Seas are highly susceptible to pollution from marine debris. Baturusa River at the Bangka Belitung Islands province may be a major source of marine debris. Anthropogenic activities such as urban settlements, ports, and coastal tourism contribute to marine debris which threatens the environment. This study located at Koala and Pasir Padi Beach and the mangrove ecosystems surrounding the Baturusa estuary. The sampling and analyzing methods were based on NOAA and MoEF guidelines which categorize debris into macro-sized and meso-sized. In terms of weight, plastic dominated the macro and meso marine debris samples from Pasir Padi Beach with 60% and 100% respectively, and from Koala Beach with 30% and 56% respectively. The density of the debris samples mostly came from plastic with 3.4 pcs/m2 for macro, and cork with 0.76 pcs/m2 for meso. The source of the marine debris is assumed to be households and tourism, where waste is deposited in the river and is carried to the estuary where it threatens the mangrove ecosystems. The Mangrove Health Index of the Baturusa estuary is moderate, with 41.44% and 39.42% respectively. This study will be a fundamental data for formulating the most suitable regulation of waste management in Bangka Belitung.


• Demonstrated an alternative precursor synthesis using water instead of methanol, providing an even lower-cost and environmentally friendly approach. Catalysts produced by this method also exhibited high activity. Shawn Litster (Primary Contact), Aman Uddin, Lisa Langhorst, Diana Beltran, Leiming Hu, Reeja Jayan, Laisuos Su, Venkat Viswanathan, Gurjyot Sethi, Hasnain Hafiz Carnegie Mellon University 5000 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Phone: (412) 268-3050 Email: email@example.com


Recent climatic anomalies such as hot summers, cold winters, hurricanes, and cyclones are all reflections of global warming due to burning of fossil fuels. To combat unprecedented global warming and to mitigate future energy challenges, there is worldwide interest in utilization of renewable sources of energy such as solar-photovoltaic (solar-PV) and wind energy. Other driving forces paving avenue for renewable energy include rapid escalation in oil prices, growing concerns regarding depletion of oil/gas reserves, etc. Retrofitting of diesel systems with hybrid wind-PV-diesel systems is being widely disseminated to reduce diesel fuel consumption and to minimize atmospheric degradation. One of the potential market for deployment of hybrid systems is in remote locations which are driven by diesel generators. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has a number of remote villages scattered all over the Kingdom. The aim of this study is to analyze wind speed and solar radiation data of Rafha, KSA, and to assess the technical and economic potential of hybrid wind-PV-diesel power systems to meet the load requirements of a typical remote village Rawdhat Bin Habbas (RBH) with annual electrical energy demand of 15,943 MWh. Rafha is located near RBH. The monthly average wind speeds range from 2.99 m/s to 4.84 m/s at 10 m height. The monthly average daily global solar radiation ranges from 3.04 to 7.3 kWh/sq.m. The hybrid systems simulated consist of different combinations of 600 kW wind machines, PV panels, supplemented by diesel generators. National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software has been used to perform the techno-economic study. The simulation results indicate that for a hybrid system comprising of 1.2 MW wind farm capacity (two 600 kW units, 50 m hub-height) and 1.2 MW of PV capacity together with 4.5 MW diesel system (three 1.5 MW units), the renewable energy fraction with 0% annual capacity shortage is 24% (10% wind + 14% PV). The cost of generating energy (COE) from this hybrid wind-PV-diesel system has been found to be 0.118 $/kWh ("assuming diesel fuel price of 0.1$/l"). The study exhibits that for a given hybrid configuration, the number of operational hours of diesel generators decreases with increase in wind farm and PV capacity. Attention has also been focused on wind/PV penetration, unmet load, excess electricity generation, percentage of fuel savings and reduction in carbon emissions (relative to diesel-only situation) of different hybrid systems, cost breakdown of wind-PV-diesel systems, COE of different hybrid systems, etc.


In our previous work, we introduced the Generalised Nonvanishing Conjecture, which generalises several central conjectures in algebraic geometry. In this paper we make first steps towards an inductive proof of the Generalised Nonvanishing Conjecture in every dimension. First, we substantially weaken the assumptions of the conjecture. Then we show that the new assumptions are tailor-made for applications of techniques on differential forms with values in pluricanonical bundles from our previous work. This has as a consequence that a somewhat stronger version of the Generalised Nonvanishing Conjecture holds almost always in the presence of metrics with generalised algebraic singularities, assuming the Minimal Model Program in lower dimensions. Finally, as a surprising corollary, we obtain nonvanishing results for pluricanonical bundles which were not predicted by the Minimal Model Program.


Aiming at the problem that how to cluster all nodes with the optimization way,which can decrease the energy consumption of nodes,and balance the consumption of the entire network,a new centralized clustering protocol based on Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO) algorithm is proposed,which is compact,energy-aware and base-distance-aware.The definition of the fitness function of particle is based on three factors:the Euclidean distance between nodes and their associated cluster heads,the energy of cluster heads and the distance of cluster heads to base station.Simulation results demonstrate that the protocol can efficiently decrease the dead speed of nodes and prolong the network lifetime.


An exact expression is obtained for the partition function of a Gaussian chain of arbitrary length adsorbed on a plane with stretching force acting on the chain's free end. It is found that the increase in the stretching force makes the macromolecule undergo an unusual phase transition from the adsorbed state into a stretched chain state. In the thermodynamic limit, the free energy has a discontinuity in the slope at the transition point, the average number of chain segments contacting with the plane changes abruptly, and finite latent heat is absorbed. However, metastable states are completely absent and the dependence of the thermodynamic potential on the order parameter always has only one minimum. In the vicinity of the transition point, the anomalous slowing down of large scale relaxation takes place. Thus the transition under consideration has simultaneously some features of both first‐ and second‐order phase transitions. Behavior of the finite systems under the transition is discussed.


Summary Motor activity, monitored by a wrist motion transducer, was related to serum CPK activity the following morning in a group of psychiatric in-patients. In 4 of 10 patients, studied for periods exceeding one week, total 24-hour activity was significantly correlated with morning serum CPK activity. Motor activity during the night was unrelated to serum CPK activity. In a larger group of 30 patients, studied for one or two-day periods, inter-individual differences in activity level were not related to serum CPK activity, although both sex and race were significantly related to variance between subjects in that activity.


Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of sequential FEC three weeks docetaxel and FEC chemotherapy for six cycles to high-risk breast cancer.Methods The confirmed 126 cases of high-risk breast cancer patients from January 2004 to January 2006 at our hospital were randomly divided into two groups.One group was received six weeks of FEC chemotherapy,and the other group was given three weeks FEC sequential docetaxel chemotherapy three weeks to evaluate efficacy and safety.Results 126 cases were followed up for the average 63 months.5-year DFS was 74.2%,OS was 86.8% in FEC group.5-year DFS was 79.2%,OS was 90.8% in FEC-T group.Conclusion In the high-risk breast cancer patients,three weeks FEC sequential three weeks docetaxel was better than six weeks FEC in disease-free survival and overall survival.


Analyzing the interactions between environmental or agricultural policies and farmers' behaviors has been widely considered to be very important for the sustainability of agro-ecosystems.Based on the economics theory,the goal—project—risk—decision(GPRD)model was constructed,and the process and change of the land use decision-making by farm household were revealed.With the help of hierarchical linear model(HLM)software,the farm households' landuse behaviors were analyzed.The conclusion is as follows:(1)The off-farm was widespread due to the lower comparative advantage of agriculture,and the majority crops were potato,corn and fruit tree.(2)The decision-making for cash crops was affected by the characters of farm household and the distance between parcels and roads,and for cereal crops,by the natural conditions.


At present, the double oscillator method is among the best methods formeasuring dead time and coincidence resolving time. This paper introduces themeasurement principle of this method. The standard deviation of measuring deadtime and resolving time, with this method, is respectly about 1×10~(-4) and(2--3)×10~(-4).


Abstract Not Available – First paragraph follows:
IN THE CALIFORNIA varietal improvement program: the main objectives are the development of non-lodging, short-, medium- and long-grain varieties, which emerge well through the cold water of the sowing season, which have a high yield and meet the required milling and cooking characteristics. Joseph R. Thysell, Research Agronomist, CRD, ARS, heads the USDA rice-breeding project at the Rice Experiment Station, Biggs, as reported separately in this issue. The breeding program was intensified and expanded in 1961 with the appointment of a rice breeder by the California Rice Research Foundation. This is a report on phases of the rice breeding project for which the Foundation has principal responsibility.


: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believes that a performance standard for vascular graft prostheses ≥6 mm in diameter is necessary to control the risks associated with such devices. These include infection, occlusion, noncompliance, porosity issues, structural integrity, and nonbiocompatibility. In 1979 the FDA published its proposed rule to classify these grafts into Class II devices. The data supporting the need for a performance standard have come from FDA Advisory Committee Proceedings, contract safety and performance studies (1979), and the recent Vascular Graft Safety and Update Symposium (1984). Voluntary standards have been submitted by the AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) VP-D/84 and the ISO/DP 7198. The amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, known as the Medical Device Amendment of 1976, under Section 514 presents the procedure for the development of performance standards. This article describes the participation by those regulatory, manufacturing, tester, and user groups most affected by the standards and most directly involved in standards development procedures.


