Glacier surface melt dynamics throughout Novaya Zemlya (NovZ) and Severnaya Zemlya (SevZ) serve as a good indicator of ice mass ablation and regional climate change in the Russian High Arctic. Here we report trends of surface melt onset date (MOD) and total melt days (TMD) by combining multiple resolution-enhanced active and passive microwave satellite datasets and analyze the TMD correlations with local temperature and regional sea ice extent. The glacier surface snowpack on SevZ melted significantly earlier (−7.3 days/decade) from 1992 to 2012 and significantly longer (7.7 days/decade) from 1995 to 2011. NovZ experienced large interannual variability in MOD, but its annual mean TMD increased. The snowpack melt on NovZ is more sensitive to temperature fluctuations than SevZ in recent decades. After ruling out the regional temperature influence using partial correlation analysis, the TMD on both archipelagoes is statistically anti-correlated with regional late summer sea ice extent, linking land ice snowmelt dynamics to regional sea ice extent variations.


When this author attempts to explain the features of Niklaus Wirth's language Oberon [1] to other programmers familiar with Pascal [2] and Modula-2 [3], he has consistently encountered resistance when the listener(s) learn that enumerations are no longer a part of the language. Many programmers have found enumerations useful even without the ability to extend an enumeration across module boundaries one of the reasons that Niklaus Wirth chose to delete them as a syntactic and semantic construct [1]. Additional reasons given by Professor Wirth for the removal of enumerations included:


Aiming at the problem about MIMO radar arrays, this paper analylizes the problem by the probability of detection. Some detection models are deduced, and a simulation flow is designed. Simulations are carried out based on different system configrations, and an optimization suggestion is obtained about antenna element numbers of long baseline MIMO radar.


Bound-state solutions of the Klein–Gordon Coulomb equation for vector and scalar potentials are investigated in the momentum representation. The collapse of the particle to the center for strong vector potentials is found. The corresponding wave function shows an anomalous oscillatory behaviour for large particle momentum. Particle collapse for strong scalar potentials does not exist.


On account of the collective fascination for it prevailing in the West, Japan is mostly seen in terms of a dichotomy between age-old aspects (the past, hence tradition) and technological excellence (the present, hence modernity). The first of these two cognitive macro-categories includes references to a people that is 'genetically disciplined' as only the descendants of the samurai can be, to a spontaneously understated aesthetics of everyday life bearing the distinctive mark of zen , to an innate inclination for contemplation, while the second cognitive macrocategory encompasses futuristic urban spaces, robotics experiments as well as a multifarious variety of fashionable trends and products. However, it would be naive to think that Japan may have been, and still be, the merely passive object of a 'romantic' need for consolatory exoticism. This introductory foreword to this special issue of LCM on the commonplaces of Japan provides an overview of some crucial historical stages in which Japan, finding itself in a position to conquer (or re-conquer) international consent (as an acknowledgement of its ethnic, political, economic dignity), deliberately made recourse to cultural topoi regarding its own distinctive way of being and thinking.


The current firewall and intrusion detection system cannot effectively discern the unknown attacks, so it leads to false positives and negatives for the information. Therefore, a kind of honeypot system was proposed,by attack signature mechanism for detecting and analyzing unknown network attacks in system call level.


Streptococcus mutans is considered to be the most cariogenic organism. Carolacton, isolated from the myxobacterium Sorangium cellulosum, shows the ability to disturb S. mutans biofilm viability that makes it a potential anti‐biofilm drug. However, the molecular mechanism of carolacton remains to be elucidated. In order to use proteomics to characterize the effect of carolacton, we constructed a 2DE‐based proteome reference map of the cytoplasmic and extracellular proteins for S. mutans in the present study. In total, 239 protein spots representing 192 different cytoplasmic proteins were identified by MALDI‐TOF MS and PMF. This represents the highest number of identified proteins so far for S. mutans UA159 in the pI range of 4–7 and would benefit further research on the physiology and pathogenicity of this strain. Based on the constructed reference map, the inhibitory effects of carolacton on S. mutans biofilm and planktonic‐growing cells were investigated. The results of the comparative proteome analysis indicate that carolacton exerts its inhibitory effects by disturbing the peptidoglycan biosynthesis and degradation and thereby causes damages to the integrity of the cell envelope, leading ultimately to cell death.


The present invention is a pharmaceutical relates to the field of clinical and experimental medicine and veterinary, in particular to novel inhibitory compounds of p38 MAP kinase having a structure of the type that can be used in the treatment and prevention of adhesions (I) ~ (VII) on. The present invention, one or a combination of an effective amount of a compound of SB203580 or type (I) ~ (VII) and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, discloses a pharmaceutical composition comprising a diluent or excipient . The present invention discloses the use of SB203580 as a medicament having anti-adhesion activity. The present invention also provides a prophylactic and / or therapeutic methods of the possibility of formation of adhesions and / or progression the disease or medical condition, discloses a method that can be administered the preparation after surgery. .BACKGROUND


The study of viscosity-temperature dependence is important for the design and the optimization of several industrial processes and products. In this context, an interesting equation is recently proposed for pure solvents correlating the two parameters of the viscosity Arrhenius-type equation, as knowing the activation energy (Ea) and the pre-exponential factor (As), allowing the simplification of the viscosity Arrhenius equation to become an expression depending on only one parameter instead of two. The present work investigates the validity of the simplified Arrhenius-type equation for ternary fluids mixtures. The extension of the proposed equation to ternary liquid mixtures is very important since it simplifies the estimation of viscous behavior and the ensuing calculations. Using statistical methods and 114 experimental data from the literature on viscosity for 5 ternary liquid mixtures over different temperature ranges at atmospheric pressure, we found that the validation of the proposed equation depends significantly on the density of liquids and is validated only for 4 studied ternary liquid mixtures. This result opens the way to investigate the sensitivity of the equation's parameters for more specific mixtures.


The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is located close to the midline on the floor of the midbrain. VTA neurons project densely and largely ipsilaterally to the ventromedial striatum, primarily the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core and shell. The neuronal circuit between VTA and NAc is involved in the


A method for the vulnerability assessment of Internet-of-Things (IoT) medical transducers cybersecurity at varying the power countermeasures is proposed. The implemented countermeasures reinforce the most popular cryptographic algorithm, advanced encryption standard (AES), running on a low-cost, low-energy, and low-performance smart transducer for IoT medical devices. The proposed method is based on attacks standardized in the smart-card industry: differential power analysis (DPA) and correlation power analysis (CPA). Adopting a methodically rigorous framework, a boost for the study of power countermeasures was offered for IoT medical transducers. An experimental comparison of security performance among different power countermeasures was realized. Each countermeasure increases the number of power traces needed to discover the AES secret key. Random delay, random SBox, and masking strengthen the AES of 1.3, 208, and 318 factors, respectively. The masking countermeasure was by far the most effective.


The inner structure of the {\gamma}{\epsilon}-formalisms of Infeld and van der Waerden admits the occurrence of spin-tensor electromagnetic fields which bear invariance under the action of the generalized Weyl gauge group. A concise derivation of the wave equations for such fields is carried out explicitly along with the construction of a set of torsionless covariant-derivative expressions. It is emphatically pointed out that the integration of the wave equations arising herein may under certain circumstances produce significant insights into the situation concerning the description of some physical properties of the cosmic microwave background.


The DLC coating of samples produced by additive manufacturing with complex shapes is a challenge but also shows the possibility of obtaining a diffusive barrier for biomedical applications. In this study, stochastic porous structures based on Voronoi tessellation were fabricated using binder jetting technology from 316L SS powder and modified using DLC coating. The DLC coating was deposited using the RF PACVD technology. The chamber pressure was 40 Pa with a methane gas flow rate of 60 sccm. The negative bias voltage was 700 V. The deposition time was 5 min. Dimensional analysis was performed using optical microscopy. Surface morphology and topography were evaluated using SEM and confocal microscopy. Raman spectroscopy was used to examine the chemical structure of DLC coating. Finally, the HR TEM was used to evaluate the physicochemical characterization of the DLC coating. The interconnected complex spatial network of the Voronoi structure was accurately duplicated by the binder jetting technology. The obtained substrates were characterized by high roughness (Ra = 6.43 µm). Moreover, the results indicated that the conditions of the RF PACVD process allow for the deposition of the continuous and tightened DLC coating with a thickness from 30 nm to 230 nm and defined the content of Cr2O3 and SiO2.


ABSTRACT Limited studies exist about how negative life events (NLEs) influence spirituality, particularly that of the Nigerian Catholic sisters living in the United States. Twenty sisters were interviewed. Content analysis of transcripts generated four themes. The themes followed a specific pattern of dealing with an adverse life situation, beginning with 1) the basic instant internal reactions to the stressor. 2) Movement from self-absorption toward an expanded view of life through reframing the NLE using spiritual approaches. 3) Outcomes of the process. This research highlights the need for spirituality to be integrated into clinical practice to improve the mental health of individuals.


