〈Summary〉 We propose a vision-based Human-Computer Interface for Text Entry. The system uses a web camera for detecting tongue protrusion gestures, which are interpreted as the signals of International Morse Code. These gestures can be generated independently; hence, the traditional 3:1 ratio between dashes and dots can be disregarded. Employing Morse code for text entry requires memorizing it in advance. In this paper, users are provided with a Visual Chart where input characters are displayed on the screen. Navigating the chart in order to select a character matches perceptually the position of the tongue gestures. Thus, without previous knowledge of Morse code, users are able to start typing just by looking at the screen. Furthermore, the proposed interface allows learning the code by associating it with the tongue actions, while already obtaining tangible results. The Text Entry protocol consists of Timers that can be adjusted according to the level of expertise of users. The best text entry rate obtained was 2.54 WPM. We also provide a method to calculate theoretical speeds, which indicate the lower bound for the speeds obtained in practice. Finally, the Visual Chart contains 30 characters; however, it is possible to expand it in order to encode more information while maintaining the same text entry protocol.


57 ABSTRACT Compatibilized blends of polypropylene, linear low density polyethylene and a low molecular weight plas tomer are disclosed. The blend preferably contains at least about 50 percent by weight of crystalline polypro pylene, from about 10 to about 50 percent by weight of LLDPE dispersed in a matrix of the polypropylene, and a compatibilizing amount of an ethylene/alpha-olefin plastomer having a weight average molecular weight between about 5,000 to about 50,000, a density of less than about 0.90 g/cm, and a melt index of at least about 50 dg/min. The blend is useful in the formation of melt spun and melt blown fibers. Also disclosed are spun bonded-melt blown-spun bonded fabrics made from the blends.


Grammar constitutes the frame of a language,which a person communicating in that language no doubt needs to know about. Both grammar and communication are inseparable. Without internalized knowledge of grammar,the effectiveness to learn and to communicate in the target language may be handicapped. This paper focuses on grammar and effective communication and expounds the communicative properties of grammar from functional view.


The automatic alignment of documents in a quasi-comparable corpus is an important research problem for a resource poor cross-language technologies. News stories form one of the most prolific and abundant language resource. This edition of PAN@FIRE task, cross-language !ndia news story search (CL!NSS), continues to address the news story linking task across languages English and Hindi. We present the overview of the track with results and analysis.


ABSTRACT Researchers have demonstrated the ability of the argon laser (multilines) to polymerize composite resin faster and with better physical properties as compared to the traditional visible light source. This study was conducted to compare blue lines only (primarily 476 and 488 nm) with multiline (primarily 476,488, and 514 nm) argon lasers on the diametral tensile strengths of polymerized APH composite resin. Units were tested with 250 and 350 mW, 5 and 10 sec of polymerization time and approximate beam sizes of 5, 6.7, and 8 mm. Samples were tested 24 hr postlasing on an Instron Testing Machine. In general, there were no significant differences between diametral tensile strengths of composite samples polymerized with blue line or multiline argon lasers.


Let S be a countable set and E=(Z~d)~s the configuration space, (P_i(u,v): u, v∈S) is a Marker matrix representing diffusion kernel of i-species. (q_u(k, j):k, j∈Z) is a Qmatrix representing reactions among the species in position u∈S. In the paper, we use two kinds of distance. One is ρ(η,ζ)=sum from n=u∈S(1-δ(η(u),ζ(u)))a(u) η,ζ∈E where a is a strict positive function on S, it is summable and satisfies sum from n=u∈S(sum from n=i=1 d ∞ P_i(u,v))a(v)≤M_a(a) u∈S. On the other hand, the norm of η∈E induces a distance on e= (η∈E:|η|∞), which we call norm distance. The set of all Lipschitz function on E, relative to ρ, is denoted by L°and the one on e, relative to the norm distance, is denoted by L. The formal generator of a multi-species reaction-diffusion processes(M. R. D. P) is that Ωf(η)=sum from n=u∈S sum from n=κ≠0 q_u(η(u)),η(u)+k)(f(η+ke)-f(η))+sum from n=u∈S sum from n=i=1 to d C_(ut)(η(u)) sum from n=v≠u P_i(u,v)(f(η-e_(ui)+e_(vi))-f(η)) f∈L°,η∈H where e_(ut) is a unit vector in E, ke_u=sum from n=t=1 to d K_ie_(ui). H is a σ-compact subset of E. If 0≤C_(ui)(η(u))≤R and C_(ui)(0)=0, and the following condition holds: there exists a nonnegative, non-decreasing function B on Z_+~d such that (1) B(K)→∞ as|k|→∞ (2) q_u(j)≡sum from n=k≠0 q_u(j,j+k)≤B(j) (3) B(η(u)+e_(ui)(u))-B(η(u))≤cB(η(u))+d i=1, 2, ...,d (4) sum fromn n=k≠0 q_u(η(u),η(u)+k)(B(η(u)+k)-B(η(u))≤aB(η(u))+b where, a, b, c, d are nonnegative constants, then there exists a unique constract semigroup S(t) on L°with the generator Ω, and there exists a Marker process ((η_t), p~7), associated with S(t). Moreover, if sum from n=k≠0 (q_u(η(u),η(u)+k)sum from n=i=1 to d k_i)≤a_1 sum from n=i=1 to d η_i(u)+b_3, then P(t, η, e)=1 for any η∈e. Therefore, the state space of M. R. D. P can be restricted to e and the domain of S(t) can be extended to L.