FIELD: chemistry. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to production of chewing gum. A chewing gum production method includes a step in which the ingredients are mixed together, a mixture-extrusion step, a dusting step using a dusting powder, a sheeting step and a shaping/cutting step. The dusting powder includes a powder composition of agglomerates of crystals. The agglomerates of crystals comprise 50 to 100% of polyol and are obtained by granulation of crystals, and comprise 0.1 to 50% of particles with a diameter of less than 75 mcm. EFFECT: invention makes it possible to reduce the content of inorganic agents, such as talc, while maintaining an efficient method and while retaining the organoleptic qualities of the chewing gum obtained. 11 cl, 10 tbl, 3 ex


ABSTRACT Dubbed 'a forgotten trailblazer' of Australian filmmaking, Lilias Fraser was also the mother of cinematographer, Jane Castle, who spent more than a decade piecing together When the Camera Stopped Rolling (2021), a multifaceted documentary that draws on a rich archive of photographs, home movies and film footage shot by three generations of the Fraser-Castle family. Describing her love-hate relationship with the film, Castle says, 'The final form was found through the making, rather than having a plan and applying a plan. I didn't know what it was about until it was finished.' In its final form, When the Camera Stopped Rolling disrupts audience expectations of a hagiographic or elegiac narrative celebrating the lifetime achievements of Lilias Fraser. Ultimately, When the Camera Stopped Rolling is Jane Castle's story: an exquisite work of autofiction and self-extraction from the Fraser-Castle family and its audio-visual archives.


Using neonatal rat brainstem‐spinal cord preparations, we examined respiratory activity to characterize the production of episodic breathing patterns with the pons intact and the pons removed; and in the presence of GABA receptor agonists and antagonists. Neonatal rats (P0‐P4) were anesthetized and brainstem spinal cords removed. Respiratory‐like activity from C1 and C4 ventral roots were recorded (21–23C) and raw recordings were integrated and analyzed for respiratory burst duration, peak height, peak area, frequency and breathing pattern (episodic vs. continuous) before and after GABA receptor activation or blockade. Episodic patterns were expressed in a high percentage of young preparations at room temperature. With the pons intact, the GABAA antagonist, bicuculline, increased burst frequency and burst duration. The increase in duration appeared to be due to the combination of two or three distinct bursts with no expiratory pauses, suggesting the appearance of episodic pattern formation. With the pons removed, bicuculline increased burst frequency but had no effect on duration. GABAA receptor agonists (muscimol and chlorpromazine) decreased frequency and turned episodic patterns to continuous patterns. Phaclofen, a GABAB receptor antagonist, had no effect on respiratory pattern or frequency. These results show that GABAA but not GABAB receptors play a role in episodic respiratory pattern generation and that pontine mechanisms are involved in this pathway.


Many people are the latest interested in the integration of the WWW and database systems. The UCM(United CGI Management) system, which is proposed on this study, is based on the method using CGI that does not change existing servers and clients to integrate the WWW and database system. Since the CGI executable architecture executes a CGI program whenever the database is accessed, the system performance is reduced greatly when many request to the database are made simultaneously. However, the UCM system improves the system performance since it uses the integrated CGI running a daemon process. Moreover, the proposed system can use the WWW database more economically and doesn't use the SQL because it does not use a DBMS. In UCM system, we define the extended HTML tags to implement the WWW database interface and use the EXODUS storage manager for accessing the database.


A semiempirical mathematical model has been developed to predict inhibitor efficiency for barium sulfate scale control in industrial processes. This model can be used for selecting effective inhibitors and determining the minimal effective concentration needed for a given system. The model incorporates experimental data of the nucleation and inhibition kinetics. Specifically, the induction period in the presence and absence of scale inhibitors has been measured experimentally and inputted into the model:  Cinh = (1/b) log[tinh/t0], where Cinh is the inhibitor concentration, tinh is the inhibition time (e.g., 20 min), t0 is the nucleation induction period of the scaling mineral crystal, and b is the inhibitor efficiency. The inhibition kinetics of barium sulfate nucleation with bis(hexamethylene)triaminepenta(methylenephosphonic acid) (BHMTPMP) and several other polyphosphonate and polyacrylate inhibitors have been measured. Many factors which are important to nucleation and inhibition kinetics, such as th...


The existing of laptop is to make human life easier as it is light and portable. However, there are varieties of laptop brands in the market nowadays. The consumers need to consider multiple factors or decision criteria before they select a suitable laptop. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) model is a technique that deals with multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) problem. AHP model can help to select the best alternative based on the preference of the decision makers. The objective of this study is to determine the priority of decision criteria in the selection of laptops among the students in Malaysia with AHP model. The decision criteria identified in this study are price, speed, weight, colour, design, warranty period and technical service. In addition, this paper aims to determine the most preferred laptop among Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba, Dell and MacBook with AHP model. The results of this study show that Acer is the most preferred laptop followed by SCIREA Journal of Computer Science and Technology http://www.scirea.org/journal/Computer December 23, 2016 Volume 1, Issue 2, December 2016


The invention discloses a high-strength and high-plasticity magnesium alloy. The high-strength and high-plasticity magnesium alloy comprises the following components in percentage by mass: 3.0-4.5% of Ni, 4.0-5.0% of Y, 0.01-0.1% of Zr, not more than 0.15% of inevitable impurities and the balance of magnesium. According to the high-strength and high-plasticity magnesium alloy disclosed by the invention, Y and Ni elements are simultaneously added into a magnesium matrix, and in the smelting and molding process of the alloy, Y and Ni form Mg2Ni and Mg12YNi phases with the magnesium matrix, wherein the Mg12YNi phase is a long-period stacking ordered structure (LPSO), so that the strength of the alloy can be improved, and the plasticity of the alloy can also be improved; and Mg2Ni can improve the strength of the alloy by a strengthening mechanism of the second phase. According to the high-strength and high-plasticity magnesium alloy disclosed by the invention, an appropriate amount of Zr element is further added into the alloy, and zirconium can be dispersed and distributed in the matrix in an elemental form by controlling the smelting and molding process to play a role in refining grains.


The Afrotropical region has a rich, highly diverse, and distinctly recognisable freshwater crab fauna comprising 145 species in 20 genera and two families. The entire Afrotropical freshwater crab fauna is endemic to Africa and its islands, and is distributed over 47 countries in eight distinct regions. Major centers of species richness include the Rift Valley of eastern Africa, the Upper Guinea forests of western Africa, and the Lower Guinea forests of central Africa. The IUCN Red List indicates that the majority (71%) of the 103 species of potamonautid and potamid Afrotropical freshwater crabs are of Least Concern and just two species are Near Threatened. Some twenty-eight species (27%) are listed in one of three threatened categories, either as Vulnerable (16 species), Endangered (10 species), or Critically Endangered (2 species). Excluded are the 33 species found to be Data Deficient because of a lack of information on distribution and population levels, and the 18 species discovered since the last assessment in 2009.


Background As part of the Avahan HIV initiative in Southern India, surveys were carried out in female sex workers (FSWs) and their clients to quantify condom use. We examine reported condom use measured using different survey methodologies, and consistency of response between FSWs and clients to quantify the effect of social desirability bias. Methods We use data from 15 districts with IBBA face-to-face interviews (FTFIs) for FSWs and clients. Three of these districts also had special behavioural survey (SBS) FTFIs, informal confidential voting interviews (ICVIs), and polling booth surveys (PBSs) for FSWs. ICVI/ PBS survey methodologies increase anonymity, reducing reporting bias of sensitive questions eg, condom use, and are analysed in more detail. The IBBA and SBS FTFIs differed as blood samples were taken in the IBBA to measure HIV prevalence. We use questions about condom use in last act with regular and occasional FSWs/clients. For the 15 IBBA districts the FSW: client ratio of reported condom use at last act was calculated. Results In IBBAs, condom use in last act with occasional FSWs reported by clients in the 15 districts is 26% (range 13−40%) lower than FSW condom use with last occasional client, and 28% (3−46%) lower for last act with regular FSW/client. In the three districts with extra surveys, from Abstarct P1-S4.05 table 1, FSW reported condom use with occasional clients is broadly comparable, and the maximum difference with the more anonymous ICVI is 5% with regular clients in Belgaum. On average the IBBA FTFI was only 2% lower that other methods. Reported condom use with occasional clients was15−26% lower than that reported in the IBBA, but the difference between IBBA and PBS was smaller for use with regular clients. Abstarct P1-S4.05 Table 1 Reported condom use in last act by type of act for FSW surveys in the three districts where all surveys were carried out Condom use at last act with occasional clients/FSWs Condom use at last act with regular clients/FSWs Belgaum (%) Bangalore Urban (%) Bellary (%) Belgaum (%) Bangalore Urban (%) Bellary (%) FSW IBBA R1 FTFI 96.43 93.31 82.82 86.91 75.12 77.57 FSW IBBA R2 FTFI 97.45 94.08 96.45 88.22 84.02 92.68 FSW SBS FTFI 91.40 85.98 90.70 82.43 91.18 94.41 FSW SBS ICVI 98.18 91.53 97.67 82.39 77.43 95.78 FSW PBS R3 (May 2007) 82.75 73.33 66.78 94.94 75.68 80.21 FSW PBS R4 (Oct 2008) 88.80 79.50 80.40 88.52 87.01 80.30 Discussion There is a substantial difference in reported condom use in last act with occasional and regular partner for FSWs and clients. However, the samples of FSW and clients may not be comparable because low-risk clients may be undersampled in hot spots. FSWs report lower condom use with occasional clients in the more anonymous PBS, suggesting this method may reduce social desirability bias more than FTFIs and ICVIs. Based on FSW data only and using a conservative estimate from the largest difference, the FSW IBBA may over-estimate condom use with occasional clients by up to 26% (mean 17%) and with regular clients by 13% (mean 2%).