List of tables List of figures Notes on contributors Preface 1. Introduction - David Cobham and Ghassan Dibeh Part I: Monetary policy frameworks 2. Monetary policy strategies, financial institutions and financial markets in the Middle East and North Africa: an overview - David Cobham 3. The political economy of stabilisation in post-war Lebanon - Ghassan Dibeh 4. The evolution of the monetary policy framework in Egypt and the elusive goal of price stability - Hoda Selim 5. Monetary policy and the central bank in Jordan - Samar Maziad 6. From occupation to an independent monetary policy: achievements and aspirations in Palestine - Jihad K. Wazir, Mohammad Atallah and Shaker A. Sarsour 7. The banking sector and macroeconomic performance: the case of Turkey - Berksoy Bilgin and Gulcin Ozkan Part II: Monetary policy strategies 8. Monetary policy strategies and exchange rate regimes on the southern shore of the Mediterranean - developments and prospects - Thierry Bracke, Michal Franta and Jan Strasky 9. Channels and environments of monetary policy and their implications for its conduct in GCC countries - Wassim Shahin 10. Assessing inflation and output variability using a New Keynesian model: an application to Egypt - Rania Al-Mashat 11. Fiscal dominance: an obstacle to inflation targeting in Egypt - Hoda Abdel Ghaffar Youssef 12. Understanding the inflationary process in the GCC region: the cases of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait - Maher Hasan and Hesham Alogeel


A detailed analysis of Aeneid 6.847–53. In one of the loftiest passages of the Aeneid, we have seen Virgil use poetic, verbal, lexical, grammatical, syntactical means of a simple, sober character (apart, clearly from the exchange of ducere and excudere, of course). He may perhaps have had in mind the age of Ennius and Cato the Censor, two writers who might actually have appreciated the austere content and manner of these verses.


The present invention provides a system and method for searching using inline contextual queries. Contextual information about the user is viewing a Web page when entering a query or other documents to be used to implement the search. The page includes a contextual search interface, the contextual search interface have associated context vector representation of the contents of the page. When a user submits a search query by contextual search interface, the query and context vector are provided in response to the query and the query processor.


The protection of stateless persons has long been understood as a challenge for the international community, yet for many of the past sixty years a prioritised focus on refugees has dominated, indeed arguably eclipsed, the plight and protection needs of stateless persons. Guy Goodwin-Gill has long argued for a refocus of international attention and effort on the plight, predicament and protection needs of stateless persons. In a seminal contribution over two decades ago he observed that at that time, statelessness was perceived by many as a mere 'technical problem,' yet 'statelessness is indeed a broad human rights issue, even as it retains a distinct technical dimension.' In this contribution, we examine the challenge set by Goodwin-Gill for the international community, namely, the need for greater recognition and protection of stateless persons, in light of developments over the more than two decades that have passed since his incisive analysis. We celebrate the positive developments and identify areas of ongoing challenge. We focus on the key initiatives he identified as requiring attention, and assess progress that has been made in relation to each, while concentrating predominantly on the need for closer attention to the relevance of developments in human rights law.


In the May 2008 issue of The Journal we described the case of an Italian Olympic athlete with Behcet's disease (BD) who had a long-lasting remission after treatment with infliximab1, enabling him to take part in international athletic competitions. To date, the duration of the complete remission is 3.5 years. In the last 12 months, the dose of infliximab has been 3 mg/kg and the interval between the infusions 3 months. Previously, the drug was given at a dose of 5 mg/kg every 2 months. Azathioprine has always been taken at the low dose of 0.7 mg/kg/day with the intention of reducing the immunogenicity of infliximab. The ability …

Address reprint requests to Dr. I. Olivieri, Rheumatology Department of Lucania, Ospedale S. Carlo, Contrada Macchia Romana, 85100 Potenza, Italy. E-mail: ignazioolivieri{at}tiscalinet.it


What do we really know about sympathetic outflow and blood pressure in humans? For example, in healthy normotensive young subjects, baseline sympathetic outflow can vary 2-fold to 3-fold.1,2 We also know that in healthy aging subjects, baseline sympathetic outflow can be increased dramatically with only a modest impact on vascular resistance and little or no impact on blood pressure.1 Additionally, there is no clear evidence for dramatic increases in baseline sympathetic outflow in "garden variety" essential hypertension.1 If we stop here, a position of "nihilism" about sympathetic outflow and blood pressure seems reasonable. However, when the sympathetic nervous system is destroyed by disease or surgery, blood pressure is highly labile.3 We also know that many "stressors" that evoke a pressor response also evoke marked sympathetic activation, and that the magnitude of these pressor responses can be a harbinger of future hypertension.4,5 Finally, in disease states like congestive heart failure, excessive sympathetic activation is a "bad thing."6,7 If we emphasize these points, sympathetic vasoconstriction seems more important to blood pressure and perhaps survival. In the middle of this confusion about sympathetic activity and blood pressure lie the baroreflexes that sense changes in arterial pressure and evoke increases in heart rate and sympathetic outflow when blood pressure is "low" and reciprocal responses when blood pressure is "high." Together with their allies in the brain stem and kidney, they make the needed physiological adjustments so that in "normotension" there is an appropriate blood pressure for any given behavioral state. One mechanism that is essential to this flexible regulatory pattern is baroreflex "resetting." During physiological conditions that require acute changes in blood pressure the baroreceptors quickly reset to do things like "defend" a higher arterial pressure during exercise or let pressure fall during sleep.8 However, in hypertension, chronic resetting of baroreflexes occurs so that a higher pressure is defended and the hypertensive state is maintained or even reinforced. If we are lucky, perhaps treatment of hypertension will reduce arterial pressure and reset the baroreflexes so that a more normal blood pressure is defended. In other words, we might get a 2-for-1 "physiological bargain" when hypertension is treated.


The Internet of Things (IoT) is an information service paradigm based on the integration of smart objects, mobile devices, and computers via the Internet. IoT technologies are key enablers for a multitude of applications in diverse fields, such as digital health, smart city, industrial automation, and supply chain. This raises new security and privacy challenges that can be addressed by advanced cryptographic methods. One of the most prominent is attribute-based encryption (ABE), which allows one to encrypt data while enforcing fine-grained access control on it. ABE is advantageous in many IoT applications since it allows data to be safely stored on untrusted storage, such as third-party cloud servers, hackable publish-subscribe brokers, physically accessible sensors, etc. This article surveys the ABE literature proposing schemes and solutions that are best suited for IoT applications. To do so, it first identifies three performance indicators that are key in IoT, namely, the data producer CPU efficiency, the data producer bandwidth efficiency, and the key authority bandwidth efficiency. Then, it analyzes only those schemes that are promising from the point of view of one or more indicators and, therefore, more applicable in typical IoT applications. As a further contribution, this article selects a subset of representative schemes and assesses their efficiency by thorough simulations. Such simulations show that no scheme excels in all three performance indicators at once, but some simultaneously perform well in two indicators.


Objective To investigate the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography(CEUS) for differential diagnosis of focal splenic solid lesions.Methods Thirty-two patients with 32 focal splenic lesions were examined with CEUS.The enhancement phases and perfusion were observed.Each group has 16 patients.Results The contrast media extincted more quickly in malignant lesions than in benign ones.The peak time and initial decreasing time of the malignant lesions were (19.7±4.5)s and (29.7±10.9)s.The opposite time of the benign lesions were (24.2±4.4)s and (50.9±22.8)s.The initial decreasing time of the malignant lesions was earlier than that of the benign ones.The enhancement pattern was similar between the two groups.More lesions can be detected after CEUS.The number of the lesions was 111 before CEUS and 142 after CEUS.Conclusions CEUS is useful in the differential diagnosis of splenic lesions.

Key words:
Ultrasonography; Microbubbles; Splenic diseases


The aim of the BIONCA project was to implement cytogenetic techniques for biodosimetry purposes in the Nordic countries. The previous NKS-funded biodosimetry activities (BIODOS and BIOPEX) concentrated on experiments using gamma-irradiation and on developing the PCC ring assay for biodosimetry. Experiments conducted during the present BIONCA project has broadened the biodosimetry capacity of the Nordic countries to include dose estimation of exposure to neutrons for both PCC ring and dicentric chromosome techniques. In 2009, experiments were conducted for establishing both PCC ring and dicentric dose calibration curves. Neutron irradiation of human whole blood obtained from two volunteers was conducted in the Netherlands at the Petten reactor. Cell cultures and analysis of whole blood exposed to eight doses between 0 and 10 Gy were performed for both techniques. For the dicentric assay, excellent uniformity in dose calibration for data from both SU and STUK was observed. For PCC rings, the SU and STUK curves were not equally congruent, probably due to the less uniform scoring criteria. However, both curves displayed strong linearity throughout the dose range. In 2010, an exercise was conducted to simulate a criticality accident and to test the validity of the established dose calibration curves. For accident simulation, 16 blood samples were irradiated in Norway at the Kjeller reactor and analysed for dose estimation with both assays. The results showed that, despite a different com-position of the radiation beams in Petten and Kjeller, good dose estimates were obtained. The activity has provided good experience on collaboration required in radiation emergency situations where the biodosimetry capacity and resources of one laboratory may be inadequate. In this respect, the project has strengthened the informal network between the Nordic countries: STUK, the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, NRPA, the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority and SU, the Stockholm University.


This paper introduces a structured, adaptive-length deep representation called Neural Eigenmap. Unlike prior spectral methods such as Laplacian Eigenmap that operate in a nonparametric manner, Neural Eigenmap leverages NeuralEF to parametrically model eigenfunctions using a neural network. We show that, when the eigenfunction is derived from positive relations in a data augmentation setup, applying NeuralEF results in an objective function that resembles those of popular self-supervised learning methods, with an additional symmetry-breaking property that leads to structured representations where features are ordered by importance. We demonstrate using such representations as adaptive-length codes in image retrieval systems. By truncation according to feature importance, our method requires up to $16\times$ shorter representation length than leading self-supervised learning ones to achieve similar retrieval performance. We further apply our method to graph data and report strong results on a node representation learning benchmark with more than one million nodes.


