation for calculating dispersion curves for boreholes along the TI axis; and e) fitting the ANNIE model to the field data suggests that real formation can have a ratio of C66/C44 as high as 2.


Objective:To study the reasons,clinical manifestation and treatment method of cervical laceration.Methods:Once diagnosed,suture should be performed immediately.The cleft was sutured with absorbable thread(No.1),and the first stitch should be over the apex of cleft 0.5cm,and the last one should be over the lateral end of cervical dilation 0.5 cm.Results:All parturients had spontaneous labor.There were 7 cases with head delivery,and 5 parturients were treated with intravenous drip of oxytocin during the time of active phase of labor,and 2 parturients with vaginal assistant labor for the reason of fetal distress,and 3 parturients with assisted breech delivery and breech extraction.As the laceration site of cervix,2 cases was at 3 o'clock of cervix,4 cases at 9 o'clock,and 3 cases at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock,and 1 cases was at the labium anterius with a ring laceration.Conclusion:The indication,dose,concentration and dripping speed should be strict controlled in order to prevent uterine over-efficiency and precipitate labor.The breech extraction,delivery by negative pressure aspiration or forceps must be performed when the uterine neck whole opened.


Tourism has been one of the thrust areas of the Government of India from time to time. The Governments at every level have made every effort to promote India as a tourist destination. This has been recognized as a part of the services sector. Every country in the world has attached great importance to tourism. International visitors have been thronging India due to the various facilities available for tourists. Events like tourist fairs and facilities like visa-on-arrival are certain measures in this direction. At the same time, many countries have recognized Indian nationals as potential tourists and have rolled out several attractive schemes specifically for Indian nationals. This study was performed to study the nature of tourism in India in terms of its performance based on both domestic and foreign tourist arrivals, and the larger revenue-generating potential this industry possesses. From the present study, it is evident that over the previous two decades, India's tourism industry has performed admirably.


Figure S1. Schematic illustration of puhA-zif268 DNA construct S2 Figure S2. Agarose gels showing amplification and assembly of the puhA-zif268 construct. S3 Figure S3 Sequence confirmation of puhA-zif268 construct by MWG Eurofins S3 Figure S4 SDS-PAGE and absorption spectra of purified WT and zfRC-LH1 S4 Figure S5 MALDI-TOF for the WT and zfRC-LH1 S5 Figure S6 MALDI-TOF mass spectra of DNA-cyclooctyne conjugates S6 Figure S7 Denaturing PAGE of DNA sequences 1 – 6 S7 Scheme S1 Synthesis of DNA cyclooctynes 3-4 and their conjugation with 4-((3-azidopropyl)carbamoyl)-3,6-dichloro-2-(2,4,5,7-tetrachloro6-hydroxy-3-oxo-3H-xanthen-9-yl)benzoic acid S8


Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) device packaging has proven to be more costly and complex, and it has been a substantial barrier to the commercialization of MEMS. Because of the reason there is a huge requirement of vacuum seal packages for MEMS devices at low cost at low thermal budgets. In this work, we are proposing a method of developing direct aluminum-aluminum (Al-Al) wafer frame bonding using themo-compression bonding method. However, the formation of chemically stable surface oxide, immediately after exposed to ambient conditions, is a major inter-diffusion barrier for grain growth across the interface of bonding. To break this barrier requires high temperature (minimum of ∼450 °C) and pressures, which may cause the some of the MEMS devices may damage or properties of CMOS devise may change. Therefore, we motivated towards the formation of direct Al-Al interconnect at the low temperature and pressures using surface passivation of another noble metal (Palladium (Pd)) for wafer level thigh seal encapsulation for MEMS. Here, we studied the effect of Pd on Al surface and optimization of minimum Pd thickness to protect the surface from oxidation. Based on AFM, XRD, C-SAM, SEM, EDX analysis, the role of Pd on Al Surface for hermetic sealing applications were discussed.


