Objective:To prove the validity of BPH treated by electroacupuncturing. Methods:Fifty SD male rats were divided into control group,model group,traditional acupuncture group,medicine group and electroaccu-puncture group.We take the animal model of BPH by the method of sucutaneously injecting testosterone propionate after castration and Electro-acupuncture"Shenshu"point and"Huiyang"point.Four weeks later we observe the changes of weight,exponent and volume of prostates of rats and morphological changes of prostates,measure the epithelial cell height of prostate and the diameter of gland antra under light microscope.Results:The prostate weight,exponent,volume, the epithelial height and the diameter of prostate gland antra of rats in model group were higher notably than those in other groups (P0.01).Electroaccupuncturing"Shenshu"and"Huiyang"point which was not significant difference(P0.05) compared with medicine in respect of minishing volume,can reduce the prostate weight and exponent more obviously than the other two therapy groups(P0.05). Conclusions:It was effctive for preventing and curing experi-mental BPH of rats to electroaccupuncture"Shenshu"point and"Huiyang"point,and which was much batter than the other teams.


You log on to a computer in a dimly lit room. The screen shines with a yellowish, night-setting tint since you discovered that it’s more comfortable for your eyes that way. You sift through the many, many open windows, documents and spreadsheets, looking for the one — the one you know will take you to the next level: the browser window. Finding it, you nervously type in the address that had been whispered to you through the ether (of social media, email and video chats)…

Which one do you type?

www.egu2020.eu (go to paragraph 2)

https://egu2020.eu/sharing_geoscience_online/ (go to paragraph 2)

As you enter the text into the browser window, you are thrust, sci-fi style, through a glowing tunnel of light as your roommate enters the room and turns on the annoyingly bright overhead light. After you turn it off and they apologise by making you a hot beverage, you return to the screen and notice an icon – your #shareEGU20 material that you uploaded last week now has a comment!

What do you do?

Click on the comment notification email (go to paragraph 3)

Navigate to your abstract and click on the speech bubble icon (go to paragraph 3)

You click. Straight away the comment pops up – someone likes your work! They want to collaborate with you on an idea sparked by your material, and it sounds like there is funding!

What do you do next?

Reply to the comment (go to your material upload)

Web search the person, then reply to the comment (go to your personal programme)

Get up, do a little happy dance, then reply to the comment (go to the short courses playlist on Youtube)

This is the beginning of a big adventure. Throughout the week of #shareEGU20 and beyond, we are providing a range of ways for you to interact about your research with the global Earth, planetary and space science community. You will have to choose which one works for you, be it commenting on your material, live chat during your session slot, or discussions on social media using one of our official hashtags. Whichever method you choose, we hope you’ll reach out to others and discuss your ideas.

I’m sure you will choose well, DARING ADVENTURER!


Abstract This note presents a proof of Pólya's random walk theorem using classical methods from special function theory and asymptotic analysis.


30 www.thelancet.com/neurology Vol 11 January 2012 The multitude of choices that stretch before a young mind can often lead to diffi culties in choosing a career. Not so for Stephen Davis—Director of Neurology and the recently opened Melbourne Brain Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and inaugural Professor of Translational Neuroscience at the University of Melbourne, Australia—who aimed for a medical career from his early teens. "I had always been interested in medicine and medical research", Davis told The Lancet Neurology. "In particular, the brain fascinated me. The brain is what makes us diff erent, intriguing, and individual." Although now a Melbournian, Davis was born in London, and has maintained strong links to the UK. He graduated in medicine at the University of Melbourne, and then worked at Melbourne's Alfred Hospital with neurologist Bernard Gilligan, who strongly encouraged him to train in neurology. During this rotation, he decided to abandon his earlier aspiration to be a psychiatrist and subsequently spent 2 years as a neurology trainee at the Royal Melbourne Hospital with Peter Ebeling before completing "neurology fi nishing school"—namely, 18 months at the National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. He then spent 2 years doing research at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, and Harvard University, USA, experience that piqued his interest in cerebral blood fl ow and stroke. In these early years (1980s), he was fortunate to work under the neurologist and neuroradiologist Robert Ackerman. It was the beginning of an exciting era in stroke research with the advent of PET scanning, enabling detailed analysis of the ischaemic penumbra for the fi rst time. Davis' career, which spans four decades, has seen the landscape of stroke care change radically, with the focus today very much on imaging and evidence-based treatments. "The most dramatic development in stroke care in my career has been the proof of the benefi ts of thrombolysis using tPA (alteplase)", says Davis. "This completely changed the paradigm of stroke therapy. When I fi rst started, stroke patients mostly had rather poor care on general medical wards and indeed most clinicians had a rather nihilistic view about treatment. Today, there are vastly improved outcomes after stroke, based on a range of important advances in stroke organisation and acute therapies." The recent focus of Davis and his colleagues, including long-time collaborator Geoff rey Donnan (Director of the Florey Neuroscience Institutes in Melbourne) is to realise the potential of modern neuroimaging to individualise stroke care in the selection of acute therapies. The ongoing EXTEND trial, led by Davis, Donnan, and colleagues, is using multimodal MRI and multimodal CT to image salvageable tissue in the ischaemic penumbra as a selection criteria for intravenous tPA beyond the present 4·5 h window. Davis and Donnan also co-chaired the EPITHET trial, a prelude to EXTEND published in The Lancet Neurology. This study indicated that alteplase had potential therapeutic benefi ts beyond the established 3 h window, with increased reperfusion and reduced infarct growth. The potential for individualised treatment selection, based on advanced neuroimaging rather than a rigid time window, has now emerged. Davis hopes EXTEND will identify which patients with acute stroke could be treated with alteplase beyond the currently recommended 4·5 h window. "Each stroke patient has their own tissue clock, and these techniques could help identify many tPA-responders currently thought untreatable under the existing guidelines, which were based on non-contrast CT scanning and clinical criteria", says Davis. Asian countries will be involved to improve generalisability of the fi ndings. He and Donnan are also closely collaborating with Werner Hacke (University of Heidelberg, Germany), heading a similar trial in Europe. Davis' other specialist interest lies in intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), accounting for 15–30% of all stroke cases. He helped show that haematoma growth was an important independent predictor of both mortality and functional outcome after ICH, and that recombinant factor VIIa showed promise for reducing haematoma expansion. But while his research interests are intensely focused, his leisure time shows greater variety. One might reasonably ask: with a life as busy as this, how can this neurologist possibly relax his brain? But Davis enjoys various hobbies including skiing, jogging, Australian rules football, and musical tastes that run from the Rolling Stones to Verdi, as well as dinner and a glass of wine with his family. Donnan says one of Davis' great strengths is getting people to work together. "His collaborative skills have made him a major contributor to clinical trials in stroke worldwide, and he has been one of the main drivers behind the introduction of thrombolytic therapy for acute ischaemic stroke", adds Donnan. "He has been a real pioneer in the fi eld of MR imaging in acute ischaemic stroke, particularly in establishing the role of mismatch as a marker of viable penumbral brain tissue." "A dozen or so persons have been key for the transition of 'stone age' acute stroke care some 30 years ago to where we stand today with reperfusion therapies in clinical routine— one of them is clearly Steve", says Bo Norrving, Professor of Neurology at Lund University, Sweden, and President of the World Stroke Organisation (WSO). "He also serves WSO eminently well as a board member with a wealth of ideas and visions."


Anthocyanins pigments are major components of black corn pigment, also known as anthocyanins. Anthocyanin extraction based on the mature black corn as test materials, the effects of different irradiate time and temperature factors on the stability of black corn anthocyanin. The results showed high temperature resistance, good stability in T ≤ 90 ℃; long time concentration had little effect on the stability of black corn anthocyanin. But it was the poor stability of light.


We present some recent interesting results from mathematical physics and graph theory that has not appeared in social network . to understanding the roles of Eigen values and eigenvectors in network analysis which suggest the new directions and applications in network analysis. Further we extend the some of properties that can also be applied to the discrete Laplacian of a graph, Hilbert Nodal Theorem, and Cheeger's constant.


OBJECTIVE To compare the prophylactic use of antibiotics during the perioperative period of type Ⅰ incision before and after taking continuous basic interventions and the comprehensive interventions,to explore the feasibility of the programs for the reasonable use of antibiotics so as to improve the reasonable use of antibiotics.METHODS The various indicators that reflected the application of antibiotics were compared and studied between the stage Ⅰ from Apr 2005 to Apr 2010(the basic intervention) and stage Ⅱ from Apr 2011 to Apr 2012(the comprehensive intervention).RESULTS In stage Ⅰ after the intervention,the timing for the perioperative prophylactic use of the antibiotics was rational with the course of treatment,dropping from 6.7 days before the intervention to 4.7days after the intervention.In stage Ⅱ after the strict comprehensive intervention,the timing for rational drug use and 'zero' rate for prophylactic use of the antibiotics in interventional procedures reached the standard rate of 100.0%.The percentage of antibiotic use decreased from 90.0% to 57.9%,the course of drug treatment decreased from 4.5 days to 2.1 days,the drug combination rate decreasing from 47.0% to 2.3%,while the percentage of the reasonable selection of drugs increased from 1.9% to 50.0%,the incidence of the surgical site infections was 0.CONCLUSION To take comprehensive interventions has improved the rational use of antibiotics during perioperative period,actively promoting the safe,effective,and economical use of antibiotics.


Peter D. Wood, DSc, PhD, discusses who should be screened for cholesterol, what levels warrant various treatments, and whether drug therapy tempts patients to avoid exercise or to eat improperly.