Different diffusion sources were used to study Zn diffusion in n-GaSb. We found that the Ga atoms from the diffusion sources suppressed the formation of the high-concentration surface diffusion fronts in Zn profiles, thus converting the kink-and-tail-shaped profile to the box-shaped profile. Our analysis demonstrated that both the surface and the tail regions in the kink-and-tail profiles showed high-quality regularities. The analysis also revealed that the formation mechanism of the box profiles is the same as that of the tail region of the kink-and-tail profiles. The similarities of the photoluminescence signals between the main region of the box profiles and the tail region of the kink-and-tail profiles substantiated our findings.


Currently,the phenomenon of teachers' conflicting between research and teaching in new universities was more prominent,heavy-education and light-research,place the scientific research on job classification,do not pay attention to scientific research.Research and teaching,not two completely separate development system,with the rapid development of science and technology,knowledge and technology update cycle time used in the production,research and teaching are getting closer.How to coordinate the contradiction between the two,is the new problems to be solved in universities.This paper analyzes the relationship between research and teaching new university,proposed a response to balance the research and teaching.


The claimed detections of 6Li in the atmospheres of some metal-poor halo stars have lead to speculative additions to the standard model of Big Bang nucleosynthesis and the early Universe, as the inferred abundances cannot be explained by Galactic cosmic ray production. A prominent example of a so far un-disputed 6Li-detection is that of the metalpoor turn-off star HD 84937, for which at least three different groups obtain very similar results. We revisit the lithium isotopic analysis for this star and two other halo stars, G 6412 and HD 140283, using spectra of superiour quality and applying for the first time a combined 3D, NLTE synthesis to both the Li line and to Ca lines that are used to constrain the external line broadening. We demonstrate how differential NLTE effects between the Li and Ca line profiles can lead to spurious 6Li-detections in LTE, compatible with previously reported values of 6Li/7Li ≈ 5%. With our new analysis technique, none of the three analysed stars have a significant detection of 6Li in NLTE. We discuss which further progress is needed to firmly establish these results.


There wi!as nto i ncrease itn complications and no deaths associated with choledochoscopr, or primary- closure of the commotn bile duct. There was otne case (o'recurrent stone in the common bile duct presenting six years later. This- is a failure rate oJ'1.4 (O among.st the 70 patients in whom stone.s were Jountd. Choledochoscopr reduces the incidence oJ' residual conimotn bile duct stone.


We investigate the problem of proving termination of OBJ programs with positive local strategies, i.e., lists of positive (or null) integers that are associated to the symbols of the signature. We establish conditions that fully characterize this problem as the problem of proving innermost termination of context-sensitive rewriting. Finally, we investigate how to prove innermost termination of context-sensitive rewriting using existing methods for proving termination of context-sensitive rewriting.


Objective To analyse the CT characteristcs of noninvasive fungal maxillary sinusitis in order to increase diagnostic accuracy of fungal sinusitises.Methods CT findings in 50 cases of noninvasive fungal maxillary sinusitis proved by surgery and pathology were retrospectively analysed.Results Of the 50 cases,43 cases had involvement of unilateral maxillary sinus,7 cases had unilateral maxillary sinus,ipsilateral ethmoid sinus and nasal cavity involvement.The affected sinuses were filled with soft tissues,in which speckled calcification were seen in 36 cases,bubble image in high density were found in 19 cases.34 cases had changing of the bony maxillary sinus wall and osteosclerosis of nasal sinuses were found in 26 cases and localized bone destruction was found in 24 cases.Conclusion CT findings of noninvasive fungal maxillary sinusitis has characteristic features.CT is a valuable method for diagnosing fungal sinusitises.


Environmental law has, perhaps by necessity, lagged behind scientific understandings of the natural world. Nevertheless, there has been a slow but sure shift from legal instruments that adopt species-based approaches to conservation1 to more holistic approaches at the level of ecosystems. 2 During the 1980s, ecosystem managers began to adopt an ecosystem approach in the management of 'eco-social' systems. 3 By 2000, in Decision V/6 of the 5 th Conference of the Parties (COP-5), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)4 extended understanding of the ecosystem approach beyond a mere strategy to conserve biodiversity at the level of ecosystems; the ecosystem approach was instead envisaged as a mode of governance. Nevertheless, the ecosystem approach remains a contested concept and its precise legal status and content remain unclear.


This paper presents the theoretical treatment of a thermoelastic problem of a hollow elliptical cylinder due to par- tially distributed heat supply on the outer curved surface. Integral transform techniques have been utilized to obtain the so- lution having the influence of heating and cooling conditions for the problem in the form of a Mathieu series.


Author(s): Bianchi, Antonio | Advisor(s): Vigna, Giovanni; Kruegel, Christopher | Abstract: Mobile systems, such as smartphones and tablets, are now the most common way users handle digitalinformation and interact with online services.The interaction with these devices encompasses different actors, trusting each other in different ways. Users interact with apps, trusting them to access valuable and privacy-sensitive information.At the same time, apps usually communicate with remote backends and mediate user authentication to online services. Finally, all these interactions are mediated, on one side, by the user interface and, on the other, by the operating system.In this thesis, I will present my studies on how all these different actors trust each other and how this trust can be unfortunately violated by attackers.This is possible due to limitations on how the operating system, apps, and the user interface are currently designed and implemented.To assist my work, I developed automatic analysis tools to perform large-scale analyses of Android apps.In this thesis, I will describe both the tools I have developed and my findings.Specifically, I will first describe my work on how, in an Android system, it is possible to lure users to interact with malicious apps which ``look like'' legitimate ones. This completely violates the trust relationship, mediated by the user interface, between users and apps.As a countermeasure, I implemented modifications of the Android user interface and evaluated their effectiveness with a user study.Then, I will explain how many apps unsafely authenticate their users to remote backends, due to misplaced trust in the operating system.In particular, I identified different apps that only rely on values provided by the operating system to perform authentication. For this reason, an attacker can trivially spoof these values, and logins in behalf of a legitimate user.Finally, I will show how many apps misuse hardware-backed authentication devices, such as trusted execution environments and fingerprint readers, making them vulnerable to a variety of authentication bypass attacks


This study was conducted to determine the effect of the Purchase Intention Corporate Credibility Telkomsel 4G - LTE with Attitude toward the Advertising and Attitude toward the Brand as a variable intervening.Sampel research is 100 respondents Telkomsel users who have seen an ad Telkomsel 4G - LTE and has a device which supports 4G - LTE network , living in the West and East Surabaya Surabaya . This study uses SEM analysis techniques to yield significant results for each variable used


The design of proper precoders enables the spectral efficiency for multiple-input multiple-output relaying broadcast channels (MIMO-RBC). In this work, a general MIMO-RBC is considered with two types of users (relay users and direct users) and the base station (BS) can send information continuously to the users during two phases. We then present a communication scheme that achieves the full number of degrees of freedom (DoF) of the channel with a sophisticated precoding strategy to overcome the relay station (RS) half-duplex constraint, by a well designed precoding matrix (PM) and beamforming matrix (BM) for BS and RS, respectively. The throughput criteria within the sophisticated precoding strategy is addressed for PM and BM designs in the considered communication scheme, and we show that this problem is non-linear non-convex and the optimal solutions remain unsolved. In order to find an efficient solution, we first convert it into a series of tractable subproblems, and then an iterative design algorithm is proposed based on alternative optimization, which can obtain the optimal matrices for BS and RS. Our numerical results obtained through simulations show the advantages of the proposed scheme.


Multicast is an efficient mechanism for distributing data from one sender to multiple receivers. Many applications need a reliable multicast service which is not provided by the existing IP multicast protocol. Providing such a service on a large scale requires efficient algorithms for error recovery. This dissertation presents a randomized reliable multicast protocol called RRMP which has demonstrably achieved several good properties. The protocol eliminates message implosion by diffusing the responsibility of error recovery among all members in the group and improves the robustness of the system against process failures. It provides good local recovery by dynamically organizing members into an error recovery hierarchy according to their geographic locations. It optimizes buffer management through an innovative two-phase buffering algorithm that explicitly addresses the variances in delivery latency for large multicast groups. The algorithm reduces buffer requirements by adaptively allocating buffer space to messages most needed in the system and by spreading the load of buffering among all members in the group. The key idea of RRMP is to use randomization as a powerful technique to achieve high robustness and efficiency in reliable multicast communications. The RRMP protocol works well within the existing IP multicast framework and does not require additional support from network routers. Both analysis and experimental results show that the performance penalty due to randomization is low and can be tuned according to application requirements. iii To my parents iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful to my advisor, Kenneth P. Birman, for his guidance, encouragement, and support during my entire graduate study. He introduced me into the area of reliable multicast and provided many valuable comments on my research. Joseph Y. Halpern and Zygmunt J. Haas are the other two members in my committee. I want to thank them for their efforts and kindness. I worked with Robbert van Renesse on various problems and wish to express my gratitude to him for many insightful discussions. Mark Hayden worked with me during my early years at Cornell University, from whom I gained valuable experiences on how to do research. I want to thank him for his knowledge and patience. Ken Birman and Mark Hayden are among the co-authors of the Bimodal Multicast protocol described in Chapter 3 of the dissertation.ings, or recommendations presented in this dissertation are my own and do not reflect the official views of the funding agencies.