We previously demonstrated Streptococcus mutans produces two bacteriolytic enzymes of 100 kDa and 80 kDa (G. Yoshimura et al. Microbiol. Immunol. 48, 465–469, 2004). Here, we identified the protein sequence of these enzymes and found they come from a single gene product designated as automutanolysin (Aml). Aml has a modular design where the N‐terminus contains five 13‐amino‐acid repeats and a C‐terminal enzyme active domain. Aml selectively lyses S. mutans and S. sobrinus but no other oral streptococci. This suggests Aml possesses strong substrate specificity towards cariogenic bacteria present in the human oral cavity. Analysis of S. mutans peptidoglycan fragments released by Aml shows the enzyme is an N‐acetylmuraminidase. We found Ca2+ enhances the activity; and EGTA, EDTA and iodoacetic acid inhibit the activity. The optimum pH range for lytic activity was 6 to 7. Disruption of the aml gene in S. mutans results in the formation of a longer bacterial cell chain length that was dispersed by the addition of a low concentration of Aml. This suggests Aml is involved in S. mutans cell separation.


This paper investigates the effect of different transmitter waveforms on the transient electromagnetic(TEM) system response.For a loop target in free space,the voltage response is derived for waveforms of square,trapezoidal,half-sine and triangular shape.It is found that,for lower conductivity object,every waveform excites almost the same response during on-time and off-time,respectively.Among all waveforms,the maximum response is generated by a square pulse.For low signal to noise ratio(SNR) during off-time,square pulse is usually used for lower conductivity object detection.For higher conductivity object,response sharply decreased with the increase of the conductivity during off-time.While the responses of half-sine and triangular shapes are constant with the increase of conductivity.So we concluded that half-sine and triangular shapes are suitable for on-time detection.By properly increasing the base frequency,high SNR and high space resolution can be obtained.


Part 1 Context and history: setting the scene - "those who don't eat and those who don't sleep", Raff Carmen, Miguel Sobrado Clodomir Santos de Morais and the origins of his large-scale capacitation theory and method, Miguel Sobrado. Part 2 Theoretical perspectives: the large-scale capacitation method and social participation - theoretical perspectives, Clodomir Santos de Morais from Paulo Freire to Clodomir Santos de Morais - from critical to organisational consciousness, Jacinta Castello Branco Correia. Part 3 The Organisation Workshop in practice: - its spread in Central and South America - from navvies to entrepreneurs - the Organisation Workshop in Costa Rica, Miguel Sobrado sacked agricultural workers take on the multinationals in Honduras, Benjamin Erazo the Mexican experience with organisation workshops, Juna Jose Rojas Herrera the Organisation Workshop in Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru, Miguel Sobrado three decades of work with OWs in Latin America - an institutional perspective, Leopoldo Sandoval the Organisation Workshop in Africa - "doing enterprises" in war-time and post-war Mozambique, Isabel de Labra, Ivan de Labra in Angola, Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, Paulo Roberto da Silva hard learning in Zimbabwe and in post civil-war Mozambique, Isabel de Labra, Ivan de Labra Organisation Development (OD) and Morais's Organisation Workshop (OW) - South Africa and Botswana, Gavin Andersson in Europe and other industrial countries -the potential of the OW in former Soviet Bloc countries and economies in crisis, Miguel Sobrado in post-Salazar Portugal, Isabel de Labra, Ivan de Labra the crisis of work in post-industrial western countries, Raff Carmen. Part 4 From local OWs to national employment general systems: the Brazilian PROGEI-SIPGEIs, Jacinta Castello Branco Correia "more than a job - a future" - the PAE self-employment programme in Brazil, Walter Barelli the OW and civil society organisations in Brazil, Jacinta Castello Branco Correia OW's potential - concluding observations, Miguel Sobrado.


With the inexorably serious energy shortage and environment contamination, the wide utilization of the well known sustainable power sources are considered as successful approaches to improve the energy and environment circumstance. The negative impact on the system stability couldn't be overlooked for their irregular, fluctuant and arbitrary attributes. Intending to think about the strength of microgrid with access of Instantaneous Features Extraction is one of the most productive methods for successful utilization of these grids. In this way a proactive tracking, counteract fault ride-through the sustainable sources, bring about limiting downtime and improving the profitability. In this unique situation, this paper proposes Instantaneous Features Extraction calculation for the identification of voltage droops as they are the most frequently experienced power quality aggravations. Hence takes into consideration early discovery of power quality degeneration improves the profitability.


The stress caused by vortices in tetragonal superconductors contributes to the intervortex interaction which depends on vortex orientation within the crystal, on elastic moduli, and is attractive within certain angular regions even in fields along the c crystal axis. For sufficiently strong stress dependence of the critical temperature, this contribution may result in distortions of the hexagonal vortex lattice for H||c. In small fields it leads to formation of a square vortex lattice with a fixed H independent spacing. This should be seen in the magnetization M(H) as a discontinuous jump of magnetization at the transition from the Meissner to mixed states.


Paint has become the most essential item in modern times, whether it is meant for residential purposes, or industrial applications. Decoration and protection are two main purposes of all paints. Therefore, it is obvious thought that paint-life, as dry film, has to be as long as possible. The technology has advanced many folds in recent years to achieve this aim, with many new advances in binder systems available for formulating paints, newer and safer pigments, and innovative formulation as also application technology of paints for their usage. These efforts are oriented to achieve better chemical properties of formulated paints, so that paint films would give extended life to the satisfaction of the ultimate customers. A new parameter added to these technical developments, is to probe the microbial stability of paints, since any such growth on painted surface is known to deteriorate the functional usage of paints. This property has assumed prime importance in modern times, last two decades, in paints used in homes. Paint applied in residential complexes, for exterior or interior use, can be grouped into two general categories, waterborne and solvent borne, and it typically has two basic functions, protection and decoration. Contamination of paint, by microbial growth in it, in either the wet state or on dried film can destroy these functions, leading to both aesthetic and physical degradation of the painted surface. For this reason, millions are spent annually by the paint industry on chemicals to protect their paint from microbial damage. These chemicals are called as Paint Preservatives.


During pediatric telemedicine encounters for respiratory infection, antibiotics are prescribed frequently, and their use correlates with visit satisfaction. Antimicrobial stewardship efforts are indicated. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are a common reason for direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine consultation. Antibiotic prescribing during video-only DTC telemedicine encounters was explored for pediatric RTIs. METHODS: Encounter data were obtained from a nationwide DTC telemedicine platform. Mixed-effects regression was used to assess variation in antibiotic receipt by patient and physician factors as well as the association between antibiotic receipt and visit length or patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Of 12 842 RTI encounters with 560 physicians, antibiotics were prescribed in 55%. The provider was more likely to receive a 5-star rating from the parent when an antibiotic was prescribed (93.4% vs 80.8%). A 5-star rating was associated with a prescription for an antibiotic (odds ratio [OR] 3.38; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.84 to 4.02), an antiviral (OR 2.56; 95% CI 1.81 to 3.64), or a nonantibiotic (OR 1.93; 95% CI 1.58 to 2.36). Visit length was associated with higher odds of a 5-star rating only when no antibiotic was prescribed (OR 1.03 per 6 seconds; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.06). Compared with nonpediatricians, pediatric providers were less likely to prescribe antibiotics (OR 0.44; 95% CI 0.29 to 0.68); however, pediatricians received higher encounter satisfaction ratings (OR 1.50; 95% CI 1.11 to 2.03). CONCLUSIONS: During DTC telemedicine consultations for RTIs, pediatric patients were frequently prescribed antibiotics, which correlated with visit satisfaction. Although pediatricians prescribed antibiotics at a lower rate than other physicians, their satisfaction scores were higher. Further work is required to ensure that antibiotic use during DTC telemedicine encounters is guideline concordant.


Abstract
Immunofluorescent "banding" of the dermal-epidermal junction of skin was demonstrated in 3 of 7 patients with lepromatous leprosy by direct immunofluorescence microscopy. The "banding" was caused specifically by deposition of IgM. Within the glomeruli of one patient, dense, amorphous deposits in subendothelial and intramembranous position were also demonstrated by electron microscopy. These preliminary findings suggest that lepromatous leprosy may be associated with immunologic disturbances of both skin and glomerular basement membranes.


The ground-state splitting and optical absorption spectrum for a (d5)6S ion in a cubic host crystal are calculated (by means of the simplest crystal field approximation and a complete (d5) configuration) as functions of the Racah parameters B and C, the crystal field parameter ?, the spin-orbit parameter £, and the spin-spin parameters M0 and M2.


This paper discusses the actions of noted Harvard University president James Bryant Conant, taken in regard to the Nazi government in Germany, from the time of Conant's becoming president of Harvard University in 1933 to the time of the widespread pogrom in Germany of 9–10 November 1938, known as Kristallnacht. Conant's attitudes and actions toward the Nazis have been chronicled in some depth by scholars including William M. Tuttle in a doctoral dissertation in the 1960s, and an article based on that dissertation published in 1979 and, more recently, Stephen Norwood as part of his 2009 indictment of American universities for their widespread tolerance and frequent support of Nazism. Norwood's indictment criticised Tuttle's work for being insufficiently critical of Conant's dealings with Nazi Germany. This paper will evaluate both Conant's actions and the historical interpretations of those actions by Tuttle and Norwood. It will also address the issue of Conant's power as president of Harvard University and how that position of power relates to the actions taken by Conant and the evaluations of those actions by Tuttle and Norwood. Our main focus in this effort is on contextualising Conant's actions in terms of the perceived and actual power of the president of the leading university in the United States of America. What are the powers of university presidents, especially the Harvard University president, and how do Conant's actions cast light on the contours of those powers and the limits on them, self- and socially imposed?