A problem facing the construction industry is how to reduce cost and increase value on projects. The Performance Based Studies Research Group (PBSRG) identified, through the Industry Structure (IS) model, that the problem is being caused by the "client centric" approach where the client is the expert and uses the price-based approach. The IS model identifies that if a client uses a Request for Proposal and identifies and utilizes vendor expertise, they can increase performance and lower cost on projects. This is the Best Value Approach (BVA). A city in Colorado used the BVA to deliver a requirement for janitorial services. Their budget was lower than their current expenses. The City agreed to utilize the BVA to attempt to cut cost and increase the level of service. This paper covers their purchasing effort to identify and utilize janitorial services. The paper identifies if the BVA was able to increase the janitorial service while lowering the cost.


This paper investigates the performances of 16×100Gbit/s return-to-zero differential quadrature phase shift keying (RZDQPSK) coded modulation signals in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) system and compares three different dispersion compensation fiber (DCF) methods. The performance has been evaluated by using Q value as the major parameter along with the variation of the input power for different channels with different dispersion compensation schemes. It is observed that symmetrical compensation of DCF is more excellent than pre-compensation and post-compensation methods. Corresponding to symmetrical compensation of DCF method, the maximum values of Q factor are 11.7026, 10.5128 and10.5138 for channel NO.1, channel NO.8, and channel NO.16, respectively. Meanwhile, the eye diagram shape of symmetrical compensation method is superior to the others.


knowledge and analytical categories, arguing that in order to adequately understand gender in today's neoliberal world, we need to understand colonial power, production, and discourse. Gender Reckonings offers a useful update to Connell's groundbreaking work. However, the book does have some limitations. Although many chapters take intersectional approaches or speak to intersectional frameworks, many do not sufficiently theorize the role of racial domination in gender structuration processes. Also, while a few chapters draw on new work in transgender studies, the majority of the chapters are crafted within a cisnormative framework and/or reflect a cursory understanding of gender diversity research and transgender theory and politics. These limitations notwithstanding, this book should appeal to all those interested in feminist social science and organizing. It would be a useful text for graduate seminars in Sociology of Gender, and specific chapters would serve well in undergraduate courses in Sociology of Gender, Introduction to Women and Gender Studies, and Transnational Feminist Studies.


Different factors in medical imaging make the image grey scale of the subjects which own same characters inconsistent.Image gray scale normalization is a intensity transformation method in which the inconsistent above is reduced or eliminated.and the grey scale difference with diagnositic values is kept.so as to facilitate the automatic computer analysis.Currently.the most popular methods for grey level normalization include histogram,based and image character,based transformation.In this paper.both kinds of algorithms are summarized in detail.


We demonstrate averaged-DOP monitoring of WDM channels for simultaneous PMD compensation. We achieve a significant power penalty reduction > 10 dB using this scheme. The 2%-worst-case compensated performance of averaged-BER is improved by two orders of magnitude.


Evolutionary studies during the past few years have increasingly focused upon the processes underlying organismal evolution. The evolution of regulatory genes, presumed to be the "genetic eminences" of organismal evolution, has particularly received considerable attention. This shift in focus has occurred as a result of two developments: the rather belated realization by evolutionary geneticists that structural gene evolution is often irrelevant to morphological evolution and the recapitulation of the controversy over the evolutionary processes responsible for "macroevolution." Many evolutionary biologists now appear to be convinced that regulatory genes are the primary determinants of organismal evolution. However, current research in the mainstream of evolutionary biology has not evolved to the point that the major developmental regulatory genes controlling pattern formation and differentiation are receiving much attention. Gould (1977) has made an attempt in Ontogeny and Phylogeny to resurrect and update classical embryological theories of organismal evolution. However, there is the question of the underlying genetic mechanisms which still, after several decades, leave the evolutionary geneticist unsatisfied. To a large extent the lack of progress in studying the role of regulatory genes in evolution can be attributed to the two deficient experimental systems which have been available in the past: gene systems unrelated to morphogenesis and morphological systems for which the underlying developmental genetic control had not been elucidated. Unbeknown to most evolutionary biologists, developmental geneticists have rectified that problem in recent years. Embryos, Genes, and Evolution weaves classical embryology with modern developmental genetics into theories of organismal evolution for the first time. The publication of this book is timely not only because of the new theories but also because of the concrete regulatory paradigms presented. For those individuals weary of vague theories about undefined regulatory genes, this book offers eukaryotic regulatory genes with real names and real functions! Although the title of this book contains