PURPOSE: A system and a method for a computer device certification are provided to have a strong cryptographic identity for a device for the purpose of network authentication of device application software. CONSTITUTION: A system for using and protecting access to a master cryptographic key, comprising non-volatile storage, a system initialization process that reads the master key from the non-volatile storage during a system initialization process, writes a sensitive value derived from the master key to a hidden storage location, and disables access to the non-volatile storage by any program running in the system until the next start of system initialization process, a device to prevent access to the hidden storage location by programs running in the normal operating mode of the system, and a device to allow access to the hidden storage location by a program running in a restricted operating mode of the system.


The present study has analyzed the climatological characteristics of the tropical cyclones (TCs) made landfall on the Korean Peninsula (KP) during the period 1951 to 2004. Both the landfall frequency and the intensity of KP-landfall TCs have rapidly increased since the late 1980s. Especially, the frequency of TCs with an intensity greater than tropical storm remarkably have increased. The main landfalling track of KP-landfall TCs has also been changed. The TCs in the past mainly landed at the middle and northern regions of the west coast of the KP, but in recent years, the TCs have changed to land at the south coast and then pass through the east coast of the KP. That is, the main landfalling track tends to make a southeastward shift. The eastward shift was also discovered in the trend analyses of the recurving location of the KP-land-fall TCs and of the location of the western North Pacific High (WNPH). These kinds of eastward shifts are due to the southward advance of the upper-level trough of the mid-latitude and simultaneously the eastward expansion of the sub-tropical monsoon westerly. Meanwhile, the genesis location of KP-landfall TCs has been the farthest eastward only in the 2000s, but the trend toward an eastward shift has not been seen.


What conceptual resources have anthropologists been developing recently – and which ones do we need? – to enable us to make freedom a dimension of anthropological analysis? I shall begin to answer these questions by returning to Charles Hirschkind's and Saba Mahmood's deservedly influential studies of popular Islamic reformist piety in Egypt (discussed briefly in Chapter 2). These studies are in some ways close to the general approach adopted here, in being influenced both by Foucault's later writings and by MacIntyre's version of virtue ethics, although Hirschkind's and Mahmood's reading of both these authors differs to some extent from that set out in the foregoing two chapters; and Mahmood's work in particular addresses the question of freedom in ethics quite directly. My suggestion will be that to pursue the admirable aims of these studies further, it will be necessary to replace their expository opposition to a 'Western liberal' concept of freedom with a more developed analytic, and towards that end, and drawing also on a range of other ethnography, I shall distinguish several general ideas of freedom and autonomy. Because the idea of Western liberal freedom plays such a constitutive role in the anthropological literature, Hirschkind's and Mahmood's but also much else besides, my discussion will proceed through dissection of that category. We shall discover richer resources to think with than are implied by the too-common casually dismissive use of the expression. Undoubtedly our thought could be further enriched by systematic consideration of concepts of freedom in other traditions (Taylor 2002), but, despite this limitation, the discussion here will be sufficient, I shall suggest, to provide a more perspicuous description of the dynamics of power and freedom in reformist Islam than is allowed for by the undifferentiated use of the category 'liberal freedom' by Hirschkind and Mahmood themselves, and sufficient also to enable us to see that the ethnographic record already contains some rich resources for a comparative analysis of the varying social forms that freedom can take, and to provide a usable framework for such analysis.


The embodiment of the utility model discloses a box body main axle for a quick coupling device. The quick coupling device solves the problem that in the prior technology, assemble and disassemble of a plowing machine and a water pump are not convenient when pumping the water by the plowing machine. The box body main axle is connected with a connection rod in the quick coupling device by a spline and the spline end between the box body main axle and the connection rod is processed with a chamfer to quickly couple the box body main axle with the connection rod, conveniently assemble and disassemble the plowing machine and the water pump and accurately position.


One fundamental underlying risk factor for the development of non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus is insulin resistance, which 80-90% of all type 2 diabetic patients suffer from. Risk factors for insulin resistance are for example obesity, surgery, severe illness, spinal cord injury, and pregnancy. Too high energy intake and physical inactivity are direct causes of the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity. Exercise prevents or delays the onset of type 2 diabetes. A series of beneficial effects of exercise are seen e.g. increased muscle mass, increased oxygen uptake, increased insulin sensitivity and glucose transport. Skeletal muscle represents 55% of the total body weight and is the major organ for insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. The increased uptake of glucose during exercise is mediated via alternative, insulin-independent mechanisms e.g. through activated protein kinase (AMPK). A cohort of healthy glucose tolerant first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetic patients was studied to determine whether early metabolic and molecular defects contribute to insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle strips from relatives and control subjects were incubated in vitro in the absence or presence of increasing concentrations of insulin. Glucose transport, Akt phosphorylation, AS160 phosphorylation, and GLUT4 expression were assessed. Insulin-stimulated glucose transport at a maximal insulin concentration was reduced in the relatives. Insulin increased Akt and AS160 phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner, with similar responses between the groups. Gene expression of some of the key transcriptional factors and co-regulators of mitochondrial biogenesis PGC-1α, PGC-1β, PPARδ, NRF-1 and UCP-3 was assessed. All these genes showed similar expression when corrected to either β-actin or GAPDH, indicating that disturbances in mitochondrial function do not precede development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. PPARα, PPARδ, PGC-1α, PGC-1β, calcineurin Aα and calcineurin Aβ have also been implicated in the regulation of skeletal muscle fibre type distribution, as well as mitochondrial biogenesis. mRNA levels of these genes was determined in skeletal muscle biopsies from elite athletes with a significantly (P<0.05) higher portion of type I fibres compared to sedentary controls. mRNA expression of these genes was also assessed in spinal cord injured subjects who have lost almost all of their type I fibres. PPARα, PPARδ, PGC-1α, PGC-1β mRNA correlated to fibre types in skeletal muscle, whereas calcineurin mRNA expression was unrelated. Finally, gene expression pattern of AMPK α, β and γ isoforms in skeletal muscle from able-bodied subjects and spinal cord injured individuals was established. The effect of an eight week training study was determined on gene expression in spinal cord injured subjects after cycling seven days a week. Expression of AMPK also differed depending on time since injury. In summary, this thesis work has shown that exercise promotes a more oxidative phenotype in skeletal muscle, with increased glucose uptake. This is also seen in skeletal muscle that has been unused for several years. Exercised muscle, with a more oxidative phenotype has increased expression of several genes important for mitochondrial biogenesis and function. No alteration in mRNA expression of these genes is noted in skeletal muscle from subjects with a genetic predisposition for metabolic disease prior to onset of clinical symptoms. LIST OF PUBLICATIONS I. Insulin signaling and glucose transport in skeletal muscle from firstdegree relatives of type 2 diabetic patients. Hakan K.R. Karlsson, Maria Ahlsen, Juleen R. Zierath, Harriet WallbergHenriksson, Heikki A. Koistinen In press, Diabetes 2006 II. Transcription profiling of AMP-activated protein kinase isoforms in skeletal muscleof spinal cord injured human preand post-exercise training. Maria Ahlsen, Nils Hjeltnes, Yun Chau Long, Anna Krook, Ulrika Widegren Manuscript submitted III. Human skeletal muscle fibre type variations correlate with PPARα, PPARδ, PGC-1α, and PGC-1β mRNA. David Kitz Kramer, Maria Ahlsen, Jessica Norrbom, Eva Jansson, Nils Hjeltnes, Thomas Gustafsson, Anna Krook Manuscript submitted


The Reserve Bank of New Zealand guides interest rate expectations of financial markets by projections of future short-term rates that are updated only once a quarter. As a consequence, projections become stale when time evolves and new information enters the market. This paper investigates the dynamic impact of probably outdated interest rate projections on the expectations management of central banks. Confirming the stabilizing effect of fresh central bank announcements, we show that interest rate uncertainty increases with the time elapsing since the recent interest rate projection. In contrast, we find that stale projections may hamper central bank communication. In fact, interest rate uncertainty increases when the market perceives the projections to be outdated.


Development of accurate and practicable methods of land surface temperatures (LST) mapping has benefits for a range of scientific and practical applications. The paperconsiders mapping of LST for the Bystrytsia river basin located in Western Ukraine using Landsat 8 imagerywith two thermal infrared bands, which capture emissivity values closely related to land surface temperature (LST).Three multispectral images referring to different seasons (autumn, winter and summer) were used in the study. The method of LST estimation consists of several successive steps. After preprocessing (clipping, masking, and re-projecting), the images were converted from digital numbers to top of atmosphere spectral radiance,and then – to brightness temperature.However, the brightness temperature differs from LST due to emissivity of land surface being different from that of ideal blackbody.The emissivity can vary significantly with vegetation, surface moisture and surface roughness, and can be approximately estimated from land surface reflectivity at red and near-infrared spectral ranges. Estimated values of LST were compared with measurements of Ivano-Frankivsk state weather station, showing rather good compliance for all the three scenes.Obtained estimates of LST show some regularities of its spatial distribution, which also vary significantly from season to season.All the three scenes show conspicuous vertical gradient in LST; summer and autumn scenes are also characterized by significant local variability in LST due to different land cover types (e.g., urban development, forests, different agricultural lands), whereas in winter, differences in LST for mountainous slopes of different aspects appear to be more pronounced. Graphs of LST change with elevation have a parabolic form: sharper decrease of LST is typical for lower elevations, while the vertical LST gradient decreases above 700–1000 m a.s.l.


Equation-based object-oriented modeling languages represent a highly composable class of modeling languages. In these languages models are expressed as differential-algebraic equations with no expl ...