The purpose of this thesis was to apply given circumstances from The School for Scandal utilizing presentational and representational acting techniques to develop the role of Lady Teazle.


Objective To observe the efficacy of Panax quinquefolius combined midodrine hydrochloride on hemodialysisrelated hypotension in elderly patients.Methods A total of 30 cases of dialysis-related hypotension of the elderly hemodial ysis patients were randomly divided into treatment group(Panax quinquefolius combined midodrine group) and control group(midodrine group),observed the blood pressure of before and after treatment in during hemodialysis for six-month.Results The diastolic and systolic blood pressure of two groups were lower than before treatment.Panax quinquefolius joint midodrine were better than a single midodrine,the difference is statistically significance(P0.05).Conclusion The treatment of Panax quinquefolius joint midodrine is worthy of promotion for elderly patients with uremia Dialysis-related hypotension.


This paper presents a Monte Carlo approach for determining optimal component sizing for several different classes of fuel cell transit buses. Real world bus routes were collected and used in simulation for a large set of bus powertrain configurations, and then each case was evaluated using a defined set of pass/fail criterion. Each passing case was further evaluated using a defined set of metrics based on route difficulty and vehicle performance. Using these results, optimal powertrain configurations were determined for the various route profiles. Finally, a set of optimal configurations are proposed for fuel cell transit buses over a range of varying driving vocations.


Members of stigmatized groups often face dehumanization. The current work investigated whether individuals may also dehumanize perpetrators of bigotry. Three main findings emerged. First, participants perceived racists as less than fully human. This finding also generalized to sexists, suggesting that the propensity to dehumanize perpetrators of bigotry is not limited to racists. Second, the extent to which participants dehumanized racists predicted the degree to which they reported that ambiguous behaviors performed by strangers reflected racial bias. Third, this association did not emerge when participants evaluated behaviors performed by their friends, suggesting that views of "racists" in general may not be linked with evaluations of behaviors performed by at least some close others. These findings demonstrate that dehumanization extends to perpetrators of bias and predicts evaluations of their behaviors.


PURPOSE: To obtain a method and an apparatus for non-destructive inspection of the wall of a tank for housing a liquid in which at least one radioactive element radiating gamma rays is distributed almost evenly. CONSTITUTION: A tank houses a liquid in which radioactive elements releasing gamma rays are distributed substantially evenly. A photon detector 15 is arranged near the external surface in a measuring band of a wall 12 and a counting is performed pertaining to photons which are released by the radioactive elements distributed in the liquid 7 and passes through the measuring band of he wall 12. The number of the photons determined by the counting is compared with a reference number thereof passing through a reference band of the wall. Thus, it is estimated whether a defect in the measuring band of the wall 12 exists or not. An inspecting instrument is provided with the photon- detector 15 arranged at one end of a collimator 16 made of heavy metal piercing a channel or a window 17.


Introduction The production of hydrogen through steam reforming of ethanol at high temperatures (673 873 K) has been extensively studied [1]. The major challenge of this process is catalyst deactivation mainly due to carbon formation [2]. Increasing reaction temperature inhibits carbon formation as well as enhances the formation of CO. This is due to the thermodynamically favored reverse WGS and dry methane reforming reactions. In order to accomplish with the requirements of a PEM fuel cell, purification steps are needed, resulting in higher hydrogen cost and larger size and weight of the fuel processor. One alternative is the low temperature steam reforming (573 673 K) of ethanol. Under this reaction condition, the main reaction pathway is ethanol decomposition to H2, CO, CH4. Depending on the reaction conditions and catalyst used, CO formation can be reduced [3]. The aim of this work is to develop new catalysts to produce hydrogen through ethanol reforming at low temperatures, with low selectivity toward CO and high stability. In particular, the relationship between the performance of Ni/CeO2 and the shape effect of ceria with different shape-controlled nanostructures (rods, cubes) was investigated.


The greatest thrill I can imagine for myself is to stand on the moon's surface and to look back from the harshness of the lunar landscape to the luminous hospitable earth. From that vantage point, I believe, I could view the earth in its oneness. There I could better understand that indeed all mankind properly shares in the pride of attaining a lunar landing. After all, it is science and engineering, the common heritage of all mankind, that made it possible! All nations and races have contributed to the unbroken threads of knowledge that comprise science. From space, the earth must indeed appear a rare and beautiful place in the vastness of the universe. I sometimes gain this sense of the emptiness and scale of the cosmos when I fly my plane over the lightless reaches of western Nevada on a dark, clear night and see the Galaxy stretched out overhead. The past steps in space have required extraordinary bravery and emotional stability on the part of the men of our space program, who understood, as the public only vaguely does, the hazards of the task. To take the next great step in space will require no less skill and knowledge, equally steadfast courage, and a parallel sense for innovation. The next step in spaee must be directed toward the earth. We must turn our newly discovered skills toward the construction of world systems that make the planet earth even better than it is now for its burgeoning numbers of people. We must invent new world-technologies. We must commit the resources of space science, directly and indirectly, to the achievement of an optimum balance of man and nature on this magnificent but imperiled planet.


We report measurements of the effective Coulomb interaction of the final-state holes, or Auger parameter, of the ${\mathit{L}}_{3}$${\mathit{M}}_{4,5}$${\mathit{M}}_{4,5}$ transition in the 4d metallic series. By applying the excited-atom version of the quasiatomic model of hole screening, we show that it is possible to extract experimentally a purely valence-electron contribution to the Auger parameter. The systematic dependence on atomic number clearly manifests the effect of the type of screening charge. Comparison with 4d ${\mathit{M}}_{5}$${\mathit{N}}_{4,5}$${\mathit{N}}_{4,5}$ results indicates independence of the final-state nature within experimental error (\ensuremath{\simeq}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5 eV), lending support to interpretations of d-band holes as corelike. The similarity with model results for the 5d series is striking and there is general agreement with calculations of metallic renormalization of the Auger parameter in the 4d series.


To species in the arboris group of genus Sergentomyia, subgenus Neophlebotomus are described. One S. nilamburensis is a new species closely related to Sergentomyia zeylanica Annadale. The other species described is S. arboris Sinton. Differences in important characters of S. arboris from earlier descriptions are discussed


The purpose of the study is to identify the importance of creativity skills for students and practitioners, as well as measure student creativity. Our results support the fact that students and practitioners alike recognize creativity as significant skills for current business practice. The study did show that students ranked the importance of creativity skills higher than practitioners. Another key finding is that our business students have a relatively low creativity score. According to the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, student fluency scores the ability to produce a large number of alternative ideas, is low in comparison to the Torrance norm. The findings support the idea that creativity skills can be learned and the study also compared the student creativity level with a student personality profile. Our research identifies that Explorers, as a type of personality, demonstrate a low creativity score and Negotiators show a relatively high creativity level. Furthermore, the authors offer recommendations for educators. Introduction In the Harvard Business Review, authors Amabile and Khaire (2008) declared that "American organizations could use a bigger dose of creativity." The same authors made the point that creativity is essential to entrepreneurship to get a new business started and also essential to sustain the best companies after they have reached global scale. To establish an overall understanding of creativity, we analyzed the differences between existing creativity theories, as well as definitions of creativity. For the last decade, the creativity literature has had substantial growth in volume and scope, as well as methodological and theoretical sophistication (Hennessey and Amabile, 2010). A great deal of previous research has tried to answer the following questions: "What is creativity? What are the factors that affect creativity? Can creativity be taught?" One remarkable stream of research has been done by Paul E. Torrance. The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) is one of the most commonly used and well known tests of creativity. Many researchers 83 have varied his methodologies to perpetuate their results (Torrance, 1990). Paul Torrance defines creativity as "a process that involves sensing the gaps or disturbing the missing elements, hypotheses, communicating the results and possibly modifying and retesting these hypotheses." TTCT includes many different terms related to creativity with the most common being fluency, flexibility, and originality. Fluency is acknowledged as the ability to produce a large number of alternative ideas (O'Neil and Drillings, 1994). To measure fluency, Torrance simply counts the number of answers a student has for the proposed question. Another way of looking at fluency is by selecting an object and trying to come up with as many different purposes and uses for the item as possible; the more uses thought up, the most fluent person is. Flexibility is defined as the ability to produce a variety of ideas or use of variety of approaches (O'Neil and Drillings, 1994). By the Torrance research, flexibility is presented as the different answers that person gives. In a way, answers can be similar, for instance "the boy caught the ball" as opposed to "the ball was caught by the boy." This representation is not flexible, because is it the same meaning. To determine flexibility, Torrance examines answers and sees how one answer varies from the other. Originality is defined as the ability to produce new, unusual, and innovative ideas (O'Neil and Drillings, 1994). The TTCT has a construct of common answers and methods to determine if one answer is defined for originality. The simplest way to identify originality is that it is an original thought, something that has not been thought of before. Torrance's extensive research which spans more than four decades, with over 2,000 research studies, allowed him to collect valuable data. Based on this data, Torrance developed the norms of creativity, including the average creativity score for age of 20 to 39 years old. Our research will use the TTCT, as a methodology, to measure business student creativity level. Hypothesis 1: The creativity score for our business students will be close to the Torrance's Norms of creativity Another creativity paradigm is the Guilford Model of the Structure of Intellect, which used similar terms that Torrance created. The Torrance model was solely for educational purposes while Guilford's model was difficult to apply in educational and training sessions. The Guilford Model (Table 1) follows eight abilities in the definition of creativity: sensitivity to problems, fluency, novel ideas, flexibility, synthesizing, analyzing, complexity, and evaluation (Guilford, 1968).