The bidirectional communication between neuroendocrine and immune components maintains the physiological and psychological homeostasis of animals. The systemic administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (an immune stressor) activates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. The PD 149163 (PD), a neurotensin agonist, functions as an antipsychotic drug in psychosis and behavioral impairment. The present study aimed to address the role of PD in the HPA axis regulation which is not known. Swiss albino adult female mice were randomly divided into four groups (six mice/group): control received saline 0.9% NaCl; LPS received 1 mg/kg BW for 5 days; LPS + PD received LPS 1 mg/kg BW for 5 days and after that treated with PD 300 μg/kg BW for 21 days; and PD received PD 300 μg/kg BW for 21 days. LPS-induced immune activation stimulated the HPA axis activation that reflected in enhanced cytokines and hormones level. The proinflammatory plasma cytokines interleukine-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) level were significantly increased in LPS-challenged mice. The hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) immunointensity and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone level were also substantially increased. After PD treatment, LPS-induced IL-6 and TNF-α, CRF immunoreactivity, ACTH, and corticosterone level were decreased and normalized to control. Thus, the PD modulates the HPA axis activation through anti-inflammatory and psychopharmacological properties.


To solve challenges in management of sewage infrastructure in cities with the same features of Piumhi, Brazil, this research seeks to study a method of work for the management sewage system that aims, based on accurate information, to act in a preventive way and increase the quality of the decision making as the city growths and new projects areas are occupied and to prioritize investments. Strategies for the field survey for the diagnosis of the collectors and interceptors and for wells' information collect were stablished through meetings with the local autarchy SAAE (Water and Sewage Public Provider). A computational tool, based on Python codes, was developed to facilitate the input of georeferenced data into the QGis software. Tutorials of preventive management and contracting and supervision of future projects to the sewage network were also developed. The information obtained from the survey of the wells showed several barriers arising from the corrective management model adopted previously by SAAE and from ignorance of the population about the operation of the sewage network. During the network mapping, several stretches missing were found, some of them were corrected based on the analysis of the topography and of the wells upstream and downstream. The tool developed allows that any server of the autarchy gets access to the information about the operation of the system. Besides it allows the identification of problems and compares them to the conditions and features of the existing network, enables the definition of strategies of preventive actions and improvement of infrastructure from a historical assessment. The registration of the sewage network allowed match GIS tools and the BIM concepts, innovating the management process, improving the attendance to the population, increasing the quality of life and seeking a sustainable model that might be used by other public managers, walking towards the concept City Information Modeling.


A method and a system for security, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the same are provided to safely transfer data and prevent damage caused from malicious programs by keeping security in data I/O(Input/Output) to a client, and offer an efficient security function not lowering performance of a CE(Consumer Electronics) device by keeping the security with a simple procedure. A certification information transmitting module(110) transmits certification information to a server(200) and receives the latest certification information from the server. A certification information managing module(130) certifies the latest certification information by using the certification information and updates the certification information with the latest certification information if certification is succeeded. A certification module(120) certifies the data received from the server by using the certification information. The certification information includes information for a public key. The certification information module verifies digital signature included in the certification information with the public key and updates the information for the public key with the latest public key information included in the certification information.


This study investigates the staffing of the Brazilian Ministry of Health and associated entities – namely, the National Public Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA, National Agency for Supplementary Health Care (ANS) and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) – during the period from 2000 to 2008, in terms of a selected set of variables,with particular focus on the types of employment relation. As well as an analysis of the
quantitative growth of the federal work force in health, the study involved relating the current situation to historical factors and recent policies aimed at the federal civil service.
Historical institutionalism is the main theoretical branch referenced in the study as it
recognizes the importance of the State as a political actor and values the historical
conditioning factors and the role of the institutions and actors in policy making. The
methodological techniques used were a bibliographical review, documental analysis and
analysis of primary and secondary data on federal staffing in general and in health care. The results suggest that since the dawn of the Lula government in 2003, the trend of a shrinking federal civil service observed since the 1990s has been reversed as a result of increased civil service admissions to replenish staffing levels. However, this movement has not affected all the different areas in a uniform manner, and the increase in active public health workers is lower than the average increase of the Federal Executive. Differences were found in the staffing situations of the Ministry of Health and of the
associated entities included in this study. The central office of the Ministry benefitted only
slightly from the civil service admission examinations conducted and the operations of
strategic areas of the Ministry central office remain dependent on professionals hired as
consultants or by temporary contracts. The health regulatory agencies, created in the early 2000s, have benefitted from civil service admission examinations for the admission of specific professions, especially since 2005, but at the end of the period there was still a considerable proportion of workers employed under alternative types of engagement. Meanwhile at FIOCRUZ, although an increase was observed in the number of civil servants in the period, there was an even greater increase in the number of workers employed under other types of contracts.
Finally, a discussion is developed on the challenges involved in forming a federal
work force in health which is large enough, stable and adequate to address the strategic 10
responsibilities of the Ministry of Health and associated entities, bearing in mind that in
Brazil the federal governmental sphere plays a fundamental role in consolidating the Unified Health System (SUS), even against the backdrop of political-administrative decentralization.


The last few years has brought a number of changes to the digital system designer's parts inventory - mainly the addition of large scale integration components such as memories and processors. The solution of an information processing problem involves making the right choices from the variety of components offered and designing the hardware/software interface mechanisms between the components. Methods of simulating this new generation of digital systems are needed as tools. The demands placed on such a tool are great: it must (1) facilitate modeling of a digital system at various levels of architectural detail; (2) allow within a single model two components at quite different specification levels; (3) as a design progresses, allow replacement of models by more detailed models; (4) facilitate modeling of all types of components - hardware, firmware, and software; and (5) have a readily changeable parts library. PS is a tool for simulation of digital systems which meets these demands. In addition PS is designed to case the problem of communicating hardware/software mechanisms between people by automatically producing pictures of a system in its various states. These pictures can be used as a means of describing the system. The models produced by PS are called picture-system models [1, 2, 3].


The ratio DT / J1. for electrons in a 0·4673% H2-99 . 5327% Kr mixture at 295 K has been measured by the Townsend-Huxley method in order to obtain data for use in the derivation of the momentum transfer cross section for krypton. The values of E/N and pressures sed ranged from 0·025 to 1· 4 Td and 13·43 to 68 ·16 kPa respectively. At a given value of E/N and pressure the derived values of DT / J1. were found to depend on the choice of the mathematical expression which relates the measured current ratio to DT/J1.. However, the values obtained using each of the expressions, when extrapolated to infinite pressure, agreed to within 0·5% for all E/N values ~0·07 Td.


Thirty seven test lines / varieties of wheat received from Regional Agricultural Research Institute, Bahawalpur, National Institute for Biology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), and Wheat Research Institute (WRI), AARI, Faisalabad were screened in a vivo trial to identify the best source of resistance for breeding programme against karnal bunt of wheat at Plant Pathology Research Institute, Faisalabad during rabi season 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. A susceptible check AS-2002 was also planted after ten entries. Among the test lines / varieties, only one entry, Parwaz 94, was found to be highly resistant. However, 4 lines obtained from RARI, Bahawalpur region were found to be resistance while 4 lines were moderately susceptible. Out of 25 lines received from WRI (AARI), 5 lines displayed resistant, 8 were moderately susceptible and 2 were categorized as highly susceptible. Two lines obtained from NIBGE, Faisalabad exhibited moderately resistant. The disease ranged from 0 to16.9 percent.


This essay aims to provide an overview of some key theories and frameworks regarding moral cognition and its neural correlates, in order to examine the possibilities of enhancement of moral cogniti ...


Being in a relationship with someone who is sexually addicted has been recognized as disorienting and painful. What is lacking in the literature is inclusion of the voices of those individuals who have been affected by his behaviour. This study attempts to capture the phenomenon experienced by those individuals who are in a relationship with a person who is sexually addicted. Twelve women, who identified being in a current or past relationship with a person who is sexually addicted, participated in qualitative interviews where they were encouraged to share their experiences. The interviews were analyzed within the transcendental phenomenological framework. Three themes were identified: discovery/acknowledgment, living with the knowing, and healing. Within these themes, a number of sub-themes were identified. These findings are discussed and examined, contributing new insight to the current literature regarding individuals who have experienced this phenomenon.


In this paper, some considerations on extension of the Datalog language are proposed in order to apply this language on a GEFRED fuzzy relational database. For this integration, we use some extended comparators from the GEFRED model and an existing generalization of the concept of rule to work with flexible values.


Phosphorylation of two highly conserved phosphosites preceding the kinase catalytic subdomain VIII region in the activation T-loop of the MAP kinase ERK1 negatively regulates its protein phosphotransferase activity. Hyperphosphorylation of most protein-serine/threonine kinases in this manner may be a general mechanism for their down-regulation.


and traffic-related PM sources correlate well, which is encouraging for the implementation of non-destructive magnetic methods as an economic alternative to chemical analysis when mapping urban dust pollution.


In this paper we propose and develop a relatively simple and efficient approach for estimating unknown elements of a user-rating matrix in the context of a recommender system (RS). The critical theoretical property of the method is its consistency with respect to arbitrary units implicitly adopted by different users to construct their quantitative ratings of products. It is argued that this property is needed for robust performance accuracy across a broad spectrum of RS application domains.