However, a sober review of AIDS research over the past 20 years suggests that both parties in this debate may be off the mark. Research findings point to two types of behaviour change as the main causes of the HIV decline in Uganda. (2) The first was a 60% reduction in the proportion of men and women with casual sexual partners (meaning relationships lasting less than a year) in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These changes were promoted by campaigns urging people to "love carefully' and to 'zero-graze' and were reinforced by the threatening sounds of drums on radio and TV, and an effectively executed public health program that delivered the message throughout the country. This change in behaviour probably began some 5 years before the Rakai researchers began collecting behavioural data in 1994. (3) During the late 1980s, focus groups suggested than many people distrusted condoms and preferred to protect themselves by avoiding short term affairs, and sticking to long-term, sometimes multiple partners.


The present invention relates to a structure having a diamond-like carbon film. The diamond-like carbon film having a structure comprising a dielectric material, a conductive layer and a diamond-like carbon film. A conductive layer provided in the insulating material. Diamond-like carbon film provided on the conductive layer, and the diamond-like carbon film is smaller than the area of the conductive layer. The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing the fingerprint reader.


This research involves the multiscale characterization of strain-hardening cementitious composites under tensile loading. The sensitivity of cracking behavior to ber dispersion is studied using three-dimensional lattice models, in which each ber is explicitly represented. It is shown that the nonlocal modeling of ber bridging forces is essential for obtaining realistic patterns of crack development. Crack count and crack size are simulated for progressively larger levels of tensile strain. The inuence of ber dispersion is clearly evident: regions with signicantly fewer bers act as defects, reducing strength and strain capacity of the material.


Included in this issue: Igniting and sustaining the 2005 round of the international comparison program in the Asia Pacific; The economics of data confidentiality; Uses of PPP data for research, analysis and policy; Comparing the prices of machinery and equipment goods across the globe; Comments on the system of national accounts - implementation status and implications for the ICP.


This paper introduces a new approach to provide high data rate based services to users, which are out of 64QAM range from the base station. When users reside near the boundary of a cellular cell, downlink data rate reduces to a very low value. This new approach is based on four different techniques which are cooperative MIMO, 64 QAM, adaptive relay networking, and high speed downlink protocols in cellular region. In MIMO transmission, minimum two antennas are required each at the base station and user entity to enhance the performance of HSDPA. This paper mainly focuses on cooperative communication in cellular network through multi-hop networking, which allows peak data rate up to 42 mbps, theoretically. Optimum utilization of cooperative MIMO will ultimately lead to the next revolutionary wireless technology, which can increase reliability of high speed network in shadow areas and dead zones. In this paper two hop networking is used to provide location independent fair services to all users.


Blood pressure targeting plays an important role in the organic protection,and well-controlled blood pressure should be the basis of heart,brain,kidney and vessel diseases' treatment.The results of some large-scale clinical trials had indicated that different blood pressure-lowering drugs had different organic protection,and cardiocerebral events could decrease after blood pressures lowered effectively in hypertensive patients.


on 12/05/2019. ABSTRACT Objectives: To understand the experience of patients having tuberculosis regarding the care received during treatment and their relationship with health professionals. Method : Phenomenological research carried out with 27 tuberculosis patients in Family Health Strategy Units in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The data were obtained through interviews analyzed by Heidegger's referential. Results : The analysis of the discourses evidenced that the users are disposed in the mode of being of the inauthenticity characteristic of health services; the existential fear of death dominates the daily lives of the patients and it keeps them following the treatment. Final considerations and Implications for the practice : There is the possibility of performing a care, which integrates the technical knowledge able to dominate the way of being of professionals with the subjective dimension of those who need treatment, overcoming the ontic tradition of inauthentic care for the authentic care, which frees the other for


A degreasing agent for cleaning a steel plate provided by the invention is characterized by comprising the following raw materials by weight: 1-6 parts of a surfactant, 1-10 parts of potassium hydroxide, 1-6 parts of sodium glucoheptonate, 1-12 parts of sodium metaborate, 1-10 parts of sodium silicate and 40-99 parts of water. The degreasing agent for cleaning a steel plate has the advantages of being made from new raw materials at new proportions by a new preparation method, containing no phosphorus and having good degradability compared with the formula of the degreasing agent which contains phosphorus and is hard to be degraded.


number about 19,mo would be tainted with syphilis, with an annual death-rate amongst infants directly caused by syphilis of zI per t,oo of the infected part of the population, or 4 per 1,000 of the whole-a condition of things so disgraceful to humanity and civilisation, so utterly disastrous and intolerable, that, in my opinion, to be cognisant of, or even to suspect it, without taking steps to remove it, is little short of a crime; and we shall be ill performing our duties, as guardians of the public health, if we do not at once take active steps to mitigate, as far as possible, this monster evil, which is so fearfully undermining our strength. energy, and mental capacity as to endanger our position as a nation. The British Medical Association, counting as it does about 9,ooo members, with Branches in all the principal towns in the kingdom, appears to me to be admirably adapted for the work of thoroughly elucidating the subject; and demonstrating, in a manner that no number of individual members ever could, let them be ever so acute or untiring in their zeal, not only the actual prevalence of the disease, but its ultimate effects as well, in these two great classes-viz., acquired and congenital; and, by this, I mean not only its direct effects, but its influence upon the death-rate, etc., in other diseases, to which all classes are liable; its share in the causation of other diseases-as cancer, lupus, rickets, granular kidney, and perhaps many others; and, lastly, the effects of other diseases in modifying the progress of syphilis. We have, thanks to the acumen and untiring industry of such men as I [utchinson in England, and many others abroad, charts laid down to iuide us in our investigations; and I hope that, before we part to-day, we shall carry one or both of the following resolutions. " I. That it is, in our opinion, imperative that steps should at once be taken to investigate the subject of syphilis in all its bearings, more particularly in the large mercantile and maritime towns. "2. That, to accomplish this, the British Medical Association be requested to form a central committee, with powers to appoint local committees in such places as they think desirable; such local committees to consist, not only of the members of the Association, but of all medical men resident in the place or neighbourhood, who are willing to assist in the work; to lay down the lines upon which these committees are to work, and to receive and digest their reports." And I am sure that, if these propositions are carred and acted upon, we shall soon be in a position to arouse the earnest attention of the Government; and our Association will have commenced a work which must eventually be of inestimable service, not only to our own country, but to all civilised nations But, for this inquiry to be full and complete, it will be necessary, as I have done throughout, to assume, until the contrary is proved, that a man or woman once syphilised is always syphilitic; and, secondly, that the children of syphilitic parents are also syphilitic; and their behaviour, under all the varying conditions of life, in health and disease, carefully noted and compared with that of the rest of the community who are presumed to be free from this taint: for I am sure that, by such means only, can we ever arrive at even an approximative estimate of the amount of mischief wrought by this disease. Another question, full of interest and of the greatest importance, is, what are the main sources of infection and what the channels through which it is disseminated through our towns, and villages too, in maritime populations like ours, which draw a considerable proportion of their sailors and fishermen from the surrounding country? And this question is, I think, fairly answered by the first and third series of cases; for they appear to me to prove clearly that, practically, the prostitutes are the main sources of the mischief; and the sailors (young, and for the most part unmarried at the time of infection) the princip means by which it is disseminated throughout our civil population with such deadly effect. And this brings me to a consideration of the means at our disposal to diminish the evil, if not to eradicate it; and if, in doing so, we consider as proved the following points: that practically the prostitutes are the source of the mischief, and the young unmarried men the means by which it is disseminated, and that the fruitful causes of this dissemination are inefficient treatment before marriage, and marriage too soon after infection, it follows that it is of the first importance to reduce the amount of disease amongst prostitutes to a minimum; and, to fulfil this indication, the Contagious Diseases Prevention Act, without going into the question of its merits and demerits, appears to be well adapted; it works well in the towns where it has been applied, and has undoubtedly diminished the number of prostitutes as well as the number of infections; and no doubt its good effects would be still more marked were its application more general; whilst, if it is necessry for the protection of our army and navy, it is doubly so for that of our civil population, where the number affected is so much greater, and the consequences so much more terrible; but, at the same time that I advocate the more extensive application of the Contagious Diseases Prevention Act as a means of mitigating the evil, I do not wish to lose sight of the fact that, promiscuous intercourse being the cause of the spread of syphilis, rationaily the effectual way of preventing it is to, as far as possible, get rid of the cause. Next to this in importance is provision for the early and effective treatment of all cases of infection, and the repression, as far as pos. sible, of all irregular treatment by chemists or quacks; whilst, to fulfil the last indication, viz., the prevention of marriage too soon after infection, I think that a system of registration might be devised, and a certificate required from all infected persons before marriage, that they have been properly treated, and a fair time has elapsed since the disease was contracted. But I feel that this subject is beyond the scope of my paper, which is, I know, only a very imperfect outline of what it ought to be; but, if it have the effect of directing your attention to the subject, it will have answered the purpose for which it was written.


Summary : Staphylococcus aureus is a resident bacterium in healthy humans. However, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is a major causative bacterium of nosocomial infectious diseases. In addition, the enterotoxin produced by S. aureus causes food poisoning. In this study, we searched for components within the juice of aronia ( Aronia melanocarpa ) that would exert antibacterial activity against the growth of S. aureus . To search these active components, we carried out different extraction methods. We found that the water-soluble components of freeze-dried aronia juice had a strong antimicrobial effect against S. aureus strains. To search for the active in-gredients, we carried out fractionation of aronia juice by reverse-phase chromatography and examined the antibacterial effects of fractions eluted with 20-30 % acetonitrile. Mass spectrometry identified some low-molecular-weight compounds ― chlorogenic acid, protocatechuic acid, and gentisic acid ― as components of aronia.