A prototype viscometer of novel design is described. Experiments using the viscometer with solutions of polybutadiene in decalin were carried out, and measurements were taken of thread tension and filament radius. Using a force‐balance equation, these results were used to evaluate the axial stresses in the filament. The effects of gravity, inertia, aerodynamic drag, and stress history on the elongational viscosity are shown. The results are discussed in the light of previous experimental results and theoretical predictions of the elongational viscosity.


Abstract— An adenylate cyclase present in the caudate nucleus of the rat brain, which is selectively stimulated by low concentrations of dopamine and which is believed to mediate dopaminergic synaptic transmission has been characterized with respect to interactions with guanyl nucleotides and magnesium ions. The addition of GTP (10−5 M) or GMPPNP (10−5 M) did not alter the linear increase in cyclic AMP as a function of time in the presence and absence of dopamine. GTP did, however, inhibit basal adenylate cyclase activity in homogenates of the caudate but the dopamine‐stimulated enzyme activity was not affected, thus increasing the percent stimulation produced by dopamine. This ability of GTP to increase responsiveness to dopamine was not dependent on the level of added Mg2+ in the assay medium. Conversely, GMPPNP (10−5 M) markedly lowered the basal as well as the dopamine stimulated activity as a function of magnesium in the caudate. These results suggest an important role for GTP and Mg2+ in the regulation of caudate adenylate cyclase and its activation by dopamine. In homogenates of the cortex the most dramatic effect of GTP and GMPPNP was on the potentiation of the norepinephrine effect. The guanyl nucleotides studied in the cortex did not have the inhibitory effect on basal enzyme activity as observed in homogenates of the caudate.


The embodiment of the invention provides an information interaction method and electronic equipment. The information interaction method is applied to first electronic equipment, wherein the first electronic equipment is provided with a first interaction unit and a second interaction unit; the first interaction unit comprises a first display unit; the method comprises the following steps: when the second interaction unit is in a working state, receiving second electronic equipment information of the second electronic equipment by virtue of the second interaction unit; processing the second electronic equipment information; transmitting the processing process to the first interaction unit by virtue of the second interaction unit; displaying the processing process by virtue of the first display unit. According to the scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, when the second interaction unit is in the working state, the equipment information of the second electronic equipment is received; the second interaction unit and the second electronic equipment are in a connected state without a manual input operation; the connection process is simple.


ABSTRACT Using interviews with parents and guardians, and the child where appropriate, this study compared feeding problems of children with disabilities in Kentucky with a sample of typical children. Subjects were 50 children ages 3-5; 25 children were without disabilities. In addition to interviews, data were collected from case records, medical histories, and a food frequency questionnaire. A Health and NuLrition Assessment Inventory for children with feeding disorders was done with both groups. Results showed that: (1) children without disabilities were taller and weighed more than children with disabilities; (2) children with disabilities had a greater incidence of poor oral motor skills; (3) children with disabilities have more dental problems and weaker tongue muscles; (4) typical children spend a longer time eating than children with disabiilities. The implications of this study are that children with special needs are at an increased risk for nutritional deficiencies or excesses than typical children and require additional attention from teachers during feeding. Also, children with disabilities may require more careful monitoring of dental health needs, since dental health is directly related to nutritional status. The present study documents the need for an incrasing role of the nutritionist as a vital member of the education team for these children. Since these children are and will continue to be mainstreamed, it is important for educators to understand the feeding problems associated with this population. Contains nine notes and references. (iW)


The invention concerns a method for making tablets with active principle sustained-release which consists in: preparing a fluid oil-in-water emulsion; spraying the resulting emulsion on a powder mixture containing at least the active principle; subjecting said treated powder to a compressing step, to obtain tablets.


Existing audio analysis methods generally first transform the audio stream to spectrogram, and then feed it into CNN for further analysis. A standard CNN recognizes specific visual patterns over feature map, then pools for high-level representation, which overlooks the positional information of recognized patterns. However, unlike natural image, the semantic of an audio spectrogram is sensitive to positional change, as its vertical and horizontal axes indicate the frequency and temporal information of the audio, instead of naive rectangular coordinates. Thus, the insensitivity of CNN to positional change plays a negative role on audio spectrogram encoding. To address this issue, this paper proposes a new self-supervised learning mechanism, which enhances the audio representation by first generating adversarial samples (\textit{i.e.}, negative samples), then driving CNN to distinguish the embeddings of negative pairs in the latent space. Extensive experiments show that the proposed approach achieves best or competitive results on 9 downstream datasets compared with previous methods, which verifies its effectiveness on audio representation learning.


Generator curtailment allows Distribution Network Operators to increase the maximum capacity of distributed renewable generation connections to their networks, but curtailment means lost revenue for generators. Energy Storage Systems (ESS) can mitigate curtailment by time-shifting generation away from congested periods and can combine this with other tasks. This paper develops a linear-programming optimization to maximize the revenue generated by an ESS connected to a wind farm in a curtailment scheme. The storage is used for curtailment reduction and price-arbitrage in an external market. A case study is developed and the optimization applied for storage devices with a range of efficiencies and penetrations. The effect of storage efficiency on revenue is shown to be stronger in price arbitrage than in generation-curtailment. An economic analysis is carried out for a Sodium Sulphur battery store and it is clear that, at current costs, more valuable revenue streams are required to achieve economic viability.


PLGA is the one of most successfully used biodegradable polymers in nanoparticle drug delivery development [1]. With this nanoparticle, we can improve the efficiency and limited the toxicity of the drug. Because of its property, it can be used to improve the treatment of liver fibrosis.


Shell bulging and cracking in coke drums have been documented for decades. Most of the literature on the subject attributes these failures to severe spatial and temporal thermal gradients that develop during the quench part of the operating cycle. While transient thermal gradients can be severe and can cause excessive stresses, they alone cannot explain all types of observed shell damage in drums. In this paper, the authors present and discuss observations that suggest that when a cooling shell contracts during quenching, the interaction of the cooling shell with the in-situ coke in the drum can induce substantial hoop and axial stresses in its wall. The manner and degree to which this resistance plays a role in causing damage appears to depend on the type of coke produced and the way drums are operated.Copyright © 2017 by ASME


Reviews the current status of radioisotope applications in Defence- R&D Establishments, Defence Inspectorates, Ordnance Factories, Public Sector Undertakings under the Defence Ministry, Army, Navy and Air Force Establishments and Military Hospitals. It also lists the users of film badge service in Defence. Training programmes in radioisotope applications in Defence conducted by DRDO organisations have also been highlighted.


As news spread of the abdication of Spanish king Juan Carlos on June 2, a strange rustling sound could be heard across Barcelona. Hard to work out at first, it soon became clear what it was. It was the city - the capital of Catalonia - laughing.


South Africa is considered an energy intensive country. To mitigate this, incentives have been made available to encourage the uptake of energy efficiency initiatives. The industrial sector presents several opportunities for these incentives. However, the diversity and complexity of the available options presents a significant challenge when investigating potential incentives. This paper therefore devises a method to aid the industrial sector in identifying and selecting viable incentives. A brief overview of the extensive research conducted is presented to introduce the reader to the applicable industrial incentives. The findings are then summarised, simplified and used to develop a set of defining questions. These questions characterise the incentives into different groups. These groups are then used to formulate a process to determine an applicable energy strategy. The process is then graphically illustrated with the use of a process diagram. This simplified illustration of the research outcome enables other users to quickly identity viable incentive opportunities. The developed process is also validated with case studies from three major industrial sectors: mining, steel and manufacturing.


This paper is for policymakers, advocates, and analysts who understand that the issues surrounding the introduction of more market-based mechanisms into education are complex and who accept the view that evidence is useful in sorting out the issues. It uses the market framework of demand, supply, and market pricing to organize the extensive but disparate evidence on the effects of market-based reforms in the United States, Chile, and New Zealand. It critically examines the relevant evidence on how choice and competition affect educational outcomes, especially for urban schools. It provides guidance to policymakers on all sides of this complex issue. After an introduction that examines the market framework and policy implications, four chapters discuss (1) "Demand: Parental Choice" (e.g., choice and competition, adverse impacts on schools left behind, and non-market arguments for expanding choice); (2) "Supply: Providing More Options within the Public School System" (e.g., site-based management and charter schools and education management organizations); (3) "Supply: Public Funding for Private Schools" (e.g., private elementary and high schools and the relative costs of private schools); and (4) "Market Prices and Alternative Mechanisms" (market prices and teacher labor markets). (Contains 63 references.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.


Abstract : Preliminary data are presented characterizing Union Carbide Corporation's Thornel 50, the Royal Aircraft Establishment's RAE, and H.I. Thompson & Company's graphite fiber reinforcements in plastic matrix composites. Single filament properties as well as the physical and mechanical properties of composites are presented. Fabrication of woven graphite fiber fabric and braided fiber composites are included. Long term humid aging effects on composite flexural and shear properties are presented. The specific properties of composites fabricated with graphite reinforcements available at the time of writing are compared to previously characterized advanced composite systems utilizing such reinforcing filaments as S-glass, Boron, and other graphites. (Author).