The phenotypic plasticity is one of plant ecology central themes. It requires further development. An estimation of connection between acclimatization successes of 15 Ficus L. species and differences in anatomical construction of their sun and shade leaves was performed in this work. It was evaluated that plasticity amplitudes are connected negatively with adaptive potentials in most cases. It is most likely that observed anatomical variability is passive and it has not adaptive value. Reciprocal resizing of palisade mesophyll and adaxial epidermis can have a positive influence on effectiveness of a light energy capture by leaf in the variable environment


The aim of this study is to develop new strategies for sustainable development of a group and to establish a holding from several companies by considering the regulations in the World Trade, recent developments in textile sector and raising conflicts among stakeholders. In this study, internal analysis of the group was carried out with interviews, observations and surveys. To prepare external analysis, the economical situation of Turkey and the World was researched and categorized under standard PEST (Political -- Economic -- Sociocultural -- Technological) categories. Later, SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis of the group was prepared and most significant factors were chosen. Important problems were identified and the purposes and objectives of the firm were determined by focusing on opportunities. In the light of these factors, TOWS (Threats, Opportunities, Weaknesses, and Strengths) matrix was prepared to combine external and internal factors of the enterprise in order to deploy strategies. A new organization structure of the group was determined and presented based on these strategies.


This research is motivated by the many learning obstacles experienced by students in understanding the three-dimensional material, while the teaching materials used by teachers are inadequate because they do not pay attention to student needs. Therefore, this study aims to determine the characteristics of Learning obstacles that occur in students in the three dimensional material as well as to find out the didactic designs used in overcoming Learning obstacles. Didactic design developed in the form of teaching materials are arranged based on four things, namely learning obstacle that occurs, learning trajectory, didactical situation theory and the process of abstraction. The research method used is a qualitative method with a didactic design approach. The subjects in this study were 35 students of class X SMAN 4 Cimahi, with instruments in the form of Respondents' Ability Tests about 5 questions and validation sheets of teaching materials from expert validators. The results showed that the characteristics of Learning obstacle that occurred in the three dimensional material were Ontogenic Obstacle, Didactical Obstacle and Obstacle Epistemology. Then a didactic design was made which was implemented as many as 6 meetings with a validation percentage of 69.5% expert validator, a retrospective analysis was carried out to analyze the students' responses to the didactic hypothesis design, because there were still mismatches of student responses and obstacle epistemology was still found. the validation percentage increased to 76% with a valid category. Based on the implementation, this didactic design can overcome the learning obstacles experienced by students in the three dimensional material. The implications of this study, the good teaching materials provided to students must be arranged based on the needs of students which, including analysis of learning obstacles and student learning trajectories so that learning objectives can be achieved.


I am currently building an active visual tracking system for a real world robot. The hardware is being built at MIT under the supervision of Professors Rod Brooks and Lynn Andrea Stein, and is humanoid in form. The software is also humanoid: I am basing its organization on models of early vision in the human brain. Most of the software is still in the design phase; what I describe here is the part of the system that is already up and running. The robot, named Cog, has roughly the same degrees of freedom in the waist, neck, arms and eyes as a human and is designed with similar proportions in mind. The eyes sport a simulated fovea each eye consists of two cameras mounted in the same plate, one with a wide field of view, and one with a much narrower view. Both cameras produce 128 x 128 gray scale images. The narrow one is used for tracking, and can be used for object recognition, while the wider view will be used for motion detection and peripheral vision. I have written a visual tracking system that will eventually be hooked up to the motors in Cog's neck and eyes. For now, tracking is simulated by moving a small 16 x 16 "attention window" around the larger image from one of the cameras. On startup, the system memorizes the 16 x 16 segment in the center of the full image as a "reference" image. For the rest of the run, the system moves the window around to maintain whatever was initially present within its view. The tracking system runs as follows. Once a new frame is grabbed, the system makes a guess about where the new window location should be, based on its previous velocity. Next, a portion of the image slightly larger than the attention window is selected, and the derivative of this region is computed.' Finally, a simple correlation is performed between the memorized reference image and the nine 16 x 16 windows centered around the pixel position nearest the guess. The one


