Small artery tone is a major determinant of organ tissue blood flow and of total peripheral resistance. Pathophysiological alterations in small artery function towards a more constrictive state ("small artery dysfunction") restricts the organ's blood supply, and increases peripheral vascular resistance, and hence blood pressure. The endothelium plays an important role in the control of small artery tone by releasing dilative mediators, i.e. nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandins (PGs), and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF), which act in balance to mediate endothelium-dependent dilation. An impaired dilative function of the endothelium ("endothelial dysfunction") has been demonstrated to underlie the highly constrictive state of small arteries in many forms of cardiovascular and renal disease, which could play a role in disease progression and/or disease induction. However, cause-effect relations between small artery dysfunction and disease progression are not well explored. For a long time the impairment of the NO system has been the focus of attention regarding endothelial dysfunction in cardiovascular and renal disease. Recently, an important role of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF), and the importance of differences between endothelium-derived mediators in arteries of different vascular beds, and in arteries with different vessel size has been proposed. Therefore, the first important aim of this thesis was to investigate disease-related endothelial alterations in more detail, with emphasis on EDHF and the underlying mechanisms of its impairment, and with respect to differences in arteries derived from different vascular beds. The results presented in this thesis to treat this aim indicate an important role of an impairment of the arterial EDHF response in different animal models of renal and cardiovascular disease. More specifically, the data show that renal organ dysfunction (in the MWF rat strain) gives rise to localized rather than generalized EDHF impairment preferentially in small coronary arteries, as to (partly) explain the relatively high incidence of cardiovascular complications in renal disease.


The dynamic behavior of Terfenol-D actuators with laminated magnetostrictive materials for ultrasonic applications has been modeled using a new technique developed on the Simulink platform. The nonlinear simulation model is based on the finite difference method and lumped-circuit approaches with modified constitutive equations, which can simultaneously handle the non-linearities, eddy currents, hysteresis effects, and the electrical, magnetic and mechanical system interactions. Because the power losses are so considerable at ultrasonic frequencies, a thermal lumped circuit approach of the electro-thermal performance has been incorporated in the model and the thermal balance of the actuators with possible cooling system thus can be taken into account in the whole system design. The nonlinear properties of Terfenol-D, obtained from static material characterizations, were used as numerical input to the simulation models. The model integration and some application examples including the numerical estimation of the effects of frequency, number of lamination, magnetostrictive rod dimensions, and eddy currents were presented. The preliminary result indicate that the new design and simulation package is very straightforward and the dynamic behavior of the laminated magnetostrictive actuators at high frequencies can be predicted and estimated fairly well from the simulation model.


In order to study the mechanical characteristics including deformation, displacement and stress distribution of surrounding rock during the process of filling mining with different filling rate, according to the geological and mining conditions of the 12307 working face in some coal mine, the analyses of simulation were synthetically applied. The results show that the deformation and failure of overburden rock is closely related to the filling rate, when the filling rate is low, the fractures are extensive, longitudinal and transverse fractures are staggered, the vertical displacement of rock strata is differentiated obviously,while filling rate is high, the fractures appeared only in low strata, the rock strata displacement main occurs near the immediate roof, the strata displacement curves in the stable subsidence area are almost together, the rock presents the overall bending deformation, from the roof to the surface layers are whole movement characteristics. There is a power function between the influence distance and the filling rate, the concentrated stress decreases linearly with the increase of filling rate.The filling rate is an important factor to control the strata movement and surface deformation, the results of the study are of great significance to guide practice in filling mining.


This paper extends the known geographical and temporal distributions of forms of the morphospecies Prosimulium onychodactylum and consequently supplements the study of Newman (L. J. Newman. 1983. Can. J. Zool. 61: 2816–2835). Larvae were collected from 65 sites in northwestern North America, and six forms were observed. Forms 2a, 2b, and 4a/4b were previously characterized by Newman and forms 8, 9, and 10 are described here for the first time. Form 10 may be conspecific with Newman's form 6. Form 9 from the Yukon, with a unique Y chromosome inversion, may be a geographic variant of Newman's form 2. Form 8, characterized by a large chromocenter, is specifically distinct from all other forms. A cytophylogeny is given which indicates the chromosomal relationships among the forms presently recognized.


The article reveals the content of the juridical construction sovereignty as one of the leading features of federative state and also its structural elements including sovereignty, citizenship, juridical indissolubility of federative union and so on. Special attention is paid to the collisions of regional legislation connected with the normative fixation of separate components of the construction sovereignty in constituent documents of the Russian Federation territories. On the basis of the analysis it is admitted that sovereignty is the feature of the Russian Federation as a whole and the Federation territories take part in solving federal problems but are not considered as sovereign states (establishments). In this connection the inadmissibility of sovereignty acquisition by the Russian regions is admitted. Besides in order to preserve the Russian Federation integrity, to optimize its territorial structure and to create the stable and effective federative state it is suggested to promote the idea of the consolidation of the Federation territories and the formation of regions including two and more territories of the Russian Federation.


Sustained Animus toward Latino Immigrants U.S. policies are inflicting ongoing harm on migrant children, enacting an animus against immigrants that is baked into our history. U.S. physicians can ad...


Accidental consumption of unknown substances is common in pediatric age group due to the playful and curious nature of children. Children aged between 1-5 years are most vulnerable for such accidental consumption and thus parents are instructed to keep harmful substances out of reach of children, more so in this age group. With the advent of the COVID19 pandemic in 2020, sanitizers became a common name in most households, making children vulnerable for accidental consumption of them. This case series describes a series of Accidental Sanitizer Consumption in Children during the COVID Lockdown. 8 children presented with accidental consumption of sanitizer in June 2020. The mean age of the children who presented to the hospital was 3.37±1.06 years. Among the 8 children who presented to the hospital, 5 were female and 3 were male. The lethal dose of 1-Propanol and 2-propanol components are 2.8 g/kg and 2.1 g/kg respectively. None of the children had consumed the lethal dose. None of the children from our case series had complaints of confusion, drowsiness, shallow breathing, mucosal irritation, dizziness, headache and bradycardia as the quantity of handrub sanitizer below the toxic dose. Thus, we would like to reinforce responsibilities of parents towards preventing accidental consumption in children as it affects the community at large.


A certain class of superselection sectors of the free massless scalar field in three space dimensions is considered. It is shown that these sectors, which cannot be localized with respect to the vacuum, acquire a much better localization, namely in spacelike cones, when viewed in front of suitable "infravacuum" backgrounds. These background states coincide, essentially, with a class of states introduced by Kraus, Polley, and Reents as models for clouds of infrared radiation.


As the country's major energy province and industrial base,Shanxi province has the industrial tourism resources which other provinces could not match. Under the background of the boom of industrial tourism,with the combination of the actual situation of industrial tourism resources in Shanxi province,through the analysis of Shanxi industrial tourism tourist source market,put forward specific measures to develop industrial tourism to promote upgrading and development of industrial tourism of Shanxi province.


The paper describes the optimization design on the reduction and distillation workshop of sponge titanium plant according to the existing problems in production and designing experience.


Creative aging programs are recognized as an effective way to enhance the lives of older adults. This study examines creative arts programs offered through public libraries. Focus groups captured participants' experiences. Themes that emerged from analysis of the focus group data generally clustered into two areas: Personal Change and Interpersonal Change. Personal change captured five perspectives: Healing; Safe Place/Freedom; New/Renewed Self; Creative; Joy/Fun. Interpersonal change entailed two perspectives: Connections and how they are Seen Differently by Others. The positive experiences of older adults who have engaged in organized creative arts programs suggest the potential life-changing possibilities of these programs.


Ageing is usually accompanied by a decline in immune and neuroendocrine functions. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying age‐related immunosuppression, the functions and surface phenotypes of peritoneal cells in the monocyte/macrophage lineage from old mice were investigated. The role of glucocorticoids (GC) in the immunomodulation was also examined. Proliferative responses of spleen cells from control mice stimulated with concanavalin A (Con A) were significantly suppressed by adding peritoneal exudate cells from old mice. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that the proportion of MAC‐1+ cells with a high density of type II or type III receptor for the Fc portion of IgG (FcγRII/IIIbright cells) was increased markedly in the peritoneal exudate cells from old mice. The prominent suppressor activity for Con A responses of control spleen cells was found in the FcγRII/IIIbright cells, whereas MAC‐1+ cells with a low density of FcγRII/III (FcγRII/IIIdull cells) did not suppress the Con A responses. On the other hand, both the basal corticosterone concentrations in serum and the mRNA expression for GC receptor in peritoneal exudate cells increased significantly in old mice. Furthermore, the proportion of FcγRII/IIIbright cells in peritoneal exudate cells from old mice was normalized on administration of the GC antagonist RU 38 486 (mifepristone). These results suggest that the increase in basal corticosterone concentrations in old mice induces the generation of FcγRII/IIIbright suppressor cells, possibly leading to the immune‐suppressive state.


Reproducible research is mainly to solve the problems of various old industrial buildings in the city, concerning whether program is not worthy of reuse, the extent of the recycle and the direction of reuse .This paper attempts to proceed detailed analysis and demonstration for these problems from the perspective of sustainable development, and sums up the direction of the recycling, providing reference for the choosing the renovation model of old industrial buildings.