We introduce a two-level heuristic approach for solving jobs originated from incompatible job families that aims to minimize the total weighted tardiness. At the first level, an apparent tardiness cost with setups (ATCS) for a single machine is developed. The second level, a tabu search (TS) heuristic is developed that uses the initial solution obtained by the ATCS and provides a better solution if it exist. Real industrial data is used to test and validate the proposed methodology. The results indicate that the suggested approach can provide solution in a reasonable good time that can be of use for the decision maker.


One-half minim of a 0.1% solution of epinephrine in water per kilogram of body weight was administered with a maximum dose of ten minims to any individual, after a 12-hour fasting period. Thus all adults and most children studied received a dose of 10 minims intramuscularly. Serum glucose and citric acid levels were followed at short intervals as shown in the charts below. In view of the varying response of different individuals, average curves were not drawn but representative results are shown in Figure 1 for children, and Figure 2 for adults. Glucose determinations were carried out by the method of Folin and Wu (3) and citric acid determinations were carried out as described before (4). This latter method has been in routine use in our laboratory for more than a year and is in error by less than 5%.


An automatable mass production system capable of manufacturing low loss (less than 0.1 dB) fused single mode fiber optic couplers at a rate in excess of 30,000 pieces per work station year has been developed. The design requirements and limitations observed in the initial development of a manual version of this system are discussed. Integration of users optical and mechanical requirements, optical fiber design, and coupler manufacturing tooling is an important goal in the effort to reduce costs to large volume users.


However limited the coverage or extent of environmental case-studies may be, it seems clear that they can be useful tools in the improvement of professional performance. Their potential can be further exploited by the development of appropriate and agreed methodologies, so that the comparative aspects of case-study work can be developed and the transference of experience occur at a broader level. There is an obvious need to speed the learning process and to short-circuit the costly experience of learning through direct personal action involving expensive trial-and-error. This is particularly true in the context of increasing awareness of the magnitude of the problems which the Third World faces, and the need to speed their processes of development and stabilization at a reasonable and appropriate level. Although a general case can be made for the need to adopt, more widely than at present, rigorous case-study techniques and discipline, it is likely that little progress will be made without the development of appropriate and commonly-accepted methodologies. The initiative of international organizations, such as OECD and UNESCO, in promoting and supporting case-study research, is to be welcomed. Yet there is a need for a much wider sponsorship of work by international agencies, both in increasing the 'north-south dialogue' and in the application of case-study techniques to problems of common concern. Obviously, several agencies are already bridging the developed and developing worlds through their promotion of international aid programmes involving technical assistance. While some of these packages now include an element of local employment and sometimes a local training component, too often the expertise which the experience developed departs with the promoting agency at the conclusion of the programme. The application of case-study techniques to many development projects would provide one invaluable method of documenting the process for the development and transfer of experience, and also provide a sound basis for the future evaluation and assessment of the project in relation to its original objectives. It is difficult to conceive that such simple, cost-effective approaches, which are likely to have wide relevance to the development of environmental training systems, could be overlooked in the future.


As the length of confinement and the ratio of male to female Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) were increased, the frequency of mating also increased. Generally, females do not mate more than once during a given night but may male as many as 7 limes during 5 days. Males were capable of mating each night but never more than once each night. The record number of matings for 1 male was 12.

Males were sterilized with tepa and allowed to compete with untreated males (ratios ranging from 4:1 to 8:1) for untreated females (male to female ratios ranging from 1:1 to 4:1). Based on reduction in egg hatch, the criterion of competitiveness, the sterile male is not able to compete effectively with untreated males for females.


The chemisorption of n-butylamine (n-BA) and n-butylmercaptan (n-BM) on cobalt–molybdenum catalysts supported on alumina containing fluoride ions was studied. The active phases of the catalysts were introduced in two ways: either simultaneously or in two stages. It was shown that the chemisorption of n-BA increased with increasing concentration of fluoride ions, but no such relationship was observed for n-BM. The sequence in which fluoride ions and CoMo were introduced had no significant effect on the effectiveness of chemisorption.


The Upper Jurassic Smackover Formation throughout most of the U.S. Gulf Coast is composed of a regressive sequence of carbonate ramp deposits. From central Mississippi to eastern Louisiana, however, carbonate deposition was influenced or interrupted by a large influx of siliciclastics derived from an ancestral Mississippi River source. Longshore currents and storm processes, combined with sea-level fluctuations, led to interfingering of the sandstones and carbonates in nearshore to basinal depositional environments. In central Mississippi the sour gas trend (five fields at depths greater than 19,300 ft (5,880 m)) is characterized by mixed siliciclastic/carbonate deposits that occur in a general upward-shoaling sequence. The upward-shoaling sequence is evident both within fields as well as from downdip to more updip locations. In Thomasville, the most updip field, the upward-shoaling sequence is composed of (1) outer ramp bioturbated storm deposits interbedded with mudstones and wackestones, (2) lower shoreface and shelf ridge sand bodies that are gradational with pelletal packstones and minor ooid grainstones, and (3) shoreface and shoal sandstones with gradational contacts into high-energy ooid grainstone deposits with local skeletal buildups. Tidal-flat carbonate mudstones and Buckner Formation sabkha evaporites are the uppermost units of the upward-shoaling sequence and are the top seals to the hydrocarbon accumulation. Harrisville, the most downdip field, contains a basal sandstone that is interpreted to be a basinal turbidite deposit interbedded with microlaminated carbonates. Only the lower half of the upward-shoaling sequence is present in Harrisville, with the uppermost sandstones interbedded with middle to outer ramp skeletal and pelletal packstones and wackestones.


Introduction: PCA3 is a prostate specific non coding RNA (ncRNA), involved in the
control of prostate cancer (PCa) cell survival, through modulating androgen receptor
(AR) signaling. Objective: In order to better characterize the molecular mechanisms
by which PCA3 is controlling LNCaP cell survival, we aimed to investigate whether
several cancer related genes, including those involved in epithelial-mesenchymal
transition (EMT), stemness potential and AR co-regulators could be involved in this
process in response to PCA3 downregulation. Moreover, we aimed to promote PCA3
stable silencing through a lentiviral vector containing a PCA3 short hairpin RNA
(shRNA) specific sequence. Methodology: We used small interfering RNA (siRNA)
or lentivirus vectorbased shRNA to downregulate PCA3 expression and evaluate the
effects of this ncRNA knockdown on LNCaP cell survival. After PCA3
downregulation, cells were analyzed by qRT-PCR to investigate PCA3 and several
cancer related genes expression. Confocal microscopy was performed to analyze
vimentin expression. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze the percentage of
LNCaP GFP positive cells and trypan blue staining to analyse the number of viable
cells after PCA3 stable silencing. Results: Among AR co-regulators genes
investigated, ARA70, ARA54, Smad 3 and EBP1 were upregulated in siPCA3-
transfected cells in relation to scramble sequence LNCaP transfected cells, while
Smad 4 and cyclin D1 were downregulated. We found that among 84 cancer-related
genes tested, 16 were differentially expressed in LNCaP siPCA3-transfected cells
when compared to transfected cells with a scramble sequence. Of these, 30% are
genes coding for signal transduction molecules and transcription factors. Gene
expression profile of EMT-related genes revealed that E-cadherin, Claudin-3,
Cytokeratin-18, Snail, Twist and Slug are upregulated in LNCaP siPCA3-transfected
cells compared to control, while Claudin-4, Cytokeratin-8 and Vimentin are
downregulated. Vimentin expression staining patterns were similar between LNCaP
siPCA3-transfect cells and control. Expression of stemness markers were not
detected in these tested conditions. LNCaP cells transduced with lentiviral vectors
carrying the GFP gene and shPCA3 stably dowregulated PCA3 expression,
producing a reduction of 60% of LNCaP GFP+ cells compared to shScrbl transduced
or non-transduced LNCaP cells. In addition, the number of viable cells was reduced
after PCA3 stable silencing. Conclusion: PCA3 downregulation by RNAi leads to a
loss of viability, through a process that involves key signal transduction molecules
and transcription factors that could orchestrate PCa cells survival. Our results also
suggested that the decrease in the number of LNCaP viable cells, observed after
siPCA3 transfection, seems to don´t be modulated by the classical EMT program,
although a partial reversion of this program could regulate the reduction of cell
survival induced by siPCA3. Observed deregulated expression of AR co-regulators
could be involved in the inhibition of the AR target genes expression. Our data
suggest that that this ncRNA perform a regulatory role in gene expression, being able
to modulate gene expression of several signaling pathways related to cancer.
Moreover, our results suggest that the stable downregulation of PCA3 expression
shows potential as a PCa therapeutic approach by negatively modulation cell
survival.


Diffusion theory has been successfully used to model the effect of fluid invasion into the formation for neutron porosity logs and for the gamma-gamma density log. The purpose of this paper is to present results of computations using a five-group time-dependent diffusion code on invasion effects for the pulsed neutron thermal decay time log. Previous invasion studies by the author involved the use of a three-dimensional three-group steady-state diffusion theory to model the dual-detector thermal neutron porosity log and the gamma-gamma density log. The five-group time-dependent code MGNDE (Multi-Group Neutron Diffusion Equation) used in this work was written by Ferguson. It has been successfully used to compute the intrinsic formation life-time correction for pulsed neutron thermal decay time logs. This application involves the effect of fluid invasion into the formation.


