This paper documents a strong and prevalent momentum effect in industry components of stock returns which accounts for much of the individual stock momentum anomaly. Specifically, momentum investment strategies, which buy past winning stocks and sell past losing stocks, are significantly less profitable once we control for industry momentum. By contrast, industry momentum investment strategies, which buy stocks from past winning industries and sell stocks from past losing industries, appear highly profitable, even after controlling for size, book-to-market equity, individual stock momentum, the cross-sectional dispersion in mean returns, and potential microstructure influences. BOTH INVESTMENT THEORY AND ITS APPLICATION to investment management critically depend on our field's understanding of stock return persistence anomalies. Determining whether these anomalies are rooted in behavior that can be exploited by more rational investors at low risk has profound implications for our view of market efficiency and optimal investment policy. The ability to outperform buy-and-hold strategies by acquiring past winning stocks and selling past losing stocks, commonly referred to as "individual stock momentum," remains one of the most puzzling of these anomalies, both because of its magnitude (up to 12 percent abnormal return per dollar long on a self-financing strategy per year) and because of the peculiar horizon pattern that it seems to follow: Trading based on individual stock momentum appears to be a poor strategy when using a short historical horizon for portfolio formation (especially less than one month); it is highly *Moskowitz is from the Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago (tobias. firstname.lastname@example.com), and Grinblatt is from the Anderson School, University of California at Los Angeles (email@example.com). We thank Kobi Boudoukh, Ty Callahan, Kent Daniel, Gordon Delianedis, Gene Fama, Rick Green, Jonathan Howe, Narasimhan Jegadeesh, Olivier Ledoit, Richard Roll, Pedro Santa-Clara, Ren6 Stulz, Sheridan Titman, Ralph Walkling, Russ Wermers, David Wessels, two anonymous referees, and seminar participants at UCLA, Yale, Harvard, Rochester, Ohio State, Wharton, Columbia, Duke, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Chicago, Northwestern, the University of Michigan, the 1998 WFA meetings in Monterey, CA, the 1998 NBER Asset Pricing Conference in Chicago, and the 1999 AFA meetings in New York for valuable comments and insights. Moskowitz thanks the Center for Research in Securities Prices as well as the Dimensional Fund Advisors Research Fund for financial support. Grinblatt thanks the UCLA Academic Senate for financial support.


The article aims at comparing the content and organization principles of the somatic code in Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian proverbs and chastushkas as special folklore genres to identify the similarities and differences in its implementation, depending on the national-cultural and discursive-genre conditions. It can be concluded that differences in the somatic code implementation in Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian proverbs and chastushkas are not significant. However, there are marked differences in the genre implementation of somatic systems as code units in Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian folklore, with the types of inter-genre differences in the cultures under analysis coinciding. The authors conclude that the content and organization principles of the somatic code in folklore have obvious genre specificity. The national and cultural specificity of its realisation is manifested only in certain particular cases.


The aim of the present study was to determine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) levels and the polymorphism IL-1B +3954 in patients with implant loaded at least for one year. Twenty five healthy implans from twelve patients, twenty female and eight male, were examined. Clinical parameters were recorded from all implants and one teeth from each patient. Gingival crevicular fluid from the highest pocket depth was collected, with PerioPaper, to evaluate the level of the IL-1β. Cells from buccal mucosa were collected for genomic DNA extraction and analyze the polymorphism IL-1B +3954. IL-1β was not detected in any sites collected. At the studied population we observed prevalence from negative genotype, present in 75% of patients. The positive genotype was observed only in one (5%) patient from the population. Negative genotype is associated with health implants, and are nor related to elevated levels of IL-1β on the crevicular fluid.


This paper proposes a new design scheme for an OCR platform. The scheme first pre-trains the model on a standard dataset to improve its basic recognition ability, and then fine-tunes the pre-trained model using transfer learning techniques to a custom scenario, thus improving its recognition ability in power industry applications. This approach greatly reduces the need for annotated data and can quickly adapt to new meter types and updates. Additionally, an intelligent data collection, processing, and analysis platform can effectively help power companies monitor, measure, diagnose, and predict equipment and meters, thereby enhancing enterprise safety and stability. By introducing transfer learning-related techniques, the model's knowledge learned on a standard dataset is transferred to a custom scenario, improving its recognition ability in power industry-specific applications and achieving rapid warning and diagnosis of abnormal situations in power equipment, further improving production efficiency and safety of the enterprise.


Increasing by approximately 32% a year globally over the last five years, wind energy has proven to be a clean, abundant, and cost effective renewable source of energy. Wind energy is an important part of the strategy to replace fossil fuel electricity generation. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas currently generate over 70% of the power consumed in North America. The dramatic increase in the cost for fossil fuels and the growing pressure on the world's nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have combined to position wind power as the world's fastest growing new source of electricity generation. This case study discusses a major producer of America's wind energy, Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC), and their strategies and commitments to alternative energy and a more sustainable future. The company's "triple bottom line" including economic, social, and environmental benefits will also be evaluated.


To the influence consumers, merchandise provided by the store should be displayed or arranged in such a way that it looks neat and attractive. In the process of arranging goods, special expertise is needed, so that not only consumers can easily pick or choose goods, but also so that companies can easily control the safety of goods such as fragile and expensive. For this reason, a system that aims to accelerate the display of goods in the correct order is designed, using the Web Engineering method, this methodology is based on the methodology previously found in the literature to create a structured process for the problem of a web-based Goods Display Information System. Utilization of CodeIgniter's easy-to-use Framewok. The result of this research is a web-based display application that makes it easy to display the right product according to the place and order at Alfamart Rajabasa Bandar Lampung, and to produce an accurate and timely report on the fulfillment of stock on the shelf


The aim of this study was to figure out the response of the GH axis to selection criteria in broiler chickens. Plasma profiles of GH, IGF-I along with membrane GHR binding activity were examined during rapid growth phase in experimental lines of broiler chickens. The selection criteria applied influenced the plasma GH levels and the number of hepatic GHR. There was a higher plasma GH level in FC chickens compared to GL chickens while the opposite pattern was observed for GHR. The negative correlation between plasma GH levels and hepatic GHR suggest a down regulatory mechanism for GHR in broile r chickens. The absence of line differences in plasma IGF-I levels between GL and FC lines in spite of clear difference in growth rate and in plasma GH concentrations may support the concept that plasma IGF-I does not appear to be GH-dependent, implying the importance of other factors besides GH in the regulation of IGF- I in chickens. The slower growth rate as function of time in the FC line during rapid growth phase was followed by a phase of compensatory growth. On the basis of this growth curve pattern it can be hypothesized that the dynamics of GH action are shifted or extended to the phase of compensatory growth as an effect of the selection on feed conversion. This may be a causal mechanism for the different growth curve pattern in GL and FC lines. Assuming that the metabolic basis for these differences is better understood it may be possible to device other procedures for improving meat quality in poultry industry.


Nicola Field heads Animal Asia's veterinary team in China. The charity is dedicated to ending bear bile farming and here she describes how the team takes an integrated approach to caring for the bears


We study the Loschmidt echo for quenches in open one-dimensional lattice models with symmetry protected topological phases. For quenches where dynamical quantum phase transitions do occur we find that cusps in the bulk return rate at critical times ${t}_{c}$ are associated with sudden changes in the boundary contribution. For our main example, the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, we show that these sudden changes are related to the periodical appearance of two eigenvalues close to zero in the dynamical Loschmidt matrix. We demonstrate, furthermore, that the structure of the Loschmidt spectrum is linked to the periodic creation of long-range entanglement between the edges of the system.


Organizations have over the latest decades seen a growing need for new multi-dimensional measures for evaluating their business performance, since traditional accounting models for long have proven not to be applicable to the modern business environment. Together with the need for timely information this has caused extensive requirements on the ERP-systems which often do not meet the needed requirements. This study investigates how a performance measurement cockpit can be developed for a supply chain to serve this purpose.
The wireless semiconductor company, ST-Ericsson, was formed in 2009 by bringing together Ericsson Mobile Platforms (EMP) and ST-NXP Wireless, into a joint venture between the parent companies Ericsson and STMicroelectronics. As a result of the merger ST-Ericsson became one of the market leaders in wireless technology and a supplier to four of the top five handset manufacturers in the world.
After the merger the division L3M was created, mainly from parts of the past EMP organization, and became operational in 2010. EMP was a design house for mobile platforms which relied on partners for supplying the hardware, only delivering the accompanying software themselves. ST-Ericsson was also made into a non-manufacturing company that outsourced its production, but still had full product ownership. For the former EMP employees and the L3M team this meant a whole new supply chain process, with real hardware ownership. L3M partly lacked capabilities and competences in the supply chain management field. Another problem was keeping track of the allocated cost in the supply chain, which resulted in a need for a performance measurement system.
With the use of the business intelligence tool QlikView a performance measurement system-prototype, named the Supply Chain Cockpit was developed, and studied in a clinical method, for L3M's supply chain. By mapping the supply chain process, the cockpit was developed to align the performance measurement system with the division's strategy and targets to enable competitive advantage through sustainable supply chain performance.
Together with deeper knowledge of the supply chain, the result was a prototype of a user-friendly, clear and visual performance measurement tool, with the ability to extract timely reports for upper management. The prototype compiles and stores data, with a powerful ability to drill down into the data for analysis of the material. Organizations can easily drown in their own data and the Supply Chain Cockpit displays how data can be compiled and performance visualized without lowering the data granularity.


At present,owning to the planning pilot stage of Chinese smart gird,all kinds of new technologies and advanced conceptions have been emerged.This paper studies many new technologies in smart power plant,smart substation,smart users and smart dispatching in Chinese smart gird with the instruction of comprehensive engineering project of the smart grid in Shanghai World Expo Garden.