A FEA-based methodology was developed in order to predict the wear status of an osteotome (surgical instrument) during its use in a lateral nasal bone osteotomy considering its fatigue strength. The latter parameter was determined by appropriate FEM-evaluation of the perpendicular impact test results. For the simulation of the surgical procedure, two scenarios were examined: (i) when utilizing a brand new osteotome and (ii) when utilizing an already used osteotome characterized by decreased fatigue strength. The actual nasal bone geometry used in the FEA model was obtained from a high-resolution, maxillofacial, computed tomography (CT) scan of a single patient. In both cases examined, depiction of fracture patterns for the osteotome and the nasal bone were obtained. The wear of a new osteotome and an already used osteotome was also calculated and compared. The developed von Mises stresses in both the osteotome and nasal bone were depicted. The proposed methodology allowed an accurate prediction of the critical number of impacts that the osteotome can receive during the lateral nasal osteotomy which is followed in all rhinoplasties. Based on the developed methodology, a preventive replacement of the osteotome before its extensive fracture can be determined, thereby minimizing the risk of postoperative complications.


This paper highlights three important combined subjects in Estela Welldon's theory: perversion and depression, perversion and anxiety and perversion and motherhood. The underlying argument is that annihilation anxiety is central for the pervert and not castration anxiety. This annihilation anxiety goes back to a particular relationship between mother and child, which explains at the same time the ever-present threat of depression.


Signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of optical remote sensing images with different intensity levels are different, and they can not be directly compared with each other. It is necessary to develop a scheme to deal with this problem on SNR estimation of optical remote sensing images. Radiance is a good parameter as the basis for comparison. Under the same radiance, comparisons between SNRs derived from different images are feasible and reasonable. The result of SNR at specific radiance level can stably reflect actual SNR performance variation of the dedicated remote sensor. So this paper presents a pragmatic scheme of SNR estimation (PSSNRE) for optical remote sensing images, and applies it to estimate the SNRs of two SPOT5 images acquired in different years. The estimated SNRs based on the PSSNRE are very close to statistic SNR values given by SPOT official. It indicates that the PSSNRE can produce rational SNR assessment.


We study stochastic linear payoff bandit problems and give a simple, computationally efficient algorithm whose regret, under certain regularity assumptions on the action set, is O(d √ T ), where d is the dimensionality of the action space and T is the time-horizon. However, this result is problem dependent and not a minimax bound. We show that our algorithm is able to achieve lower regret bounds when we have sparsity in the problem. Our experimental results support our upper bound and show that the algorithm proposed might be competitive with alternative algorithms when the payoffs of the actions are correlated and when the parameters vector is sparse.


Basis on the monitoring result of heavy metals pollution of soil in five counties in the north of Henan Province,pollution index and Hǒkanson potential ecological risk index are adopted to evaluate the present situation of heavy metal pollution of soil in five counties in the north of Henan Province.The results showed that: the single-factor and comprehensive pollution index of heavy metals,such as Cu,Zn,Cd,Cr,Hg,As,Ni,Pb,of the soil are on the level of safety,which indicates that the soil is clean;potential ecological pollution of Hg is in high risk,that of Cd is in general risk.In five counties,the potential ecological risk of soil Huaxian is high,those of counties like Anyang,Wuzhi,and Xinxiang are medium.


Comparing the most used methods of movement detection,this paper proposes a way for low-delay mobile IPv6 movement detection in wireless LANs.Without using Layer II triggers,it employs boundary detection model to reduce the delay and the cost of handover detection.


Gas emission rates from the submerged soil surface in Zizania latifolia-planted pots were higher than those from unvegetated pots and increased with increasing biomass. The oxygen supply from the atmosphere through the plants to the soil had presumably activated nitrate production by nitrification in oxic soils, and the nitrate had accelerated denitrification in adjacent anoxic soils. In contrast to the results for Z. latifolia, gas emission rates from soil in Phragmites australis-planted pots were lower than those from unvegetated pots. Gas generated in soils could be carried to the atmosphere through the ventilation pathway in the plant body rather than through the soil by diffusion and via the overlying water as air bubbles.


The proposal of transportation control plans formulated to bring the air quality of U.S. major urban areas into compliance with the mandates of the Clean Air Act has created considerable public concern about the social and economic implications of these controls. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact and feasibility of key components of the plans being proposed and to examine the relationship between the implementation of a set of feasible transportation controls and the attainment of the air quality standards. Important inspection/maintenance and hardware retrofit approaches to motor vehicle emissions control are described and estimates of their effectiveness and costs are presented. Measures designed to control emissions through reducing auto use are discussed.


The purpose of this report is to present the results of groundwater modeling simulations performed to estimate me extent of capture zones created by several proposed groundwater extraction wells hi the vicinity of the American River near Rancho Cordova, California. The interpretations of aquifer tests performed at the site are also described as they relate to the refinement of the hydraulic properties assumed for input to the groundwater model. CH2M HILL performed this effort in an oversight role to investigate the validity of the assumptions and conclusions presented in the May 1993 Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) for the American River Study Area produced by Aerojet. It is intended as a management tool to focus future remedial activities in the American River Study Area and is not intended to be an exhaustive analysis of the hydrogeologic conditions that currently exist, or will exist hi the future as a result of response actions. A response action is necessary in the American River Study Area because groundwater contamination presents a potential threat to the long-term beneficial use of groundwater resources in the area. ABSTRACT Hemker, C.J. and Maas, C., 1987. Unsteady flow to weils in lay-wed and fissured aquifer systems. J. Hydrol.. 90: 231-249. A solution has been developed for the calculation of drawdowns in leaky and confined multi-aquifer systems, pumped by a well of constant discharge penetrating one or more of the aquifers. In contrast to earlier solution* the effect* of elastic storage in separating and bounding aquitards have now completely been accounted for. The computing technique is based on the numerical inversion of the Laplace transform. Two different methods are used and reaulta are compared with fiit unaSytical solution. Both StehfestV algorithm and Schapery V least squares method yield accurate results in a fraction of the computa- tion time required for the analytical evaluation. Selected sets of time-drawdown and distance-drawdown curves are plotted to illustrate multi-ple-aquifer well flow and to compare new solutions with results which were previously published. The analogy with flow ie unconiined and Assured Aquifers in demonstrated by multilayer models, representing multiple-porooity formatioas with linear and diffusive crossflow.


The properties of organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites greatly depend on their compositions. Here, we investigate the crystallization of methylammonium lead mixed halide (MAPbI3–xBrx) from microdroplets by adjusting the molar ratio of iodine to bromine in precursor solution, which helps to control the morphology, crystallinity, and physical properties of the perovskite materials. The composition of the precursor solutions has profound effects on the crystallization and perovskite morphology. It tends to form needle intermediate crystals of MAPbI3−xBrx·DMF from the precursor solution at low bromine concentration, while it tends to form flake or cubic perovskite of MAPbI3−xBrx at high bromine concentration. There is evident composition segregation of bromine when the perovskite and its intermediate grow freely from the solution at low temperature. At a high growing temperature of 100 °C, continuous perovskite films consisting of large crystal domains with sizes up to 100 μm are fabricated from the precursor...


An introduction was made on the features and size of landslide occurred on the spillway left bank of Tiekouyuan Reservoir.Based on analysis of the causes,the author presented the treatment design scheme,including cutting slope and unloading,protection of slope surface and drainage facilities.


The deltas of Yangtze River have been characterized with high level of land subsidence due to over exploitation of groundwater resources. Being the major source of water supply for industrial, agricultural and municipal development; groundwaters have been incessantly over drafted in an area which is highly susceptible to land subsidence. Thus, this menace has wreck serious environ-geological and economical hazards in the delta of Yangtze River. 24 years data have been obtained and analyzed, using excel multivariable analysis functions to establish the trends and causes of land deformation in this area. Our results have shown that groundwater abstractions have direct correlations with land deformation except when adequate control measures are been employed to ameliorate these environ-geologic hazards. The trends of land deformation kept increasing; showing that other causes such as construction loads due to the rapid economic growth and urbanization of this area could be currently responsible.


Many progressive unionists in the U.S. advocate for international solidarity and active support for strong labor movements in the developing world. Fortunately, a more unionized global future is not simply an abstraction but is already a reality in some developing countries. On the surface, the poor Indian state of Kerala ought to reveal shantytowns and other stark signs of poverty common among the poorest areas of the world. Yet, because of the state's strong labor movement, the population enjoys basic standard of living indicators far closer to the U.S. than to wealthier parts of India. This article examines this labor movement, its past successes, and the innovative strategies that the Keralan Left is using to address the powerful pressures caused by corporate globalization. The Kerala experience offers instructive lessons not simply for the developing world, but for Americans who wish to take participatory democracy seriously.


Prior to fertilization the spermatozoa remains attached to oviductal reservoir in a low capacitation status (Suarez, Int J Dev Biol, 52, 5-6, 2008). When ovulation happens the spermatozoa are detached from the oviductal cells and swim toward the oocytes. During this time, the oviductal environment has a higher pH (Rodriguez-Martinez, Theriogenology, 68, 138-146, 2007) and a specific composition that favours the capacitation. The spermatozoa are activated and their tyrosine residues are phosphorylated (Luno, Reproduction, 146 (6), 315-324, 2013). However, under in vitro conditions, how sperm capacitation is modulated by oviductal periovulatory factors is still unknown. The aim of this work was to study the tyrosine residues phosphorylation (Tyr-P) (Visconti, Developmental Biology, 214 (2), 429-443, 1999) in spermatozoa capacitated in TALP medium for 180 min at pH 7.4 and 8 supplemented with 1% of oviductal fluid (OF), (Carrasco, Reproduction, 136, 833-842, 2008), and 2% of conditioned medium (CM), formed by oocyte secretions in NCSU-37 after the second stage of in vitro maturation (Funahashi, Biol Reprod, 57, 49-53, 1997). Indirect immunofluorescence was performed (Matas, Anim Reprod Sci, 127, 62-72, 2011) in 200 spermatozoa per sample (4 replicates) that were classified in 4 categories according to the capacitation status (Luno, Reproduction, 146 (6), 315-324, 2013): LOW (non-phosphorylated); MEDIUM (equatorial segment phosphorylated); HIGH (equatorial segment and acrosome region phosphorylated); HYPERACTIVATION (flagellum phosphorylated regardless other locations). One-way ANOVA and a Tukey test (P < 0.05) were performed. The results (percentage ± SEM) showed that OFCM produced a lower percentage of sperm with a HIGH capacitation status and that was even lower at pH 8 (7.4: 63.9 ± 1.4%a , 7.4OFCM: 54.0 ± 1.4%b , 8: 46.9 ± 1.4%c , 8OFCM: 40.2 ± 1.4%d ). At pH 7.4, OFCM produced a higher percentage of sperm with a MEDIUM capacitation status. At pH 8 this percentage was higher but independently of OFCM presence (7.4: 22.3 ± 1.2%a , 7.4OFCM: 29.9 ± 1.3%b , 8: 38.7 ± 1.3%c , 8OFCM: 42.7 ± 1.4%c ). The lowest level of HYPERACTIVATION was observed at pH 8 (with or without OFCM) (7.4: 54.0 ± 1.5%a , 7.4OFCM: 48.2 ± 1.4%b , 8: 46.0 ± 1.4%b , 8OFCM: 46.2 ± 1.4%b ). Concluding, an alkaline pH and periovulatory oviductal secretions modulate the in vitro sperm capacitation maintaining them in a lower status, and it might have a protective effect against premature capacitation.