The immobilization of homogeneous catalysts is a continuing goal for combining the advantages of both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. However, a significant loss in catalytic activity is often found in the immobilization of a homogeneous catalyst. Herein, we report a novel strategy consisting of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) functionalized with homogeneous catalysts that are developed to combine the positive aspects of solid and soluble supports. Using the oxidation of alcohols as a model reaction, the supported catalysts (MWNTs–TEMPO) can be homogeneously dispersed in the reaction medium to conquer the mass transfer limitation, which leads to their catalytic activity being far superior to their heterogeneous counterpart and similar to their parent catalysts. In addition, they exhibit the additional advantages of characterization with solution-based techniques, easy separation and reutilization.


LBNL-2009 Inverse Problem in Anisotropic Poroelasticity: Drained Constants from Undrained Ultrasound Measurements James G. Berryman and Seiji Nakagawa Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road MS90-R1116, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. (Dated: November 20, 2009) Drained Constants from Undrained 1


Account takeover is a form of online identity theft where a fraudster gains unauthorized access to an individual's account in a given system. Depending on the system, this unauthorized access can lead to severe consequences of privacy breach and financial loss to the victims, to the companies that maintain the system and to other users. In this paper, we present the work done in order to prevent and detect account takeovers at mobile.de, an online vehicle marketplace. To tackle the prevention problem, we first present a behavioral analysis of how fraudsters operate, and implemented a mutual two-factor authentication that achieved a reduction of 43% of account takeovers. To tackle the detection problem, we introduce a concept drift sensitive machine learning training approach that was able to improve our baseline methods by 18% in detection rates. The automatic detection reduced the exposure of fraudulent listings by 69%, resulting in a safer marketplace for buyers and sellers.


Environmental Accounting as Information System: Study at Perusahaan Gas Negara The purpose of this research is to explore environmental accounting information systems at Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN). The specific objectives of this research are to know the company already exist to environmental accounting implementation, to obtain cost of environmental at PGN get positive significant revenue, and also describe a model of environmental accounting information systems. According to the results, PGN already exist environmental accounting. It was found in company's annual report. The information of environmental cost get positive impact to revenue and show the model of environmental accounting information systems at PGN DOI: 10.15408/ess.v6i1.3123


In this research ethylene glycol based synthetic boric acid polymer (EGBAP) and boric powder were used to improve the properties of 80/100 penetration grade bitumen. The ethylene glycol based synthetic boric acid polymer was synthesized in the laboratory. The percentage of additives used were 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% by weight of bitumen. High shear rate mixer was used for blending additive with bitumen. All blended samples were then tested using Empirical test namely Penetration, Softening Temperature and Ductility according to ASTM standard test methods. Morphological Analysis using Scanning Electron Microscope was done to know the compatibility of the polymer with bitumen. From the results, the penetration value of modified bitumen decreased and the softening point of modified bitumen increased. As a result, modification of bitumen with boric powder and ethylene glycol based synthetic boric acid polymer (EGBAP) induced stiffness thus would improve the fatigue resistance of pavement. Ductility of all modified bitumen was lower than virgin bitumen thus the modified bitumen might crack at low temperature. However, most of ductility of the modified bitumen was above the minimum requirement of 75cm for 80/100 penetration grade bitumen so the modified bitumen could be used in hot climatic country. The morphological analysis also reflected that the compatibility of modified bitumen was increased as proved by empirical test results.


When integrated with text editions and images, digital paleography tools can deliver more accurate and informed results and enable specialists to communicate their message clearly and powerfully. In this article we introduce new digital tools for paleography in the Online Cultural and Historical Research Environment (OCHRE). Specifically, we demonstrate how to produce reconstructed readings of Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts in the Critical Editions for Digital Analysis and Research project (CEDAR), and how to produce dynamic letter charts of Hebrew letters in CEDAR and of alphabetic Ugaritic letters in the Ras Shamra Tablet Inventory (RSTI).2 First, however, a few words on why we are presenting tools for paleography in a journal devoted to textual criticism. Textual criticism of the Bible is an ancient endeavor, dating back to the time of Origen, but the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the middle of the 20th century brought us a vast quantity of new evidence. The manuscripts from Qumran are crucial for text critics, but most are also badly damaged, and the published editions are not always reliable. As a result, it behooves text critics to read the fragments and reconstruct them when necessary.3 Using real characters from the scribe's own hand is the most methodologically sound way to test reconstructions, and we illustrate how OCHRE's reconstruction tools facilitate this process.4 When the identification of a fragment is in doubt, letter charts can enable a scholar to determine which scroll the fragment belongs to; OCHRE can also assist here by generating interactive charts taken directly from manuscript images.