A fully bio-based benzoxazine containing latent catalytic system is designed and successfully synthesized and it can be used as both an initiator and a beneficial property modifier of other thermosetting systems, especially for fire related properties.


The Colombian political economy during the upsurge of the economic cycle of 1975-80 attempted to curtail repercussions that affected coffee export's income distribution particularly as adjusting mechanisms contemplated to equilibrate the whole economy price level. From the conventional economic perspective the paper attempts to study some factors that affected not only market stability price level but exchange and income distribution rate with unquestionable consequences upon non-traditional exports income distribution. Some criticism is elevated about political preeminence of coffee's interest group that deprived entrepreneurial capacity on some other sectors and considerations were made to justify encouragement of some other dynamic ventures able to improve general level of competitiveness.


Sustainability report disclosures consist of economic category, environmental category, and social category. This study aims to examine the influence of each category in disclosure of sustainability reports on firm value. This research uses quantitative methods. The type of data used is secondary data obtained from all companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the 2017-2018 period. There are 30 sample companies that were produced from the purposive sampling method. The analysis technique used is Partial Least Square (PLS) with the help of SmartPLS 3.0 software. The results of this study conclude that only the economic category of sustainability report disclosures affected the influence on firm value in Indonesia. While the environmental category and social category in the disclosure of sustainability report have not influence on firm value,


Quite often a camera that is shooting a video sequence swings or rocks (for example the camera is hand held). For compression of digitized video it can be important to compensate for the motion of the camera by realigning the frames, shifting them one respect to the other, absorbing the movement of the camera. We show that for the general version of optimal frame alignment, the Vector Alignment problem is NP-complete. Moreover we prove that the Run Length Coding Alignment problem, a restricted subcase of the Vector Alignment problem that has direct application in video compression, can be solved in linear time by a dynamic programming algorithm.


[Objective] The research aimed to culture the fine varieties of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and carry out cloning rapid-propagation.[Method] Research by sterile root explants of S.baicalensis Georgi including callus inducing,differentiation,plantlet propagation and rooting were designed.[Result] The results showed that MS+2.0 mg/L 6-BA+0.2 mg/L NAA was the best medium for callus differentiation and plantlet rejuvenation.The best medium was 1/2 MS+0.3 mg/L NAA for rooting,and the rooting rate reached 96.7%.[Conclusion] The propagation rate could be improved using single node for S.baicalensis Georgi.


Mutation testing, a fundamental software testing technique, which is a typical way to evaluate the adequacy of a test suite. In mutation testing, a set of mutants are generated by seeding the different classes of faults into a program under test. Test data shall be generated in the way that as many mutants can be killed as possible. Thanks to numerous tools to implement mutation testing for different languages, a huge amount of mutants are normally generated even for small-sized programs. However, a large number of mutants not only leads to a high cost of mutation testing, but also make the corresponding test data generation a non-trivial task. In this paper, we make use of intelligent technologies to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of mutation testing from two perspectives. A machine learning technique, namely fuzzy clustering, is applied to categorize mutants into different clusters. Then, a multi-population genetic algorithm via individual sharing is employed to generate test data for killing the mutants in different clusters in parallel when the problem of test data generation as an optimization one. A comprehensive framework, termed as <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathbf {FUZGENMUT}$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi mathvariant="bold">FUZGENMUT</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="gong-ieq1-3052987.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>, is thus developed to implement the proposed techniques. The experiments based on nine programs of various sizes show that fuzzy clustering can help to reduce the cost of mutation testing effectively, and that the multi-population genetic algorithm improves the efficiency of test data generation while delivering the high mutant-killing capability. The results clearly indicate that the huge potential of using intelligent technologies to enhance the efficacy and thus the practicality of mutation testing.


Single processor scheduling with a common due window and family setups is studied.All jobs have common earliness cost and common tardiness penalty,but the window location with linear cost is a decision variable.The objective is to minimize the sum of all the costs.Following some properties of the optimal scheduling,a polynomial algorithm is proposed.


This paper proposes to evaluate tax reforms by aggregating money metric losses and gains of different individuals using \"generalized social marginal welfare weights.\" Optimum tax formulas take the same form as standard welfarist tax formulas by simply substituting standard marginal social welfare weights with those generalized weights. Weights directly capture society's concerns for fairness without being necessarily tied to individual utilities. Suitable weights can help reconcile discrepancies between the welfarist approach and actual tax practice, as well as unify in an operational way the most prominent alternatives to utilitarianism such as Libertarianism, equality of opportunity, or poverty alleviation. (JEL D60, D63, H21, H23, I38)


hinge mechanism having first and second connecting members (10, 11), one pivotally mounted relative to each other and having first and second spans of circular locking cooperating respectively with first and second pads locking belonging to grains (14) to immobilize the first and second connecting members, and a control device for the grains in engagement with the first and second spans of locking by allowing a certain pivoting of the grains on themselves.


The transition metal ion Fe 3+ in pure and Li-substituted ZnO single crystals which were grown by hydrothermal method has been studied by electron spin resonance over the temperature range 77 to 460 K. Several Fe 3+ centers are found in ferroelectric Li-substituted Zn 1 m x Li x O (x=0.086). One is a tetrahedrally-coordinated type Fe 3+ ion, other is attributed as Fe 3+ -V o . The fine structure splitting of Fe 3+ in Zn 1 m x Li x O is found to be slightly temperature dependent in ferroelectric phase. The Li hyperfine structure is clearly detected at 77 K in pure and Li-substituted ZnO.


The main motivation of this paper is to create new bioanalytical tools integrated within photonic and MEMS platforms. These technologies are being developed for bioassays not currently possible by using other approaches and include methods for the analysis of long DNA fragments in low copy number. In the development of these approaches, new self-assembly nanobiomaterial fabrication methods are described and discussed.


As the most widely distributed freshwater fish worldwide, common carp Cyprinus carpio can be either invasive or "naturalized" in most areas of introduction. This leads to different levels of perception regarding the species' role in freshwater ecosystems, with experimental research focusing either on its "middle-out" impacts or overall function in limnological processes. At the same time, the large scales at which carp dynamics operate may severely limit the validity of laboratory and, oftentimes, field experiments in extrapolating results to real-world ecosystems. In this study, 129 laboratory, field, and "natural" experiments were systematically reviewed through causal criteria analysis, and within an historical/biogeographical and risk-assessment context. Of the 19 countries where experiments were conducted, only 4 were considered as "low risk" and one as "no risk," the other being "medium" to "high risk." Experimental findings from 373 component-wise assessments supported the framework of effects on water quality, vegetation, invertebrates, and vertebrates, with the latter including also amphibians and waterfowl, previously unreported. Stronger evidence was provided by natural and field relative to laboratory experiments, reflecting the reductionism of the latter. Critical biomass for an impact was highly dependent on experimental setup, even though the overall threshold of ≈200 kg ha−1 under natural conditions supported recent findings. Management of carp should reflect the level of current and potential risk posed by the species in its different areas of distribution, thereby accounting for projections of further spread but also for unsuccessful colonization. Future experimentation should favor a holistic→reductionist over a reductionist→holistic approach.


Abstract. Previous studies suggest that online resilience, which is the capacity to bounce back from adversity by, for instance, coping with online risks in an effective way, and digital literacy serve as potential safeguards for young people against harmful consequences of negative online experiences. However, research on these factors largely resides in separate bodies of literature. By means of a systematic review, we aim to integrate the literature on young people's online resilience, digital literacy, and well-being in the context of negative online experiences, and we examine the associations among them. The review of 30 empirical articles shows that negative online experiences undermine young people's well-being but are also essential to developing online resilience. While a limited number of studies have focused on the protective roles of online resilience and digital literacy and on the link between these two factors, the review identified that more research is needed to establish whether this is truly the case. The review enables us to propose guidelines for further empirical research on the relations among young people's digital literacy, online resilience, and well-being.


According to the vehicle dynamics model and the requirements of reliable safety and minimal time, the path planning problem of parking in different types of parking spaces is solved by obstacle avoidance analysis and motion analysis in the case of the optimal solution, and the parking trajectory from the initial position to the designated parking space is obtained. In the static situation, different parking spaces in the parking space are occupied; analyze the parking space type, parking space left and right occupancy situation, and the distance between the vacant parking space and the starting point location of unoccupied cars; and establish the attribute information matrix R0 of the vacant parking space and calculate the KMO value of the matrix R0. This is completed to determine the weak correlation between the attributes of the vacant parking space and use the matrix R0 as the original evaluation matrix of the entropy weight method, using the entropy weight method to calculate the three attributes of parking space type, parking space left and right occupancy situation, and distance between starting point and parking space. These results are weighted in the optimal parking space selection process, the difficulty score of the vacant parking space is determined, and the optimal parking space is determined through the ranking of the scores. In the dynamic case, the number of parking spaces and parking space usage will change over time, with the help of the Bayesian network, the existing parking spaces and number of spaces in the parking lot at the previous moment are learned according to the computer clock, which can be used to reason about the number of parking spaces and parking space availability in the parking lot at the next moment. The weights of the three attributes of parking space type, parking space left and right situation, and distance between the starting point and parking space are updated in the case of a dynamic change of parking space, and then the parking difficulty score of a new vacant parking space using the entropy weight method is used to select the optimal parking space in the dynamic situation. The optimized parking path planning and parking space selection method could contribute to enhancing parking efficiency for the sustainable management of indoor parking lots.