Lecture notes on Weak Topologies: We discuss about the weak and weak star topologies on a normed linear space. Our aim is to prove the well known Banach-Alaouglu theorem and discuss some of its consequences, in particular, characterizations of reflexive spaces.


This paper is derived from the ambition to analyze inter-organizational collaboration in so-called bottom-up projects. These projects have the particularity to be conducted by extremely diverse groups of actors, and the theory of boundary object lends itself very well to their comprehension. However, it doesn't allow to consider the different levels of context that impact the projects. We propose to combine it with a regulation approach, in order to take into account the meso and macro articulations and constraints. We proceed by a comparative and multilevel case study of : 1/ a French cluster in the field of eco construction (PTCE), 2/ an emerging Natural Park in Mexico. Our findings overcome monocausal explanations and provide insights in the contradictions between the local institutional arrangements of the projects and the meso and macro institutional mechanisms.


Photochemists owe a real debt of gratitude to the officers of the New York Academy of gciences for granting us the opportunity to get together and discuss our problems. In a field which is developing as rapidly as photochemistry it is quite important that there be a free exchange of ideas. One has only to reflect on the status of this field twenty years ago to realize what strides have been made, not alone in experimental technique, but in the interpretation of the data. In dealing with polyatomic molecules there is the ever present problem of determining the nature of the primary process. The situation is much more complex than that for diatomic molecules where in many instances the appearance of the spectrum permits a decision to be made between dissociation, predissociation, and activation. Indeed, the detailed analysis of the absorption spectrum of a polyatomic molecule is no easy task, and one of the important problems confronting us lies just there. Frequently it is impossible to tell whether an absorption spectrum is truly continuous or merely appears to be so because of the superabundance of absorption bands. The study of the fluorescence of complex molecules has remained in most instances in a purely qualitative state, partly because of experimental difficulties and partly it has not been realized sufficiently just how valuable the information to be gleaned from such a study really is. Relatively little is known as yet concerning the transfer of vibrational and electronic energy between polyatomic molecules by collision. Thus fluorescence may give us information not alone about the primary process, but through studies of its quenching about the transfers of energy. I n some instances the fluorescence also tells us a great deal about the reaction products. When we come to secondary processes based on reactions of free radicals and atoms, several points may be mentioned which have been ignored all too frequently. One of these is diffusion to the walls, a process which may compete with homogeneous gas phase reactions providing the latter have activation energies greater than about 10,000 calories. Radical recombination reactions can be studied


We compared the decision strategies and cue use of experts and novices. The task was to decide which of two residential properties would be more likely to be burgled based on eight cues such as the location of the property. Participants were 36 imprisoned burglars that had committed residential burglary between 1-3,000 times (expert group 1), 36 police officers with 5-28 years of experience (expert group 2), and 36 University students that were not victims of residential burglary (novice group). Results showed that experts and novices differed in the strategies they used to make inferences and the cues they considered important for making such inferences.


This study aims to determine whether competence can moderate professional skepticism, time budget pressure, and also task complexity on the dependent variable, namely audit quality. In this study, audit quality is influenced by several factors, namely professional skepticism, time budget pressure, and also task complexity. Researchers conducted tests to determine the relationship between these variables on audit quality with the moderator, namely the competence variable. Competence is often associated with audit quality, because competence can make the resulting audit quality better. Through their own competence, the auditor can gain knowledge and from here can understand the problems that will arise during the audit according to Indriani & Wahasusmiah (2020). This study has respondents, namely external auditors who are in Semarang. This study uses multiple linear regression method and has a sample of 59 auditors. The results of this study indicate that competence can affect the relationship between professional skepticism, time budget pressure, and task complexity on audit quality. The conclusion obtained from this research is that the auditor must apply professionalism and time budget pressure on each assignment, and do not forget to develop the auditor's knowledge in carrying out audit assignments.


Provided is a nitrile group-containing highly saturated copolymer rubber having an iodine value of 35-85, said copolymer having 10-40 wt% of α,β-ethylenically unsaturated nitrile monomer units (a1), 10-60 wt% of α,β-ethylenically unsaturated monocarboxylic acid ester monomer units (a2), and 20-70 wt% of conjugated diene monomer units (a3).


Based on 2000-2009 economic statistics of Liaoning and Static Dynamic Effect,this paper studied the development relations between Liaoning software outsourcing development and overall economic development using Co-integration analysis and Regression analysis.The static perspective indicates that the outsourcing industry of Liaoning software service has greatly promoted the growth and trade.The dynamic perspective shows that the outsourcing industry has played an indirect adjusting part in industrial structure of Liaoning;while it also shows that although the outsourcing industry has no obvious connection with FDI,the future development prospects are bright.


Abstract : An ultrashort, terawatt laser was used to trigger lightning by creating ionized path in atmosphere. Joint French-German Teramobile was brought to the Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research for the experiment. Arrays of instruments were used to assess lightning initiation, or ionized path to perturb the local electric field. No lightning discharges were observed triggered by the laser, but good understanding of physics and future laser needs were determined.


This paper presents a stability study of the PJM system with the first-time and successful application of the latest composite load model (CMLD) proposed by NERC LMTF in the entire PJM footprint. The study follows NERC TPL-001-4 Standard which requires that system stability assessment include a load model representing the expected dynamic behavior of induction motors. The study investigated the impact of CMLD on the PJM system stability for normal and stressed operating conditions under various NERC planning and extreme contingency events. The study also compared the latest CMLD model with two other industry approaches of load modeling, i.e., complex load model (CLOD) and static load model (ZIP), both of which were previously used in the PJM system. Furthermore, for the first time, the study applied CMLD parameters to bus-level loads in the PJM system considering various factors such as weather, load class, location, etc. This paper focuses on the technical approach, critical contingency selection criteria developed, and dynamic load modeling used in the study of the PJM system. This paper contributes to the area of transmission planning as the industry is moving towards adopting CMLD in system stability assessment and serves as a useful reference for transmission planning studies using the CMLD model.


A comparison between three methods used for the synthesis of suitable signals which result in pulse compression, when transmitted through dispersive media, is presented. These are the equalization of group-time delay method, the space-time rays method, and the matched-signal method. The three methods are shown to be equivalent if the signals are restricted to be frequency-modulated with uniform envelopes. A generalized expression for the requited frequency modulation law for pulse compression in an inhomogeneous dispersive medium is obtained. Considerations for lossy dispersive media and additional optimization of the signal envelope are also discussed.


Ensuring the integrity of executable binaries is of vital importance to systems that run and depend on them. Additionally, supply-chain attacks and security related bugs demonstrate that binaries, once deployed, may need to be revoked and replaced with updated versions. Recently, blockchain ecosystems have garnered broad attention as middlewares for decentralised solutions to existing problems. Stengele et al. [4] presented a concept how the Ethereum blockchain and peer-to-peer network can be used to ensure the integrity of binaries with timely, accurate, and machine-readable revocations. In this work, we show this concept in practice with a user client implementation in Go and demonstrate how revocations and updates can reliably reach a user client within minutes. We show the client's ability to ensure the integrity of multiple binaries and continuously monitor the Ethereum blockchain for updates and revocations via an unmodified Ethereum client. We also examine the trust relations and trade-offs through our use case. Since the user client fully relies on an Ethereum client as a gateway, the latter's resilience against malicious actors is crucial to consider in a practical deployment.


Magnetic alloy cavities are used for both MR and RCS synchrotrons at J-PARC. Both cavity systems operate successfully and they generate a higher voltage than could be achieved by an ordinary ferrite cavity system. For the future upgrade of J-PARC, a higher RF voltage is needed. A new RF cavity system using the material FT3L, is designed to achieve this higher field gradient. A large production system using an old cyclotron magnet was constructed to anneal up to 85-cm size FT3L cores in the JPARC Hadron Experiment Hall. TheµSR (Muon Spin Rotation/Relaxation/Resonance) experiments were also carried out to study the magnetic alloy. The status of development on the J-PARC site and a new RF system design will be reported.


The present invention relates to a ringer solution connection device, in which a puncture needle transfer interconnection unit (33) of a connection module including a capping and a punching equipment and a puncture needle guide unit (32) are rotated to rotate an injection fluid container (10) at the puncture needle guide unit (32) to which a spherical puncture needle (31c) is planted and projected to both sides at the core part of a puncture needle fixing member (31) and the connection module (30) of a medicine container (20) at the puncture needle transfer interconnection unit (33) so that one end of the spherical puncture needle (31c) can tear a rubber plug (21) and the other end tears the injection fluid sealed plug (12) of an injection fluid container (10).


(57) Abstract: The present invention, evaluation control signal input for receiving a control signal from an external control device (7, 12, 13) and (8a, 8b, 8a ', 8b'), a control signal was a 'evaluation means for controlling the (9,9 actuating means (3,3)'), controlling at least one electric illuminating means (4, 4 ') actuating means (3, 3') 'in the evaluation unit (9, 9 a device for (C, C)') is the control signal input (8a, 8b, 8a ', 8b') analog control signals at the even digital control signal also automatically detect It is suitable for evaluation in order to control the actuation means (3, 3 ') and. Apparatus according to the invention (C, C ') is an electrical lighting means (4, 4' is a constituent part of the actuating device) (B, B ').