Network based data acquisition system is a system which allows a data exchange using Ethernet technology. One of the main usage areas of this type of system is Flight Test Instrumentation (FTI) applications. There exists some complexity in analysis and synthesis of the entire system. Colored Petri Net (CPN) is a compact modelling method for Discrete Event Systems (DES). A model of a FTI network fabric is considered in this work in order to reduce related complexities. A CPN model for network based FTI system is presented and all states for this model are obtained in this work.


1Asst.Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, JNTUA, Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh. India 2Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, JNTUA, Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh. India 3Student, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, JNTUA, Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh. India ---------------------------------------------------------------------------***--------------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract:Modern industrial processes are becoming more and more automatized and complex. Therefore, their monitoring and diagnosis systems must be continuously improved. A great majority of today's industrial applications use induction motors (IMs) to ensure rotational movement, however, usually their speeds are still measured by sensors. A speed observer can be applied in order to decrease the amount of cables and increase reliability by avoiding the use of a measurement device. When an encoder is already present in the industrial process, the sensorless technique can also be used to design a speed sensor fault tolerant drive system.


Aim: High morbidity and mortality in schizophrenia may be attributed to an unhealthy lifestyle such as inadequate and unbalanced nutrition. There are few studies in schizophrenia patients whether intake of dietary fatty acids and antioxidant vitamins are inadequate and contribute observed deficits. Subjects and Methods: The study was conducted on 148 individuals diagnosed as having schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder by the criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV,) and 77 age, gender matched healthy controls. Socio-demographic data and current medications were obtained through interviews and questionnaires. Anthropometric measurements were performed. Food and beverage intake were recorded by using a 24-hour dietary record. Results: Total fat and saturated fatty acid intake was significantly higher in schizophrenia patients than in controls (p<0.05). Although there is no differences were found in omega-6/omega-3 ratio, mean omega-6/omega-3 ratio was 16.2:1 in schizophrenia patients. Beta-carotene and C intakes were significantly lower in schizophrenia patients than in controls (p<0.05). Conclusion: It is needed the development of special dietary interventions for schizophrenia patients as increased intake of dietary fat and low antioxidant vitamin intake may contribute to the development of serious medical comorbidities and increase the metabolic side effects of antipsychotic treatment.


Relations between love components were investigated: romantic dependence, communicative intimacy, physical excitement, respect and romantic compatibility and satisfaction in heterosexual couple members. It is a sample of 146 couples. Love Components Scale, by Critelli et. al. was used as an instrument. Also, it was used Jemmott III Scale et al. for satisfaction. The results were submitted to Multiple Regression, a stepwise method. It showed that the love component that best co-relates to satisfaction, for both men and women is communicative intimacy, followed by physical excitement. All components correlated positively with women's satisfaction when they they showed in a larger scale by men.


As modern industry shifts toward significant globalization, robust and adaptable network capability is increasingly vital to the success of business enterprises. Large quantities of information must be distilled and presented in a single integrated picture in order to maintain the health, security and performance of global networks. We present a design for a network situational awareness display that visually aggregates large quantities of data, identifies problems in a network, assesses their impact on critical company mission areas and clarifies the utilization of resources. This display facilitates the prioritization of network problems as they arise by explicitly depicting how problems interrelate. It also serves to coordinate mitigation strategies with members of a team.


Arjun Sabharwal joined the University of Toledo Library faculty in January 2009 as Digital Initiatives Librarian responsible for the digital preservation of archival collections, managing the Toledo's Attic Web site, and managing the University of Toledo Digital Repository. Research interests include Digital Humanities, interdisciplinary approaches to digital curation, digital preservation, archival science, and information architecture. His digital scholarship activities include an international blog on ResearchGate: Digital Humanities and Archiving. Teaching experience since 1988: World Music, Music History, Humanities, Music Bibliography, private guitar instruction, and Information Literacy.


The success of solid lubricants to exhibit ultra-low friction and wear behaviors in oil-prohibiting environments, has led to a major effort to optimize their performance and enhance their applicability. Depending on the operating conditions, solid lubricants may take on a plethora of forms including fabricated composite coatings, thick-film powder lubricants, nano-particle additives for hard surfaces or liquid lubricants, and self-replenishing transfer films. One of the benefits of transfer films are their freedom from the complex deposition techniques required for most other solid lubricant systems. In this work, the potential for adaptive self-replenishing transfer films was explored by creating composite powders of well-known powder lubricants and electrically conductive or anti-oxidation materials. MoS2, WS2, and Graphite Powders were mixed in varying composition with Cu, Sb2O3, and BO3 additives and compacted to form "tuned" or adaptive powder pellets. Relationships between friction, wear, electrical resistance, tribo-induced oxidation and powder composition, will be presented in order to investigate the potential of composite property optimization for lubricious, highly conductive, and oxidation resistant transfer films.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Boronizing is a thermochemical process usually used to harden the material. Based on published previous researches, boronizing process was studied but only focusing on the hardening of the material. This study is focusing on the boronizing process on the cornered of the metal surface. In this study, the sharp cornered surface
will be studied in order to know which part of the geometries that shows the most effective boronizing process by using two parameters that are temperature and time. The parameters are 850oC - 950oC (1123K – 1223K) for 2, 4 and 6 hours. Besides that, this study is to analyse the effect of different cornered geometries by using the activation energy. There are four different geometries at each corner of the metal specimen that are 90o, 1mm fillet, 5mm radius, and chamfer. The specimens need to be designed and fabricated with the dimension of 20mm X 20mm X 20 mm to suit
into the existing container. After the boronizing process has been done, metallographic analyses were used to determine the boride layer thickness. From the boride layer thickness, the activation can be calculated and the geometry with lowest activation energy is the best shape and the boron is easy to diffuse. As the conclusion, the 90o geometry has the lowest activation energy with value of 61.785 kJ/mol.


Since 2003, the Qing History Committee has been allocating huge funds to digitize a total number of 34 archival holdings and to build a password-protected archival database of over 1.5 million files. Because the database is currently only open to researchers who are affiliated with the Qing history project, international scholars might not be aware of its existence. This article intends to offer an overview of the scope and progress of the digitization works funded by the Qing History Committee and the structure and content of the database. We would also like to share our experience of using this database to organize archival files.


The combination of critical analysis, creative readings, and passion for children creates a disturbing and, therefore, useful book that attempts to jolt readers out of complacency to the plight of children. Some will chafe at Fewell's politics and at a theology that continually references justice but does not need to mention Jesus. Nevertheless, the questions she raises and the discussion she opens should serve her purpose of awakening readers to the faces and voices of children in the Bible and in our midst.


In this note, we want to investigate the question, given a projective algebraic scheme X/k and coherent sheaves F, E on X, when do global differential operators of order N greater than zero, between E and F exist. We investigate in particular the case of projective n-space and prove that for large N always global differential operators between E and F exist. We also show that the dimension of global operators of order N grows like a polynomial in N of degree 2n. Finally, we define algebraic elliptic operators in the classical sense and show that for "most" algebraic smooth complete varieties, they do not exist on locally free sheaves.


This note has given results for the probability of committing a Type I error in first-order stochastic dominance when it is assumed that both options have been sampled from the same distribution of returns. The probabilities are based on known results in the stochastic processes and statistical goodness-of-fit literatures, but have not been recognized in connection with the problem of estimation of risk in stochastic dominance. Further work on FSD Type II error probabilities based on ideas in this paper is in progress.


South Africa is not on target to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) with respect to the health status of children. The Child Development Index (CDI) is a tool to determine the health status of children in a holistic manner and to identify areas which need to be focused on to improve the health status of children. This research intends to develop a CDI for South Africa and use this to determine the CDI in each province over a linear period. This will help to portray the changes within each province over time and identify interprovincial variations and relate these to underlying social determinants of health.


In this article, I want to present trans(human) Cher and Anohni's voice qualities. Both singers represent ambiguous and queer forms of femininity that denaturalizes the concept of gender and entangles the listener into a transgressive aesthetic experience. By using the cyborg metaphor proposed by Donna Haraway and the concept of the grain of voice by Roland Barthes, I want to show how a female voice can become a critical form of resistance to the patriarchal and misogynistic conception of femininity.


6062 Background: While most chemotherapy (CT) administration occurs in routine care settings, there is a lack of data on toxicity (TOX) outside of clinical trials. After developing a mechanism for identifying all patients with CT-related hospitalizations in our center we created a prospective registry of such admissions in order to examine trends in TOX, modify practice, and establish benchmarks for severe TOX in a community cancer center.