The flagship programme of employment guarantee in India known as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA) guarantees a maximum of 100 days of work for the rural poor at a government stipulated wage in a public works scheme. Although the very intent of this programme is to benefit the poor, it was criticized for its formidable payment delay. A surprising stylized fact is that such a payment lag raises the participation of poor in the programme instead of lowering it. In this paper, we argue that a payment delay could seriously hurt the poor that may not be seen from the usual success indicator of the programme, i.e. participation. Asset-poor households may participate more in response to such a payment lag. This happens because a payment delay makes labour a credit good. The household discounts its future labour income at a higher rate due to a longer payment lag. This depresses the annuity value of the labour income flow creating an adverse wealth effect. Since leisure is a normal good, households consume less leisure and work harder in response to a longer payment delay. If poor is financially excluded, this perverse wealth effect working though the interest rate is not at work. Poor would participate less in NREGA and look for other outside option. A programme of financial inclusion is likely to make the poor worse off when an employment guarantee programme is in place with a formidable payment delay.


Veronica Rodriguez-Blanco thinks that understanding law requires, at least implicitly, an account of intentional action. She also thinks that most of us working in legal philosophy have an inadequa...


In order to improve the accuracy of the symbol timing synchronization which obtained by using the conventional method,a modified preamble structure for MIMO-OFDM symbol timing synchronization is proposed. The proposed method creates a sharp fall in the delayed correlation of the samples at the last short preamble period by phase reversing the first half of the last short preamble samples and hence helps more reliable estimation of the end of the short preamble or the start of the long preamble boundary especially under high time dispersive channel. The simulation result shows that with channel AWGN and Rayleigh,the improved preamble structure has good performance in symbol timing synchronization.


Though it has long been clinically recognized that diabetic coma may be associated with renal inefficiency, there is a paucity of quantitative studies of renal function during and after diabetic coma. There are no reports at all in which complete evaluation of renal function by the specific clearance methods of Homer Smith (1) and his coworkers (2) have been attempted. McCance and Widdowson (3) found the glomerular filtration rate lowered in five subjects with diabetic coma. From the low creatinine/inulin clearance ratios which they obtained, these authors believed that tubular injury occurred during coma. It was for the purpose of getting more information on the nature of the renal disturbance in diabetic coma that the present investigation was undertaken. This report deals with the results of serial studies of specific renal function tests in six subjects during diabetic coma and at short intervals thereafter.


A leaky-wave antenna with full-space scanning capability based on Goubau line is presented in this paper. The LWA consists of orthogonal-bending Goubau line and periodically placed stubs. Orthogonal bendings on Goubau line introduce periodic perturbations to the guided wave of Goubau line. Infinite space harmonics are generated, which can realize beam scanning. The stubs are periodically loaded onto Goubau line to suppress the open stop band (OSB). Consequently, the proposed antenna achieves a nice broadside scanning and −10 dB impedence within the entire operating frequency band. The proposed antenna realizes full-space scanning with peak gain of 10.4 dBi in the operating frequency band 2.1-5.1 GHz.


To the Editor: Sandler et al1 performed an interesting clinical trial regarding the placebo effects in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment. However, the authors did not employ more objective measures to objectify the treatment response, which would help the trial results with more persuasiveness. As stated in the article,1 the individuals in the reduced dose/placebo group and full dose group had less ADHD symptom severity compared with those in the reduced dose group, using the tool of IOWA Conners Rating Scale reported by parents. But, for the IOWA Conners Rating Scale reported by teachers, there were no significant differences found in the severity between 3 groups at any time point. What contributes to the different results? It was speculated that different scorers should play a key role in the process.2 As the authors pointed out, the expectancy of parents might exaggerate the actual placebo effects on the individuals with ADHD in that parents knew the treatment status of the subjects before they finished the scales, while teachers were blind to treatment conditions, which could result in more objective outcomes. In addition, the result of no significant difference found in 3 groups by the objective measure of Conners Continuous Performance Test was consistent with the data from teachers. It was well known that the objective measures would account for the more confidential results. Therefore, there should be more other objective tools to be employed to judge the actual placebo effects on the ADHD treatment, such as Stroop Test, Digit Span Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, P 300 EEG, and so on, which may reduce the bias by the expectancy from the scorers. These tools have been proved highly sensitive3–5 and can detect mini changes of improvement in ADHD children without any subjective tendency. Consequently, these employed objective measures would power the conclusion of the clinical trial with more persuasiveness.