The contemporary city in the Mediterranean countries is undergoing a major transformation and is entering a new phase of urbanization that sees the evolution of ways of thinking and acting, making significant changes in its design, production and management essential; placing on the agenda the need to equip itself with new instruments capable of adapting to new challenges and ways of thinking and acting as a new urban planning.
One of the phenomena resulting from these changes is urban sprawl, which directly reflects the aspect of land consumption, its intensity varies from one area to another according to several factors and parameters, the altitude or shape of the landforms play a considerable role in the configuration of urban sprawl within cities, we used this combination in our study by superimposing land use maps of the communes of Annaba and El Bouni on Altitude maps, this composition has allowed us to see clearly the distribution of urbanization according to the types of relief, this study comes to illustrate this reality in the bipolar space of the wilaya of Annaba (municipalities of Annaba and El Bouni, the latter has developed as a satellite city to the mother city and has now become the second largest urban pole in the wilaya.


There exists a great difference of the photocatalytic degradation efficiency between nanoscaled TiO2 modified-emulsified asphalt applied as the fog sealing under the indoor and outdoor environment. Much efforts have been made by many investigators to study this issue. However, most of them focus on the ideal condition, ignoring the degradation efficiency examination of TiO2 in the actual engineering practice. A series of field tests are carried out, accompanied with laboratory experiments, to analyze and consequently compare the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of nanoscaled TiO2 in the indoor and outdoor conditions, respectively. Regression analysis was employed to investigate the influence factors of degradation efficiency, by which formula of function of factors influencing degradation efficiency and degradation efficiency deviation equation are obtained. The results show that when the degradation efficiency of NO2 in the laboratory test is as high as 63%, the degradation efficiency affected by the environmental factors is only 25% in the actual engineering practice. Based on the measurement data, detection indicators and criteria can be provided, which is of great significance in the establishment of the construction quality control system.


Influence of acid-releaser agent on silk dyeing by weak acid dyes was studied.The results show that the acid-releaser GS can decrease the pH value gradually and then the dyeing fastness,vividness and evenness of silk fabric are enhanced.


'This is a comprehensive, well written and highly informative book that explores, identifies and addresses many of the issues that affect the lives of people with learning disabilities and their family. The book covers many topical and important subjects that are extremely relevant and appropriate to my students' course work' - Paul Mills, Senior Lecturer, Suffolk College. 'An excellent student text with good case studies and exercises to develop students' critical thinking' - Sandra Fleming, Trinity College Dublin. 'impressive and comprehensive text' - Mrs Jean Bell, Senior Teaching Fellow, University of Stirling. What kinds of transitions and discontinuities in their life experiences do people with learning disabilities and their families face over the life cycle? How can people with learning disabilities and their families be helped to lead more valued, healthy and socially included lives? How best can practitioners and others support people with learning disabilities?This book adopts a life cycle approach in order to reveal important dimensions in the lives of people with learning disabilities and the effects upon them and their families. It tackles issues about transitions in people's lives and how services, professionals, advocates, allies and wider communities of interest can support people with learning disabilities in achieving healthy and valued lives. Different voices are heard in this book, but prominence has been given to the views and experiences of people with learning disabilities and their families. Each major life stage section of the book begins with one such narrative-based chapter, followed by chapters that develop practice, policy and theoretical themes that inform an evidence-based approach to supporting people."Learning Disability" is primarily aimed at student readers entering health and social care professions to work with people with learning disabilities but also appeals as a reference text to professionals and those looking for up-to-date information and ideas relating to people with learning disabilities. Contributors to this book are: Dorothy Atkinson, Nigel Beail, Christine Bigby, Jane Bloom, Alison Brammer, Jacqui Brewster, Hilary Brown, Lesley Cogher, Helen Combes, Clare Connors, Eric Emerson, Margaret Flynn, Nick Fripp, Linda Gething, Dan Goodley, Peter Goward, Gordon Grant, Chris Hatton, Sheila Hollins, Jill Jesper, Kelley Johnson, Gwynnyth Llewellyn, Alex McClimens, Roy McConkey, David McConnell, Fiona Mackenzie, Ghazala Mir, Mark Powell, Raghu Raghavan, Paul Ramcharan, Malcolm Richardson, Bronwyn Roberts, Philippa Russell, Jane Stapleton, Kirsten Stalker, Lesley Styring, John Taylor, Irene Tuffrey-Wijne, Sally Twist, Jan Walmsley, and, Ada Watson.