METHODS
The North Shore Cancer Center is a community-based cancer facility in Peabody, MA. Eligible population consisted of all adult patients admitted to hospital within 30 days of their last CT administration. Each admission was reviewed by a panel of hospital staff to determine whether it was treatment-related; admission information was collected using a standard form.

RESULTS
Between 10/01/2001 and 10/31/2003 there were 335 hospitalizations among patients receiving CT, 110 (33%) of which were deemed CT-related. During this time period 7,632 patient months of parenteral CT were administered. The median time from last CT administration to admission was 7 d. Median age of the cohort was 67 (range 21-93) and 43% were male. NHL (25%) and colorectal cancer (17%) were the most frequent diagnoses. Approximately 54% of patients were receiving CT with palliative intent. Most common reasons for admission were infection or gastrointestinal TOX (37% each). Platinum- (25%) or fluorouracil-based (22%) regimens and CHOP (22%) resulted in the greatest number of admissions. The mean length of stay was 7.3 d (range 0-49); 6 patients died during hospitalization (5%). When the registry was reviewed to identify areas where care may be improved, several admissions for decadron-related hyperglycemia in non-diabetic patients with myeloma were identified. This resulted in introduction of glucose monitoring guidelines with no subsequent admissions for this TOX since then.

CONCLUSIONS
About one third of hospital admissions in patients receiving CT are treatment-related and most occur in patients with advanced cancer. Collection of data on toxicity is feasible in the routine setting and can facilitate quality improvement. [Table: see text].


Significant advances in multiple myeloma (MM) over the past 15 years led to exciting changes in the management of MM patients in China, which in turn brought about the early diagnoses, precise risk stratifications, and improved prognoses.


The invention belongs to the technical field of solar cells, and particularly discloses a solar cell capable of saving silver paste and a preparation process of the solar cell. The solar cell comprises a silicon chip, a full-aluminium paste layer is coated on the back of the silicon chip, a back silver-plated copper band is arranged on the surface of the full-aluminium paste layer on the back of the silicon chip, a pattern of auxiliary grid lines is arranged on the front of the silicon chip, a plurality of front silver-plated copper bands with bottoms coated with silver paste are arranged on the surface of the auxiliary grid lines; the front silver-plated copper bands are arranged at intervals, and are extended out from the side surface of the silicon chip towards the back of the silicon chip; the front silver-plated copper bands comprise main grid lines and an outward welding band, wherein the main grid lines are arranged on the front of the silicon chip at intervals and form a front electrode, and the welding band is bent and extends towards the back of the silicon chip and is provided with a soldering tin material welded with the silver-plated copper band at the bottom of the adjacent silicon chip. With adoption of the solar cell capable of saving silver paste and the preparation process of the solar cell, the use of silver paste can be reduced, the shading area is reduced, the efficiency of the solar cell is improved, and simultaneously, the silver-pated copper bands can be directly used as the welding band between cell plates, thereby simplifying the welding process, effectively reducing the production cost and being suitable for large-scale industrial production.


Directed at arisening rough spot disfigurement of stainless steel behind process in some works, a primary conclusion has been obtained by using EPMA to analyze the morphology, quantitative and surface scan, providing experimental gist to produce good surface quality of stainless steel products.


Environmental affects are important components in the planning and design of Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS). Many of these effects are similar to those addressed for other transportation projects. However, other issues, such as the effects of technology need to be considered. The primary goal of the United State's strategic plan for IVHS is to reduce the environmental and energy impacts of surface transportation. In order to meet this goal it will be necessary to: (1) reduce harmful vehicle emissions; (2) reduce fuel wasted by congestion and travel inefficiencies; and (3) reduce surface transportation energy consumption per vehicle-mile and per passenger-mile. IVHS strategies need to be evaluated as to their effects on prevailing physical, biological, social, and economic settings. Through the adoption/adherence to consistent and accepted formats to identify effects in standard manners, supportable comparative evaluations among factors and project alternatives can be achieved.


Different epitopes residing within the decapeptide of residues 80–89 of human myelin basic protein (MBP) exist in the MBP‐like material detected in human CSF and urine. In the present study, the structure of human MBP peptide 80–89 was examined by a combination of physical measurements and correlated with its varying immunochemical reaction with three polyclonal antisera. At least two epitopes are present in the decapeptide. Progressive shortening and reduction in net negative charge of MBP peptide 80–89 to form peptides 81–89, 82–89, 83–89, and 84–89 revealed an epitope not present in intact MBP. Circular dichroism and Fourier‐transform infrared of these MBP peptides in water demonstrated random structure that was partially changed to β‐structure in the shorter peptides. In methanol, used as a model for a lipid environment, the random structure was diminished and was replaced by α‐helix and β‐structure, especially in the shorter peptides. The findings indicate that the range of epitopes present in this decapeptide is influenced by conformation, which, unexpectedly, becomes progressively less random as the peptide becomes smaller, especially in a hydrophobic environment. This behavior has implications for the immunochemical detection of small antigens or antibodies to them in tissue extracts or body fluids.


This article develops switched linear controllers for periodic exogenous signals using the framework of a continuous-time model predictive control. In this framework, the control signal is generated by an algorithm that uses receding horizon control principle with an on-line optimisation scheme that permits inclusion of operational constraints. Unlike traditional repetitive controllers, applying this method in the form of switched linear controllers ensures bumpless transfer from one controller to another. Simulation studies are included to demonstrate the efficacy of the design with or without hard constraints.


A chiral bimetallic Lewis acid, 2,2′-(1,2-phenylene)bis[(4R,5R)-4,5-diphenyl-1,3,2-ioxaborolane] (1a), has been synthesized. The exceptionally strong binding of 1a with benzylamine was demonstrated by titrations. The complex formation ratio of 1a : amine = 1 : 2 was determined by a Job plot. The binding constants, K1 and K2, were determined by non-linear curve fitting to be K1 << K2. The results can be explained in terms of an allosteric effect. The first amine molecule coordinates with one of the two boron atoms of 1a; at the same time, one NH proton interacts with one of the two oxygen atoms in the other dioxaborolane ring to form a hydrogen bond. As a result, the two dioxaborolane rings are conformationally fixed by two-point binding to provide a preferable binding site for the second amine molecule. Although only a small chiral recognition of 1-phenylethylamine has been obtained with 1a, the clear separation of the peaks of the amine provides the possibility to use 1a as an NMR chiral-shift reagent.


Objective: To investigate nephroprotective effects of a mixture of 8 L-amino acids on renal ischemia-reperfusion injury and its effects on renal endothelin-1 (ET-1). Methods: The mixture of 8 L-amino acids includes glycine, alanine, threonine, serine, valine, leucine, isoleucine and proline. Acute ischemic renal injury was induced by clamping renal pedicle for 45 minutes in rats. Sixty male Sprague-Dawiey rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: a sham-operated group ( Group A, n = 8), a control group (Group B, n = 26 ) and an amino acid- treated group (Group C, n = 26 ). Amino acids were infused at a rate of 1 mi · 100g-1 · h-1 I hour before ischemia and during 3 hours of the whole reperfusion. The serum creatinine values, BUN levels, creatiulne clearance, urine sodium & potassium excretion, urine lactate dehydrogenase (LDH),the rate of urine flow and histological examination were measured. Renal ET-1 levels were assayed with radioimmunological assay (RIA) Results: The creatinine clearance was 471.0 μl/min ± 121.5 pi/main in Group C and 227.0 μl/min ± 27.0 μl/min in Group B 3 hours after reperfnsion, P < 0.01 ). The urine flow rate was 63.6 pi/min ± 15.2 μl/min in Group C and 24.3 μl/min ± 7.7 μl/minin Group B, P < 0.01 ) 1.5 hours after reperfusion. The serum creatinine was 85.0 μl/min ± 7.7 μmol/L and BUN oncentration11.4 mmol/L ±3.9 mmol/L in Group C and 112.7 μmol/L ± 19.5 μmol/L and 20.7 mmol/L ± 6.6 mmol/L respectively in Group B after 24 hours of reperfusion (P < 0.05) . The mean histological score by standards of Paller in kidneys was 108.7 ± 15.7 in Group C, and 168.8 ± 14.8 in Group B (P < 0.01 ). The renal ET-1 levels 15 minute and 3 hours after reperfusion were 7.2 pg/mg ± 0.8 pg/mg and 9.6 pg/ml ± 1.0 pg/ml in Group C , and 10.1 pg/ml ± 2.8 pg/ml and 13.0 pg/ml ± 2.7 pg/mi in Group B ( P < 0.01). Conclusions: The mixture of 8 L-amino acids can provide remarkable protection against renal isehemia- reperfusion injury in rats. This may associat


Requirements Engineering play a crucial role during the software development process. Many works have pointed out that Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs) are currently more important than Functional Requirements. NFRs can be very complicated to understand due to its diversity and subjective nature. The NDR Framework has been proposed to fill some of the existing gaps to facilitate NFR elicitation and modeling. In this paper, we introduce a tool to help to explore stored knowledge for delivering solutions to implement quality requirements. Preliminary search mechanisms are provided in this tool to facilitate the identification of possible solutions to an NFR and its related consequences to other solutions and/or other NFRs.


In the present work the effects of high-power femtosecond laser irradiation on a functional condition of red blood cells and neutrophils in vitro have been investigated. The data on parameters of the lipid peroxidation - antioxidants system, hemoglobin level and rigidity of red blood cell membranes testify destabilization of the membranes under the influence of the given laser. The study of phagocytic activity, anaerobic and aerobic metabolism of neutrophils, and rigidity of their membranes allows to suppose the dose-dependent effect to be stimulating.