We combine the Santa Cruz semianalytic model (SAM) for galaxy formation and evolution with the circumgalactic medium (CGM) model presented in Faerman et al. to explore the CGM properties of L * galaxies. We use the SAM to generate a sample of galaxies with halo masses similar to the Milky Way (MW) halo, M vir ≈ 1012 M ⊙, and find that the CGM mass and mean metallicity in the sample are correlated. We use the CGM masses and metallicities of the SAM galaxies as inputs for the FSM20 model and vary the amount of nonthermal support. The density profiles in our models can be approximated by power-law functions with slopes in the range of 0.75 < a n < 1.25, with higher nonthermal pressure resulting in flatter distributions. We explore how the gas pressure, dispersion measure, O VI–O VIII column densities, and cooling rates behave with the gas distribution and total mass. We show that for CGM masses below ∼3 × 1010 M ⊙ photoionization has a significant effect on the column densities of O VI and O VIII. The combination of different MW CGM observations favors models with similar fractions in thermal pressure, magnetic fields/cosmic rays, and turbulent support and with M CGM ∼ (3–10) × 1010 M ⊙. The MW O VI column requires t cool/t dyn ∼ 4, independent of the gas distribution. The AGN jet-driven heating rates in the SAM are enough to offset the CGM cooling, although exact balance is not required in star-forming galaxies. We provide predictions for the column densities of additional metal ions—N V, Ne VIII, and Mg X.


Carbon-supported manganese oxide composite were fabricated as an air cathode material for Li-air batteries by hydrothermal method. The composite materials of carbon and manganese oxide were investigated by the implementation of X-ray diffraction, FE-SEM and BET surface area measurer. The manganese oxide synthesized at 170 o C for 12 h has a rod like shape morphology with 40-50 nm long in size. A Lithium-air battery with coin type, of which electrodes are composed of cathode composite materials synthesized 170 o C-12 h and lithium metal anode, reveals its first discharge capacity of 3,852 mAh/g and four discharge-charge cycles.


Summary An exact solution of the equations of viscous fluid flow for axially-symmetric motion is studied for a special case : this is shown to give the flow for a jet emerging from a hole in an infinite plane wall. Some examples of the calculated streamlines are given.


In order to manage well-logging data by network system in oil industry, this paper presents a system based on Multi Agent. The Gaia and OAA methods were employed during the analysis and design phases. The system role model was constructed using Gaia analyzing method, and then the system's framework based on Multi Agent was established, this system can be based on heterogeneous data environment.


The possibility of generating and detection of high-frequency gravitational waves based on parametric optical processes in dielectric media excited by intense laser emission is analyzed. The theory predicts the feasibility of the Hertz gravitational laboratory experiment in dielectric media at the presence of strong constant magnetic field with illumination of this media by intense ultra short laser pulses of visible or ultraviolet ranges. Parametric conversion of ultra short intense laser pulses with frequency ω0 to a gravitational wave with frequency ωg=2ω0 and reconversion process of gravitational radiation to optical radiation at resonance condition for some dielectrics and photonic structures are predicted


Although it happened over ten years from this writing ( January, 2012), the event we now call ''9/11'' still seems to have happened very recently. On that terrible day, I was teaching a large lecture class on the West coast of the United States. By 12:30 p.m. (the scheduled start time), the students would all have known about the attacks and, presumably, I thought as I walked from my office to the other end of campus where the class met, they would choose to spend the day with friends, with family, on the phone, glued to the television, at a bar—certainly not at a 90-minute class on Mary Rowlandson's captivity narrative. I wasn't even sure why I was going. There were about 120 students enrolled in that class. I would say about 140 showed up. We talked about the Event for the entire 90 minutes. Iw ill never forget the very fi rst comment made in that meeting: ''We have to recognize we are now in a state of emergency.'' ''Now,'' he said. Still? One would have to be very daft or very deft neither to recognize nor experience the lingering effects of 9/11 in the everyday life of the United States and Canada today. ''Security'' has become the stated goal of policy makers, an aspirational ideal of the managers of the republic where not a category of normalized identity for the managed: Airport security; Border Security; ''Security Moms.'' Public discourse encourages greater attentiveness to the monstrous and the mundane: Amber alerts; alertness to the ''suspicious''; alertness to unattended bags in train stations. The nation has even been renamed in and by a newly popular and official parlance alarming because largely unremarked: The Homeland: Department of, Defence of, Love of, America's Blithe Acceptance of that Loaded Term as Description of. We now listen to ''God Save America'' rather than


Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the latest standard to come to the mobile communications market. To achieve its performance, LTE networks use several techniques, such as multi carrier technology, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) and cooperative communications. Inside cooperative communications, this paper focuses on the fixed relaying technique, presenting a way for determining the Relay Station (RS) optimized position within the eNodeB coverage area and also to quantify the associated performance gain using different cluster size configurations. The RS optimized position was obtained through realistic simulations, which set it as the middle of the cell's circumference arc. Additionally it was also confirmed that network's performance is improved when the RS number is increased. Finally, a given scenario with a larger number of RS, can experience the same performance as an equivalent scenario without RS but with higher reuse distance. This should conduce to a compromise solution between RS installation and cluster size, in order to maximize capacity as well as performance.