The epitaxial growth parameters optimized for mid wavelength infrared (MWIR) InAs/GaSb superlattice (SL) growth are not necessarily the best parameters for very long wavelength infrared (VLWIR) SL growth. While the cutoff wavelength of the SL structure can be easily extended from a MWIR to a VLWIR spectral range by increasing InAs layer thickness with a fixed GaSb layer thickness, the structural and optical properties of SLs are changing as well, and these changes are not necessarily beneficial to the material quality of VLWIR SLs. For instance, tensile strain in the SL rapidly increases as InAs layer thickness increases. This impacts the interface growth processes used to strain balance the average lattice constant of the SL to match the GaSb substrate, the interface engineering in a VLWIR SL is very different than that in a MWIR SL. Using a baseline SL design of 16 monolayers (MLs) InAs/7 MLs GaSb, a systematic study of controlling the Sb/As background pressure and shutter sequence during interface formation was performed in order to minimize tensile strain in the VLWIR SLs. The effect of various shutter sequences on the SL morphological quality and their impact on optical spectral response is reported. By inserting 0.5 MLs of InSb-like interfaces, using a migration-enhance-epitaxy technique, in the baseline SL design, while maintaining a total SL period of 23 MLs, we achieved a high structural quality, strain balanced LWIR SL with a photoresponse onset at 15 μm.


In 1974, the Claire Copley Gallery was a storefront space overlooking a gallery-laden stretch of La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles. Among Los Angeles cognoscenti, Claire Copley was known as a "serious" gallerist who showcased work by minimalist and conceptual artists such as Lawrence Weiner and Daniel Buren, and within that context, Copley's invitation to Michael Asher to present his first solo exhibition in an American commercial gallery was entirely appropriate. Yet, even within the early 1970s conceptual milieu, Asher's 1974 Claire Copley exhibition stood out. Asher's work had recently expanded from primarily sensory installations, such as the 1969 works for Anti-Illusion: Procedures/Materials at the Whitney Museum of American Art and Spaces at the Museum of Modern Art, to include conceptualism more prominently.


Based on the theory of social interaction and education target classification theory,we believe that the collaborative teaching and goal-oriented teaching method is applied to the practice of teaching and education,to provide more effective instructional objectives.It is very suitable for the use of literature reading class and can mobilize learning enthusiasm and interest of students.We adopt this method in reading course for graduate students,as it turns out,the teaching methods of collaborative goal-oriented teaching not only with clear objectives,but also developing the ability of analyzing and solving a specific problem of students through teacher and their interaction and collaboration.


In order to improve the tracking and robust performances of a linear motor,a new linear motor speed loop control solution is presented,in which Coulomb friction model is used as the main compensation method and model reference adaptive sliding model control(MRAC-SMC) as the assistant control method.The simulation results show that linear motor speed loop based on MRAC-SMC can not only overcome the effect of nonlinear friction and time-varying load,but also can weaken the chattering caused by SMC.


[Objective] To evaluate biological security preliminary assessment of a new type anti-tumor composite EPI-PBCA-NP. [Methods] SD rats were used for chronic toxicity test, and we checked the general state, hematology, the creatase of cardiac, liver and renal function, and the pathematology of some important organ and reversibility observation, etc. [Results] Low dose EPI-PBCA-NP was safe, but the midst and high dose groups showed toxicity and had a dose-effect relationship. [Conclusion] EPI-PBCA-NP needs more research to analyze toxicity to ensure clinical and applied security.


A search is presented for exotic processes that result in final states containing jets including at least one b jet, sizable missing transverse momentum, and a pair of leptons with the same electric charge. Using a sample of 14.3 fb^-1 of pp collisions at sqrt(s) =8 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider, no significant excess of events over the background expectation is observed. This observation is interpreted as constraining several signal hypotheses beyond the Standard Model and limits are set at 95% confidence level on relevant parameters of the signal hypotheses.