On 4 October 2012 the Croatian Competition Authority (AZTN) accepted the committments of the Croatian Autoclub (HAK) in relation to the non-competition clauses in the agreements for emergency…


Objective To prepare protein vaccine for immunotherapy of tumors using 87-H1 as a target. Methods Insert the gene encoding extracellular IgV domain of B7-H1 into prokaryotic expression vector pQE-30, then transform to E. coil for expression under induction of IPTG. Purify the expressed rhB7-H1IgV by Ni(superscript 2+)-NTA column chromatography and identify by Western blot. Immunize Kunming mice with purified rhB7-H1IgV protein and determine the activities of the fusion protein and its antiserum by ELISA, flow cytometry, immunohistochemical method and CDC test Results rhB7-H1IgV protein was stably expressed by using the constructed recombinant plasmid pQE-30-TT-B7-H1IgV. High titer antisera against B7-H1 were obtained by immunizing Kunming mice with the purified rhB7-H1IgV protein. Both flow cytometry and immunohistochemical method showed specific binding activity of the antisera to HT-29/B7-H1(superscript +) cells as well as SP2/0 cells. CDC test proved complement-dependent killing activity of the antisera to both HT-29/B7-H1(superscript +) cells and SP2/0 cells. Conclusion The expressed rhB7-H1IgV fusion protein induced humoral immune response in mice. The induced antibody showed binding activity to the tumor cells in which B7-H1 was expressed, and mediated complement-dependent killing activity in vitro.


In connection with a paper by Baldwin and Gross on the localization of residual hematite ore (for reference, see this Bibliography Vol. 31, No. 7, 02 E67-05748), inaccuracies in the citations from the literature used for purposes of comparison are pointed out, particularly those on Brazilian deposits.


The pathogenic bacteria were identified from the uterine secretions of 17 retention of fetal placenta(RFM) bovines in the ambient area of AKesu,and their pathogenicity were tested by VITEK32 for biochemical identification and sensitivity text.Results showed that bacterial was isolated from the dairy with retained placenta.The isolated bacteria included Escherichia coli,Staphylococcus cohnii,Shigella dysenteriae.Drug sensitivity test results showed that,antibiotics was still a good drug for the treatment of RFM.


There are several aspects of Chinese historical texts for famine relief,for instance,agricultural technologies,soil and water maintenance technologies,locust control technologies,preventive technologies of meteorological disaster,edible wild herbs,and storage system,in which,documents of technologies for natural disaster alleviation are abundant.These materials are not only quite important for the studies of science and technology for natural disaster alleviation in historical period and the Chinese social and economic history,but also helpful to the mitigation of natural hazards nowadays.Based on the collection and analysis of documents,the materials about technologies for natural disaster alleviation in Chinese historical texts for famine relief can be divided into six parts,including the establishment of the system of famine relief,disaster preparedness,agricultural technologies,engineering technologies,and biotechnologies for natural disaster alleviation,and edible wild herbs.


The article describes the necessary of T-connecting or forked connecting of three-phase and four-wire active energy meter by the zero wire,analyzes the limitation of the three-phase circuit when three-phase and four-wire electric energy meter connects in through the current inductor,then introduces the correct wiring method.


A patient with severe Parkinson's disease had a maximum inspiratory and expiratory flow-volume loop showing a "saw-tooth" pattern. It is concluded that this sign is not specific for the sleep apnea syndrome.


Text-driven content creation has evolved to be a transformative technique that revolutionizes creativity. Here we study the task of text-driven human video generation, where a video sequence is synthesized from texts describing the appearance and motions of a target performer. Compared to general text-driven video generation, human-centric video generation requires maintaining the appearance of synthesized human while performing complex motions. In this work, we present Text2Performer to generate vivid human videos with articulated motions from texts. Text2Performer has two novel designs: 1) decomposed human representation and 2) diffusion-based motion sampler. First, we decompose the VQVAE latent space into human appearance and pose representation in an unsupervised manner by utilizing the nature of human videos. In this way, the appearance is well maintained along the generated frames. Then, we propose continuous VQ-diffuser to sample a sequence of pose embeddings. Unlike existing VQ-based methods that operate in the discrete space, continuous VQ-diffuser directly outputs the continuous pose embeddings for better motion modeling. Finally, motion-aware masking strategy is designed to mask the pose embeddings spatial-temporally to enhance the temporal coherence. Moreover, to facilitate the task of text-driven human video generation, we contribute a Fashion-Text2Video dataset with manually annotated action labels and text descriptions. Extensive experiments demonstrate that Text2Performer generates high-quality human videos (up to 512x256 resolution) with diverse appearances and flexible motions.


Background: Stars form in the densest regions of molecular clouds, where close proximity dictates that feedback from one star impacts the formation of nearby neighbors. Over the last decade, large surveys by Herschel and Spitzer have provided important insights into the hierarchical nature of star formation, the properties of dense cores, and the evolution of protostars. However, fundamental questions remain unanswered: What is the dominant physics that sets the clustering and masses of stars? As new stars form and launch feedback within a given cloud, how do the outcomes change? How does mass flow from cloud to star? Goals: Progress requires connecting gas flows from large to small scales and increasing statistics of cores across different stellar masses and environments in order to address the origin and evolution of dense cores, relationship between dense gas and the stellar initial mass function, role of environment and impact of stellar feedback. Requirements: Sensitive, high spatial dynamic range mid-IR to mm continuum, polarization, and multiple spectral line surveys at physical resolutions < 0.05pc; improved astrochemistry in simulations, and development of automated, statistical approaches to identify and characterize star-forming gas uniformly and quantify the impact of feedback are necessary to advance the field.


The paper summarizes the research progress in the production process of compound amino acid rare earth element chelates both at home and abroad as well as the comprehensive utilization measures for cost reduction and profit increase.The importance and methods of adding rare earth element to soil are also expounded.The application results indicate that the rare earth element chelates have many advantages such as small consumption,low cost and high rate of return.They can not only raise the crop yield and improve the crop quality,but also kill bacteria and insects,remove weeds and reduce pesticide residue.They are therefore a new type of fertilizer with bright prospect.


This thesis presents a part of the implementation of the perception system in an autonomous Formula Student vehicle. More precisely, it develops two different pipelines to process the data from the two main sensors of the vehicle: a LiDAR and a stereo camera. The first, a stereo camera system which is based on two monocular cameras, provides traffic cone position estimations based on the detections made by a convolutional neural network. These positions are obtained by using a self-designed stereo processing algorithm, based on 2D-3D position estimates and keypoint extraction and matching. The second is a sensor fusion system that first registers both sensors based on an extrinsic calibration system that has been implemented. Then, it exploits the neural network detection from the stereo system to project the LiDAR point cloud onto the image, obtaining a balance between accurate detection and position estimation. These two systems are evaluated, compared and integrated into "Xaloc". The Formula Student vehicle developed by the Driverless UPC team.


To solve the problems that single defect detection types and bad anti-interference ability of test algorithm in tests of infrared solar cells defections, a new method is proposed which can defect and identify various defections in complicated background of the solar cells pictures. Firstly, a method of local adaptive thresholding binarization is used to extract the messages of defections and electrodes. Secondly, horizontal projection can be used to get the positions of electrodes, then interferences can be eliminated by filling electrodes. Finally, a method which can classify according to defections contour information is used. A large number of experimental results demonstrate that our method can detect and identify the broken line fault, crack fault and track prints fault accurately in the infrared image of solar cells, and the correct rate is over 99 %. The method with good adaptation and accuracy improves the solar cells defect efficiency greatly.


A simple theory for the van der Waals potential in the region of the well minimum, which previously has been successfully applied to the prediction of the isotropic atom–atom [J. Chem. Phys. 66, 1496 (1977)] and the anisotropic atom–diatom potentials [J. Chem. Phys. 68, 5501 (1978); 74, 1148 (1981)], has been extended to calculate the full potential hypersurface including the H2 bond distance dependence for He–H2 and Ne–H2. By taking advantage of the known potential parameters in the united atom limits He–He and Ne–He, respectively, the potential hypersurface is predicted over a wide range of bond distances. The model is modified to also provide a good estimate of the true potential in the repulsive region (V≃1 eV). The results for He–H2 are compared with a recently calculated CI type hypersurface [Meyer, Hariharan, and Kutzelnigg, J. Chem. Phys. 73, 1880 (1980)] and found to be in good agreement in the region of intermediate distances of the center of masses (R≈3.0 A), and for H2 bond distances r in the ...


Distance education has taken on a number of different roles throughout history. As technology has changed and grown, so has the definition and possibilities of educating at a distance. This chapter examines the chronological history of distance education beginning with correspondence courses and moving into a present day examination of learning management systems and the expansive network of online courses and universities. This chapter also discusses the development of online teacher training (or lack thereof) in the same timeframe.


composedof a portion of the transmembrane domain and the extracellular domain of the amyloid precursor protein (APP)2). The neurotoxicity of the A/3 has been detected in several cell systems, including primary cultured neurons3). The A/3 having an alanine C-terminus is derived from the proteolytic cleavage of the APPby the action of the yet unidentified endoproteolytic enzymes, /3and y-secretase4). Recent studies have suggested that prolyl endopeptidase could be involved in the processing of the C-terminal portion of the APP in AD5). The prolyl endopeptidase [PEP; EC 3.4.21,26] is a serine protease, which is known to cleave peptide substrates in the C-terminal side of proline residues6). It plays an important role in degradation of the proline-containing neuropeptides such as oxytocin, vasopressin, substance P, neurotensin and angiotensin, which were suggested to participate in learning and memory processes7'8-*. It was found that the PEP


Two experiments were conducted, in which female subjects with either low scores (22–33) or high scores (42–51) on the MMPI Dominance scale were playing a mixed-motive game against a simulated partner. Prior to the experiment, subjects met in pairs consisting of two high or two low scorers, or of one high and one low scorer, and were led to believe that they were paired with one another in the game. Actually, the preprogrammed 'other player' used an identical strategy against all subjects, initially simulating a vacillation between cooperation and competition, and then switching to a high degree of competitiveness. During the last-mentioned part of the experiment, dominant subjects responded somewhat more competitively to the simulated partner than did submissive subjects. Secondly, in both experiments, subjects with low dominance scores who met with a similar person prior to the game were subsequently less competitive than subjects in other pairs.


Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ has certainly generated controversy. So far, the discussion has primarily focused on the supposed anti-Jewish nature of the film. What I wish to discuss is what strikes me as a more fundamental point of contention-whether the film is actually a portrayal of the passion of the Christ (as the title claims). To do so, I will briefly introduce some of the reactions from Orthodox Christian authorities and theologians. This will introduce the context for my analysis of the soteriology that is expressed in Gibson's movie. As I will show, Gibson's movie may well be a passion, but from an Orthodox Christian perspective, it does not appear to be the passion of the Christ. This article is available in Journal of Religion & Film: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol8/iss3/1 Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ has certainly generated controversy. So far, the discussion has primarily focused on the supposed antiJewish nature of the film. What I wish to discuss is what strikes me as a more fundamental point of contention-whether the film is actually a portrayal of the passion of the Christ (as the title claims). To do so, I will briefly introduce some of the reactions from Orthodox Christian authorities and theologians. This will introduce the context for my analysis of the soteriology that is expressed in Gibson's movie. As I will show, Gibson's movie may well be a passion, but from an Orthodox Christian perspective, it does not appear to be the passion of the Christ. As some may be aware, the film has generated some controversy amongst Orthodox Christians. Most notably, the Greek Orthodox diocese of Chicago sent letters to their parishes regarding the movie, an event published in the February 26, 2004 issue of the Chicago Sun-Times. Less notably, Bishop Job, the bishop of the Midwest for the Orthodox Church in America, has officially disseminated a parish newsletter article written by Fr. Jonathan Proctor of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Greek Orthodox leaders have warned their parishioners not to watch the movie and Fr. Jonathan has declared that "being blown away by the ghastliness of Jesus' crucifixion might have less to do with the Gospel than we think." To these voices, one could add those of Frederica Matthews-Greene and Fr. Thomas Hopko. 1 Herbel: An Orthodox Perspective on Gibson's The Passion of Christ Published by DigitalCommons@UNO, 2004 When I attended the movie, I entered believing that all or some of them were probably overreacting. Perhaps some of them were even ascribing to the contemporary myth that the West focuses on the cross while the East concentrates on the resurrection. What I encountered deserves further discussion within not only Orthodoxy but the larger Christian community in general (indeed, amongst anyone even remotely engaging Christianity). The soteriology expressed in Gibson's movie is, from an Orthodox Christian perspective, questionable at best. What is that soteriology? Well, let me lay it out as best I can. The question at hand is whether Jesus can live a sinless life all the way until the very end. The viewer is introduced to this during the scene in the Garden of Gethsemene, where Satan tempts Jesus by saying the burden is too much and that no one can live sinlessly. To be fair, Satan is speaking of two burdens-that of living and dying sinlessly and that of bearing the sins of everyone. From here, we are led through Jesus' beatings and torture all the way to the cross. Satan and Mary watch this play out before their very eyes. Finally, and it takes nearly the entire movie to get to this point, Jesus dies. Once he breathes his last, we are shown Satan screaming. This is where the errant soteriology expresses itself most fully. Satan is not screaming because Jesus is the Christ harrowing hell. Had that been the case, then the earthquake that occurred at his death would have included the opening of the 2 Journal of Religion & Film, Vol. 8 [2004], Iss. 3, Art. 1 https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol8/iss3/1 tombs of those who had fallen asleep. Rather, Satan is screaming because Jesus endured what he endured without sinning. Once he breathes his last, it is over. The Son of God need not take on death, really. There is no reason. Jesus has done what he needed to do-he has lived the sinless life (and, if we remember Satan's words in the garden, somehow bore the sins of the world). According to this soteriology, the only thing one can reflect upon, when contemplating one's salvation, is the beating Jesus takes. Therefore, it should not surprise us that Gibson elevates the level of those beatings well beyond what we can find in the Gospel accounts. Yes, the Gospels speak of Jesus the Christ as the Lamb who is slaughtered, but Gibson's movie seems pressed to express a Gospel where Jesus is able to suffer more than anyone else. Somehow, by suffering more than anyone else, without sinning, he becomes the savior. In such a scheme, the resurrection becomes an unnecessary afterthoughtsort of a flip cinematic expression of "you can't keep a good God down." In fact, I would be surprised if the resurrection received more than 20 seconds of movie time. It certainly did not include an earthquake scene paralleling the one at the cross. Gibson's error, therefore, is separating the cross and the resurrection as though they are two separate events in the temporal biography of the Christ. 3 Herbel: An Orthodox Perspective on Gibson's The Passion of Christ Published by DigitalCommons@UNO, 2004 Biblically speaking, this cannot be done. The cross means nothing without the light of the resurrection and the resurrection means nothing if it is not shining through a man with eternal scarring on his hands, feet, and side. Matthew's Gospel does not divide them. Immediately following Matthew 27.53, cited above, Matthew says, "and after his resurrection, they came out of the tombs, went into the holy city and were manifested to many." Orthodox soteriology proclaims that Jesus' suffering and death have meaning because he took on our fallenness and transformed and healed our humanity. He took on our sin and death and through them both defeated Satan, resulting in a victory over sin, death, and the devil. The cross and the resurrection are one overarching salvific event and are not to be divided. Perhaps that is the great irony. If one seeks to separate the significance of the cross from the resurrection, the death of Christ loses its salvific significance. One may go to Gibson's movie and argue that it is not anti-Jewish. I don't believe it condemns Jews en masse simply for being Jews. One may admire the artistic structure of it. Only a genius can put together a movie that looks like one renaissance or post-renaissance painting after another, making this, artistically, one of the best movies I have ever seen. One may even go for a guilt-fest and leave feeling duly guilty. Certainly, one will be shocked by the extent of the portrayal of the punishments. One will not, however, come away having seen a portrayal of the 4 Journal of Religion & Film, Vol. 8 [2004], Iss. 3, Art. 1 https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol8/iss3/1 passion of the Christ. Such a passion necessitates the true (full) meaning of the cross, and that is not present because Gibson has separated the cross from the resurrection. 1 See, for example, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, "The Mel Gibson Controversy as Seen Through the Eyes of an Orthodox Jew," A Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights research paper ("http://www.catholicleague.org/research/lapin.htm). The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights website (http://www.catholicleague.org) includes additional research papers exploring the controversy. Additionally, Gibson addressed the controversy in an interview with ABC's Primetime on February 17, 2004. He previously spoke to many elements of the film, including the charge of "anti-Semitism," in his discussion with Raymond Arroyo, aired on January 23, 2004. 2 Cathleen Falsani, "Greek Orthodox leaders tell flock 'Passion' isn't Accurate," Chicago-SunTimes, February 26, 2004. 3 Igumen Vladimir Wendling, Letter no. 83, on behalf of Bishop Job, March 15, 2004. 4 Ibid. 5 See Frederica Mathewes-Green, "The Meaning of Christ's Suffering," Books and Culture: A Christian Review March/April, 2004 (http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2004/002/1.28.html). See also Fr. Thomas Hopko, "Mel Gibson's Passion Monotonous and Misleading" (http://www.svots.edu/Faculty/ThomasHopko/Articles/melgibsonsmessiah.html). 6 Berdyaev contrasts a Western focus on the cross and an Eastern focus on eschatology. See Nicholas Berdyaev, "Unifying Christian of the East and the West,"( http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Sui-Generis/Berdyaev/essays/unifying.htm#1) transl. Fr. Michael Knechten. A much more recent claim that Orthodox emphasize the resurrection, while the West emphasizes atoning sufferings can be found in Joshua S. Edward's letter to the editor (not available online) of The Brown Daily Herald. For an example of the myth being presented in a book on church history or the history of theology, see Carl A. Volz, The Medieval Church: From the Dawn of the Middle Ages to the Eve of the Reformation (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997), 70. 7 Cf. Matthew 27.53. 8 Gibson elevates the sufferings in two ways. First, the majority of his reflection on Christ is concerned strictly with those sufferings. The Gospels of the New Testament, on the other hand, spend proportionately much less time describing and contemplating the physical sufferings of 5 Herbel: An Orthodox Perspective on Gibson's The Passion of Christ Published by DigitalCommons@UNO, 2004 Jesus the Christ. Second, Gibson adds some punishments, such as Jesus being thrown off a bridge, that are not in the Gospels. Combined, these two aspects take us well beyond the Gospel accounts. 9 Cf. Matthew 28.2. 10 For example, Athanasios, says, "The Sa


Many school children go to school on empty stomach and find it hard to concentrate in the classroom beyond a few hours. This invariably affects their performance. Providing these school children with meals put an end to the phenomena of "classroom hunger". Nutritional support to school children is considered as a means to achieve the objective of providing free and compulsory universal basic education of satisfactory quality to all children below 15 years, through increased enrolment, improved school attendance and better learning, which is one of the Millennium Development Goals. The paper discusses this and the benefits of school midday meal in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Pertinent recommendations were also provided.


Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide isolated from ovine hypothalamus on the basis of its ability to stimulate adenylate cyclase in cultured rat anterior pituitary cells. 1 PACAP is a member of the secretin/glucagon family and is the most homologous to vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP, 68 % ). The primary structure of PACAP38 is identical among mammals, and even in lower vertebrates and protochordates these PACAP differ from the mammalian structure only by a few amino acids (one to four). 2 Thus, PACAP is phylogenetically well conserved, implying its biological significance as a pleiotropic neuropeptide. Through three types of the specific receptors, two of which are equally shared with VIP, PACAP functions as a hypophysiotrophic hormone, neurotransmitter, neuromodulator, or neurotrophic factor in the central nervous system. 2,3 Furthermore, PACAP was reported to function even in the peripheral tissues, especially in the endocrine system, such as adrenal medulla, pancreatic β -cell, and gonads. Since PACAP is widely distributed in the body, it is suggested that many cells could express the PACAP gene. 4 However, the regulation of PACAP gene expression or biosynthesis still remains to be investigated. To clarify the molecular mechanism for PACAP gene expression, we isolated and identified the mouse PACAP gene, and also investigated chromosomal localization and tissue distribution.


The interest in Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs) has been increasing as a way of improving the productivity and read-ability of software. Some modern extensible languages offer facilities for building modular specifications for extensions, so they may be considered an interesting option for implementing domain specific languages. But there are at least two disadvantages that currently affect most extensible languages. First, their syntax is usually defined informally, because there is a lack of formal tools for the definition of extensible languages. Second, extensible languages are usually implemented in an ad-hoc and inefficient way. In this paper, we show how the syntax of extensible languages like Fortress and SugarJ can be formally defined using a novel model designated Adaptable Parsing Expression Grammars (APEG). The formal definitions of the languages help clarifying many aspects of their syntax. We also use an interpreter of the APEG model to parse programs of the languages, showing that the model can be used in practice to implement parsers for extensible languages.


Misspelled search queries in e-commerce can lead to empty or irrelevant products. Besides inadvertent typing mistakes, most spell mistakes occur because the user does not know the correct spelling, hence typing it as it is pronounced colloquially. This colloquial typing creates countless misspelling patterns for a single correct query. In this paper, we first systematically analyze and group different spell errors into error classes and then leverage the state-of-the-art Transformer model for contextual spell correction. We overcome the constraint of limited human labelled data by proposing novel synthetic data generation techniques for voluminous generation of training pairs needed by data hungry Transformers, without any human intervention. We further utilize weakly supervised data coupled with curriculum learning strategies to improve on tough spell mistakes without regressing on the easier ones. We show significant improvements from our model on human labeled data and online A/B experiments against multiple state-of-art models.


We study the performance of staggered lineup NpN InP/GaAsSb/InP abrupt double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs) intended for ultrahigh speed applications. With a peak fT of 305 GHz (and fMAX=300 GHz), InP/GaAsSb/InP DHBTs are currently the fastest bipolar transistors ever implemented, and as such may challenge sub-100 nm gate InP HEMTs for > 40 Gb/s applications: previously published criteria suggest current device performance should be suitable for 80–100 Gb/s OEICs. InP/GaAsSb/InP DHBTs feature high breakdown voltages and low offset and knee voltages, and extremely high current drive levels enabled by the lack of collector current blocking at the staggered base/collector junction. InP/GaAsSb/InP DHBTs also feature important manufacturability advantages because the structure is entirely made up of uniform composition binary and ternary alloy layers.


The Institutional Communication in the University Politecnica de Chimborazo and its influence on professors, students, and other university staff from January to July of 2016.

ABSTRACT:

The main objective of this investigation is: The Institutional Communication in the University Politecnica de Chimborazo and its influence on professors, students, and other university staff from January to July of 2016.

The research was applied by data collection, data review, biographical sources, and surveys which were the basis to get information. From the results obtained it can be determined that there are critical issues in the Department of Communication and Public Relaciones at ESPOCH. These issues were the starting point for the implementation of the proposal.

The development of institutional communication, both internal and external, doesn't only imply technology, but also the human potential that will benefit from it, in turn optimizing processes and resources.

Therefore, the application of The Strategic Communication Plan is recommended to support the management of the Escuela Superior Politecnica de Chimborazo, which will allow for a more effective flow of current inforation by using suitable strategies that can avoid potential conflicts.


The Technical Committee for Piping Systems of the Pressure Vessel Research Committee (PVRC) has recommended new damping values to be used in the seismic analyses of piping systems in nuclear power plants. To evaluate the effects of coupling these recommendations with the use of independent support motion analyses methods, two sets of seismic analyses have been carried out for several piping systems. One set based on the use of uniform damping as specified in Regulatory Guide 1.61, the other based on the PVRC recommendations. In each set the analyses were performed using independent support motion time history and response spectrum methods as well as the envelope spectrum method. In the independent response spectrum analyses, 14 response estimates were in fact obtained by considering different combination procedures between the support group contributions and all sequences of combinations between support groups, modes and directions. For each analysis set, the response spectrum results were compared with time history estimates of those results. Comparison tables were then prepared depicting the percentage by which the response spectrum estimates exceeded the time history estimates. By comparing the result tables between both analysis sets, the impact of PVRC damping can be observed. Preliminary results show that themore » degree of exceedance of the response spectrum estimates based on PVRC damping is less than that based on uniform damping for the same piping problem. Expressed differently the results obtained if ISM methods are coupled with PVRC damping are not as conservative as those obtained using uniform damping.« less


A need exists for a Medical Spanish course designed specifically for Spanish majors, especially for those students that are following the pre-med sequence required for entrance to medical school. Often, Medical Spanish is not found in the undergraduate Spanish language curriculum. And generally students cannot acquire this kind of information from the more traditional course offerings in literature, linguistics, and culture. A cursory look at college level course catalogs verifies that many institutions do not offer a Medical Spanish course in their programs. Those that do offer one typically offer the course at a basic level where students possess little or no knowledge of Spanish. This restricts the course to only one group of students: non-majors.


This article is concerned with the defining policy adopted in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English and other EFL-dictionaries which make use of a strictly controlled defining vocabulary. After a discussion of the principles underlying the LDOCE defining vocabulary, of some inconsistencies and inadequacies, and of its size, an attempt is made to classify the use of words from outside the defining vocabulary in LDOCE definitions. A comparison of 200 entries in LDOCE and ALD shows that the words used in LDOCE definitions are in fact easier for the learner to understand. The conflict between comprehensibility and accuracy is discussed and it is argued that the use of a controlled defining vocabulary — together with a flexible policy of using other words in definitions is a valuable instrument in enforcing a lexicographical discipline which contributes to making definitions in foreign learners' dictionaries easily comprehensible. Finally, a list of principles for designing a defining vocabulary for foreign learners' dictionaries is established. The first business of a dictionary is to give the meanings of the words in plain, simple, unambiguous language. Henry Sweet (1899: 147) 1. The defining policy of LDOCE 1.1. The LDOCE approach As HENRY SWEET'S demand that dictionary definitions should be "plain" and "simple" applies especially to foreign learners' dictionaries, presumably all such dictionaries will make similar claims to that of the ADVANCED LEARNER'S DICTIONARY OF CURRENT ENGLISH (ALD), namely to provide "practical definitions ... in simple English". In most cases, however, they fail to state any principles they have applied in order to pursue this aim. The LONGMAN DICTIONARY OF CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH (LDOCE), however, is the first of a series of EFL-dictionaries published by Longman to contain an explicit statement as to its policy to fulfill "one of the most basic lexicographical principles — that is that the definitions are always written using simpler terms than the words they describe" (LDOCE, 1978: ix). It draws upon a limited defining vocabulary of approximately 2,000 words, which are listed at the end of the dictionary. Only where it does not seem possible to arrive at a satisfactory description of the meaning of a word within the framework of LEXICOGRAPHICA 2/1986


[Extract] Trichogramma wasps are minute, being less than 0.5 mm long. The adult female wasp lays its own eggs into the moth eggs. The wasp eggs then hatch and the larvae begin to devour the developing caterpillar inside the egg.

The trichogramma larvae pupate and develop into fully formed wasps inside the moth eggs. The moth eggs gradually go black as the wasps develop inside.


China's iron steel industry is facing high energy/water consumption with highly increasing waste and heavy pollution.It has become one of the industries that form the most serious environmental pollution.The ecological footprint as research method is thus introduced into the problem to discuss the way of how to save resources and improve environmental efficiency.The results show that the ecological footprint per 10000t steel tends to decrease now,but the ecological footprint increases greatly at high speed because of the rapid growth of steel production.The key part of the ecological footprint in steel industry is the indirectly occupied land area by the energy consumed(amounted to over 99% of the whole iron steel industry).So the key to reduce the ecological footprint of iron steel industry is to further reduce the energy consumption so as to reduce pollution.However,in recent years the water footprint was on fast decline in steel industry,reduced sewage emissions,and achieved certain results.


Objective To explore the psychological changes in senile patients within peri-operative and corresponding nursing measures, in order to help senile patients get through peri-operative smoothly. Methods Psychological state and psychological changes caused by disease and operation stress of 129 cases of over 60 years old patients with gallbladder disease was analyzed retrospectively. Psychological leading and nursing for patients with dread and anxiety before operation, and for patients with ache, sleep disorder and inappetence after operation was reviewed. Results All 143 cases of senile patients got through peri-operative smoothly after corresponding psychological nursing. Conclusion Nurse-patient communication and psychological nursing plays an important role in promoting the recovery of senile operating patienus.