In the current economic environment characterized by globalization, technological innovation, financial crisis, firms are facing a sharp drop in sales, production and number of employees. These changes require firms to formulate viable business responses to prevent market exit. One of the ways to strengthen the production system is represented by network agreement, according to which firms work together to achieve a common goal to be more competitive and to achieve what they themselves could not do because of the limitations inherent in the lack flexibility, expertise and lack of financial resources. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of the network agreements implemented by firms operating in the industrial sector. The analysis is conducted on the Italian firms that, from 2009, have started collaborative relationships through the network contract introduced by the Italian law n. 33 of 9th April 2009. The paper is structured as follows. The first part examines the main contributions in the literature concerning the topics related to networks and the firms' competitiveness and also the reasons influencing the formation and development of alliances between firms. The second part, instead, is focused on the evaluation of the effectiveness of the network contracts by observing the performance of firms before and after their join the network. In terms of competitiveness has been observed sales while, with regard to profitability was observed the return on investment (ROI). The findings show significant results in relation to both the turnover and profitability.


While enrollment for students of color has increased by nearly 15% over the past 20 years, universities have struggled to retain and graduate students of color in comparison to their White peers, including Christian universities. Looking to foster success for all students, higher education has sought to better understand the factors that impact student retention and graduation, particularly for students of color. Thriving has been shown as an effective metric for understanding the student experience through a more holistic framework as it pertains to the student success. The purpose of this study is to explore the concept of thriving as success and its impact on students of color in order to identify key factors in the student's experiences, analyzing how they may differ across racial identifiers as they pertain to thriving. This exploratory study utilizes a cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of 1111 undergraduate students at a private faith-based institution in Texas. The researcher discovered there were higher means of reported success for White students in comparison to students of color, and that the significant factors that contributed to student success are being White, female, seeking a graduate degree, and spirituality. For students of color these factors were spirituality and classification. Though limitations apply, this study reveals crucial insight on the student experience for students of color. It is recommended that universities within higher education seek to promote and create more culturally engaging and responsive learning environments for their students of color to succeed. Thriving on a Faith-Based Campus: An Exploratory Study on Sense of Belonging, Spirituality, and the Student Experience for Students of Color A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the School of Social Work Abilene Christian University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science


The CO{sub 2} caused by the consumption of hydrocarbon fuel is one of the main gases which affect the global climate. In order to reduce the formation of CO{sub 2}, it is necessary to conserve energy as effectively as possible. Therefore the heat energy provided by the fuel should be utilized in multi-cascades. The energy at the high temperature should be used for the generation of electric power and the energy at low temperature could be used for making the steam and the hot water. The gas turbine is preferable for this purpose. The heat energy of exhaust gas can be reused more easily. The two systems are proposed by using the gas turbine as the high temperature stage. One is the cogeneration system and the other is the combined cycle. The former generates electric power by the gas turbine and make steam or hot water in the exhaust gas. The latter employs the gas turbine as the high temperature cycle and the steam turbine as the low temperature cycle.


The ideal environment for extratropical cyclone development includes strong vertical shear of horizontal wind and low static stability in the atmosphere. Arctic sea ice loss enhances the upward flux of energy to the lower atmosphere, reducing static stability. This suggests that Arctic sea ice loss may facilitate more intense storms over the Arctic Ocean. However, prior research into this possibility has yielded mixed results with uncertain cause and effect. This work has been limited either in scope (focusing on a few case studies) or resolution (focusing on seasonal averages). In this study, we extend this body of research by comparing the intensification rate and maximum intensity of individual cyclones to local sea ice anomalies. We find robust evidence that reduced sea ice in winter (December-March) strengthens Arctic cyclones by enhancing the surface turbulent heat fluxes and lessening static stability while also strengthening vertical shear of horizontal wind. We find weaker evidence for this connection in spring (April-June). In both seasons, lower sea ice concentration also enhances cyclone-associated precipitation. Although reduced sea ice also weakens static stability in September/October (when sea ice loss has been especially acute), this does not translate to stronger storms because of coincident weakening of wind shear. Sea ice anomalies also have little or no connection to cyclone-associated precipitation in these months. Therefore, future sea ice reductions (e.g., related to delayed autumn freeze-up) will likely enhance Arctic cyclone intensification in winter and spring, but this relationship is sensitive to simultaneous connections between sea ice and wind shear.


Dear Sir, Thionamide-induced vasculitis is a multisystem disease that can affect any organ system. Propylthiouracil (PTU) is responsible for the majority of cases and the predominant anti-neutrophils cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) pattern on immunofluorescent staining is P-ANCA [1]. We report a case of alveolar haemorrhage secondary to PTU-induced vasculitis, with complete resolution after discontinuation of PTU.


Background. Reinfection of Helicobacter pylori after eradication is rare in developed countries but most often occurs within 1 year. In the present study, we attempted to differentiate between reinfection and recrudescence of H. pylori strains between 6 months and 6 years after successful eradication in Japan, a country with a high prevalence of H. pylori infection.