The invention provides a product demonstration method based on a mobile terminal. The method comprises the following steps: storing all product distinguishing information and introduction information into a database; scanning a product through a mobile terminal camera, so as to obtain feature information of the product; uploading the feature information of the product to a server, comparing the feature information with the product distinguishing information in the database by the server; determining the product by the server through the comparison, obtaining the introduction information of the product from the database, and transmitting the introduction information of the product to the mobile terminal. The invention also provides a product demonstration system based on the mobile terminal, so that a user can conveniently obtain relatively detailed product information.


To avoid cross-contamination between different samples, improve the cleaning effect of the outer wall of the inner needle of the digital PCR detector, and reduce the cost of cleaning solution, the cleaning jet was simulated by FLUENT software using VOF gas-liquid two-phase flow model and PISO algorithm. In a certain range, the inlet velocity, cleaning solution viscosity, interfacial tension, and contact angle are changed to simulate the theoretical cleaning of the outer wall of the injection probe and the selection of various parameters under the best cleaning conditions is determined. The results show that the increase of inlet velocity has no significant effect on the increase of wall static pressure and the decrease of velocity increases; the increase of viscosity will greatly reduce the flow rate; higher interfacial tension requires higher inlet velocity to form a continuous jet; increasing the contact angle will not significantly reduce the static pressure and flow rate, and the residual sample is easier to clean. When the inlet velocity of 200mm /s is selected, the fluorine oil with a viscosity of 0.00124Paꞏs and interfacial tension of 16.2dyn/cm is used and the wall is coated with Teflon, the cleaning effect, and economy are excellent.


Our research has surveyed the philological origins of the word 'science' and 'religion'. Furthermore, it has re-examined the definitions of 'The Science of Religion' and 'The Science of Comparative Religion'. Building on this foundation, the author compared the major similarities and differences between the Jewish, Christian and Islamic Religions, especially via the lens of Monotheism, exploring the Jewish Shema, Christian Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, and Islam's Tawheed. This new research aims to contribute to a better understanding of our three major monotheistic religions.


Abstract Background and aims : Genetic polymorphism of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 influences the efficacy of Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and amoxicillin. However, in triple therapy (PPI plus amoxicillin and clarithromycin), little is known about the impact of CYP2C19 polymorphism, or the use of rabeprazole, which is not well metabolized by CYP2C19. The efficacy of three PPI (omeprazole, lansoprazole, and rabeprazole) in a 1‐week triple regimen were compared in relation to CYP2C19 polymorphism.


The 2002 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish is one of the most technically advanced cars on the road. From its extruded aluminum space-frame to its carbon fiber transmission tunnel and energy absorbing crash structures, the entire vehicle is adhesively bonded together. Several adhesives are used throughout the structure to optimize performance and processing. A toughened singlecomponent epoxy adhesive is used to bond the aluminum extrusions, whereas a low modulus two-component polyurethane adhesive is use to attach the glass fiber composite body panels. The structural composite parts, such as the front crash structure and tunnel, are bonded using a medium level modulus two-component polyurethane adhesive. This paper will outline the role of adhesives within the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, in particular the bonding of the twenty plus composite parts. Details of the adhesive selection, corrosion durability and manufacturing issues will be presented for the front crash structure assembly.


A new group key management scheme against the unreliable wireless communication channel and unsafe environment was proposed for wireless sensor networks.In the proposed scheme,broadcast polynomial,which was generated over finite field F_q based on the secret sharing,was employed to revoke compromised sensor nodes.In order to tolerate key-update message loss and be self-healing,group session keys were generated as one-way hash chain sequence and distributed in advance.The analysis shows that our scheme has better performance in terms of the computation and communication overhead.


Foreword by Ronald M. Borczon. 1. Overview of The IMTAP. 2. Rationale for the Use of Music Therapy as an Assessment Protocol. 3. History and Development of The IMTAP. 4. Administration Instructions. 5. The IMTAP Quantification Module. 6. Skill Definitions. i. Gross Motor. ii. Fine Motor. iii. Oral Motor. iv. Sensory. v. Receptive Communication/Auditory Perception. vi. Expressive Communication. vii. Cognitive. viii. Emotional. ix. Social. x. Musicality. 7. Case Studies. 8. The IMTAP Software and CD-ROM. Appendix A: IMTAP Forms. Appendix B: Music Reading Samples. Index.


Predicting and preventing negative environmental impacts from exposure to human-related chemicals stressors is necessary for long-term preservation of global biodiversity and ecosystem function. Anticipating the effects of chemical pollutants, however, remains a pervasive challenge for ecotoxicologist and environmental risk assessors who must rely on controversial extrapolation methods to extend toxicity predictions from a handful of short-term lab studies for standard test organisms to long-term chronic effects for entire ecosystems. Using data from US EPAs ECOTOX database for a synthetic estrogen, 17α -ethynylestradiol (EE2) , I illustrate these extrapolation challenges and discuss potential implications for ecological risk assessment and environmental management. Analyses with EE2 data show there is limited opportunity to compare or validate effects across lab and field toxicology studies. Endpoints and effect concentrations for EE2 do not vary predictably within species or among related species, and well-studied test organisms tend to have a lower minimum and overall wider range of effect concentrations than less-studied organisms. Additionally, results from a multi-year whole-ecosystem field experiment demonstrates how species sensitivity distribution curves do not account for interspecific interactions and may therefore result in an underestimation of ecosystem level effects. Using a case study approach, the following analysis illustrates the multidimensional extrapolation challenge faced by ERAs using a comprehensive set of aquatic toxicity data from US EPA's ECOTOX database. This analysis uses 3,437 ECOTOX aquatic toxicity records for a synthetic estrogen, 17α -ethynylestradiol (EE2), to (1) illustrate these extrapolation challenges that result from study design and biological variability, (2) explore how these challenges can impact decision-making based on species sensitivity distribution curves, and (3) synthesize key takeaways and future directions for related inquiries into ERA extrapolation and ecological realism.


Because of changing fishing grounds for Japanese common squid, this study analyzed marine environment data retrieved from remote sensing information technology, production data of fishing catches in Japan Sea from November to December in 2010–2013 were analyzed to determine resource abundance, change of time and space of fishing ground centroids, and the relationships with influential environmental factors. The analyzed fisheries were located in the central and southern sea waters in the Sea of Japan. Using a production-centered method, statistical interpolation, and mathematical statistics, a Generalized additive models(GAM) model was established based on Catch per Unit Effort(CPUE) as the dependent variable and main environmental factors as the explanatory variables. Previous studies showed that the fishery centroids slightly differ every year, concentrated around 132°20′E and between 36°30′N and 37°30′N. The model also showed that optimal sea surface temperature of Japanese common squid fishing grounds was 16–18℃, and optimal chlorophyll a concentration was 0.37–0.45 mg/m3. Regression analysis between CPUE and marine environmental data indicated that sea surface temperature and the spatial distribution factor on the CPUE were highly significant; in addition, chlorophyll a concentration was not significant. Sea surface temperature was relatively high in 2010–2011 but lower in 2012–2013. Chlorophyll a concentrations were lower in 2010 than in other years. Current partition was more apparent from 2010–2011; in the north, the Tsushima warm current and east North Korea warm current were strong from 2010–2011. Current partition was not obvious from 2012–2013, when the Riman cold current was stronger in the south. The scope of environmental differed over 4 years, which included Tsushima warm current; when the east North Korea warm current and Riman cold current flowed across each other, favorable conditions were provided for fishery formation. Different factors affected monsoon intensity and global climate in different years. Each year, the ocean fishery environmental factors were slightly different, and the influence on fishery resources was difficult to estimate.


Soft biometric traits refer to characteristics that provide some information about an individual but do not possess the distinctiveness and permanence necessary to sufficiently differentiate between any two individuals. Examples of soft biometric traits include gender, ethnicity, age, weight, and height. As early as 1997, researchers suggested that soft biometrics could be used to improve biometric recognition performance [1]. Researchers later demonstrated the use of gender, ethnicity, and height to improve the performance of a fingerprint recognition system [2]. This chapter discusses the use of local appearance features extracted from the periocular region for gender and ethnicity classification.


Abstract: Responsibility for food safety is shared between governments, industry and food handlers (including consumers). Human error, especially in relation to cross-contamination, is critical and is reduced by using a good management system. This must be embedded within a positive food safety culture. These concepts are explored from manufacturing through food service to the home. Theoretical behavioural models can be used both to understand why food handlers do not always implement the practices they know and to improve food handler and consumer behaviour.


According to the hot issues of forestry development and constructing eco-civilization in recent years,the importance of developing Camellia oleifera industry and conversion of cropland to forest project implementation was studied.Took Hunan province for example,the current situation of developing Camellia oleifera industry and conversion of cropland to forest project had been analyzed.How to combine developing Camellia oleifera industry with conversion of cropland to forest project was proposed.In this paper,the technqiues for Camellia oleifera afforestation on the land of hilly area in conversion of cropland to forest project has been briefly introduced.Pointed out that the problem in the Camellia oleifera industry and countermeasures was given.In this way,the resources was allocated rationally,the ecological environment was improved,the safety of national grain and oils was ensured,the regional economic growth was promoted and the road of sustainable development of forestry was took.The balance between ecological,economic and social benefits was considered in the combine.


Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cuSCC) comprises 15-20% of all skin cancers, accounting for over 700,000 cases in the U.S. annually. Most cuSCC arise in association with a distinct precancerous lesion, the actinic keratosis (AK). In order to identify potential targets for molecularly targeted chemoprevention, we performed integrated cross-species genomic analysis of cuSCC development through the preneoplastic AK stage using matched human samples and a solar UV- driven Hairless mouse model. We performed RNA-seq and microRNA-seq on samples from both patients undergoing Mohs surgery and the mouse model. Using cross-species TRANSFAC and linear mixed effects model methodology, we identified the major transcriptional and microRNA drivers of this progression sequence showing that the key genomic changes in cuSCC development occur primarily in the normal skin to AK transition. As a proof of principle validation of our methods, we have shown that MEK is an effective chemoprevention and therapeutic target for cuSCC in cells and in-vivo. Our data validate the use of this UV-driven mouse cuSCC model for cross-species analysis and demonstrate that cuSCC bears deep molecular similarities to multiple carcinogen-driven SCCs from diverse sites, suggesting that cuSCC may serve as an effective, accessible model for multiple SCC types and that common treatment and prevention strategies may be feasible.


In South East Queensland we see so much of what is of importance to planning at present. A burgeoning agglomeration across a rich agricultural plain; rapid population growth; an area that will be highly prone to the future effects of climate change; huge demands on infrastructure including water, transport, information technology and power; food security; economic development; housing affordability; and social diversity to name a few. Managing growth in Australia is epitomised by this region and one of the key elements is governance. Dominated by the scale of Brisbane and Gold Coast City Councils, the administration of local government will be crucial to successfully responding to the myriad issues that exist at present. The recent amalgamation of most local governments in Queensland is in part about ensuring that there is both a capacity and common approach to managing the issues of urban and regional development. This has been most pronounced in the co-operation between state and local government in the development of the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan, which provides the basis for integrated land use and infrastructure planning linked to future budget processes. Whilst all this is occurring, the renewed interest of the Commonwealth in city planning has placed the spotlight on areas such as South East Queensland. The imperative being the need to demonstrate how city planning and infrastructure planning are coordinated to achieve nine national criteria that are directed at economic performance, quality of life and environmental management. All this at the same time as the national debate has pitted a 'big Australia' against a 'sustainable population'. South East Queensland inevitably features in any discussion over population growth, not only because of the significant rate of growth it has and is anticipated to experience within the urban area, but because of the stresses this places on the region's rural hinterland. South East Queensland is inevitably a test bed for many of the policy responses that are being prepared around the country and this edition of the Australian Planner provides us with some insights into how the issues manifest themselves for this region.


[PROBLEMS] An object of the present invention is to provide a display device so as to obtain maximum brightness of the light-receiving region close to the viewer side from the normal line of the liquid crystal panel, the most important in the actual use state. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] The present invention includes a substrate (111 141), and these light modulation layer 150 is sandwiched between the substrate and the pixel electrode 120 formed of a plurality of on the one substrate are formed in the vicinity of the pixel electrode of each and a switching element 130 for driving the pixel electrode, and is made by having a reflection-type or transflective type reflective layer 137 is formed on the far side of the substrate at least from the viewer side, of the reflecting layer having the asymmetrical reflection properties and that is characterized. A liquid crystal panel, an active matrix display device


Objective: To explore the influences of Curcumin combined with Cisplatin on proliferation inhibition, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells CNE-2 in vitro , and its relationship with TGF-β 1/Smads signaling pathway. Method: The
 experiment included four groups: the Control group, Curcumin group (10 μmol/L), Cisplatin group (10 μmol/L), Merge group (10 mol/L Curcumin and 10 mol/L Cisplatin). The inhibition of Curcumin combined with Cisplatin on CNE-2 cell proliferation was measured by using MTT assay. Apoptosis
 was detected by flow cytometry and DAPI staining. The invasion and migration ability of CNE-2 cells were tested by Transwell test and scratch test. The Caspase-3 activity was detected. The expression levels of TGF-β1, Smad2, Smad3, Smad4 and Smad7 in the cells were measured by Western
 blot. Results: Compared with the control group, the proliferation rate of CNE-2 achieved remarkable decline in the Curcumin group, the Cisplatin group and the merge group (P < 0 05); the apoptosis rate and the Caspase-3 activity were significantly elevated (P < 0 05); the invasion
 and metastasis ability was obviously reduced (P < 0 05); The merge group had the most significant effect of proliferation inhibition and apoptosis promotion (P < 0 05). In addition, the Curcumin group, cisplatin group and combined group could inhibit the expression of TGF- β1, Smad2/3/4
 proteins, and increase the expression of Smad7 proteins with significantly difference (P < 0 05). The regulatory effects of the merge group was the most significant (P < 0 05). Conclusion: Curcumin combined with Cisplatin has a synergistic effect, inhibiting proliferation, inducing
 apoptosis and inhibiting invasion and metastasis of CNE-2 cells, possibly being related with the down-regulation of TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway.


Stylistics is the study of stylistic variation in languages and of how this is exploited by users. This definition is general enough as it covers that those who use the term stylistics would want to be covered by it. The undertaken study is a functional corpus-based stylistic analysis of a text in which the writer uses linguistic features like adjectives, nouns, conjunctions, and sentence complexity to portray the social and cultural conditions of the texts. The main concern is to analyse the linguistic patterns to illustrate how certain stylistic devices work together to reflect certain perspectives of social life and the writer's ideology. Thus, this study aims to stylistically analyse the lexical and semantic devices and features in Reem Bassiouney's novel " Mortal Designs ." The data were analysed using AntConc software (version 4.0.10) with the help of TagAnt 2.0.4. The corpus size consisted of 71208 words. The paper highlights what is striking about Bassiouney's narrative style. Leech and Short's list is used as a framework. The researcher presents the appropriate numbers and frequency rates of the content words of each text and shows the social reasons behind using such words. The distribution of content words shows that the most frequently used part of speech is verbs, followed by nouns, adjectives, and adverbs, and simple words with short sentences are the distinguishing features of the authors' writing style. three The three areas collapse into a


Teff (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.)) is an annual, warm-season cereal crop most notable for its gluten-free, nutrient-packed seed. Experiments were conducted in two regions of Virginia (Blacksburg and Steeles Tavern) in 2010 and 2011 to determine the grain production potential of two teff varieties (brown and white). Additionally, commercially purchased teff flour was evaluated for its suitability in producing a satisfactory baked product. Teff varieties were planted in early June and July at a seeding rate of 6 kg PLS ha -1 . Nitrogen fertilizer was applied at planting in the form of urea at a rate of 56 kg ha -1 . The experimental design was a randomized complete block with a two-way factorial treatment structure (variety and planting date) and four replications. Grain yield and nutritive value, straw yield and quality, and plant height were evaluated for each variety and planting date at Steeles Tavern in 2010. Due to failure in crop establishment and difficulties involved in threshing and processing the harvested crop, no data is available in 2010 or 2011 for Kentland or in 2011 for Steeles Tavern. In 2010 at Steeles Tavern, grain yield was significantly higher for the brown variety (367 kg ha -1 ) compared to the white variety (97 kg ha -1 ) for both planting dates. There was no significant difference in straw yield between varieties or planting dates with straw yield averaging 2645 and 2475 kg DM ha -1 for brown and white varieties, respectively. Precipitation accumulation at Steeles Tavern was higher in 2010 (greater than 10 cm) during June and July compared to 2011 and the historic average. This may explain why the plots in 2010 were able to successfully establish and out compete weeds. In the lab, four types of baked products were tested to determine the suitability of teff for baked goods. Cakes, cookies, biscuits


The present invention relates to a turbine fuel pump comprising a cylindrical housing, a motor housed within the housing, mounted within the housing of the pump housing, and disposed in the pump housing and surrounds Ye Lun shaft driven by the motor rotation direction. Ye Lun comprises a plurality of blades, each formed in a substantially rectangular plate, including end surface extending circumferentially to define an outer circumferential surface of the impeller; direction of the impeller rotation direction are located in front and behind the front and rear sides, said front surface has a curved shape to the root end portion is disposed opposite the forward direction of the impeller rotation direction; and disposed between the end face and a front end portion of the cut surface.


Liquid Organic Fertilizer (LOF) and NPK fertilizer are fertilizers that are often used as additional nutrients in the soil to increase the productivity of agricultural products. This experiment aims to test the level of effectiveness and benefits of LOF on corn plants of the Paragon variety, and to provide a comparison between LOF and NPK fertilizer in the analysis of production and farming economics. This experiment was carried out from August to December 2022 at the Experimental Field of the Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Soil Science and Land Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Padjadjaran Jatinangor, Sumedang Regency, West Java with an altitude of ± 750 meters above sea level . The experiment was carried out using the field trial method with a randomized block design (RBD) consisting of 6 treatments and repeated 4 times, namely 4 treatments with LOF doses, 1 treatment with recommended fertilizer and 1 control treatment. The results of the experiment showed that LOF treatment with NPK fertilizer had an effect on plant height, crown diameter, number of leaves, cob diameter, cob length, fresh and peeled cob weight, crop yield, and farm income. Based on the considerations of this experiment, LOF has met the requirements as a LOF that is suitable for use as a complementary nutrient supplement by combining single NPK fertilizers (Urea, Sp-36, and KCl). 1 treatment with recommended fertilizer and 1 control treatment. The results of the experiment showed that LOF treatment with NPK fertilizer had an effect on plant height, crown diameter, number of leaves, cob diameter, cob length, fresh and peeled cob weight, crop yield, and farm income. Based on the considerations of this experiment, LOF has met the requirements as a LOF that is suitable for use as a complementary nutrient supplement by combining single NPK fertilizers (Urea, Sp-36, and KCl). 1 treatment with recommended fertilizer and 1 control treatment. The results of the experiment showed that LOF treatment with NPK fertilizer had an effect on plant height, crown diameter, number of leaves, cob diameter, cob length, fresh and peeled cob weight, crop yield, and farm income. Based on the considerations of this experiment, LOF has met the requirements as a LOF that is suitable for use as a complementary nutrient supplement by combining single NPK fertilizers (Urea, Sp-36, and KCl).