Globe-wise discussions on the influence of mankind on the environment have increased in reach, visibility and importance, getting to establish classifications, formalized documents and events. These debates gain more importance in the context of organizations, reflected from various pressures. This theoretical essay aims to converge considerations between environmental sustainability practices and their influence on new institutional formatting of organizations through the lens of Institutional Theory. It was noticed that many of the environmental sustainability practices by organizations are the result of pressure from the government, society and competition, which become isomorphic forces, which are: coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphism. Thus, companies end up joining the practice of environmental sustainability driven by collective rationality. A framework is proposed in order to facilitate understanding and encourage further discussion on conceptual triangulation involving the influence of environmental sustainability practices in formatting the new institutional organizations, the role of environmental variables and causal analysis of the phenomena. A research agenda is suggested.


Research has shown for decades that early childhood education contributes to long term increases in student achievement for all children, but what is motivating the current movement toward universal Pre-k? This study used a content analysis of five major print media sources to explore how the media is framing the public pre-K movement.We looked for the issues or constituencies that are pushing the movement and how the movement is being framed in the media and sold to the public. We framed our findings within Edelman's theory of political spectacle, which attributes policy formation to the active and deliberate creation of dramatic spectacle by a power elite in order to sell policy to the public (Edelman, 1988). We found that a substantial number of examples of the use of rhetorical patterns and symbolic representations consistent with political spectacle in both political statements quoted in the media and media language. We conclude with a discussion of the disconnect between the political spectacle and current policy in universal pre-K.


The article is concerned with the non-parliamentary left-wing parties and movements in the context of their attitude to the ethnic national problems of the modern Russia. The author proposes a classification of two major trends in the contemporary left-wing movement, and describes their conceptions. The paper disputes a popular thesis of 1990-s, that the left political spectrum is closely related to the Russian nationalism.


...............................................................................................................................v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xi List of Tables ................................................................................................................... xiv Chapter I: Introduction .........................................................................................................1 Problem Statement .......................................................................................................4 Writing Strategies to Improve Student Achievement ...................................................7 Purpose & Rationale of the Study ..............................................................................10 Research Questions ....................................................................................................17 Significance of the Study ...........................................................................................18 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................20 Chapter II: Literature Review ............................................................................................2


In order to identify factors affecting e-government services adoption, a survey questionnaire and case study interviews were conducted to collect research data from 409 e-ready Ukrainians. The results of the mixed methods research confirmed eight factors, which seemed to be responsible for low adoption rates of e-government services in Ukraine, namely awareness, computer literacy, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived public value, the individual cultural value preferences for uncertainty avoidance, trust in the government, and trust in the Internet. The adoption of e-Government services amongst e-ready citizens in Ukraine was reported to be 56.5 percent or 23.6 percent of all legal-aged Ukrainians. Overall, the level of development of e-government in the Ukraine was found to be low. The TAM-based research model explained 42 percent of the variance in the behavioral intentions of e-ready citizens towards the use of e-government services.  Eight out of ten hypothesized relationships were accepted.


Filimonov in his article "On the issue of clinical methods for measuring tone" (Zeitschr. Fdg N. u. P. Bd. 115, 1928) emphasizes the positive and negative aspects of the Rieger-Spiegel method and his own (proposed by him in Zeitsch. Fdg N. u. P. Bd. 96. H. 1-2); notes that both methods deal with fundamentally different clinical phenomena and one of them cannot be replaced by another


. The article is devoted to the study of the royal army of France and the social inequality in it during the reign of Philip II Augustus (1180–1223). Based on the analysis of synchronous sources, comparison of data on the economic situation and moral and ethical perception, the dif-ferences between the categories of the army structure are reconstructed. The policy of collecting lands and strengthening the royal power by Philip II Augustus led to a change in relations towards the tendency of uniting people of various class groups. The changes also affected the military forces, which are a reflection of the structure of society, "society in miniature". At the same time, remaining within the framework of the feudal structure, the French Kingdom followed an unconventional path of development of feudalism towards the integrity and consolidation of vassal duties on the person of the king. Thus, despite the existing social inequality, the new approach made it possible to lay the foundations for overcoming unequal status in society, and also formed a "triad of unification" tied to a single religion, language and royal power.


Bank Syariah is a syariah financial institution that is oriented to profit (Profit). Profit is not only for the benefit of the owner or the founder, but also very important for the development of sharia bank business. Bank as a financial institution which one of its functions is to collect public funds, must have a source to raise funds before the channel back to the community. As an intermediary institution, the first capital of a financial institution is trust, namely the trust of the parties it connects. In other words, the first capital of a financial institution is the credibility of which the customers or the public at large. While the second capital of a financial institution is professionalism, namely professionalism in managing money or deposit funds mandated to him.


For half a century, Galton's problem has been a thorn in the side of cultural anthropologists, agitating them to print. Galton's problem motivated the creators of all the major cross-cultural sampling frames to advocate selection of a single ethnographic description from each of up to hundreds of internally homogeneous culture areas. Why this happened is perplexing. Galton's problem disappears when it is thought of as a theoretical issue of correct specification of a theoretical model. There are implications for the construction of new cross-cultural samples.


The article discusses the question of why humans are not furry. It is argued that loss of fur was an adaptive change in proto-humans, which made it possible for them to travel further to find food and water. This is said to have enabled the evolution of larger brains. A review of fossil and genetic evidence which supports this theory is included. INSETS: FURRY VS. NAKED;Why the Aquatic Ape Theory Doesn't Hold Water;BEATING THE HEAT;OF LICE AND MEN


The aim of the thesis is to develop a program in the Java programming language with which we can manage files of XML type as the database. Developed program can create a new database or open an existing one. It also has the possibility to review schemes and tables within XML. Schemes can be added or deleted. We can also add new tables to schemes or choose to edit or delete the existing ones. Developed program also have an option of SQL queries. The thesis also explains the theoretical point of view on next technologies: XML, DTD, XML Schema, XLink, XPointer, DOM and Java.


The fact that people dont visit early the doctor for breast cancer prevention is a frequent public health problematic. So the aim of our research is to appreciate, through the Lasswels theory and the phenomenological method, the role of communication in the acceptance and the practiceof voluntary screening. According to the results on the perception of women which are seeking health care at the Centre national doncologie medicale et de radiotherapie dAbidjan (CNRAO), socio-demographic characteristics and incoherencies in communication responses on breast cancer are associated with late consultation. An insufficient implication of media, sporadic campaigns, and linguistic barriers to messages accessibility are the main pitfalls of the communication approaches. These results highlight the need for an inclusive communication in order to ameliorate the breast cancer screening practice.


Intelligent reactive power continuous compensator is desigened based on DSP,variable voltage source is the foundation of the device,which can continuous compensate VAR and suppress hamonic.The device adopts DSP chip TMS320F2812 as the core of the controller,which ensure dynamic,real time,precise compensation.Essential principles and feasibility of the device are introduced and verified by simulation.The hardware design and software flow chart were described in detail in this paper.


To work effectively, the semantic web make explicit resources via ontologies. Semantic web is intended to make the machines to progress information themselves by understanding its significance. Ontology offers a shared collective understanding of application domain in concise and consensual manner. Ontology serves as a knowledge base domain by instantiating its concepts and semantic query language retrieves the information from the domain. The problem addressed in this paper is the challenge of automated populating and SPARQL query generator ontology given the type of input and retrieve the mandatory information from the personalized ontology. We propose personalized automated ontology for Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) system using Top-down methodology. An NGO is legally organized corporations that function independently from any form of government developed by likely or authorized persons. We propose an algorithm to populate and update ontology constantly based on user input as the requirement changes over time. Note to Practitioners - We develop Ontology by gathered information about various NGO's and built in owl language using protégé tool. The personalized NGO ontology is created by Top-Down Methodology. The users' natural language queries are automatically converted into equivalent SPARQL queries to retrieve information from ontology. To convert user query into SPARQL queries we used QuriOnto and Kuntt Moris Pratt algorithms. Using populate and update algorithm the NGO ontology can be modified constantly based on user input as the requirement changes over time. We develop event-based user interface for easy usage of ontology system. The personalized NGO ontology data are evaluated and result demonstrated in graphical forms. This System offers proper information for people approaching NGOs for fund raising or for benefit.


The paper relates technology studies to organization research and examines the technologyas-text metaphor. The study of organization is incomplete as long as tangible technology remains in its blind spot. Linguistic metaphors and analogues, while capturing and indeed amplifying much of received understandings of technology, succeed only partially in repairing the situation. The image of the palimpsest is used to highlight this critique and to visualize ways out. Thus, while the paper's main concern is to bring back technology to the study of organization, a specific approach to the study of technology is also argued for.


In order to better understand the effects of different hormones,low temperature on the callus induction and differentiation of anther,the anthers of cassava variety SCA 5 were used as explants and inoculated to MS solid medium with different hormone combinations for the callus induction,subculture and differentiation of anther.The results showed that the induction rate of callus for anther of cassava was increasing with the increase of 2,4-D concentration in MS medium,but the induction stage was longer.The induction rate of callus for anther of cassava reached the highest for 100% in the medium adding 6-BA 3.0mg/L+NAA 0.2mg/L.In 0-5 days,the longer treating time of low temperature,the lower callus induction rate of anther for cassava,and the induction rate of callus without low temperature treatment was the highest.Moreover,in the MS medium adding 6-BA 3.0mg/L + NAA 0.2mg/L,the callus of anther was propagated continuously,but could not differentiate to produce bud and root,while the callus could produce 2-5 adventitious roots in MS adding NAA 0.2mg/L + KT 0.5mg/L or 2,4-D 0.5mg/L +KT 0.5mg/L.In the future,the haploid induction of anther for cassava could be carried out from the genotype of material,differentiation culture medium and conditions of plantlet culture,and so on.