Among other matters currently being considered by the AFA Conservation Committee, plans are being conceived to help ensure improved breeding success and more conscientious management of the Venezuelan black hooded red siskin (Carduelis cucullata) in captivity. The information presented here is intended to sharpen the awareness of readers, particularly those maintaining the species in their collections, as to the extreme vulnerability of the red siskin at the present time. A concerted effort on the part of aviculturists to develop and maintain a long-term, self-sustaining captive population of red siskins would certainly go a long way toward relieving pressures currently being placed on the few remaining wild populations. Without some sort of relief, the red siskin lies in imminent danger of extinction. The current status of the red siskin in the wild must be considered extremely critical, probably numbering as few as 600 to 800 individuals. Formerly, the species enjoyed a rather abundant, continuous natural distribution across the northern portion of Venezuela and northeastern Colombia, as well as isolated populations on the islands of Gasparee, Monos, and Trinidad. In addition to these, populations were established on Puerto Rico and Cuba, probably as a result of introductions or aviary escapes. The red siskin is now extremely rare throughout its range, last being recorded on Monos in 1894, on Gasparee in 1921, in Colombia in 1947, and on Trinidad in 1960. Its current status in Cuba is unknown. The few remaining wild populations of red siskins to be found in Venezuela are scattered in isolated pockets throughout the northwest and north central cordillera regions, where they are semi-nomadic, utilizing a wide range of habitat types. Even within their few remaining havens in Venezuela, they have been reduced in numbers so dramatically that, ironically, it is likely that the largest remaining single population of wild red siskins is now the introduced population on the island of Puerto Rico. When reading of similar declines in naturally occurring wild populations throughout the world, many reasons are frequently quoted as the probable cause for such declines. Rarely is the cause so obvious as in the case of the red siskin. The precipitous decline in wild populations of the red siskin has been directly attributed to its long-term exploitation by man, which, in turn, is linked to the species' long-standing popularity as a cagebird. Despite full protection by law on both the domestic level (within Venezuela) and on the international level, the species continues to lose ground at the hands of this exploitation, which dates back to the early 1800s. The species was first described to science by Swainson in 1820, and although it was unknown to the European cagebird trade during the 1800s, it was already being exported to the Canary Islands where it was soon to be hybridized with the canary. By the early 1900s it was commonly being hybridized with canaries in many countries, which led to the demonstration in 1928, that through these crosses, the long sought-after "red factor'' could be introduced into the domestic canary stock. These hybrids were not only colorful but retained the canary's size and song which placed them in great demand among canary fanciers. In the early decades of the 1900s, interest in cagebirds grew as did the international trade in exotic birds. As a result ofthe United States and many of the European countries enacting laws prohibiting capture and trade of native species of birds, interest was generated in the canary and its many varieties. Red factor canaries became especially popular, and because the red siskin was the only vehicle by which the red factor could be introduced, the demand for it skyrocketed. Unfortunately, at that time, the red siskin was not protected by law. As demand grew in the international market, their price rose abruptly, suddenly making them a lucrative target for bird trappers. Because of the species' rather limited geographical range and the predictability of its movements within that range, it was an easy target. The most commonly used method of trapping involved the use of a caged siskin, known as the "pitador.' whose purpose was to attract wild siskins with its calls. Around the caged pitador, perches, coated with sticky Ficus sap were arranged so that wild birds, responding to the calls of the pitador, would become stuck to the perches and hence be collected by the trappers. Many thousands of birds were collected in this manner, the majority of which died before ever reaching foreign markets. In the early decades of the 1900s, the red siskin was afforded some protection by the simple fact that the areas in which it is found, particularly its breeding grounds in the higher elevations, were largely inaccessible. Trappers were unable to collect from the beginning of the rainy season in March until after the breeding season in July. More recently, new roads into these areas allow trappers, equipped with allterrain vehicles, to follow the movements of the bird and collect virtually all year long. Even though the species is now so scarce that it cannot be collected in large numbers, the high price that they command continues to make them a highly sought-after prize. It wasn't until the early 1940s that the first steps were taken to afford the red siskin protection by law. It was during this period that Venezuelan ornithologists William Phelps, Sr. and Jr., became aware of the red siskin's increasing rarity and of its persecution at the hands of the bird trappers. It was largely because of their efforts that the wheels were set in motion, resulting in a series of laws designed to protect the red siskin. 1944-1947-The Venezuelan Minesterio de Agricultura y Cria (MAC) adopted resolutions prohibiting sale and export of the red siskin, making it the first species ever to be protected by Venezuelan law. 1952-The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) included the red siskin on its endangered species list. 1975-The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) added the red siskin to its Appendix I, list of endangered species on July 1, 1975. CITES took effect for signatory parties in 1977.


The paper studies territorial problems in East Asia, as the more relevant, resonant and difficult regional problems. The leading states of the region such as China and Japan as well as several ASEAN countries are engaged in these conflicts. The problems of the world ocean (development of the shelf, subsoil of the seabed, and delimitation of the water and islands territories) play more important role in the world policy. In early 21st century the rivalry between the littoral states on the legal regime of bodies of water and exploitation of seabed resources has intensified. The importance of these issues, given that they affect the interests of virtually all states in the Asia-Pacific region, is constantly increasing.


This article focuses on the origins of the American nationalism.It is well known that American culture originates from the Puritan culture of continental Europe,and the colonial Puritanism is the primary source of belief in the United States.On the other hand,the ideas of freedom and democracy in Europe also have a far-reaching influence on the American nationalism.


Current research on optimization methods is increasingly focused on biology-inspired metaheuristics as efficient tools for the solution of many electromagnetic optimization problems. The firefly algorithm (FA) is an algorithm of this class, and is based on the idealized behavior of the flashing characteristics of fireflies. In FA, the flashing light can be represented in such a way that it is associated with the objective function to be optimized, which makes it possible to formulate a biology-inspired algorithm. This paper briefly introduces the basics of FA and its multiobjective version (MOFA) and proposes a novel multiobjective variant which uses the beta probability distribution (MOBFA) in the tuning of control parameters, which is useful to maintain the diversity of solutions, as well as the use of crowding-based archiving of the Pareto solutions. Numerical results refer to a simple analytical benchmark as well as a multiobjective constrained brushless dc motor design problem, both showing that the resulting MOBFA algorithm outperforms the standard one.


South Asia currently houses the world's largest population share of children of school-going age. Safety and security of this large population is hence as much a concern of the region's schooling system as it is of its homes and communities. Among the various obstacles faced by children and adolescents in successful completion of schools, violence perpetrated against them within and around schools is significant and extremely complex. Little has been said, in a comprehensive manner, on various dimensions of school-based violence in South Asia. This background paper, School-based violence in South Asia: State of evidence report, makes an effort to map the existing evidence on forms, prevalence, and impact of school-based violence on an intersecting matrix of two frameworks – life cycle approach and ecological approach. Additionally, it enlists common regional approaches and a few programmatic efforts to prevent and address violence against children in schools. Methodologically, this paper triangulates data from multiple sources including published reports, statistics, and articles by government and non-government organisations, national and international institutions, academia and development practitioners, and large and small scale news and other media outlets. This data is supplemented by conversations and interviews with a conveniently and purposefully selected sample of nine teachers and nine child protection activists and professionals from the region. The paper highlights the general paucity of data on child abuse, most particularly in schools, in South Asia. A few large and dated country-level studies continue to be referenced over and over again in all national and regional documentation on the subject. With lack of primary data collected from the region, the most common forms of literature on the subject include compilation of media reporting and review of existing studies and reviews. Additionally, attention to schools as locations of child abuse is quite recent and the general tendency has been to focus on adult to child violence. Under lack of consistently maintained and updated datasets on relevant indicators of violence against children, very little is known to make valid conclusions regarding trends and associations between different potential factors. School-based violence was found to be highly prevalent in the region. Several forms of violence are linked to each other and many children tend to be exposed to successive and concurrent forms of violence throughout their schooling. Corporal punishment as a social acceptable disciplining device appears to be one of the most commonly reported forms of violence in most studies and reviews of literature on child abuse and school-based violence in all countries of the region. There is a general lack of systematic information on sexual violence segregated by the type of sexual violence inflicted on children, by age and gender, and by perpetrator information. However, an emerging body of data points to greater reported incidents of sexual violence against boys than girls, and the frequency of incidence is found to be relatively higher with older cohort of children. Know Violence in Childhood 5 Discrimination and humiliation inflicted in students on the basis of caste, religious, ethnic, and gender identity is a common feature of violence against children in South Asia. Violence in the form of verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse does not seem to have received significant attention in South Asian research and policy discourse on child protection. All the same, the case studies from across the region indicate high levels of prevalence of social discrimination and the associated humiliating and derogatory treatment of certain socio-economically less powerful groups of children. Data on school bullying in South Asia is scarce in almost all categories of sources reviewed for this report. However, increasing coverage of cases of school bullying in media shows the prevalence of the issue in the region. Additionally, physical violence among children has not received sufficient attention in academic and organisational literature on violence against children. A variety of risk factors pervade different age groups and levels of interpersonal interaction, from individual to family, school, community and society. This report outlines an array of research and reported evidence and speculation on causal associations with poverty and deprivation, social disadvantage of women and certain communities, political instability, lack of psychosocial support to children and guardians of children at home and school, and local customs and practices. The review of available evidence in addition to interviews with teachers and child protection professionals shows that violence in schools can be perpetrated by adults, including teachers and non-teaching staff, as well as by students against other students. This report finds the role of the teacher to be at the core of most discussions, either as perpetrators of violence against children, or as vehicles of change and reform in improving school environment for children. Evidence from numerous sources support the claim that male teachers are more likely than female teachers to inflict physical and sexual violence on students. However, as pointed out by participants of this review, this claim does not hold constant several intervening factors. Another finding of this report is that there appears a complete lack of literature on teachers' well-being and its relation with their interaction with students. Very little is known of what explains some teachers' abusive behaviour and what are some of the common risk factors that impact teachers' behaviour and attitudes towards their students. Evidence from global and regional studies and reviews of reported incidents point out numerous risk factors outside the school premises that pervade children's experience with learning and their interactions with friends and adults in and around schools. Safety of children on their way to school and back has been reported as one of the common factors responsible for irregular attendance or early dropout rates. Sexual harassment of girls on their way to school or back home is a significant concern in the region. The frequency of acid attacks as a form of physical assault on school-going girls and female teachers has grown at an alarming rate in the region. The report observes that most discussions on impacts and consequences of violence and child abuse in the region are based on arguments evidenced by research from industrialised developed countries. Know Violence in Childhood 6 In general, there is lack of information on how school-based violence impacts children in the region. Most regional literature is limited to the issue of school-drop out among girls. The report concludes with an open-ended discussion on some of the ongoing programmes in the region. This section in general steers away from discussing global programmes to make apparent the broad programmatic gaps in the region to address the many dimensions and forms of school-based violence. For example, a programme area that is evidently missing in this report, due to lack of information, is that which address the issue of bullying and student-led violence in schools.