Research shows that reference group selection underpins critical organizational processes, but less is known about publicly disclosed choices of reference groups, such as those for the evaluation o...


(57) Abstract: methods utilizing compositions and heterologous material elements using (+) isomer of optically pure Norushisapurido is disclosed. The compounds are surprisingly, to be an effective drug in the treatment of disorders of the central nervous system was found. Furthermore, it has also been found to be a (+) effective antiemetic compounds as Norushisapurido. Finally, (+) isomer of Norushisapurido also prevent certain side effects and certain adverse drug interactions.


Satellite imaging is a current development in image processing; however, it faces a lot of challenges because of the environmental factors. For denoising, state-of-the-art method has developed some filters like the hyperspectral satellite images, which is not effectual. Moreover, this paper proposed an adaptive filter using the assist of an optimization approach for the satellite image denoising. The developed adaptive filter performs the image denoising via noise correction, noise identification, and image enhancement. In the satellite image by transforming the image to a binary image, the type-2 fuzzy filter recognizes the noisy pixels which are passed via the adaptive non-local mean filter for the noise correction. Subsequently, the kernel-based interpolation scheme performs the image enhancement, which is performed through the developed improved Pigeon optimization algorithm (IPOA). The whole experimentation of the developed denoising system is performed taking into consideration by satellite images from standard databases. It is obvious that the developed adaptive filter with the developed improved Pigeon optimization algorithm has enhanced performance with the PSNR values from the outcomes.


The SBA-15-[SiPMIm]Cl catalysts,prepared via in situ and after graft method using SBA-15as the support,were investigated in the catalytic conversion of CO2and propylene oxide( PO) to propylene carbonate( PC). Several techniques including N2adsorption-desorption,transmission electron microscopy,low-angle X-ray diffraction and FT-IR spectroscopy were applied to characterize the synthesized catalysts. The results indicated that,at the same immobilization amount of ionic liquid,in situ method SBA-15-immobilized catalysts demonstrated a superior catalytic performance to those over after graft method system for the catalytic conversion of CO2to PC. Propylene oxide conversion of 52. 8% was attained under the optimal reaction condition. The catalyst could be recovered easily with filtration and recycled. In addition,the high catalytic performance of SBA-15-[SiPMIm]Cl was remained after being reused several times.


Based on the theory of consumption function and relevant data,we established five econometric models.After the economic tests,statistical tests and econometric tests,the qualified models were selected.Then we analyzed the models and selected the most suitable modle-permanent income hypothesis modle.Finally we used the model predicted the living expenses of Shaanxi rural residents from 2005~2010.some policy evaluation and recommendations are given at last.


The Battle of the Sambre was the last large-scale set-piece battle of the Great War. The German army was determined to hold a defensive line incorporating the Mormal Forest and the Sambre-Oise canal, hoping to buy time for a strategic withdrawal to the Meuse and thereby negotiate a compromise peace.

This thesis analyses the battle at the operational and tactical levels: the BEF was no longer striving for a breakthrough – sequential 'bite and hold' was now the accepted method of advance. The difference between plan and reality is examined, highlighting the levels of tactical competence of units engaged and also the role of the Royal Engineers, whose tasks involved devising improvised bridging equipment to facilitate the crossing of the waterway.

The competence of brigade and battalion commanders is examined: some proved capable of pragmatic flexibility in the face of stubborn enemy resistance and were able to adapt or even abandon original plans in order to ensure ultimate success.

It was a decisive victory for the BEF, which irrevocably crushed the will of the German defenders, leading to the pursuit of a demoralised, broken and beaten army, whose means of continued resistance had been destroyed, and thus expedited the armistice.


Protein MS analysis is the preferred method for unbiased protein identification. It is normally applied to a large number of both small‐scale and high‐throughput studies. However, user‐friendly computational tools for protein analysis are still needed. In this issue, Mathivanan and colleagues (Proteomics 2015, 15, 2597–2601) report the development of FunRich software, an open‐access software that facilitates the analysis of proteomics data, providing tools for functional enrichment and interaction network analysis of genes and proteins. FunRich is a reinterpretation of proteomic software, a standalone tool combining ease of use with customizable databases, free access, and graphical representations.


The purpose of this paper is to discuss how a couple that got married after a pregnancy gives meaning to their marriage and interprets it. After analyzing their discourese, I realized that the relation between the pregnancy(and the raising of child) and the marriage is never explicitly mentioned. This is a strategy that allows the couple to talk about their marriage without rhetoric hides the contradictions inherent to their marriage and enables them to give it the same meanings as a 'love-marriage'. Then it becomes acceptable.


An all optical fiber interferometric temperature sensor suitable for microwave environments is discussed. The sensor is capable of continuously and accurately monitoring temperatures safely and reliably. The transducer features small volume (as small as .35 mm in diameter and 2 mm in length), with an operating temperature span of 22.5°C that may be centered about a specific temperature in the range of 50°C to >250°C. Because phase modulation is employed, the transducer can be hundreds of meters from the demodulation package. Since it uses Fabry-Perot geometry, it exhibits minimal lead sensitivity. The fiber-optic system is constructed of all dielectric material and thus is immune to EMI. The sensor has a resolution of .002°C and an accuracy of ±.01°C. It can be packaged in an array to measure temperatures at multiple locations.


The competitive ability (defined as root yield in mixture/root yield in monoculture) of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) genotypes in monoculture, mixed populations and in multiple cropping systems was studied in the field. Strong competitors produced more roots and stems in genotypic mixtures than in monoculture and did so at the expense of weak competitors. Competitive ability was positively correlated with spacing response and stem and leaf-weight at harvest, but negatively correlated with harvest index (proportion of root weight to total plant weight) and root yield in monoculture. Because of the negative correlation of competitive ability with root yield in monoculture, improvement in the productivity of cassava cultivars will likely occur through improvements in plant efficiency and at the expense of competitive ability. It is therefore recommended that in selecting high yielding genotypes potentially adapted to productive environments, strong competitors should be eliminated from segregating populations. Modest yield reductions (9 to 13%) occured when cassava was planted in association with beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) or soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]. Beans, planted in association with cassava, had non-significant reductions in yields whereas yields of soybeans were severely reduced. Yields of beans and soybeans were negatively correlated with vegetative vigor of the associated cassava genotype, but were not correlated with yield or intergenotypic competitive ability of the cassava genotype. Cassava can be planted in association with short-duration crops without sacrificing much in the yields of either crop. High-yielding cassava genotypes with low vegetative vigor would bring about high combined yields of cassava and the associated crop.


Costume is not only a carrier of ritual action in Chinese realm,but also an important presentation of ritual system according to traditional concept.Emperor costume in the Qing Dynasty(1644—1911) is the most complicated in Chinese costume history.This paper,based on historical records,illustrates the forms of emperor costume and the formation of its system in the Qing Dynasty,holding that it not only reflects the economic development of that time,but also represents a new kind of art.


By using the cigarette industry's ad ban of 1970 as a "natural" experiment, the authors explore managerially related effects of such an advertising "shock" through price and advertising elasticities as well as brand purchase inertia. Results indicate substantial differences in the elasticity and inertia values between pre- and post-ban periods. In an environment with reduced advertising options, product demand is more price sensitive. Demand also becomes more inelastic with respect to advertising fluctuations if television and radio can no longer be used as media vehicles. Brand purchase inertia is significantly higher after the ban as consumers cease to learn of and experiment with new brands. The study has important implications for brand management in a regulatory setting and addresses the possibility of an advertising ban's potential to act as a barrier to entry.


The pulsed inductively coupled plasma (ICP) has considerable potential to satisfy multiple stringent scaling requirements for use in the semiconductor industry. However, overshoot of plasma parameters during the rising period of the pulse affects the stability and uniformity of the plasma and can lead to a breakdown of the wafer and over-sputtering of the film. In this study, a step waveform modulation method is used to reduce the overshoot at the initial stage of the pulse. The behavior of the discharge is monitored by measuring (i) the modulated step waveform signal on the function generator, (ii) the input power (by a time-resolved VI-probe), and (iii) the amplitudes of the coil voltage and current (by voltage and current probes, respectively), as well as (iv) the plasma parameters including the electron density, the effective electron temperature, and the electron energy probability distribution function (by a time-resolved Langmuir probe). It was found that the state of the plasma can be controlled by changing the waveform, such as varying the time of the rising edge, varying the initial amplitude, and varying the duration of the low-high amplitude. The results indicated that the overshoot value of the electron density can be reduced by using a low-high step waveform. When the amplitude of the waveform was 500/550 mV and the duration was 200/300  μs, the overshoot value observed was 1/4 of that of the conventional ICP pulse discharge. In addition, increasing the duty cycle of the pulse could also reduce the overshoot value due to the high electron density that occurs during the afterglow period. Moreover, the plasma can reach a steady state more quickly at high pressure by using a step waveform of high amplitude.


In the title compound (systematic name: tripropylazanium 2,4,6-trisulfanylidenecyclohexan-1-ide), (C3H7)3HN+·C3H2N3S3 −, one H atom of trithiocyanuric acid is accepted by tripropylamine to form the ammonium ion. Coplanar trithiocyanurate and tripropylammonium ions [dihedral angle = 82.33 (8)°] form the salt, which is stabilised by various N—H⋯S and N—H⋯N contacts.