In contrast to the broad knowledge about aqueous polyelectrolyte solutions, less is known about the properties in aprotic and apolar solvents. We therefore investigate the behavior of sulfonated polyelectrolytes in sodium form in the presence of different solvents via all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. The results clearly reveal strong variations in ion condensation constants and polyelectrolyte conformations for different solvents like water, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and chloroform. The binding free energies of the solvent contacts with the polyelectrolyte groups validate the influence of different solvent qualities. With regard to the ion condensation behavior, the numerical findings show that the explicit values for the condensation constants depend on the preferential binding coefficient as derived by the evaluation of Kirkwood–Buff integrals. Surprisingly, the smallest ion condensation constant is observed for DMSO compared to water, whereas in the presence of chloroform, virtually no free ions are present, which is in good agreement to the donor number concept. In contrast to the results for the low condensation constants, the sodium conductivity in DMSO is smaller compared to water. We are able to relate this result to the observed smaller diffusion coefficient for the sodium ions in DMSO.


The objective of research was to know the production of soybean with application of various N sources and differences of groundwater conditions. Research conducted at the Screen House Faculty of Agriculture, University of Sumatera Utara, Medan on February until May 2012, using a randomized block design factorial with two factors and three replications. The first factor was sources of nitrogen consisted of without N sources, inorganic N sources (Urea), biological N sources (Bradyrhizobium japonicum), organik N sources (straw compost) (50 g/polybag), and manure (50 g / polybag). The second factor was groundwater conditions consisted of 60%, 70% and 80% field capacity. The results showed that groundwater conditions were significantly difference to dry weight seeds/plant and pods containing, Effect of N source and interaction between application of various N sources


This paper deals with the problem of cooperative communicat ion for a network with multiple halfduplex relays. Two half-duplex relaying protocols, i.e. si multaneous and successive relaying protocols, associated with two possible relay orderings for a half-dup lex arallel relay network are proposed. The optimum ordering of the relays and hence the capacity of the G aussian half-duplex parallel relay network in high SNR scenarios is derived. Furthermore, for the simul taneous relaying protocol a combined Amplify-Forward and Decode-Forward (AF-DF) scheme is devi s d which gives a better achievable rate with respect to other known schemes in certain ranges of SNR.


Well H31 is an exploratory well with total depth of 1885 m and it is located in the middle depression of Songliao basin, Jilin oilfield. With mature fracture in lower formation and thick unstable dark shale existing in the formation, hole collapses and lost circulation were frequently encountered during drilling process which even lead to compelled discontinuance in some exploratory wells. To avoid lost circulation occurence, inhibitive foam bridge blinding drilling fluid was employed in the section of 1503~1885 m. Field results showed that the drilling fluid has good inhibition and plugging performance, as well as stable properties, and severe circulation loss in deep exploratory wells in the area was avoided without holebore wall scaling or sloughing. According to the application and logging data, the reasonable mud density should be 1.07~1.22 g/cm 3. However, low density (1.08~1.12 g/cm 3) mud or/and low foam drilling fluids should be attempted to solve circulation loss still existed based on the consideration of more growing induced fracture in the area.


In this essay, it is argued that legal and political argument on the European constitution requires putting forward a normative conception of the constitution. Next to the formal and material understandings of the constitution, there is a need for a conception that determines the legitimacy basis of constitutional norms. This has considerable implications for the way in which constitution-making takes place. In particular, a critical normative conception of the constitution would render clear that any legitimate attempt at changing the basic constitutional norms presupposes a reinforced type of legitimacy. That has not yet been met in the European Union, but it might be attained in forthcoming constitutional moments.


Aim: A safety pharmacology trial was conducted to evaluate the impact of enrofloxacin on zootechnical performance,
behaviour and immunohistopathological response in Newcastle disease virus vaccinated broiler chicken after pulsed water medication.

Materials and Methods: Experimental group birds were administered with enrofloxacin at recommended therapeutic dose
10mg/Kg body weight, through drinking water for five consecutive days from 43rd to 47th day of age. Zootechnical
performance parameters, behavioural and humoral immune response in terms of haemagglutination inhibition (HI) titre were assessed at different time interval during pre-treatment, treatment, post-treatment period. Bursa of Fabricius and spleen tissues collected at each sampling point viz. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 days post treatment were subjected to histopathological examination.

Results: A significant reduction in HI titre was noticed in enrofloxacin administered birds. The decreased HI titre was further substantiated by the histopathological changes observed in bursa of Fabricius and spleen which showed a lymphocytic dispersion and depletion with several areas of lymphoblastic degeneration. Conversely, a down regulatory effect on humoral immunity was observed as evidenced by increased HI titre value noticed from 5th day post treatment onwards and a congruent reversible trend in histopathological changes as indicated by repopulation with lymphocytes on 9th day post treatment. However, there was no significant change in body weight, cumulative feed intake, feed efficiency and behaviour in enrofloxacin administered groups.

Conclusion: The present study suggests that the immuno suppressive activity of enrofloxacin may alter the immune response to vaccines, if it is coadministered during vaccination of broilers. On the other hand, enrofloxacin, though it decreased the humoral immune response, it did not have any appreciable effect on broiler\'s performance.


The penetration into the soil of phosphorus, applied as superphosphate, was determined under various conditions in a field experiment on Cornwallis sand. Monocalcium phosphate containing P32 was thoroughly incorporated in the surface inch, and the activity was later determined in 1-inch segments of core samples.Movement downward of applied phosphorus was very slight in spite of the coarse texture of this soil. In 2 weeks an average of 5.2 per cent was located in the 2–6 inch zone and only 8.5 per cent had reached this depth in 4 weeks. Application of 2 inches of water per week (rainfall plus irrigation) produced no significant difference from 1 inch per week. Neither adjustment of pH levels with dolomitic limestone, nor increasing the organic matter levels with anthraxylate (a. humus-like material prepared from coal) had any significant effect on phosphorus migration.There was some evidence that increased rates of superphosphate resulted in greater penetration of phosphorus but the effect was not statisti...


Alphabetical listing of terms Appendices: A. Behaviour Problem History Form B. General Species Information C. Doses of Drugs Used in Behaviour Therapy.


The protozoan parasites Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp. are responsible for the severely debilitating neglected Tropical diseases of African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis, respectively. As part of our ongoing programme exploring the potential of simplified analogues of the acetogenin chamuvarinin we identified the T. brucei FoF1‐ATP synthase as a target of our earlier triazole analogue series. Using computational docking studies, we hypothesised that the central triazole heterocyclic spacer could be substituted for a central 2,5‐substituted furan moiety, thus diversifying the chemical framework for the generation of compounds with greater potency and/or selectivity. Here we report the design, docking, synthesis and biological evaluation of new series of trypanocidal compounds and demonstrate their on‐target inhibitory effects. Furthermore, the synthesis of furans by the modular coupling of alkyne‐ and aldehyde‐THPs to bis‐THP 1,4‐alkyne diols followed by ruthenium/xantphos‐catalysed heterocyclisation described here represents the most complex use of this method of heterocyclisation to date.


As a preliminary investigation into intra-population variation in venom proteins in the prairie rattlesnake, Crotalus v. viridis, we analyzed a small number (11) of venom samples from extreme western Texas and adjoining New Mexico by electrophoresis and Western blotting methods. A monoclonal antibody raised against hemorrhagic toxin in C. atrox venom (CA-P-8) recognized all the venoms, but none was recognized by a monoclonal antibody raised against a hemorrhagic toxin in C. m. molossus venom (CMM-1). All the venoms were recognized by an anti-L-amino acid oxidase (CSS20) monoclonal antibody, but none was recognized by an anti-Mojave toxin antibody (CSS12). An antibody (AF5) against a protease in C. s. scutulatus venom that inactivates complement recognized all the venoms except the venom from one young snake. The principal individual venom differences were in the amounts of various venom components, although qualitative differences were noted. The principal similarities lie in the molecular weights of most of the venom proteins. Intrapopulational mobility differences were more pronounced in venom proteins separated by isoelectric focusing and PAGE without SDS and 2-mercaptoethanol.


The spin light of neutrino (SLν) is a new possible mechanism of electromagnetic radiation by a massive neutrino (with a nonzero magnetic moment) moving in media. Since the prediction of this mechanism, the question has been debated in a number of publications as whether the effect can be of any significance for realistic astrophysical conditions. Although this effect is strongly suppressed due to smallness of neutrino magnetic moment, for ultra-high energy neutrinos (PeV neutrinos recently observed by the IceCube collaboration, for instance) the SLν might be of interest in the case of neutrinos propagating in dense matter. An advanced view on the SLν in matter is given, and several astrophysical settings (a neutron star, supernova, Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB), and relic neutrino background) for which the effect can be realized are considered. Taking into account the threshold condition and also several competing processes, we determine conditions for which the SLν mechanism is possible. We conclude that the most favorable case of the effect manifestation is provided by ultra dense matter of neutron stars and ultrahigh energy of the radiating neutrino, and note that these conditions can be met within galaxy clusters. It is also shown that due to the SLν specific polarization properties this electromagnetic mechanism is of interest in the connection with the observed polarization of GRB emission.