Objective:To develop a headspace gas chromatography method for the determination of cyanide in grains.Methods:Determination of cyanogen chloride derived from reaction of cyanide and chloramine T was carried out by headspace gas chromatography with electron capture detector.Results:The limit of quantification was 0.05 mg/kg.The calibration curve showed good linearity in the range of 0~60 μg.The mean recovery was 90.0%~96.4% and the relative standard derivations lower than 7.5%.It had no significant difference with national standard method.Conclusion:This method is simple,rapid and accurate.It is suitable for determination of cyanide in grains.


The inclusion of sound heritage recording is seldom a high priority to a multidisciplinary multi-client restoration project. Often it is an after thought driven by the lack of a detailed understanding of the cultural resource throughout the life cycle of the project. Heritage recording is a core conservation activity. The "project scope" for the Fort Henry project states "HCS will carry out heritage recording investigations to understand the issues and provide clear options on how to stabilize, restore and conserve the resources with a conservation approach meeting Parks Canada's conservation policies". This paper discusses the recording techniques applied and the recording deliverables generated as critical inputs to the on-going Fort Henry rehabilitation project. These deliverables will be evaluated/discussed as to "where value lies" as a result of their generation and the gaps vis-à-vis the information provider vs. the information user. An approach to tailoring the record to specific information user needs is outlined and evaluated Furthermore the role of heritage recording training for project conservation engineers and architects is presented. Fig. 1: Aerial view


The article presents the main biographic data on Professor Lobko Pyotr Iosifovich, describing his life period starting from his being a secondary school pupil till his working as the head of the Department of Normal Anatomy at the medical university. The personal contribution of Professor P.I. Lobko to the development of higher medical school and medical science in general, as well as to the development of young generation is discussed. Numerous awards for the high quality work and the effectiveness of the achieved results are emphasized.


Filaments are one of the most prominent features visible in the galaxy distribution. Considering the luminous red galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Seven (SDSS DR7), we have analysed the filamentarity in 11 nearly 2D sections through a volume limited subsample of these data. The galaxy distribution, we find, has excess filamentarity in comparison to a random distribution of points. We use a statistical technique 'Shuffle' to determine L MAX , the largest length-scale at which we have statistically significant filaments. We find that L MAx varies in the range 100-130 h -1 Mpc across the 11 slices, with a mean value L MAX = 110 ± 12 h -1 Mpc. Longer filaments, though possibly present in our data, are not statistically significant and are the outcome of chance alignments.


It is shown that Σ i=1 n X n and max i=1 n X i are asymptotically independent if {X i } is strongly mixing and Σ i=1 n X i is asymptotically Gaussian. This generalizes a result of Anderson and Turkman.


Recent studies have shown that slow cortical potentials in archi-, paleo- and neocortex, can phase-lock with nasal respiration. In some of these areas, gamma activity (γ: 30-100 Hz) is also coupled to the animal's respiration. It has been hypothesized that this interaction plays a role in coordinating distributed neural activity. In a similar way, inter-cortical interactions at γ frequency has been also associated as a binding mechanism by which the brain generates temporary opportunities necessary for implementing cognitive functions. The aim of the present study is to explore if nasal respiration entrains inter-cortical interactions at γ frequency. Six adult cats chronically prepared for electrographic recordings were employed in this study. Our results show that slow cortical respiratory potentials are present in several areas of the neocortex and olfactory bulb during wakefulness. Also, we found cross-frequency coupling between the respiratory phase and the amplitude of γ activity in all recorded areas. These oscillatory entrainments are independent of muscular activity, because are maintained during cataplexy induced by carbachol microinjection into the nucleus pontis oralis. Importantly, we observed that respiratory phase modulates the inter-cortical gamma coherence between neocortical pairs of electrodes during wakefulness. However, during NREM and REM sleep, breathing was unable to entrain the oscillatory activity, neither in the olfactory bulb nor in the neocortex. These results suggest a single unified phenomenon involving cross frequency coupling and long-range γ coherence across the neocortex. This fact could be related to a temporal binding process necessary for cognitive functions during wakefulness.


A big issue for IAL in the next 12 months will be managing its finances responsibly in the face of reduced funding from outside sources (such as Horticulture Australia Limited) while maintaining the services it provides to members and ensuring it remains a key player in the irrigation industry. In this article, CEO, Ian Atkinson explains how the board and the association will be tackling this big issue.


Exploration for hydrocarbons in the rain forest is one of the great challenges in 3-D seismic acquisition. The Amazon Basin (Figure 1) poses unique obstacles with which Petrobras, due to its long history of exploration in the area, is uniquely familiar.


A 56-day trial was conducted on 140 day-old broiler chicks fed graded levels of Alphamune G (0.00, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05 and 0.06%) in a completely randomized design. Feed intake and weight gain were significantly influenced (P 0.05) in the carcass characteristics of birds fed different graded levels of Alphamune G. Haematological parameters show no significant difference among levels of Alphamune G. Serum biochemical values did not show any significant effect except for cholesterol, creatinine and uric acid. Alphamune G at 0.04% inclusion in diets may help improve performance of broiler chicken.


A compound of formula (I): in which: - ---- represents a single bond or a double bond with the proviso that if ---- represents a single bond then: - ---- represents a single bond ; - U and / or U ', identical or different, represents (n) independently of each other, H; - W and / or W ', identical or different, represents (n) independently of each other: OH, -OR, -OCOR, -COOR, -OCOOR, -OCONRR', a cyclic carbamate such that N10 and C11 are included in a cycle, -NRCONRR ', -OCSNHR, a cyclic thiocarbamate such that N10 and C11 are included in a cycle, -SH, -SR, -SOR, -SOOR, -SO3-, -NRSOOR', -NRR ', a cyclic amine such that N10 and C11 are included in a cycle, -NROR ', -NRCOR', -N3, -CN, Hal, a trialkylphosphonium or triarylphosphonium group; - R1, R2, R1 ', R2', identical or different, independently represent each other: H, Hal or a (C1-C6) alkyl group optionally substituted with one or more substituents chosen from: Hal, CN, NRR ' , CF3, OR, an aryl or heteroaryl group, S (O) qR with q> = 0.1 or 2; or - R1 and R2 and / or R1 'and R2' together form respectively a double bond> = CH2 or> = CH-CH3; - Y and Y ', identical or different, independently represent each other H u -OR; - M represents CH or N; - ALK and ALK ', identical or different, independently represent each other an (C1-C6) alkylene group; - R and R 'represent, independently of each other, H or a (C1-C6) alkyl or aryl group optionally substituted with one or more substituents chosen from: Hal, CN, NRR', CF3, OR, an aryl group or heteroaryl; - L represents: - the group -L1-L2- in which L1 is linked to the aromatic cycle comprising M by the ALK or OALK group and represents one of the following groups:


A laser evaporation technique has been applied to preparation of BeO thin films, and some results on the preparation conditions have been obtained. TSEE and OSEE from the films thus produced have been studied to clarify their emissive and dosimetric properties (sensitivity, dose linearity, fading) used as exodosemeters.


The benthic amphipod Diporeia spp. is the dominant benthic macroinvertebrate in the offshore region (>30m) ofthe Laurentian Great Lakes and, as a detritivore, plays a critical role in the offshore food web. Diporeia feed on organic material that settles from the water colurnn and, in turu, are fed upon by many fish species. This organism, therefore, serves as an important trophic link between lower and upper trophic levels (GARDNER et al. 1990). Diporeia are currently declining in all the Great Lakes except Lake Superior (DERMOTT & KEREc 1997, NALEPA et al. 1998, LOZANO et al. 2001, DERMOTI 2001). While declines have been coincidental with the introduction and spread of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and the quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis), exact mechanisms for the negative response have not been clearly defined (NALEPA et al. 2004).


Traditional databases have limitation of scalability with respect to data as well as number of clients. Column-oriented databases have overcome this feature by minimising the cost. Column-oriented databases only ensure single row atomic transaction and does not support snapshot isolation. This paper presents about strong snapshot isolation SI and atomicity for multi-row distributed transactions in HBase. This HBase snapshot isolation uses a novel approach and handles distributed transactions at the end of individual clients. This is also designed to be scalable across large distributed databases in terms of data distribution. Some experiments have been performed extensively to preserve atomicity for distributed transactions in various environments. Experimental results show that the proposed methodology can serve better to preserve atomicity and snapshot isolation in column-oriented HDDBs for multi-row transactions.