Chemically amplified resists have been used for the fabrication of semiconductor devices. With the miniaturization of circuits, the performance of chemically amplified resists approaches their limit due to the acid diffusion. The development of a novel platform without acid diffusion becomes important. In this study, we proposed a negative-type polymer resist used for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and electron beam (EB) lithography. The proposed resist utilizes polarity change and radical crosslinking triggered by EUV/EB exposure. Polymers having triarylsulfonium cations and 2,2,2-trisubstitued acetophenone as side chains were designed for realizing the dual insolubilization property. 2,2,2- trisubstitued acetophenone was incorporated for the efficient radical generation on the polymer structure for the crosslinking. An onium salt was incorporated for the efficient use of thermalized electrons for the polarity change and the radical generation of the side chain. In addition, triphenyl-(4-vinyl-phenyl)-stannane (StTPSn) was incorporated into the resist polymer as the EUV/EB absorber to enhance sensitivity. The highly sensitive property of the designed polymers was demonstrated.


PURPOSE:To effect the cooling in accordance with a load of the engine by a method wherein a capillary structural body maintaining and supplying a cooling medium is attached around outer walls of a cylinder and a combustion chamber to control a cooling capacity due to evaporation of the cooling medium with a pressure of a closed cooling system. CONSTITUTION:The outer wall of the cylinder bore of a cylinder block 1 and the same of the combustion chamber of a cylinder head 2 are surrounded by the porous capillar structural body 3 such as a foamed metal, a foamed ceramic, metallic fibers or the like. The cooling medium 9 is sent to the capillary structure body 3 by a pump 8 through a passageway 10 and is evaporated by adsorbing heat of a heating source, then, is sent to a radiator 4 from an evaporating chamber 2a through a passageway 11 and is returned to a liquid phase after cooled by an electric fan 5. A pressure sensor 7 in the evaporting chamber 2a, which is a closed system, senses an evaporating capacity in accordance with a calorific power of the heating source and cooling of the electric fan is controlled by a control circuit 6. According to this system, a control of cooling in accordance with the load of the engine may be effected.


Abstract : Presentation Outline: Review of project objective and plan; Refresher on service discovery protocols; Outline of technical approach to understand fault-tolerant behavior of service discover protocols; Initial results comparing behavior of Jini and universal plug-and-play (UPnP) when propagating information during interface failure; Plan for next six months; Conclusions.


Fly ash and bottom ash are some of the waste generated by coal-fired power plants, which contains large quantities of toxic and heavy metals. In recent years, many researchers have been interested in studying on the properties of self-compacting concrete incorporated with fly ash and bottom ash but there was very limited research from the combination of fly ash and bottom ash towards the environmental needs. Therefore, this research was focused on investigating the leachability of heavy metals of SCC incorporated with fly ash and bottom ash by using Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure and Static Leaching Test. The samples obtained from the coal-fired power plant located at Peninsula, Malaysia. In this study, the potential heavy metals leached out from SCC that is produced with fly ash as a replacement for Ordinary Portland Cement and bottom ash as a substitute for sand with the ratios from 10% to 30% respectively were designated and cast. There are eight heavy metals of concern such as As, Cr, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Mn and Fe. The results indicated that most of the heavy metals leached below the permissible limits from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization limit for drinking water. As a conclusion, the minimum leaching of the heavy metals from the incorporation of fly ash and bottom ash in self-compacting concrete was found in 20% of fly ash and 20% of bottom ash replacement. The results also indicate that this incorporation could minimize the potential of environmental problems.


The South Carolina Aeronautics Commission published this report on the economic impact of Robert F. Swinnie Airport to the region and the state. The report gives statistics and descriptions of economic impact measures for the individual airport, as well as general information about the airport.


The effect of weed control was investigated, based on the leaf growth stages and/or several different herbicide treatments, for an integrated weed management of herbicide resistant Echinochloa oryzoides in a rice field. The effectiveness of soil-applied herbicide treatments for pre-emergent control of E. oryzoides resistant to herbicides was very high with oxadiargyl 1.7% EC, oxadizon 12% EC, and fentrazamide·oxadiargal 3.3% EC. Pentaxazon 5% SC achieved over 98% of weed control, although some E. oryzoides emerged 31 days after the treatment. Up to the 2 nd leaf growth stage of E. oryzoides, six herbicides, azimsulfuron·carfenstole 1.05% GR, bensulfuron- methyl·benzobicyclone· mefenacet 24.52% SC, bensulfuron- methyl·fentrazamide 7% SC, bensulfuron-methyl· mefenacet·oxadiargyl 21.6% SC, benzobicyclon·mefenacet·penoxulam 21.5% SC and mefenacet·pyrazosulfuron -ethyl 3.57% GR achieved 100% control. However, only two herbicides, benzobicyclone·mefenacet·penoxulam 21.5% SC and mefenacet· pyrazosulfuron-ethyl 3.5% GR could control E. oryzoides up to the 3 rd leaf growth stage. The study indicates that it is very important to select the right herbicides for treatment and apply them at the correct timing to achieve a high level of control of E. oryzoides resistant to ACCase- and ALS-herbicides.