Quantitative analysis is a conspicuous feature in contemporary Chinese linguistics. The historical context for the promotion of quantitative analysis in Chinese lexicology and the characteristics of its application are: it helps to develop the tradition of "no conclusion with less than ten examples" which evolved through the history of Chinese language studies; its first application is known for the starting of thorough analysis of a specific book; it is mainly used in quantifying vocabulary; and it speeds up the transition from manual calculation to using computerized corpus. This paper suggests that attention be paid to the following: multidimensionality of the chosen material and marking systems; choosing a right perspective to approach the corpus; guiding our quantitative analysis with theory; avoiding equating quantitative analysis completely with experimental methods.


Several fascia beams of an existing prestressed concrete box-girder bridge, located in the City of Defiance, Ohio, USA were severely deteriorated due to the influence of de-icing salt applied during wintertime. An in-depth visual inspection and subsequent full-scale load tests were conducted to identify the extent of deterioration. A strengthening strategy was devised involving advanced carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite strips, post-tensioned via the Stress Head system that was developed and patented in Switzerland. The technique, the first of its type in the USA, offers numerous advantages over conventional repair and rehabilitation methods. The inherent attributes of this innovative approach include lighter weight for easy handling, lower loss of prestress due to higher initial tensile strain, corrosion resistance laminates, optimal use of high tensile strength of CFRP plates, optimal cost/performance ratio, and increased durability with reduction of crack width and tensile steel strain. ...


This paper deals with best possible estimates for the coefficients of polynomials in terms of the supremum norm of the polynomials on a given compact subset K of the plane. The results solve a problem of D. Dauvergne.


A new leg mechanism with 7 DOF(degrees of freedom) and double spherical hip joint is proposed in this paper.Comparing with traditional 6 DOF biped mechanisms,it has the following two advantages.First,the double spherical joint can realize the basic function of waist motion without waist joint,enabling the humanoid robot to walk erectly.Secondly,if positions of the foot and waist are given,it can rotate the legs in a manner similar to human.This paper also discusses such problems of this complex mechanism as motion characteristic analysis,kinematics solution,motion planning,and validation experiments.


I constructed a holographic moving image machine, the holographic praxiniscope to explore high resolution, white-light, full-parallax, three hundred and sixty degree holographic imagery in motion. Thesis Supervisor: Stephen A. Benton Title: Associate Professor of Media Technology


This paper offers a systematical structure of a mobile solution that describes mobile subset basing on XML. This solution can not only efficiently solve the problem of two-grade synchronization and consistency maintenance on three-grade cache data among mobile client, synchronizing server and center server, but also make full use of cache data conveniently


Patient : A 55-year-old female complained of restricted mouth opening and noise of the left-side TMJ. Treatment was initiated with lifestyle intervention and occlusal splint therapy. By the treatment for TMD with the occlusal splint, TMD symptoms were alleviated and an abnormality of occlusal contact became clear. Occlusal contact was improved by prosthodontic treatment, and TMD symptoms did not recur for the next six years. Discussion: The treatment with the occlusal splint relieved the TMD symptoms and clarified the need for prosthodontic treatment in this case. Conclusion: This case suggests that although reversible methods are recommended in the treatment of TMD, prosthodontic treatment needs to be carried out immediately when there is a clear association with occlusal factors.


Most consumer-to-consumer Internet auctions are isomorphic to the English auction. Bids in these auctions are visible to all participants, and prices are always ascending. The success of these auctions have puzzled auction theorists because many of the procedures used in these auctions encourage collusion among buyers that leads to lower revenues for the seller and sometimes lower allocative efficiency of the auction outcomes. Using the institutional analysis approach and results from experiments, this paper attempts to explain why open ascending auctions have dominated the Internet auction landscape even though they might not be the most profitable alternative for sellers. Estimates of efficiency losses in these auctions due to implicit collusion among consumers are also provided.


Accurate and robust force control is still a great challenge for robot–environment contact applications, such as in situ repair, polishing, and assembly. To tackle this problem, this paper proposes a force control joint with a parallel configuration, including two identical four-bar linkages driven by linear springs to push up the output end of the joint, and a parallel-connected pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) to pull down its output end. In the new design, the link length of the linkages will be optimized to make the difference between the profile of the linkage and that of PAM constant within the limits of the joint given the force–displacement profile of PAM at a certain level of its input pressure. Furthermore, PAM's nonlinear hysteresis effect, which is believed to limit the accuracy of the joint's force control, will be represented by a new dynamics model that is to be developed from the classical Bouc–Wen (BW) hysteresis model. Simulation tests are then conducted to reveal that the adoption of the PAM hysteresis model yields improved accuracy of force control, and a series of curve trajectory tracking experiments are performed on a six-joint universal industrial robot to verify that the parallel force control joint is capable to enhance force control accuracy for robot contact applications.


From analyzing the facts and theories,there is a violent interaction between industries and new pattern industrialization.This paper mainly analyses the status quo of industries in Hunan,and proposes developing the competitive industries.


A lectotype for Helotium separabile P. KARST, is designated and the delimitation of the species clarified. The presence of tapering hairs with filiform apices and yellow pigment is stressed as a taxonomic character and the species is transferred to the genus Phialina HOHN. Variability is mostly present in the thickness of gelatinization of hyphal walls in the excipulum. The species is also con- firmed to occur in North America. It is apparently confined to stems of Kubus spp. Helotium firmulum P. KARST, is shown to be a synonym.


FIELD: construction. SUBSTANCE: invention is related to the field of sanitary engineering. Unit of filtration made of plastic, comprises body in the form of substantially rectangular parallelepiped having pairs of opposite first, second and third external surfaces, passing through unit of filtration at least one inspection channel with holes arranged at opposite third external surfaces of filtration unit. At the same time area of each hole in inspection channel makes at least 10% of third external surface area, in which it is provided. Method for manufacturing of undetachable element of filtration unit, in which form is used, comprising one or more rods, which create at least one section of inspection channel of filtration unit element, multiple rods, creating mentioned channels, passing parallel to channels, passing between each first external surface and one or several inspection channels of filtration unit element, and between each second external surface and one or several inspection channels of filtration unit element. EFFECT: invention provides for device simplicity and reliability. 22 cl, 11 dwg


The invention provides a supersonic air intake duct and a wall face determination method of the supersonic air intake duct. The wall face determination method of the supersonic air intake duct comprises the steps of: determining a front body wall face curve of the supersonic air intake duct according to geometric constraint of structural design of the supersonic air intake duct and by adopting a characteristics method; determining an outer compression wall face curve of the supersonic air intake duct according to an outer contraction ratio and by adopting a second-order continuous curve; determining a lip opening compression curve, a single side wall face curve and an opposite side wall face curve of the supersonic air intake duct according to geometric constraint of structural design of the supersonic air intake duct and by adopting the characteristics method; determining a lower wall face of the supersonic air intake duct according to the front body wall face curve, the outer compression wall face curve and the single side wall face curve; and determining an upper wall face of the supersonic air intake duct according to the lip opening compression curve and the opposite side wall face curve. The supersonic air intake duct determined according to the method is suitable for uneven incoming flow, isentropic compression and shock wave compression of the supersonic air intake duct can be distributed within a certain range through adjusting shock wave shapes, and further total pressure recovery capability can be improved.


Calculated deformations in glulam beams caused by moisture are based on linear moisture profile, this does not reflect reality. This report contains of a study where the moisture induced deformations are measured in three different test setups, simulating more realistic moisture exposure. After the beams are seasoned in RH 30 and 95 % the climate was changed, one group was in a moistening phase and the other one in a drying
phase. The results indicated that the deformations were larger than expected. The largest deformation was achieved when the beams were in a moistening phase.


Eight treatments involving stump removal by bulldozing in combination with nitrogen fertilization were applied to 0.04-ha circular plots in a clear-cut on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Treatments included stump removal (either all stumps removed or the plot left undisturbed) and broadcast fertilization with ammonium nitrate (0, 336, 672, or 1345 kg N ha−1). Diameter at breast height and height of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedlings, planted several months after treatment, were recorded five and eight seasons after outplanting. The results showed that either bulldozing stumps from the site or fertilizing with ammonium nitrate increased growth of seedlings through their eighth growing season. After eight growing seasons, bulldozing had increased seedling height by 23% and diameter at breast height by 43%; fertilizing produced increases of 13% in height and 17% in diameter at breast height.


The energy responses of gamma rays from 50 keV to 10 MeV of a spherical counter filled with 1 MPa hydrogen and with a 30 mm diameter have been obtained by experimental measurement and Monte Carlo simulation. It shows that the energy deposited in the counter is focused near 100 keV and below. An experiment with Am-Be source and 137Cs source indicates that intense gamma rays of the 137Cs source have made great influence on the measurement of the neutrons spectra below 100 keV from Am-Be source. It can be concluded that the measurement of neutron spectra below 100 keV from fissionable materials would be affected by the intense gamma rays. According to the collective features of recoil protons and electrons ionization in the counter, it is feasible to discriminate the gamma rays from the neutrons by rise-time method.


The pagan religion was the most widespread religion in the region of the Arabian Peninsula before Islam. It was a religion that is based on the worship of a certain idol or monument, which they considered as their gods. The purpose of their worship was to obtain the approval of these gods and avoid their anger and resentment, and to obtain success in their socio-economic, religious and political lives. Therefore, these deities were revered. Before Islam, Arabs reached the limit of reverence for their gods to offer vows and offerings, and they reached the point of offering human, animal and material offerings. At the same time, these idols were exposed to abuse and underestimation by some people. The study shows how Arabs reverence their idols as well as underestimate them, and how do they reach to this duality in dealing with deities .