In 1958, 13 belt transects were established within the ungulate winter range in the northern portion of Yellowstone National Park to study how shrub communities were affected by grazing from ungulate populations. Between 1958 and 2008, the belts have been measured and photographed by different researchers at least once per decade, which has resulted in a comprehensive 50 year time series of how these communities have responded to climatic change, herbivory, and natural disturbance. In this study, we compare the percent cover, seedling establishment, and plant survival in these communities at two points in time (1958 and 2008); and explore which factors – climatic, herbivory, or disturbance – were most influential to changes in canopy cover and number of seedlings after 50 years. The recovery of the big sagebrush community after the North Fork fire is also discussed. Herbivory has controlled tree growth on the shrub belts. Climate and lack of disturbance have resulted in an increase in big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ) cover on many shrub belts inside and outside of exclosures. Invasive annual species have become important drivers of vegetation change at the lowest elevation site. ____________________________________ Proceedings to Integrity; Resources Issues,


In this paper, the effects of an air bubble on the Newtonian squeeze film characteristics between two circular parallel plates with sinusoidal relative motion are theoretically investigated by considering the fluid film inertia effects. In the analysis, a single central air bubble of a cylindrical shape is considered. Approximating the momentum equation governing the squeeze film flow by the mean value averaged across the film thickness and assuming an ideal gas under isothermal condition for an air bubble, a nonlinear differential equation for the bubble radius is obtained. Moreover, the solutions for the bubble radius and pressure distribution are derived based on the perturbation method for a small amplitude of sinusoidal motion. Some numerical results are presented for various values of initial bubble radius and squeeze Reynolds number.


The optimum transmitting distribution function is determined for an antenna beaming microwave power from space to a ground receiver. This is accomplished by minimizing a chosen cost function for the system using the methods of optimal control theory. It is the reverse of the usual methods of analysis wherein the distribution function is specified in advance. The distribution function calculated by the procedure developed here is the square of a finite linear sum of zero-order Bessel functions, each of which is multiplied by a constant. Very simple one-term formulas result from the analyses for the radii of the two antennas and for the minimum cost itself. For any given problem, the requisite computer runs are carried out once and for all and are only a few minutes in duration. What makes the method especially attractive is that the main results are simply a function of the ratio of the power collected to that transmitted.


The works carried out until now have shown how certain parameters act on the wear of turbine blades when they touch the protective seal material. This material is used to replace the airtight labyrinths installed on the rotor and on the turbine internal casing. It is obtained by the process of thermal spraying (Atmospheric Plasma Spraying) and it is projected and deposed on the internal turbine envelop. It is used to protect the blades when it tore very easily without causing intense wear of the blades tip. In this work we showed how the surface of this material become in terms of operating parameters, what is its texture, and especially what are the different values of roughness parameters by linking it to the blades wear. The results obtaining by modelling using the method of experiments design are shown in the results part with detailed interpretations of the obtained graphs and curves.http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.17.4.577


AbstractSelective withdrawal systems can take advantage of thermal stratification in reservoirs to manage downstream temperatures. Selective withdrawal might also help adapt operations to environmental changes, such as increased stream temperatures expected with climate change. This exploratory study develops a linear programming model to release water from different thermal pools in reservoirs to minimize deviations from target downstream temperatures. The model is applied with representative thermal dynamics to Lake Spaulding, a multipurpose reservoir on the South Fork Yuba River in California with climate warming represented by uniform increases in air temperature. Optimization results for thermal pool management with selective withdrawal are compared to a single, low-level outlet release model. Optimal selective withdrawal hedges the winter release of cold water to decrease summer stream temperatures. With climate warming, selective withdrawal can help lessen stream warming in the summer but at a cost...


Abstract: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bacteriocins are of great interest to scientists due to their valuable properties. Therefore, LAB and bacteriocins have been applied in many fields such as food industry, pharmacy and medicine. In this study, one LAB strain, isolated from the fermented meat of Phu Tho province,Vietnam was studied. Some primary characteristics of the LAB strain, including morphology and classification as well as the bacteriocins synthesized by this strain were investigated. In particular, the bacteriocins were primarily evaluated for their activity unit (AU) and the effects of temperature and pH on the activities were examined as well. In addition, the bacteriocins were primarily purified by using ion exchange chromatography. Keywords : Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), bacteriocins, activity unit (AU), chromatography.


There are several factors which influence the combustion charateristics of coal-biomass compound brequet. In this study, the influence on coal-biomass briquets combustion characteristics of different factors were examined by orthogonal experiments, with volatile rate, burnout rate and combustion time as targets. The results showed that component of biomass and hearth temperature had significant influence, well variety of biomass and shaping pressure had slight influence to all targets. The results have theoretical worth to design and run boilers using coal-biomass compound briquets.


Microwave propagation in powdered semiconductors is a potentially important technique for characterization of semiconducting materials. The problem also contains valuable insights into the interaction of electromagnetic waves with inhomogeneous media in general. We have chosen powdered silicon to study the behavior of such an inhomogeneous system because of the wide range of material parameters available and the ability to vary the permittivity of the grains in situ by varying the temperatire and/or the applied dc magnetic field. A series of samples, with grain size ca. 100 μm and a wide range of conductivities, was investigated at temperatures from 77°K to 300°K and magnetic fields from 0 to 20 kG. We show that the interaction can be satisfactorily formulated in terms of a theoretical model involving an an effective depolarizing factor for the powder medium as a whole.


The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and significance of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on education activities in foreign countries. We strive to make our products available in a variety of formats and in language that is appropriate to a variety of audiences. You, as our customer, are the best judge of our success in communicating information effectively. If you have any comments or suggestions about this or any other NCES product or report, we would like to hear from you. Please direct your comments to: Background Concern among the public, educators, and policymakers about violence, weapons, and drugs on elementary and secondary school campuses, balanced with concern about sending disruptive and potentially dangerous students " out on the streets, " has spawned an increased interest in alternative schools and programs (U.S. Department of Education 1996). Many students who, for one reason or another, are not succeeding in regular public schools are being sent to alternative placements. In general, students are referred to alternative schools and programs if they are at risk of education failure, as indicated by poor grades, truancy, disruptive behavior, suspension, pregnancy, or similar factors associated with early withdrawal from school (Paglin and Fager 1997). The 2001 " District Survey of Alternative Schools and Programs, " conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) through its Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), is the first national study of public alternative schools and programs for students at risk of education failure to provide data on topics related to the availability of public alternative schools and programs, enrollment, staffing, and services for these students. The results presented in this report are based on questionnaire data from a nationally representative sample of 1,534 public school districts. Although there is no single commonly accepted definition of what constitutes alternative schools and programs (Lange and Sletten 2002), this survey included only public alternative schools and programs that were geared towards students at risk of education failure, that were administered by regular districts 1 , …


Romberger's (1992) paper suggests that deposition of 500 tonnes of gold in six unusually rich Nevada deposits was due to normal ore-bearing solutions flowing at a more rapid rate and for a longer period of time than usual through well-developed channels perpetuated by continual brecciation.

 It is now understood that plate tectonics requires that 15 million years ago the Yellowstone mantle plume should have formed and begun to migrate eastward relative to the North American plate at a rate of approximately 35 km per million years. This paper proposes that the passage of the plume past the deposits coincided with the time of ore deposition, indicating that the plume was a factor in forming the ore bodies. It mentions some other reasons why plumes should be taken into account in economic geology.


The composition and film-forming mechanism of waterborne inorganic zinc silicate anticorrosion coatings are recounted.Preparation methods and technological process of waterborne alkali metal silicate binders are also introduced.The present research situation,application,existing problems as well as future development trends of the coatings are presented in the article.


The stromal interaction molecule 1 (Stim1) is a Ca2+ sensor in the endoplasmic/sarcoplasmic reticulum whose Ca2+ sensing triggers its dimerization and subsequent activation of store‐operated Ca2+ entry via direct interactions with Ca2+ channels at the plasma membrane. We have generated a set of fluorescent reporters based on the intraluminal domain Stim1 where Ca2+ binding and dimerization take place. These fluorescent reporters consist of a FRET pair flanking the Ca2+‐binding loop of the canonical EF hand, the entire canonical EF hand, the hidden EF hand, and the sterile α motif (SAM), or a combination of these fragments. All reporters display enhanced FRET upon Ca2+ binding and FRET disruption upon Ca2+ chelation from a Ca2+‐saturated state. Reporters generated from the canonical EF domain and the Ca2+‐binding loop of this domain display the largest dynamic range in Ca2+‐dependent responses. Analyses of spectrofluorometric Ca2+ titrations from a nominally Ca2+‐free condition and Ca2+ chelator titrations from a Ca2+‐saturated condition yielded apparent dissociation constants in the millimolar range for these reporters. The highly quantitative nature of the responses allows studies of factors that affect the Ca2+ sensing capability of Stim1.


Due to fundamental changes in management structures engineers today are more likely to work in a team environment than ever before and engineering education must prepare students for this challenging and satisfying environment. This paper will provide information on teamwork initiatives being undertaken at the University of Ballarat, as part of a project currently underway and in partnership with Swinburne University of Technology and the University of Tasmania. This paper aims to discuss the educational structure (encompassing environment, staff and students) developed to incorporate teamwork as a teaching and learning paradigm at the University of Ballarat.


We discuss the fabrication of a monolithically integrated optical displacement sensors using III-V semiconductor technology. The device is configured as a Michelson interferometer and consists of a distributed Bragg reflector laser, a photodetector and waveguides forming a directional coupler. Using this interferometer, displacements in the 100 nm range could be measured at distances of up to 45 cm. We present fabrication, device results and characterization of the completed interferometer, problems, limitations and future applications will also be discussed.