Due to rapid growth of population, massive deforestation and anthropogenic activities, noticeable change in climate conditions is being observed in Pakistan. Increased aridity due to climate change is a growing environmental problem of the agricultural country like Pakistan. It is essential to assess and monitor aridity to combat the probable land degradation and drought desertification. Identification of arid and semi arid regions on climatic basis is the first essential step in any project of land reclamation for agricultural and other purposes. A geographic information system is used in this paper for the assessment of aridity in Pakistan from long term climatic data of fifty years (1960-2009) collected from fifty four stations situated in the country. In the delineation of climatic zones and delimitation of their boundaries, five well known aridity models viz. De Martonne Aridity index, Erinc Aridity index, Thornthwaite Precipitation Effectiveness index, UNESCO Aridity index and Thornthwaite Moisture index are utilized for this purpose. The study shows that southern parts of the country are dry and more vulnerable to drought while the northern parts have variable types of climate. Almost 75 to 85% of the total area of the country is arid in which most part lies in the south while less than 10% area is humid lies in the north of the country. This study will be a good predicator for agricultural scientist, agronomist and hydrologist to plan according the climate of the region. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ije.v3i4.11728 International Journal of Environment Volume-3, Issue-4, Sep-Nov 2014 Page : 24-35


Norovirus (NoV) is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in developed countries. Transmission is through direct contact, unsanitary food handling or ingestion of contaminated water or food. Shellfish bioaccumulate NoV and current post-harvest depuration is not effective for its removal.
 Materials and

 A monitoring programme for NoV in bivalve shellfish harvested from Northern Adriatic Sea was initiated in 2016. From January 2016 to March 2019, 418 samples including 257 Manila clams, 73 mussels, 46 striped clams, and 42 oysters, were examined. Mollusc samples were tested for NoV genogroups I (NoV GI) and II (NoV GII) contamination by RealTime RT-PCR according to ISO 15216-2.

 Ninety-three out of 418 tested samples (22.2%) were contaminated by at least one NoV genogroup, the simultaneous presence of the two genogroups was detected in 19/418 of the cases. Positive samples were distributed among the tested species as follow: 29/73 (39.7%) mussels, 51/257 (19.5%) Manila clams, 8/42 (19.0%) oysters, 5/46 (10.9%) striped clam. In 2016 (n = 135), 2017 (n = 122), 2018 (n = 132) and in the first trimester of 2019 (n = 12), prevalence of NoV was 6.7%, 24.6%, 31.8% and 41.4%, respectively. NoV GII was largely predominant being detected, alone or in association with GI, in 98.9% of the contaminated samples. On the other hand, GI prevalence increased from 1.5% (2016) to 12.1% in 2018, maybe reflecting a higher circulation of this genogroup in production environments.
 The vast majority of positive samples (91.4%) were detected during the cold season (November to March).

 Overall positive samples have increased over the years (from 6.7% in 2016 to 31.8% in 2018). NoV GII was the most frequently detected genogroup, but NoV GI prevalence significantly raised in 2018. The routine application of quantitative RT-PCR (ISO 15216-1) to determine the viral load in bivalve molluscs would expand knowledge on potential for foodborne transmission.

 Overall positive samples have increased over the years. The routine application of quantitative PCR to determine the viral load in bivalve molluscs would expand knowledge on potential for foodborne transmission.


The effects of edge distance on the structure, composition and diversity of tree community, considering individuals of all size classes, were studied in a well-preserved fragment of deciduous dry forest in northeastern Goias state, Brazil. Plots were systematically established at six distances (0, 40, 80, 160, 280 and 400 m) from the edge, over 10 orthogonal transects on the forest-pasture edge. It was sampled 602 adult individuals/ha, 8,927 saplings/ha and 54,167 seedlings/ha distributed in 58 species. Although the composition of seedlings and adult individuals varied significantly over the forest-pasture gradient, the variation explained by edge distance was below 4%. Among parameters of community structure and tested diversity indexes, there was significant variation only for diversity of seedlings and height of adult trees among forest-pasture edge distances. The dry forest fragment showed only a slight edge effect on the evaluated tree community parameters. This conclusion contrasts with findings from studies on tropical rain forests which indicate sharp differences between edge and interior tree communities in forest fragments.


When a patient complains of episodic fever accompanied by unexplained arthritis, peritonitis, pleurisy, or skin rash, this disorder should be considered. The disease-related gene codes for a protein that guides a neutrophil's participation in inflammation; the protein's existence implies an entire regulatory pathway hitherto unknown. At least two other mendelian periodic fever syndromes have also been described.


Peng Jia-huang is an intellectual of the new generation who grew up in the new culture tide of "the May Fourth Movement" and is deeply influenced by Lu Xun both in thoughts and literary areation,and has become the important native soil novelist.His novels show great similarity with the novels by Luxun in the choice of materials,the depicting of characters and the artistic methods.


Resonances are fundamentally important in the field of nano-photonics and optics. Thus, it is of great interest to know what are the limits to which they can be tuned. The bandwidth of the resonances in materials is an important feature, which is commonly characterized by using the Q-factor. We present tight bounds correlating the peak absorption with the Q-factor of two-phase quasi-static metamaterials and plasmonic resonators evaluated at a given peak frequency by introducing an alternative definition for the Q-factor in terms of the complex effective permittivity of the composite material. This composite may consist of well-separated clusters of plasmonic particles, and, thus, we obtain bounds on the response of a single cluster as governed by the polarizability. Optimal metamaterial microstructure designs achieving points on the bounds are presented. The most interesting optimal microstructure is a limiting case of doubly coated ellipsoids that attains points on the lower bound. We also obtain bounds on Q for three dimensional, isotropic, and fixed volume fraction two-phase quasi-static metamaterials and particle clusters with an isotropic polarizability. Some almost optimal isotropic microstructure geometries are identified.


The molecular hydrogen ions (MHI) are composed of only two nuclei and a single electron. These simplest molecules are fascinating systems at the interface of atomic and molecular physics. Compared to atoms, they present the additional degrees of freedom of vibration and rotation. The spectrum of rovibrational energies provides an exceptionally large number of transitions that are potentially measurable with extremely small fractional uncertainty. After two decades of theoretical and experimental efforts, precision studies of the vibrational transition frequencies have now reached fractional uncertainties in the low- range. This is nearing the level of the most accurate experiment-theory comparisons in physics, performed on the hydrogen atom and on the g-factor of the electron. We describe the motivation for the study of MHI, present some relevant theoretical and experimental issues, indicate a few salient results and give an outlook towards future opportunities.


The article presents the results of process engineering simulation. The analysis of the developed "AS-IS" model allowed us to evaluate the current technological process. The developed "ТO-BE" process model made it possible to evaluate the efficiency of using automatic and semi-automatic machines in the technological process. The study of the "ТO-BE" model, taking into account the limitations (malfunctioning of the equipment, correctable and incorrigible marriage), made it possible to predict the stability of the proposed technological process. Simulation results - the ability to choose the best process option.


ABSTRACT:This article explores how Marie Clements's The Unnatural and Accidental Women responds to the longue durée of colonial violence by working against western conventions of genre, particularly with regard to how violence appears on the stage. I argue that by focusing on sound and silence – voices, absences, communications, transmissions – Clements's play queries how staging violence differently can offer new understandings of what justice is, for whom it is available, and how it is achieved. Focusing on Clements's strategic use of sound and silence within the play, I argue that The Unnatural and Accidental Women disrupts settler-colonial epistemologies of trauma by enacting Indigenous methods of resistance to gendered and sexualized violence.


Objective To investigate and determine the composition,distribution and biological characteristics of rodent populations in Baoshan. Methods Multi-year survey and monitoring were conducted. Results A total of 46 species,21 genus and 6 families of rodents were found in Baoshan district. Rattus tanezumi a key storage reservoir of Yersinia pestis,was the dominant species,accounting for 58.73% of the total captured rodents. Density peaks appeared in the indoor environment in April,August and October,whilst they presented in May and September in the fields. This kind of rats could breed throughout the year with an average annual pregnancy rate of 5.48%,maximizing in April and May (8.62% and 9.01%),followed by the period from August to October (6.31%-7.38%),and reaching the bottom in January (2.81%). The bimodal pattern of pregnancy rates was featured by a noticeable initial peak in spring and early summer that was significantly higher than the autumn peak (t=7.345,P0.01). The sex ratio of R. tanezumi revealed a higher proportion of females than of males. Conclusion Large-scale rodent control has not only significantly reduced the number of R. tanezumi,but also altered the seasonal pattern in the population dynamics,which may play an inhibitory role in the long-term dynamics of Y. pestis.


By measuring the variation of mechanical properties and specific gravity of metallic materials under fatigue process, it was intended to research the degree of work-hardening and also the growth of the minute crack. Elongation decreased remarkably with the number of repetitions. It was found that this was caused chiefly by the workhardening, not by the growth of minute crack. When cold-worked by simple tension, the metals showed the lower fatigue strength. This fact shows that the work-hardening relates fatigue strength indirectly. By bending the wire-or plate-form metals severely, we can minimize the number of repetitions to fatigue failure less than 50. How the minute crack grews in such a case was examined. By these experiments, it was concluded as follows : In fatigue process, the work-hardening first takes place by the stress reversal. And after that, minute crack, causes of which are very complex, grows very slowly with the number of repetitions. In succeeding step, the minute crack grows suddenly to the crack, shortly before fatigue failure.