Portable Denil and steeppass fishways (0.3m wide, 0.3m deep) were experimentally installed on a divergent weir in Okitsu river. For ascended fishes to exit of the fishways, the number of fish in Denil were six times as many as ones in steeppass and the mean body size in steeppass were greater than ones in Denil. The fishes tend to choose the region of weak secondary flow and to ascend in upward secondary flow more than downward one in steeppass that contain much air bubble. The Denil fishways have the advantage of slower flow region without air bubbles for small fishes. It is pointed out for the juvenile ayu that flow directionality related to secondary flow and vortex scale have an effect on ascending behavior in the fishways.


Private and public organizations are interested in finding effective ways to reduce crime and promote ethical behavior without investing heavy resources into monitoring and compliance. In this paper, we experimentally study how revealing different information about a fine distribution affects deterrence of an undesirable behavior. We use a novel incentive-compatible elicitation method to observe subjects lying (the undesirable behavior) and quantify the extent to which this behavior responds to information structures. We find that punishment schemes that communicate only partial information (the minimum fine in particular) are more effective than full information schemes at deterring lying. We explore the mechanism driving this result and link it to subjects' beliefs about their own versus the average expected fine in treatments with partial information. This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, behavioral economics and decision analysis.


This paper reports the research carried out by the authors in the confluence of dynamics and system identification of constrained flexible structures. It is shown that under certain considerations the elastic coordinates of a general flexible multibody system can be transformed into a linear time varying second order mechanical system where the forces enter dynamical equations at momentum level. To delineate the conditions under which high order quadratic gyroscopic terms can be neglected, the equations of motion of constrained flexible structures are derived using variational principles. An assumed modes solution to the classical "slider-crank" mechanism with a flexible joint demonstrates a correct application of the constraints to influence the dynamics of participating modes. Preliminary numerical results demonstrate the fact that high frequency oscillations of the flexible member are not transmitted to the slider in the traditional implementations of the constraint boundary conditions for the elastic components. Time varying linear system theory is used to derive minimum norm solution to the special coordinate transformations required to map the identified states into physical coordinates. It is shown that the control influence matrix plays an important role in the existence and uniqueness of the time varying transformations to the physical coordinates.


We investigate Hawking radiation from black holes in (d+1)-dimensional anti--de Sitter space. We focus on s waves, make use of the geometrical optics approximation, and follow three approaches to analyze the radiation. First, we compute a Bogoliubov transformation between Kruskal and asymptotic coordinates and compare the different vacua. Second, following a method due to Kraus, Parikh, and Wilczek, we view Hawking radiation as a tunneling process across the horizon and compute the tunneling probability. This approach uses an anti--de Sitter version of a metric originally introduced by Painleve for Schwarzschild black holes. From the tunneling probability one also finds a leading correction to the semiclassical emission rate arising from back reaction to the background geometry. Finally, we consider a spherically symmetric collapse geometry and the Bogoliubov transformation between the initial vacuum state and the vacuum of an asymptotic observer.


Most regulation studies have used industry output or inputs as the control variable(s), but these are only indirectly controlled by government action through its choice of governing instrument, enforcement procedure, and penalty structure and the operational level of each. A model is developed which demonstrates how profit-maximizing firms will react to these control variables taking into account the benefits (extra production) and costs (possible penalties) of noncompliance and the ability to avoid detection of noncompliance. The optimal operation level for two sets of control variables is derived and discussed.


From 1837 until the Civil War, currency issuance and banking were left to the states. Can this era offer lessons for today's cryptocurrency boom?


Measurement of (1 → 3)- β -D-glucan (BDG), a component of the fungal cell wall, in the serum is a useful method for the diagnosis of deep-seated mycoses. Although, two kinetic turbidimetric methods based on the clotting activity of Limulus hemocytes and a synthetic chromogenic substrate have been used previously for the measurement, neither method addresses the issue of natural resource conservation. Therefore, the analytical performance of the newly developed Immunotesta BDG reagent (SEKISUI MEDLICAL CO., LTD.), a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a BDG-specific mon-oclonal antibody, was evaluated in this study. The ELISA good performances regard to accuracy, within-run precision, limit of detection, dilution linearity, and intermediate precision ; in they useful in interference studies. The measurments obtained from the Wako β -glucan Test (turbidimetric assay) and the Fungitec G-test ES "Nissui" (chromogenic assay) were compared with those from the ELISA. The correlation between the results of ELISA and the turbidimetric assay was R = 0.938 (p < 0.001, y = 2.48x +10.6), and that between ELISA and the chromogenic assay was R = 0.971 (p < 0.001, y = 0.97 × 2.97). The slope of the correlation between the results of the ELISA and the turbidimetric assay was 2.48, and the BDG measurment value differed by about 2 times. A good correlation was observed between the results of the ELISA and the chromogenic assay, and the overall concordance rate of 90.7% was below the cutoff value of 20 pg/mL. These results indicate that the new ELISA method may be useful for obtaining measurements of BDG in the clinical setting.


Objective To develop and compare tissue-engineered oral mucosa with scaffolds of polyglycolic acid(PGA),collagen membrane and human cadaveric dermis(Alloderm) ex vivo. Methods Oral keratinocytes(OKCs) and fibroblasts were isolated,cultured and proliferated.Tissue-engineered oral mucosa were reconstructed by seeding human oral fibroblast(OFC) onto PGA cultured for 7 days,and seeding human OKCs on PGA-OFC,collagen membrane and Alloderm,respectively.They were cultured for 4-7 days submerged and then for another 7 days at air-liquid interface.Samples of the composites were taken for histological examination at day 7 and day 14 since OKCs were seeded. Results Multi-layer epithelia without hemidesmosome and basal membrane were observed in composites of PGA showing ill-defined cell layers.OKCs could adhere and proliferate onto collagen membrane forming multi-layer epithelia,with no mature hemidesmosome and basal membrane.That of Alloderm showed normal epithelial structures,with hemidesmosome,basal membrane and cell pseudopod in lamina propria.(Conclusion)Tissue-engineered oral mucosa could be reconstructed with the scaffolds of PGA,collagen membrane and Alloderm.Collagen membrane is easy to degenerate and seems to be unsuitable for tissue-engineered oral mucosa.However,the composites with Alloderm resemble normal human oral mucosa better.


RNA polymerase stores energy to break its initial bonds with DNA by scrunching the single strands of DNA that were unwound in the region where the polymerase started RNA synthesis.


Negative numbers: mathematically simple but didactically demanding Today the negative numbers present no mathematical difficulties. They can be elegantly constructed using the set of natural numbers. The method involved is that of embedding a semigroup in a group and is one of the fundamental techniques of mdern algebra. The practical computational mastery of the enlarged number system and its relevant use in applications have become obvous and routine on the university level and need hardly be discussed. The inclusion of the negative numbers in the domain of matters obvious to the professional can easily lead to underestimation of the difficulties associated with the teaching of this topic at the school level. Hence this topic can be used very effectively as proof that the defensive thesis that "He who has understood mathematics can teach it effectively" oversimplifies the interplay between professional knowledge and teaching, and describes understanding itself in too onesided a manner. This thesis obscures the many possible facets of understanding as well as the fact that for teaching to generate enthusiasm and insights it must disclose the richness of the phenomenology of the mathematical subject matter.


The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of two holes identified in the middle of the oval-shape feature in the Korean Bronze Age pithouses at Songguk-ri, Buyeo Korea. Pithouses dated to the Bronze Age have turned out to be one of the most abundant archaeological features in Korea. Therefore, a detailed research concerning pithouses has been conducted and a number of characteristics have been known so far. Although many researchers have long been interested in the location of entrance to pithouses, it has not yet been clearly known. Oval-shape features have been exposed in the center of Songguk-ri style(roundish) pithouses. It is generally accepted that they are not hearths. Rather, they have been regarded as either a temporary storage pit or a stone tool manufacturing pit(a workshop for stone tools). Researchers have been paying a close attention to the two holes discovered in the oval-shape feature. Some researchers consider them to be either central post holes or ordinary post holes. However, we formulated a hypothesis that the oval-shape feature is the trace of people's movement and two holes are the marks generated by the legs of a ladder for entrance to the pithouse. To test this hypothesis we utilized many different Chinese historical documents and ethnographic observations in conjunction with the pithouses of the aboriginal peoples who inhabited in both Siberia and Alaska regions. It turned out that the documentary sources and observations made by European explorers and Russian researchers well correspond and provide a critical information about overall structure and the location of the entrance of pithouse. Based on the outcome of the analysis against the archaeological data from Songguk-ri site, we came to a conclusion that there was a high possibility that the two holes were the marks of the legs of a ladder for entrance and an opening/window/chimney was located on top of the roof of the pithouse.


This article described the history of Geoffery Dummer's idea of semiconductor "solid circuits" and microchips. The author foresaw the future of microcircuitry, but due to inadequate funding, lack of access to necessary expertise, and skepticism by potential customers, the RRE project to construct the first integrated circuit was doomed to failure.


The present invention relates to a device for launching to a target (2) having a support surface (12) and the launching arm (1) that can be applied to the launching force to the target for supporting the target (2) is launched. The present invention is characterized in that it comprises a friction means for rotating the target surface when the support is launched by the launching arm. The invention is particularly adapted for launching an archery target.


337 F WE HOPE to make a dent in the rising epidemic of kidney failure, primary care physicians need to get more involved in detecting and managing chronic kidney disease in its early stages. So many people are at risk that nephrologists cannot do the job alone. The task need not be daunting. Five simple questions can help one to intervene early and effectively, using just a few minutes of an office visit: • Is the patient at risk of developing chronic kidney disease? • If the patient is at risk, does his or her kidney show signs of damage, as measured by the glomerular filtration rate (GFR)? • Is proteinuria present, and if so, how can it be minimized? • If chronic kidney disease is present, has the target blood pressure of less than 130/80 mm Hg been attained? • Is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) indicated? To improve the care of patients in the early stages of kidney disease, the National Kidney Foundation has issued clinical practice guidelines. 1 My review draws heavily but not exclusively from their report.