The seventh chapter focuses on the functional interplay between passages of narration that interplay with the different modes of discourse presentation. It shows how this interplay is linguistically realized in 19th-century fiction and which functional potential it has for narrative progression and characterization. The discussion focuses on (a) the lexico-grammatical variety of reporting verbs that accompany direct and indirect forms of speech, writing, and thought presentation; (b) paralinguistic narration describing mime, gesture, and body movement as well as moments of silence; and (c) foregrounded occurrences of passages of visual narration and discourse presentation. With particular grammatical, syntactic, and pragmatic patterns priming narrative stretches, readers are able to identify them and use them as anchor points for the processing of the narrative in general. Via recourse to quantitative methodology such as the identification of keywords, the chapter further presents some conclusions about particular 19th-century strategies of world creation.


The invention provides a coal additive, which is mainly prepared from the following ingredients in parts by weight: 10 parts of nanometer silicon dioxide, 10 to 20 parts of furnace slag, 4 to 10 parts of sodium percarbonate, 1 to 5 parts of triethanolamine acetate, 2 to 8 parts of manganese oxide, 2 to 6 parts of magnesium oxide, 2 to 8 parts of calcium hydroxide, 0.2 to 0.8 parts of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, 1 to 5 parts of sodium chloride, 1 to 5 parts of nitrate, 2 to 6 parts of polyacrylamide and 8 to 16 parts of high-alumina bauxite. Compared with the prior art, the coal additive provided by the invention has the advantages that the nanometer silicon dioxide is used for replacing the common nanometer titanium dioxide in common use in the prior art; the effects of coal firing efficiency improvement, desulfurization and denitrification can be achieved; in addition, the smoke dust discharging quantity can also be obviously reduced; the environment pollution is reduced.


Nowadays, tunnels with single‐shell segmental lining are often constructed pressure‐tight using gaskets. The economic application limit of this construction type is about 50 metres head of water. If the water pressure exceeds this value, considerably more complex – and thus more expensive – two‐shell construction with an additional drainage layer between the inner and the outer lining is required. To extend the field of application of mechanized tunnelling with single shell lining in mid‐mountain formations, an innovative approach was developed based on the application of a drainage layer in the annular gap fill with a water permeability kF >10–4 m/s. The basic idea of the newly developed water‐permeable material for annular gap grouting is the use of a foam generator without a disturbing body, which foams the cement suspension in a defined way with sufficient compressive strength. Complex interrelations of material, process engineering and construction had to be considered comprehensively. The overall suitability of the developed process has been demonstrated in an extensive experimental program including field tests. The present paper focuses on the development of the construction material.


Abstract A liquid chromatographic technique with amperometric detection was developed for determining diflubenzuron metabolites, 4-chlorophenyl urea and 4-chloroaniline, using a Spherisorb C18 column 5μm (4.1 × 250 mm). A mobile phase of acetonitrile / citrate-disodium hydrogenphosphate buffer, 30:70, at pH=7.0, was pumped at a flow rate of 1 mL min−1. The amperometric detector, equipped with a glassy carbon working electrode was operated at 1100 mV vs Ag/AgCl. The method showed a limit of detection of 0.46 μg 1−1 for 4-chlorophenyl urea and 0.20 μg 1−1for 4-chloroaniline. Reproducibility in terms of relative standard deviation ranged between 1.24 and 4.50 % for the 4-chlorophenyl urea and 1.60 and 3.93% for the 4-chloroaniline. The method was applied to the determination of both metabolites in honey. The prior extraction of the two substances from honey was established using different solid-liquid extraction phases.


Our aim in this article is to obtain efficient estimators of the parameters of the bivariate Kotz type distribution considering a particular matrix-variate joint dependence between the sample random vectors. As the normal law is a particular Kotz type distribution, it seems reasonable, taking into account the known results about the normal law, to search such estimators inside the family of unbiased linear estimators. However, we have proven that it is not possible to obtain efficient linear estimators. Then, we have focused our interest on determining the best unbiased linear estimators in the sense of minimizing the distance to the Cramér-Rao lower bound. The results theoretically obtained are illustrated in a numerical simulation example.

http://www.ugr.es/~ramongs/articulos en pdf/JOURNAL OF STATISTICAL COMPUTATION AND SIMULATION.pdf


From the 19th century novel, The Heart of a Boy (1886) to the contemporary collection Stolen Voices: Young People's War Diaries, from World War I to Iraq (2006), children have suffered the ravages of war and have been depicted in stories and accounts of war experiences. What do their voices tell us?


Strigolactones (SLs) are released from roots and act as chemical signals for symbiosis and parasitism in the rhizosphere. SLs also function as endogenous hormones that regulate shoot branching. Studies using SL-de fi cient and -insensitive mutants also suggest additional roles of SLs in plant development. Previously, max2 , an Arabidopsis SL-insensitive mutant, was isolated as ore9 because of its delayed leaf senescence. This suggests that SL might be a positive regulator of leaf senescence. Other studies have shown that application of an SL analogue activates light-harvesting genes, resulting in the induction of greening of leaves. Thus, the effect of SL on leaves is not simple; perhaps it is dependent on the dose of SL and the developmental and environmen-tal status of the leaf. SL production is often elevated by de fi ciencies in inorganic nutrients, such as phosphate (Pi). To clarify the role of SL in leaf senescence, we grew wild-type and SL-de fi cient max4 mutant plants under Pi-suf fi cient and -de fi cient condi-tions. To evaluate the senescence of individual leaves, we measured chlorophyll contents and expression of senescence marker genes. Our results showed that, under low Pi conditions, leaf senescence is promoted in wild-type plants. However, the induction of leaf senescence by Pi-starvation was signi fi cantly delayed in the max4 mutant. These results indicate that SL plays a role in the induction of leaf senescence by Pi-starvation in Arabidopsis.


Kuiper Airborne Observatory observations of several resolved far-infrared structures that are likely to represent disks formed during the process of the collapse of a cloud to form a star are discussed. An infrared radiation nebula, star HH57, and SVS13 were studied. Forty-seven and 95-micron maps of far infrared radiation are given.


Distributed systems evolution characteristics of distributed multimedia information systems distributed processing network technologies - backbone networks network technologies - access networks internetworking building distributed services distributed services distributing data DMIS development decentralized management and control open systems and standards selection security.


Why mixing angles are what they are is, in addition to their more and more precise experimentaldetermination, one of the most active present domain of research, both in the leptonic and hadronicsectors. The attempts that have been proposed up to now in order to address this fundamental question,such as the linking of the sine of the Cabibbo angle [1] to the d and s quark mass ratio [2], are oftenbased on empirical evidence, and so remain unsatisfying


The aim of the study was to identify the epidemiological and clinical factors predisposing to non-erosive reflux disease (NERD), erosive esophagitis (EE) and Barrett's esophagus in Russian population of patients, and to develop a diagnostic model for GERD phenotypes. Materials and methods. 1433 patients with GERD from Moscow, Moscow region, St. Petersburg and Leningrad region were studied. During the study complaints and anamnestic data were gathered, anthropometry, tests for H. pylori infection and upper endoscopy were performed. Spearman rank correlation was used to identify the correlation of clinical characteristics with NERD, EE and Barrett's esophagus. 880 patients with GERD (407 with NERD, 443 with EE, 27 with Barrett's esophagus, 3 with esophageal stricture) were selected for correlation analysis due to the presence of all necessary parameters. To develop multivariable model for GERD phenotype diagnosis (EE/NERD), multivariate analyses was used. The prognostic value of multivariable model was determined based on ROC analysis. Results. The prevalence of two main GERD phenotypes EE and NERD was approximately equal in the patients of Russian megapolises. Male gender was significantly negatively correlated with NERD development (p=0.002011). An inverse correlation was found between NERD and older age groups (p=0.002459), high waist circumference (WC) (p=0.003733), long duration of GERD symptoms (p=0.012984), the results of the GerdQ≥8 points (p=0.040030). In the group of patients with EE grade A-B, a significant inverse correlation was revealed with age over 40 years (p=0.002708), high body mass index (BMI) (p=0.020957), and high WC (p=0.001293). The male gender (p=0.000108) and the duration of GERD symptoms more than 3 years (p=0.028292) were significantly associated with severe grades of EE development. The male gender (p=0.007505) and not using of PPIs over the past 6 months (p=0.015930) were positively associated with Barrett's esophagus. Based on correlation analyses and predictive value 6 variables associated with EE/NERD were chosen: gender, age, GERDQ results, GERD symptoms duration, WC, BMI. Variables were divided into classes with similar risk with corresponding scores. The cut-off point (total score) with balance of sensitivity and specificity (Se≈Sp) was 549. Area under the curve (AUC) was 0,73, which indicates good quality of the diagnostic model. Conclusion. Female gender, young age, normal BMI and WC, short duration of symptoms and GERD-Q less than 7 points were positively associated with NERD compared with EE among Russian patients. Male patients with long-term GERD symptoms, with overweight and obesity, who do not take PPIs are at high risk of Barrett's esophagus. Евразийский Союз Ученых (ЕСУ) # 3(84), 2021 33


Protein and other nitrogenous compounds were estimated in the brine and muscle of cured whole and gutted mackerel. Higher and faster loss of these compounds into the brine occurs during the initial hours of of salting in gutted mackerel than in whole mackerel. However the differences were minimal towards the end of the curing period (24 h). High values of alpha amino nitrogen were found in the cured muscle which indicated high tissue proteinase activity. The total loss of all nitrogenous compounds into brine was quite small at < 2g Nitrogen kg"1 fish.


Abstract A unified finite population theory is developed for composite estimators of both the current level and change in level between consecutive occasions when a rotation sample design is employed. Explicit variance functions are given under the assumption that exponential and arithmetic correlation patterns hold over time for the characteristics of interest. Optimum values of the weight coefficients in the composite estimators, the optimum number of consecutive visits by a sampling unit, and the gain in efficiency relative to the use of simple estimators are all determined numerically. Moderate gains for level and appreciable gains for change are achieved when the correlation is high.