O.A. ZOLOTAAbstract. In the paper the asymptotic behavior of Cauchy-Stieltjes integral of a complex-aluedv Borel measure on the skeleton in the polydisc is described. The main result holdsoutside a set of zero �-capacit.y It generalizes the theorem for the one-dimensional case.Keywords: modulus of continuit,y Cauchy-Stieltjes integral, polydisc, set of zero �-capacit,y non-tangential limit.


An important problem for multicarrier systems is frequency offset between a transmitter and receiver, which can substantially deteriorate system performance. In this paper, we propose a frequency-domain fractionally-spaced minimum mean square error (FDFS-MMSE) multiuser detector for multicarrier code-division multiple-access (MC-CDMA) systems. Numerical results show that with frequency-domain oversampling by a factor of two, the proposed FDFS-MMSE receiver can combat frequency offset efficiently, in addition to its near-far resistance and MAI elimination capability


Aims. The aim of this paper is to calculate cross sections and rate coefficients for inelastic processes in low-energy Mn + H and Mn + H− collisions, especially, for processes with high and moderate rate coefficients. These processes are required for non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) modeling of manganese spectra in cool stellar atmospheres, and in particular, for metal-poor stars. Methods. The calculations of the cross sections and the rate coefficients were performed by means of the quantum model approach within the framework of the Born-Oppenheimer formalism, that is, the asymptotic semi-empirical method for the electronic MnH molecular structure calculation followed by the nonadiabatic nuclear dynamical calculation by means of the multichannel analytic formulas. Results. The cross sections and the rate coefficients for low-energy inelastic processes in manganese-hydrogen collisions are calculated for all transitions between 21 low-lying covalent states and one ionic state. We show that the highest values of the cross sections and the rate coefficients correspond to the mutual neutralization processes into the final atomic states Mn(3d54s(7S)5s e 6S), Mn(3d54s(7S)5p y 8P◦), Mn(3d54s(7S)5s e 8S), Mn(3d54s(7S)4d e 8D) [the first group], the processes with the rate coefficients (at temperature T = 6000 K) of the values 4.38 × 10−8, 2.72 × 10−8, 1.98 × 10−8, and 1.59 × 10−8 cm3/s, respectively, that is, with the rate coefficients exceeding 10−8 cm3/s. The processes with moderate rate coefficients, that is, with values between 10−10 and 10−8 cm3/s include many excitation, de-excitation, mutual neutralization and ion-pair formation processes. In addition to other processes involving the atomic states from the first group, the processes from the second group include those involving the following atomic states: Mn(3d5(6S)4s4p (1P◦) y 6P◦), Mn(3d54s(7S)4d e 6D), Mn(3d54s(7S)5p w 6P◦), Mn(3d5(4P)4s4p (3P◦) y 6D◦), Mn(3d5(4G)4s4p (3P◦) y 6F◦). The processes with the highest and moderate rate coefficients are expected to be important for non-LTE modeling of manganese spectra in stellar atmospheres.


Objective: To study the correlation between bacteriostasis and total flavonoids,chlorogenic acid content of leaves of lonicera hypoglauca Miq to provide experimental basis for the development and utilization of leaves of lonicera hypoglauca miq. Methods: ①Carrying out antibacterial experiment of different solvent extracts of leaves of lonicera hypoglauca miq. in vitro② Using UV visible spectrophotometric method for the determination of content of total flavonoids,chlorogenic acid. Results: ① In the 1000 ~ 62. 5mg · ml- 1concentration range,lonicera hypoglauca miq leaf aqueous extract had effect on inhibiting pseudomonas aeruginosa,MIC was 250mg·ml- 1; the 50% ethanol extract had effect on inhibiting Salmonella typhi and other 5 kinds of bacteria; for the Shigella dysenteriae,MIC was 625mg · ml- 1; for the Escherichia coli,MIC is 500mg·ml- 1; for 3 kinds of bacteria such as Salmonella typhi,MIC is 250mg·ml- 1; the 90% ethanol extract had effect on inhibiting Salmonella,Shigella dysenteriae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa,for Shigella dysenteriae,MIC was l000mg· ml- 1; for two kinds of bacteria such as Salmonella,MIC was 500mg·ml- 1. The MIC of Chlorogenic acid on 5 kinds of bacteria such as Salmonella typhi was 5mg·ml- 1. ② The total flavonoids content in liquid of lonicera hypoglauca miq leaf water extract,50% ethanol extract and 90% ethanol was respectively 7. 29,14. 17,3. 99mg ·ml- 1. The content of chlorogenic acid was 3. 95,5. 18,2. 30mg·ml- 1. Conclusion: Antibacterial effect of 50% ethanol extract from leaves of lonicera hypoglauca miq is optimal,total flavonoids and chlorogenic acid content is the highest. The bacteriostasis of leaves of lonicera hypoglauca miq is correlated with the total flavonoids and chlorogenic acid content.


An effort was made to contain the jute root-knot nematode through an integrated approach with inclusion of phytosanitary, cultural, organic soil amendment and synthetic chemical components. The treatment quite effectively suppressed the nematode population, kept the infection at significantly low level and was superior to chemical method.


This article is with the literature law,the investigation law,the comparison analytic method to the Yanbian Korean National Minority autonomous prefecture sports bureau,the physical culture school,the school carries on investigates studies,analyzes and discovers the correlation factor which raises with the Yanbian track and field item reserve talented person,proposes Yanbian Korean National Minority autonomous prefecture track and field meet item reserve talented person raises the management system,the raise pattern,scientifically completes the echelon construction and the overall layout,provides the reasonable suggestion and the countermeasure for Yanbian's track and field meet item reserve talented person's raise.


This study investigates empirically the determinants of access to trade credit by new SMEs in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The review of literature revealed that non-availability of finance especially trade credit is one of the primary reasons for the high failure rate of new SMEs in South Africa. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaire from 417 respondents out of which only 71 were able to access trade credit. The results of the logistic regression indicate that managerial competency, the availability of business plan, belonging to trade associations, previous relationship, location, business size, insurance and incorporation are significant determinants of access to trade credit by new SMEs in South Africa.

 Key words: New SMEs, trade credit, logistic regression.


Probabilities are important measures of random performances. They are widely used in financial and service industries. Probabilities are often estimated through running simulation experiments. Probability sensitivities provide information on how changes in the input parameters affect the output probabilities. They are important for understanding and controlling stochastic systems. In this paper, we show how to use the simulated data, which are used to estimate probability, to estimate probability sensitivities. Our estimator is consistent, asymptotically normally distributed, and works for both terminating and steady-state simulations.


Abstract 3636 Myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C) is a transcription factor of the MADS-box family which is physiologically expressed in hematopoietic stem cells and during development of B-cells. Recently, we identified ectopic expression of MEF2C in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cell lines activated either via chromosomally mediated ectopic expression of homeodomain protein NKX2-5 or via deletion of non-coding exon and promoter regions at 5q14, suggesting loss of negative regulatory elements. Our aim was to identify additional transcriptional regulators of MEF2C in T-ALL. Therefore, we analyzed the sequence of the MEF2C 5′-region, thus identifying potential regulatory binding sites for GFI1B, basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins, STAT5 and HOXA9/HOXA10. Overexpression studies demonstrated MEF2C activation by GFI1B (strong), LYL1 and TAL1 leukemic bHLH proteins (weak), and inhibition by STAT5 (strong) and HOXA9/HOXA10 (weak). Chromatin-Immuno-Precipitation analysis demonstrated direct binding of GFI1B, LYL1 and STAT5 but not of HOXA10 to the MEF2C 5′-region in T-ALL cells. However, HOXA9/HOXA10 activated expression of NMYC which in turn mediated MEF2C repression, indicating an indirect mode of MEF2C regulation. Chromosomal deletion of the 5′-MEF2C STAT5 binding site in LOUCY cells by del(5)(q14), reduced expression levels of STAT5 protein in some MEF2C-positve T-ALL cell lines, and the presence of inhibitory IL7-JAK-STAT5-signaling highlighted the repressive impact of this factor in MEF2C regulation. Taken together, our results indicate that ectopic expression of MEF2C in T-ALL cells is mainly regulated via activating leukemic transcription factors GFI1B or NKX2-5 and by escaping inhibitory STAT5-signaling. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


A software product's acceptance depends on the user experience that it provides to its users. The software product must meet the user needs, and one way to understand those needs is through creation of Personas. The Personas technique allows describing the users' characteristics, goals and skills. The Empathy Map (EM) method can be used to describe personas. The EM's goal is to create a degree of empathy with the user so the product developing team starts to understand more deeply the users and become more aware of their real needs. To assess the EM effects on the creation of personas, we conducted a feasibility study with 20 subjects. Initially, the subjects learned how to describe personas in textual form. After that, they applied the EM to create personas. After using the EM, the subjects answered a questionnaire about their perceptions regarding the EM's ease of use and its usefulness. The results showed that majority of subjects considered EM useful and easy to create personas. Furthermore, this majority also said that they would use the EM for the creation of personas again. This paper presents the results of a feasibility study where the EM is employed for the creation of personas. In this study, we evaluated the perception of the subjects regarding to ease of use and usefulness of the EM for the creation of personas. Through the analysis of the results it was possible to obtain the user"s perception regarding the use of EM. In addition we identified improvement suggestions for the Empathy Map. The remainder of the paper is organized as follows. Section II presents the User Experience, Personas and Empathy Map concepts. Section III details the feasibility study, followed by our results in Section IV. The Section V shows the validity threats of the feasibility study. Finally, conclusions and comments on future work are given in Section VI.