INTRODUCTION Space-flight-adapted astronauts exhibit orthostatic intolerance. Recent evidence points to a decreased capacity to elevate peripheral resistance on standing as a major underlying mechanism. We have used the hindlimb unweighted (HU) rat to simulate microgravity, and to explore mechanisms by which vascular function could be impaired. 20 days of HU results in a marked reduction of contraction of abdominal aorta, carotid and femoral artery to norepinephrine. Our recent results have identified an up-regulation of the expression of nitric oxide synthase isoforms in vascular and nonvascular tissues, representing a chronic increase in nitric oxide-dependent vasodilator mechanisms. In addition, we have found the HU reduces or eliminates selected second messenger signaling steps associated with vascular contraction to norepinephrine.


Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks based on consistent hashing functions have an inherent load uneven distribution problem. Things are even worse in unstructured P2P systems. The objective of load balancing in P2P networks is to balance the workload of the network nodes in proportion to their capacity so as to eliminate traffic bottleneck. It is challenging because of the dynamic nature of overlay networks and time-varying load characteristics. Random choices schemes can balance load effectively while incurring only a small overhead, making such schemes appealing for practical systems. Existing theoretical work analyzing properties of random choices algorithms can not be applied in the highly dynamic and heterogeneous P2P systems. In this paper, we characterize the behaviors of randomized search schemes in the general P2P environment. We extend the supermarket model by investigating the impact of node heterogeneity and churn to the load distribution in P2P networks. We prove that by using d-way random choices schemes, the length of the longest queue in P2P systems with heterogeneous nodal capacity and node churn for d ges 2 is clog logn/logd + O(1) with high probability, where c is a constant.


A simple model for computing the electron transfer rate constant of a cross-reaction has been proposed in the framework of semiclassical theory and employed to investigate the electron transfer system NO 2 + /NO. The encounter complex of electron transfer NO 2 + +NO→N02+NO+ has been optimized at the level of UHF/6-31G. In the construction of diabatic potential energy surfaces the linear coordinate was used and the kinetic quantities, such as the activation energies and the electron transfer matrix elements, have been obtained. For comparison, the related selfexchange reactlon systems NO 2 + /NO2 and NO+/NO were kinetically investigated. The calculated activation energies for the electron transfer reactions of systems NO 2 + /NO, NO 2 + /NO2, and NO+/NO are 81.4, 128.8, and 39.8 kJ.mol-1, respectively. With the solvent effect taken into account, the contribution of solvent reorganization to the activation energy has been estimated according to the geometric parameters of the transition states. The obtained rate constants show that the activity of NO 2 + as an oxidizing reagent in the aromatic nitration will be greatly decreased due to a high activation barrier contributed mainly from the change of bond angle ONO.


Translation is a bridge of communication between different cultures. If translation lacks language and culture, it will lead to pragmatic failure or lack of beauty. Only by strengthening the study of English translation and English culture can students fully understand the charm of English language. The teaching of English translation in cross-cultural context can break the thinking pattern of Chinese culture, strengthen the influence of English culture, and improve the ability of cross-cultural communication. In view of the current situation of English translation teaching in cross-cultural context, the following teaching strategies are proposed: Carrying out two-way cultural teaching, creating British and American cultural context, scientifically choosing the strategies of domestication and translation, giving full play to the advantages of modern educational technology, strengthening translation practice teaching, building a professional English translation teaching team.


logical, and anthropological discourses is central to Hans Urs von Balthasar's entire intellectual project. This relationship is one in which theology has a regulative but noncoercive role in guiding cosmology and anthropology toward understanding the creation and humanity's place in it according to Christocentric and Trinitarian patterns of relationality.1 Von Balthasar's grand intellectual ideal is a Chalcedonian symbiosis of POETICS AND DOXOLOGY: VON BALTHASAR ON POETIC RESISTANCE TO MODERNITY'S TURN TO THE SUBJECT


This paper is a study on the limitation of the right of reputation and privacy for sports celebrities as public figures by means of case study for the purpose of solving relevant legal issues of torts by sports media.Because of their special talent,achievement and performance,sports stars are highly well-known,have extensive social influences and become famous public figures.Currently,there is no such legislation regarding the rights of public figures in China.But current legal practice has the tendency to regard sports celebrities as public figures in China,in order to protect the public interests and the right of sports celebrities.According to the legal cases in USA,the main factors to decide whether a sportsman or a judge is a public figure depends on the level of competition they participate,duration of participation,whether the game is broadcasted and the fame the participant has in a certain event,etc.Although the American legal Legislation has established a principle of 'once a public figure,always a public figure',it is not applied directly in the case of sports celebrities' right of reputation and privacy,but judged by the actual details of the person in case.


The falling cost of IoT cameras, the advancement of AI-based computer vision algorithms, and powerful hardware accelerators for deep learning have enabled the widespread deployment of surveillance cameras with the ability to automatically analyze streaming video feeds to detect events of interest. While streaming video analytics is currently largely performed in the cloud, edge computing has emerged as a pivotal component due to its advantages of low latency, reduced bandwidth, and enhanced privacy. However, a distinct gap persists between state-of-the-art computer vision algorithms and the successful practical implementation of edge-based streaming video analytics systems. This paper presents a comprehensive review of more than 30 research papers published over the last 6 years on IoT edge streaming video analytics (IE-SVA) systems. The papers are analyzed across 17 distinct dimensions. Unlike prior reviews, we examine each system holistically, identifying their strengths and weaknesses in diverse implementations. Our findings suggest that certain critical topics necessary for the practical realization of IE-SVA systems are not sufficiently addressed in current research. Based on these observations, we propose research trajectories across short-, medium-, and long-term horizons. Additionally, we explore trending topics in other computing areas that can significantly impact the evolution of IE-SVA systems.


HE growing interest in distributed generations (DGs) due to environmental concern and various other reasons have resulted in significant penetration of DGs in many distribution system worldwide. DGs come with many benefits. One of the benefits is improved reliability by supplying load during power outage by operating in island mode. However, there are many challenges to overcome before islanding can become a viable solution in future. This paper point outs some of the major challenges with island operation and suggests some possible solutions.


We fabricated (00l) BiFeO3 (BFO) thin films in different growth modes on SrRuO3/SrTiO3 substrates using a pulsed laser deposition technique. X-ray diffraction patterns show an out-of-plane lattice constant of 4.03 Å and ferroelectric polarization of 82 µC/cm2 for the BFO thin film in a layer-by-layer growth mode (2D-BFO), larger than 3.96 Å and 51 µC/cm2 for the thin film in the 3D-island formation growth mode (3D-BFO). The 2D-BFO thin film at 300 K shows switchable on/off diode currents upon polarization flipping near a negative coercive voltage, which is nevertheless absent from the above 3D-BFO thin film. From a positive-up–negative-down pulse characterization technique, we measured domain switching current transients as well as polarization–voltage (Pf–Vf) hysteresis loops in both semiconducting thin films. Pf–Vf hysteresis loops after 1 µs-retention time show the preferred domain orientation pointing to bottom electrodes in a 3D-BFO thin film. The poor retention of the domains pointing to top electrodes can be improved considerably in a 2D-BFO thin film. From these measurements, we extracted domain switching time dependence of coercive voltage at temperatures of 78–300 K. From these dependences, we found coercive voltages in semiconducting ferroelectric thin films much higher than those in insulating thin films, disobeying the traditional Merz equation. Finally, an equivalent resistance model in description of free-carrier compensation of the front domain boundary charge is developed to interpret this difference. This equivalent resistance can be coincidently extracted either from domain switching time dependence of coercive voltage or from applied voltage dependence of domain switching current, which drops almost linearly with the temperature until down to 0 in a ferroelectric insulator at 78 K.


Researchers are still divided as to whether Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), the most common HIV infection complication, is a true cancer or a skin disease resulting from an unknown infectious agent. A comparative trial for KS treatments indicates that Doxil may be more effective than the current standard of care for widespread systemic disease. More studies are necessary before drug superiority can be determined. Doxil is being promoted as superior due to its longer circulating half-life of approximately 50 hours compared to 10 minutes for free (non-liposome) doxorubicin. Detractors question whether the drug's longer half-life allows it to penetrate the tumor. Variations in trial protocols and response assessment indicate further problems in the Doxil trial.


Liver flukes are very successful group of parasites that can infect many different hosts including humans. They can be found in different forms and sizes, and found almost all of the world. In Denmark, two species are found. The well-known "common liver fluke" has existed in Denmark since the Vikings, but is increasing again recently. Not so known is "the lancet fluke", which is also fascinating as it can make the ants behave like zombies.


It was demonstrated that a novel [3]pseudorotaxane could be separated by column chromatography during the synthesis of a copillar[5]arene. Single crystal X-ray analysis revealed that this [3]pseudorotaxane consisted of the copillar[5]arene and its monomer in a molar ratio of 2 : 1.


SummaryFe59-tagged Jectofer was injected into 11 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 6 controls. The two groups displayed the same degree of erythrocyte utilisation, 28.4 % and 26.4 % respectively. The values for the control group agree with previously published normal figures. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis may thus be said to utilise Jectofer as effectively as healthy subjects but somewhat less than patients with iron deficiency reported on earlier (Pringle & co-workers 1962).Excretion via the kidneys occurred to the same extent among patients and controls, approx. 30 %.Measurements over parenchymatous organs suggest that Jectofer is rapidly utilised for erythropoiesis and that there is also a somewhat slower metabolism via storage in these organs, chiefly the liver.