Dissipative Particle Dynamics has been used to investigate the different morphology of polymer nanocomposites. Such a study was addressed to the definition of a suitable tool for understanding the distribution of oleic acid (OA) capped nanoparticles embedded into poly-methylmethacrylate (PMMA) matrix for the formation of nanocomposite materials. In particular, simulations of PMMA/OA mixtures at different composition have exhibited the self-assembly of amphiphiles to form separated nanosized domains with different morphologies going from spheres, to tubules up to the formation of continuous planar sheets as the OA composition increases. On the other hand, simulations carried out on nanocomposite systems have shown that NPs do not perturb the observed phase behaviour of PMMA/OA mixtures. In fact, at low OA compositions nanoparticles are confined in the spherical lipid domains to form NP clusters, while at high OA composition NPs appear homogeneously distributed in the continuous lipid domain.


The transcription factor NF-κB has a central role in cellular stress and inflammatory responses by controlling cytokine-inducible gene expression and lymphocyte stimulation by antigens (Baeuerle and Baltimore 1996; Gilmore et al. 1996). In addition, NF-κB is required to block cell death in response to tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and ionizing radiation, suggesting that it acts to regulate the transcription of survival genes (Beg and Baltimore 1996; Liu et al. 1996; Van Antwerp et al. 1996; Wang et al. 1996). NF-κB is a ubiquitous heterodimeric complex composed of a p65/RelA subunit and a p50 subunit. This complex is normally sequestered in an inactive form in the cytoplasm through interaction with members of a family of inhibitory proteins, the IκBs (Beg et al. 1992; for review, see Baeuerle and Baltimore 1996). These proteins, when associated with NF-κB, obscure the nuclear localization signal in NF-κB and also block the ability of NF-κB to bind DNA. In response to TNFα and other signals, IκBα is rapidly phosphorylated on two serine residues near the amino terminus (Ser-32 and Ser-36 in IκBα) (Beg et al. 1993; Finco et al. 1994; Alkalay et al. 1995; Brown et al. 1995; Chen et al. 1995, 1996; DiDonato et al. 1995; Lin et al. 1995). This modification triggers the rapid destruction of IκBα by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, thereby allowing NF-κB nuclear translocation and target gene expression (Chen et al. 1995; Scherer et al. 1995; for review, see Hochstrasser 1996). Recent work has uncovered two IκBα kinases, IκKα and IκKβ, that are responsible for signal-dependent phosphorylation of IκBα (DiDonato et al. 1997; Mercurio et al. 1997; Regnier et al. 1997; Woronicz et al. 1997; Zandi et al. 1997, 1998). These proteins are part of a 700-kD protein complex that is assembled through two structural components IκKγ/NEMO and IKAP (Cohen et al. 1998; Rothwarf et al. 1998; Yamaoka et al. 1998) and are activated by cytokines. In vitro, both IκKα and IκKβ can phosphorylate IκBα specifically on serines 32 and 36, but both kinases are required for efficient IκBα phosphorylation in vivo (Zandi et al. 1997).

Although the pathways leading to IκBα phosphorylation have been described in detail, little is known about the molecules responsible for ubiquitination. Ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis involves a cascade of ubiquitin transfer reactions in which the ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1 uses ATP to form a high-energy thiolester bond with ubiquitin, which is then transferred to members of the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme family (Hershko et al. 1983; Hochstrasser 1995). Ubiquitin is then transferred from the E2 to lysine residues in the target through an E3–ubiquitin ligase. E3s serve as adaptors that interact with both the target protein and the appropriate E2, thereby providing specificity to the ubiquitin transfer reaction. In some cases, the E3 is also involved in ubiquitin transfer (Scheffner et al. 1995; Rolfe et al. 1995). Multiple rounds of ubiquitination of the initial conjugates lead to polyubiquitination, which targets the protein for proteolysis by the 26S proteasome. Recent studies have elaborated a modular ubiquitin ligase complex, the SCF–ubiquitin ligase, which mediates phosphorylation-dependent ubiquitination of a large number of proteins (for review, see Elledge and Harper 1998; Patton et al. 1998b). The SCF is composed of Skp1, Cdc53/Cul1, and a specificity-conferring F-box protein (Bai et al. 1996; Feldman et al. 1997; Skowyra et al. 1997; Patton et al. 1998a). F-box proteins contain two domains, an F-box motif that binds Skp1 and allows assembly into Skp1/Cdc53 complexes, and a second protein–protein interaction domain that interacts specifically with one or more target proteins (Bai et al. 1996). Cdc53/Cul1, in turn, interacts with both the E2 and the Skp1/F-box protein complex (Skowyra et al. 1997; Patton et al. 1998a). SCF complexes mediate phosphorylation-dependent destruction of a wide array of regulatory proteins in yeast, including the Cdk inhibitors Sic1, Far1, and Rum1, G1 cyclins, the transcription factor Gcn4, and the DNA replication initiator proteins Cdc6 and Cdc18 (for review, see Elledge and Harper 1998; Patton et al. 1998b). In contrast with yeast, targets of vertebrate SCF complexes remain largely unknown. Previously, we identified four vertebrate proteins that contain the F-box motif, linking them to the ubiquitin pathway: mammalian cyclin F, Skp2, MD6, and Xenopus β-TRCP (β-transducin repeat-containing protein; Bai et al. 1996). β-TRCP was originally identified as a suppressor of a temperature-sensitive mutation in the budding yeast CDC15 gene (Spevak et al. 1993), but its mechanism of suppression has not been determined. Recent genetic evidence has implicated Xenopus β-TRCP and its Drosphila homolog, slimb, in control of proteolysis in the Hedgehog and Wingless/Wnt signaling pathways (Jiang and Struhl 1998; Marikawa and Elinson 1998).

We have used biochemical approaches to examine whether IκBα ubiquitination might involve an SCF–ubiquitin ligase. Here we report that mammalian β-TRCP binds to the IκBα destruction motif in a phosphorylation-dependent manner, thereby recruiting IκBα into an SCF–ubiquitin ligase complex. Moreover, SCFβ-TRCP components cofractionate with IκBα–ubiquitin ligase activity from tissue culture cells and SCFβ-TRCP can stimulate ubiquitination of phosphorylated but not unphosphorylated IκBα in an in vitro reconstitution assay. We also demonstrate that the same SCFβ-TRCP complex recognizes a similar destruction motif in β-catenin, a component of the TCF/Lef transcription factor complex that functions downstream of Wingless/Wnt (for review, see Peifer 1997) and whose levels are also controlled by phosphorylation-dependent ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis (Aberle et al. 1997). Our results, together with the effects of loss-of-function mutations in the Drosophila β-TRCP homolog slimb (Jiang and Struhl 1998), suggest that a single SCFβ-TRCP complex functions in diverse signaling pathways that impinge on transcription control mediated by cytokines (NF-κB), Wnt/Wingless (β-catenin), and Hedgehog [Cubitus interruptus (Ci)].


Paul Auster's novels usually focus on the art of writing, and his main characters are most often writers of some sort. These writers struggle with problems that arise from the relationship between ...


Bacterial reverse mutation test is the classical method for screening of potential mutagens and carcinogens of drugs and chemicals.Although Ames test has been used for more than 30 years,there are still many problems in the operation and conformance with the GLP standards.Operation and the experiences of Ames test under GLP system are summarized in this article to ensure the data obtained from study complete,real and reliable.


A new microwave device called the cascaded type of coupled resonator decoupling network (C-CRDN) is proposed in this paper. The four-port device can be used to reduce the interference between two radio systems that work in adjacent or even contiguous frequency bands. A C-CRDN is cascaded between the two antennas to be decoupled and the I/O ports of their radio systems, respectively. The coupling matrix of a C-CRDN can be designed to meet the required isolation and return-loss specifications. To prove the concept, a fourth- and sixth-order C-CRDN using coaxial combline cavities are designed, fabricated, and measured according to the characteristics of a testing array that consists of two high-gain sleeve dipoles working in the adjacent time-division long-term evolution and wireless fidelity bands. The measured results have demonstrated that the proposed C-CRDN can effectively mitigate the coexistence interference between the two collocated systems by providing at least 20-dB isolation improvement and enhanced matching performance. The proposed technique is general and can find many applications in heterogeneous wireless systems.


In order to analyze Complementary Code Keying(CCK) performance on the additive white Gaussian noise(AWGN) channel,an idea of M-ary Quaternary Orthogonal Keying modulation(MQOK) is proposed in this paper,based on the analysis of the common traits of CCK and M-ary Bi-orthogonal Keying(MBOK).Again this paper analyzes that MQOK has the merits of simpler demodulation structure and more adaptable to higher data transfer than MBOK and points out that CCK coding modulation is considered a concrete way to realize MQOK.By analyzing the performance of MQOK on AWGN channel in detail,new closed-form formulae for CCK are gained with its own modulation feature.Comparison between the numerical result and the simulation result of Monte Carlo shows that the difference of the required signal-to-noise(SNR) between the numerical and simulation is less than 0.5 dB with any certain bit-error probability and symbol-error probability,which confirms that these formulae are more accurate and practical,and the approach to analyzing CCK performance by MQOK is available.