Regional metamorphism in metasediments and orthogneisses of a deep structural level in the Spanish Central System is described here. Two metamorphic events (M1 y M2) are found again. Almandine-rich garnet, staurolite and sillimanite related to M1 are conserved as relicts and point to a former Barrowian-like metamorphism. 1k is caracterized by the breakdown of staurolite and garnet and widespreading of


This work is concerned with a laboratory device development for dynamic analysis of vehicle components behaviors. The concept of the device is to provide experimental data, mainly stiffness and damping coefficients, for full-scaled models of vehicle suspensions under realistic severe dynamic loading. The academic demand for these investigations is determined by current automobile all-terrain prototype SAE/Brazil-MINIBAJA project undertaken by CEFET/RJ students oriented by a professor board . The suspension behavior affects significantly the performance of a vehicle. An optimal condition must guarantee the best compromise among conflicting performance indices pertaining to the vehicle suspension system, i.e., comfort, road holding and working space. Altogether with new-concept designed solutions during project steps, there is a natural demand for employing commercial parts for technical and economical reasons. The knowledge of the dynamic response of commercial dampers specially constitutes a throat for suspension design. The device in focus will allow the testing of real damper-spring-parts assemblies under controlled conditions in order to determine such parameters. The device is wholly modeled in computational environment through 3D-cad softwares ( SOLIDWORKS) and dynamic simulation (ADAMS) according with analytical formulation expectations. The device operation includes data acquisition and interpretation through instrumentation resources. Besides the objectivity of technical procedures, designing steps and expected result, this work includes a major aspect: this is an academic experiment. The path from the initial definitions, reaching design solutions, mechanic production, instrumentation assembling, until the results interpretations are conducted by engineering under-graduated students. This paper presents the device from conception to final mechanical model the MINIBAJA-prototype dynamic behavior former results, a comparison with theoretical analytical formulations and an overview of the rich academic results obtained.


ABSTRACT The ambient vibration horizontal-to-vertical spectrum method (HVSR) is widely used in microzonation and structural studies, assuming stability and reproducibility of HVSR frequency peaks. A 35-day continuous HVSR monitoring performed in the suburbs of Algiers (Algeria) reveals that HVSR peaks are not always stable and reproducible both in frequency and amplitude. HVSR curves show a first peak, which varies from 0.9 to 1.8 Hz with amplitudes from 0.9 to 3.3, and a second peak from 5 to 7.7 Hz with amplitudes from 1.4 to 4. These results show that HVSR peak frequencies and amplitudes are highly sensitive to nearby anthropogenic sources.


The present study takes an analytical approach for solving the free vibration problem of a microstructured beam model, in which transverse displacement springs are added to allow for the transverse shear deformation effect in addition to the rotational springs. The exact vibration frequencies for the discrete microstructured beam model with simply supported ends are obtained via matrix decomposition. In addition, a general solution technique involving the use of Pade approximants for the continualization procedure is proposed in order to obtain the continuous equivalent system for the discrete microstructured beam model. The analytical vibration solutions of the equivalent continuous system are obtained and their accuracy is assessed by using the exact solutions. It is found that the solutions of the equivalent continuous system have a first order accuracy when compared with the exact solutions of their discrete counterpart. The length scale coefficient in the nonlocal Timoshenko beam model is calibrated by using the analytical solutions. Two nonlocal Timoshenko beam models, i.e., the Wang model (without the length scale effect in the shear stress strain relation) and the Reddy model, are evaluated based on their ability to capture the nonlocal effect.


• How should an insurer price a risk for which there is no history? This work intends to show, step by step, which main mechanisms are needed to capture the tariff model of another insurance company minimizing the risk involved. The document generally deals with the price-making mechanisms in non-life insurance through the GLM regression models — Generalized Linear Model, more precisely the Poisson, Gamma and Tweedie models. Given the complexity of the application of these models in experimental design, it is studied a simpler way to characterize the rate, namely considering the Box–Cox transformation with SUR — Seemingly Unrelated Regression. An orthogonal experimental design to collect information is also presented as well as an application of these methods in the motor industry considering different companies.


As computers have increased in performance, radiation transport modelers have added more and more detail to their geometry by increasing the number of spatial mesh volumes within the geometry and/or by modeling larger volumes. This approach is not always the most efficient manner by which to produce results and is not always necessary. An increase in the number of spatial mesh cells is usually accompanied by an increase in the number of calculation cycles and the amount of computer memory and disk storage required, all of which are usually limited. A splicing technique, in which the directional flux from the internal boundary of the primary model is mapped to an external boundary of the secondary model, has been used successfully to solve problems too large to be solved using a single model. The technique can also allow details within a section of a problem to be changed repeatedly without recalculating the flux environment surrounding that section.


In order to explore the effect of flipped classroom in theoretical teaching of biochemistry, "lipids metabolism" was selected to carry out four stages flipped classroom. The teaching effect of flipped classroom was evaluated by test and questionnaire survey of students. The results indicated that most under-graduate students could accept novel teaching method. However, the consciousness and the ability of students' independent learning need to be further improved. It also takes time for the students to adapt to the transition from traditional teaching to flipped classroom. In summary, the specificity of Biochemistry may limit the carrying out of flipped classroom to some extent. Therefore, which kind of teaching method is adopted depends on the biochemistry theoretical content. Our work may provide some references for further application of flipped classroom in biochemistry teaching.

Key words:
Flipped classroom; Biochemistry; Lipids metabolism


The technique of Darboux transformation is applied to the nonlocal partner of the two-dimensional periodic An−1 Toda lattice. This system is shown to admit a representation as the compatibility conditions of direct and dual overdetermined linear systems with a quantized spectral parameter. We give the generalization of the Darboux transformation technique on linear equations of this type. We present the connections between the solutions of overdetermined linear systems and their expansions in series in the neighbourhood of singular points. The solutions of the nonlocal Toda lattice and infinite hierarchies of the infinitesimal symmetries and conservation laws are obtained.


HD144941 is an evolved early-type metal-poor low-mass star with a hydrogen-poor surface. It is frequently associated with other intermediate helium-rich subdwarfs and extreme helium stars. Previous photometric studies have failed to detect any variability. New observations with the K2 mission show complex but periodic variations with a full amplitude of 4 parts per thousand. It is proposed that these are due to an inhomogeneous surface brightness distribution (spots) superimposed on a rotation period of 13.9+/-0.2 d. The cause of the surface inhomogeneity is not identified, although an oblique dipolar magnetic field origin is plausible.


Suspension is the general name of the device that connects the conductive force between the car body and the wheels. Among them, operational stability and ride comfort are two contradictory requirements in actual driving. In the traditional vehicle suspension system, in order to maintain the ride comfort of the vehicle, the vibration energy caused by uneven road surface is usually dissipated by passive shock absorber in the form of heat. If this part of energy can be recovered in an effective way, the energy demand of the whole vehicle system can be reduced. Usually, the stiffness of semi-active suspension is constant, and the damping coefficient will change automatically with the change of driving conditions. Its advantages are simple structure, no need to consume automobile power, and the damping coefficient will change with the change of automobile driving conditions, which can effectively improve automobile riding comfort and handling stability. This paper expounds the problems encountered by traditional suspension, and analyzes the semi-automatic control strategy of regenerative suspension of new energy vehicles from the perspective of energy flow.


Objective: To assess the impact of nursing discharge instructions onreadmission rate in heart failure patients at tertiary care hospital of Karachi. Methodology: A quasi experimental study was conducted and patients sufferingwith heart disease admitted in National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases wereselected in the study from 1st January to 31st December 2017. Patients weredivided into two groups. In intervention group, discharge instruction and teachingmaterialwas given alongwith followup through for guidance a suitable interval toreduce the complications.Readmission rate determined at 7th day and 30th day. Whereas for control group,only discharged instructions under existing routine process were given. The datawas analyzed through SPSS version 21. Wilcox on Matched signed Rank test andMann Whitney U test was used to compare the data whereas demographic datawas compared through chi-square test. Results: A total of 80 patients were included in the study, 40 in each group.interventional and control of the disease assessed at base line, at 7 day and at 30 thday was found more in interventional group with less readmission rate ascompared to control group (15 i.e. 37.5% in control group and 5 i.e.12.5% ininterventional group). Regarding medication and proper management of theirillness (self-care), the interventional group has high level of competencyregarding their management for their disease and routine life caring (12.5% incontrol group and 70% in interventional group) and the difference was foundstatistically significant. Conclusion: Educating the heart failure patients at discharge, 7 day and 30 day th thpost discharge reduce the complication and re admissions in these patients. Key Words: Heart failure, hospital discharge instruction, Re-admission rate,Patient education.


The effect of sulphate nutrition on vegetative growth of Brassica juncea and on flavour and allyl isothiocyanate development in the seeds has been investigated using plants grown in sand culture in a glasshouse at six concentrations of sulphate in the nutrient medium. Allyl isothiocyanate was determined by the volumetric method of Raquet and the conclusions were confirmed by a semi-quantitative gas-chromatographic method. Mean fresh and dry weight of plant tops initially increased steeply with increase of sulphate concentration in the nutrient medium to 0.25 mequiv./l and thereafter tended to increase to an asymptotic maximum. Allyl isothiocyanate content of the seeds showed a similar response to changes in levels of sulphate nutrition. The flavour strength of the seeds also increased with increase of their sulphur content. There were highly significant correlation coefficients between total sulphur concentration in the seeds and their allyl isothiocyanate contents. Possible practical consequences of these observations in the mustard industry are briefly discussed.