Environmental considerations in addition to technical, economical and societal benefits are contributing to promote the substitution of natural fibers for glass fiber in polymer matrix composites. However, natural fibers are heterogeneous in their dimensions, specially the cross section diameter, which plays an important role in their physical properties. The fibers extracted from the leaf of the fique plant (Furcraea andina) are a promising stiff natural fiber for composite reinforcement. In this work, a statistical analysis of the density of fique fibers using the Weibull methodology was performed. An attempt to correlate the fiber density with the diameter, precisely measured by means of a profile projector, was carried out. The results revealed an inverse dependence, adjusted to a hyperbolic equation, between the fique fiber diameter and corresponding density.


To the problem that the adaptive predictive function control of systems with unknown parameters produces big jamming because of the mismatch between the model and the object, a class of dual adaptive predictive function control(DAPFC)algorithm is presented. In the process of model identification, the dual control method is used to adjust the normal adaptive control law. More information of unknown parameters are obtained and the fluctuations of control signals are restrained. The control effectness is improved in mismatch case, being with strong robustness. The simulation results show that this algorithm performs excellent control quality.


An effective, two-staged global/local finite element (FE) modeling technique is proposed for characterizing the thermal-mechanical behaviors of solder joints in area array type packages under the temperature cycling. It consists of two essential features: the employment of a compact global FE model in the global analysis, and a two-staged, hybrid constitutive modeling strategy for solder materials, which is to apply the elastoplasticity constitutive law for solder joints in the global analysis during the first temperature rise while utilize the viscoelasticity in the rest of periods. To substantiate the proposed modeling technique, a large-scaled, 3-D FE model with a very fine mesh is constructed as a baseline model. The result derived from the proposed approach is then accordingly compared with those of the baseline solution. From these comparing results, it turns out that the proposed 3-D global/local FE modeling technique is an effective mean for simulating the thermal-mechanical behaviors of solder joints.Copyright © 2002 by ASME


Color-flow Doppler imaging has opened a new window into the evaluation of suspected abdominal disease. Information on vascular patency and flow characteristics can be obtained quickly and in a graphic format. The technique probably has the greatest benefit in the depiction of small or branch vessels such as the ready identification of hepatic artery in hepatic transplants and arterial flow waveform sampling from segmental and interlobar arteries in the transplant kidney. The complex anatomy and physiology of a portocaval shunt and Budd-Chiari syndrome is better portrayed with color-Doppler imaging than standard duplex Doppler sonography. While physiologic information can be obtained from the hepatic and portal veins and superior mesenteric artery with a standard duplex Doppler sonography, the color-Doppler test enables the examinations to be performed more expeditiously and perhaps with more reliability.


Abstract : The study was directed toward the development of personality tests to supplement the more scholastically oriented aptitude tests used in the selection of Naval Officers. The investigation was divided into two major phases. The first phase was concerned with an analysis of midshipmen ratings on 'aptitude-for-service,' at the U. S. Naval Academy. The second phase of the study involved the development and validation of several personality tests intended to predict these ratings. (Author)


So far,almost all the researches on tumor pathogenesis has been focused on the tumor cell itself.Tumor cell is intrinsic factor in the tumor events.However,recent studies indicated that non-tumor cells and their products,i.e.,extrinsic factors in the tumor microenvironment,played very important role in the tumor initiation and progression.Many studies showed that extrinsic factors in the tumor microenvironment enable a tumor cell resistant to therapy and promote cancer cell progression and metastasis.Therefore,it is necessary to pay much attention to the research on the extrinsic factors in the tumor microenvironment,and we believe that it will provide new insights into tumor target therapy in the future.


Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have been considered as one of the low cost alternatives for conventional silicon solar cells since the fi rst application of transparent TiO 2 nanocrystalline fi lms in 1990s. [ 1 ] Light-harvesting ability and internal carrier collection effi ciency via the sensitized photoanode constitute the key factors that determine the performances of DSCs. Effi ciencies exceeding 11% have already been achieved in laboratories with the sensitizers of N719 and C101, [ 2 ] whereas the overall performances are still lower than the predicted values due to poor utilization of near infrared photons and recombination losses in the random network of TiO 2 nanocrystallines. [ 3 ]


In this paper, some conclusions in elementary number theory are generalized to rings of algebraic integers. Then with the help of these results, all solutions of several Diophantine equations in the rings of integers of two quadratic imaginary fields are determined, which implies that the Fermat equation has no non-trivial solutions in these rings.


We studied the dimerization equilibrium of 2‐methyl‐2‐nitrosopropane in argon at 25.0 °C from about 500 to 1200 kg m−3. It is clarified that in the simplest solvent, argon, there exists a definite difference in the density dependence of the equilibrium constant between the high and medium density regions. In the high density region, the equilibrium constant shows a sizable increase with the solvent density as in the liquid phase. Near the critical density, however, the equilibrium constant shows little density dependence.


A modi fi ed Johnson – Cook (JC) model was proposed to describe the fl ow behaviour of polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) with the consideration of coupled effects of strain, strain rate and temperature. As compared to traditional JC model, the modi fi ed one has better ability to predict the fl ow behaviour at elevated temperature conditions. In particular, the yield stress was found to be inversely proportional to temperature from the predictions of the proposed model. & 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).


Ferrimagnetic single crystals derived from bismuth calcium vanadium iron garnet by gadolinium substitution are shown to exhibit a magnetic compensation temperature as well as a large Faraday rotation. Another garnet system Pr3–2xCa2xFe5−xVx O12 was studied, and it is found that the Faraday rotation increases rapidly with decreasing temperature. This suggests that the rare‐earth ion contributes significantly to the rotation. This is also found to be true for Dy3Fe5O12, and it is concluded that certain rare earths as well as bismuth may be useful in achieving magneto‐optical materials of improved performance.


The main components of social media text are the language and network structure of users. Virtually, social media texts appear in the form of posts and comments. Therefore, social media texts have the characteristics of online conversation. So, online conversation analysis (OCA) is one of the important research methodologies for reviewing social media texts. This paper aims to provide a rationale, steps, and examples of online conversation analysis practices. The most important aspect of the conversation is conversational coherence, namely the connection and meaningfulness in conversation. However, asynchronous factors, information abundance and identity problems in social media texts make such analysis require a number of additional steps. The steps for analyzing online conversations include these aspects: turn taking structures, construction of exchanges, parts-alliances-talks, trouble and repair, preferences and accountability, institutional category and identity. Keywords: online conversation analysis; social media text; research method


Car-following model has important applications in traffic and safety engineering e.g. for traffic simulation, Advance Vehicle Control and Safety System etc. A great deal of investigation works were conducted in the last five decades to model the longitudinal interaction between adjacent vehicles as a result numerous models are available now. A performance based benchmarking of these models might be useful to evaluate their capabilities in representing real driving behavior. Data precision is the key factor to make any such evaluation meaningful. RTK GPS is the latest technology in data acquisition that makes it possible to acquire high resolution vehicular movement data at an outstanding level of accuracy. Several car-following models were evaluated based on test track experiment data using a GA based optimization method. It was interesting to see a simple linear model performing better than some sophisticated models.


This article compares causes and mechanisms of the mass mobilizations which took place in Kyrgyzstan in 2005 and 2010. The upheavals of 2005, the so called "Tulip Revolution," led to the ousting of President Akaev who was replaced by Kurmanbek Bakiev. In 2010, Bakiev himself had to flee the country after violent social upheavals. As this analysis shows, the causes for both series of events were similar: neopatrimonial rule and the elite's control of resources together with oppressive tactics stirred up discontent among wide parts of the population and instigated violent protest. The mechanisms of mass mobilization, however, differed considerably. While the revolution of 2005 was carried out as the concerted action of varied political forces and NGOs, which, supported by patronage networks and traditional institutions, offered material and solidary incentives for the crowds, the great mass of people who took part in the 2010 protests were spontaneously mobilized through purposive incentives when news of the killings spread through the media.