Background. Oat (Avena sativa L.) is one of the most important sources of protein, oil, starch and dietary fibers, in particular β-glucans. Dietary fiber serves as a source of nutrition for the intestinal microflora and significantly affects not only its composition, but also the normal functioning of the intestine as a whole. In connection with the increased interest in β-glucans as a food component and dietary supplement, there is a need in a convenient and inexpensive method for determination of β-glucans content in grain. The article provides an overview of the existing methods for the isolation and determination of soluble β-glucans in cereals: enzymatic, alkaline, alkaline-enzymatic, colorimetric; their advantages and disadvantages are noted. The main disadvantages of some methods are the complexity and duration of execution, significant cost of the required reagents, and the inability to determine the exact content of β-glucans due to their insufficient purification from various impurities.Results. This study used the example of naked and covered oat cultivars to demonstrate applicability of the gravimetric method that we developed by modifying the alkaline method. Whole grain oat flour was pretreated with a 50% ethanol solution to inactivate β-glucanase and remove free sugars, some lipids, proteins, and other substances. β-glucans were released from the aleurone layer and the endosperm with a 5% sodium hydroxide solution, and finally extracted with a 70% ethanol solution. Β-glucans floated to the surface in the form of a bunch of fibers, which was then dried at a temperature about 100-102°C to constant weight and weighed. The content of β-glucans was calculated from the dry weight (%). The isolated β-glucans were checked for the presence of accompanying substances: the content of nitrogenous substances was determined by the Kjeldahl method, and the presence of starch was determined by a qualitative reaction with Lugol's reagent.Conclusions. The content of β-glucans in the grain of the studied samples ranged from 3.12±0.18 up to 4.65±0.17% of the dry weight. As a result of the study, the optimal conditions of β-glucans isolation were selected: the extraction mixtures ratios, as well as the modes of centrifugation, sedimentation and drying were established. It has been shown that this method makes it possible to isolate β-glucans with a minimum impurity of nitrogenous substances (0.07-0.12%) and no traces of starch. One of the advantages of the described method is its availability for mass analysis when studying a collection of grain crops.


The nightmare that is qualitative data: "I had generated so many codes in a line-by-line analysis that they had become illegible on paper and difficult to administrate. I worried that I would only be able to fully investigate some aspects whilst, unwillingly, ignoring others. In addition, the mere thought of the amount of data that I would generate (95 1.5 hours' tape) was almost paralysing. I had images of piles of colourful paper with post-its sticking out like a hedgehog, and of paper stacks being attacked by my cat in an idle moment. In other words, I did not feel very organised and not able to present a neatly finished project that would survive the critical scrutiny of my peers" (van Hoven, 2002). It was then that I realised that NUD.IST might be the answer.


A triangular loop current model visualizes exciting currents giving the desired magnetic field distribution by means of inverse problems. Combining a set of three line currents as a triangular loop represents magnetic field sources holding the conservation of currents, as well as magnetic fluxes. For designing exciting coils, at first, the region for the coils is filled with the current elements. Second, the desired magnetic field distribution represented as an input vector derives a system of equations from the relation between the magnetic field distribution and currents. Third, solving this ill-posed linear system determines the intensity of current in each of the elements. Finally, the current vector visualization performs designing exciting coils. The applications in homogeneous and concentrated magnetic field generation are presented.


The global robust stabilization problem for a class of nonlinear uncertain two-time scale systems was studied.The robust composite feedback control for the whole systems was obtained by applying the two-time scale design approach,and the upper stability bound ofewas also given.Finally,examples of the application of the result were presented.


Agenda: President Simone's response to Staff Participation on Committees, Policy Council By-Laws, Update on Secretarial Position, Update - Staff Council Retreat, Committee Reports, Announcements


The problems of dropping ingot and locking ingot that there are when the aluminum ingot flip Device is working were analyzed. The kinematical analysis and dynamic analysis on aluminum ingot clamping process were carried out. The relationship between the working reliability of flip device and the aluminum ingot pose before the aluminum ingot accessing flip device was obtained. The constraint conditions of aluminum ingot accessing flip device were given. This paper provided key technical parameters to the research and development of aluminum ingot pose self-tuning device.


It has been proved that on 2-dimensional orientable compact manifolds of genus $g>1$ there is no integrable geodesic flow with an integral polynomial in momenta. There is a conjecture that all integrable geodesic flows on $T^2$ possess an integral quadratic in momenta. All geodesic flows on $S^2$ and $T^2$ possessing integrals linear and quadratic in momenta have been described by Kolokol'tsov, Babenko and Nekhoroshev.
So far there has been known only one example of conservative system on $S^2$ possessing an integral cubic in momenta: the case of Goryachev-Chaplygin in the dynamics of a rigid body. The aim of this paper is to propose a new one-parameter family of examples of complete integrable conservative systems on $S^2$ possessing an integral cubic in momenta. We show that our family does not include the case of Goryachev-Chaplygin.


Abstract : This program has consisted of an investigation of the liquid phase epitaxial growth of hexagonal ferrites. The objective has been to obtain high quality single crystal layers of hexagonal ferrite which would be suitable for use in millimeter-wave tunable filters. The specific objectives were to determine the conditions required for preparation of ferrites which would give ferromagnetic resonance at frequencies in the range of 50 to 70 GHz using magnetic bias fields available with present technology and having resonance linewidths no greater than 50 0e. The work consisted of the growth and preparation of gallate spinel substrate crystals, the liquid phase epitaxial growth of strontium hexaferrite layers on these substrates by means of a lead oxide - boron oxide flux, and the characterization of these materials. Techniques were devised for fairly reproducible growth of hexaferrites which had linewidths substantially less than 100 0e and which required fields of only about 7 K0e for resonance at 60 GHz. The best sample had a linewidth of 60 0e, a significant improvement over previous epitaxial hexaferrites. (Author)


Understanding the formation of nanoparticles (NPs) is key to develop materials via sustainable routes. The Co4Cat TM process is a new synthesis of precious metal NPs in alkaline mono-alcohols well-suited to develop active nanocatalysts. The synthesis is 'facile', surfactant-free and performed under mild conditions like low temperature. Interestingly, this process is sensitive to parameters masked in other colloidal syntheses. The oxidation properties of the solvent are here shown to strongly influence the formation of Pt NPs. Based on the in situ formation of CO adsorbed on the NP surface by solvent oxidation, a model is proposed that accounts for the different growth and stabilization mechanisms as well as re-dispersion properties of the surfactant-free NPs in different solvents. Using in situ and ex situ characterizations, it is established that in methanol, a slow nucleation with a limited NP growth is achieved. In ethanol, a fast nucleation followed by continuous and pronounced particle sintering occurs. The results support further strategies to rationally design, investigate, control and produce improved NPs for fundamental and applied research.


The hydrothermal reaction of Zn(NO3)2·4H2O,1,2,3,4,5-benzenepentacarboxylic acid(H5bpc) and 2,2′-bpy yields a novel coordination polymer[Zn2(1,2,3,5-btc)(2,2′-bpy)2(H2O)]n·0.5nH2O(1,2,3,5-btc=1,2,3,5-benzenetetracarboxylate) in basic condition,which was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction,elemental analysis and IR.The structure is a three-dimensional supramolecular network based on coordination layers linked by π-π stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions.The μ4-bridging 1,2,3,5-btc ligand was in-situ formed via the decarboxylation of the starting H5bpc in basic condition at high temperature.CCDC:790205.


In this work, we propose a new approach for efficient edge-preserving image deconvolution. Our algorithm is based on a novel type of explicit image filter - guided filter. The guided filter can be used as an edge-preserving smoothing operator like the popular bilateral filter, but has better behaviors near edges. We propose an efficient iterative algorithm with the decouple of deblurring and denoising steps in the restoration process. In deblurring step, we proposed two cost function which could be computed with fast Fourier transform efficiently. The solution of the first one is used as the guidance image, and another solution will be filtered in next step. In the denoising step, the guided filter is used with the two obtained images for efficient edge-preserving filtering. Furthermore, we derive a simple and effective method to automatically adjust the regularization parameter at each iteration. We compare our deconvolution algorithm with many competitive deconvolution techniques in terms of ISNR and visual quality.


A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the potential of dietary supplementation of autolysed brewer's yeast (AY) on African catfish. The catfish (22.5 ± 1.15 g/fish, 20 fish 33 L/tank) were fed with either of diets (390 g/kg crude protein, 140 g/kg lipid) supplemented with 0, 3, 6 or 10 g/kg AY (n = 3). After 49 days of feeding, the final body weight and metabolic growth rate of the catfish fed 3 g/kg AY (3‐AY) diet were higher than those fed the control diet (p   .05) in intestinal perimeter ratio. However, an elevated (p < .05) abundance of goblet cells and intraepithelial leucocytes were found in the intestine of catfish fed 3, 6 and 10 g/kg AY diets, with the highest level of abundance recorded in the mid‐intestine of the catfish fed 3‐AY diet. The results suggest that dietary 3 g/kg autolysed brewer's yeast supplementation improves growth performance of African catfish without deleterious effect on liver functionality and gut morphology.


The increasing commercialization of medical care has created conflicts of interest for the many practicing physicians who have financial stakes in the health care facilities to which they refer the...


Octacalcium phosphate (OCP) has a biological affinity for living bone. It is worthwhile investigating the behavior of crystal growth, transformation and dissolution of OCP crystals under physiological conditions, with a similar concentration in inorganic composition to that of human blood plasma, to understand the affinity for living bone. We examined the behavior of OCP crystals after exposure to a simulated body fluid (SBF). No crystalline phase changes were exhibited by samples soaked in SBF, but formation of calcium phosphate was assumed to occur because of decreases in concentration of both calcium and phosphate ions in SBF. The molar ratio of the reduction in calcium and phosphate ions concentrations (ΔCa/ΔP) at 1 day was 1.42, eventually converging to a value of 1.33. These results indicated that OCP was formed on OCP crystals through an intermediate amorphous phase and OCP soaked in SBF was transformed into hydroxyapatite to only a negligible extent in the solution. (Received February 25, 2012; Accepted May 18, 2012)