The sexual exploitation and oppression of black women by white men drives Sethe to kill her baby,and it is also the leading factor for many slave mothers to commit infanticide.The sexual exploitation of black females under the rule of white men destroyed the black men's masculinity,and they were thus completely emotionally and mentally emasculated.Even after the abolition of slavery and the former slaves gained personal liberty,their spirits were still confined under the shadow of the white male's rule.However,the black women made persistent efforts in the deconstruction of this white male sexual domination and refused to be controlled by it without putting up a fight.


Upon reaching optimum flavour and tannin ripeness the fruit is harvested and crushed to opentop fermenters. The fermenting must is gently plunged and pumped over three times per day to extract flavour, colour, and tannins. At the completion of primary fermentation the wine is drained from the skins and pressed to a combination of new and seasoned French oak barriques. Malo lactic fermentation occurs in barrel before the wine is racked, adjusted and returned to barrel for the remainder of the 18 month maturation period.


As an example for Maoershan Forestry Centre of Northeast Forestry University,use GIS software Arcview 3.3,database software Foxpro 6.0 and image software photoshop as tool,not only establish the process of Maoershan Forestry Centre's forest resource management system,but also introduce the relative founction of this system.


Introduction: The state of Rajasthan forms an important part of the Indian union. It consisted of 19 Princely states, the centrally administrative province of Ajmer-Merwara, and three principalities in the times British rule, and it was formerly known as Rajputana. The region provides significant clues to the geology and tectonic development of the NE conditional segment of the Indian peninsula. Southeast of Udaipur is an important region in Aravalli hills. The importance is expressed in Archean basement and Proterozoic cover rocks. It is a very large area to study the basement cover characteristic. Dedkiya and Manpura village lies about 26km in SE from Udaipur city. The area is highly vegetated and comes under reserve forest. The highest peak in the area is about 605 meter. Granite gneiss forms the basement in this area, covered by various litho-units comprising quartzite, impure dolomite, chlorite schist and conglomerate-Grit-Arkose.


The thermal stability of high performance thermoelectric Zn4 Sb3 has been investigated using multi-temperature, high resolution synchrotron powder diffraction. Rietveld refinement of the data show ~30 % impurity phases at 500 K, which is inconsistent with previous reports of stability up to 523 K. At 700 K almost 70% of the sample has degraded. The influence of anion doping of Zn4Sb 3 on the thermal stability is examined for a sample doped with 2.5% tellurium. The doping changes the decomposition pattern, but no immediate improvement in the thermal stability is observed


Social relationships and family involvement play an important role in health management, whereas activity awareness is useful in decision-making and stimulating motivation and action. In this paper, we propose a novel activity awareness user interface for family-oriented healthy living social networks. It is intended to increase family members' interaction with healthy living social networks. A user study showed that the activity awareness interface can add value to specific aspects of interaction with family-based healthy living social applications. The interface increased interaction with the underlying healthy living content and led to higher level of learning about healthy living and impact on specific healthy living activities. There was also significant appreciation of and interaction with the activity awareness user interface elements.


The aim of the investigation was to develop a simple and available for practical application method of pathomorphological assessment of myocardial infarction age with a wide range of registered terms. Materials and Methods. Specimens of the experimental myocardial infarction zone (a model of diathermocoagulation of the rat periconical interventricular artery; n=50) in the period from 2 h to 30 days, and post-mortem specimens of 30 men died of transmural myocardial infarction and post-infarction cardiosclerosis in the period from 6 h to 30 days were immunohistochemically investigated using antibodies to the matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9). Results. It has been established that localization of MMP9 in the infarction zone enables determining with a sufficiently high precision the time that passed from infarction onset. In fatal outcomes developed during several hours after infarction, the neutrophil cytoplasm in the infarction zone had intensive color. On day 1–2 a bright color of the extracellular matrix was noted. In later terms (days 3–21) staining of the fibroblastic cell line in the border zone (with maximum on days 7–14) was observed. The dynamics of MMP9 content and its localization in the myocardium of the dead patients corresponds to the data obtained in the experimental investigations. Conclusion. The proposed method allows pathologists to clearly differentiate myocardial infarction age using pathomorphological investigations.


Summary Objective The present cross-sectional research was designed to study possible correlations between clinical reproductive factors and bone mineral density (BMD) values. Methods Using the data gathered by the population-based Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (IMOS), we investigated the correlation found between reproductive factors and osteoporosis. Subjects were recruited from five major cities of Iran. Bone mineral density was measured using Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry and the results were analyzed against the age at menarche and at menopause, number of pregnancies, children and abortions, and the history (and duration) of breastfeeding. Results Data was available for 2528 women. Gravidity and number of children were reversely correlated with BMD. Younger age at menarche was associated with higher BMD values, whereas there was no significant correlation between age at menopause and menstrual history and BMD. Conclusion Our study suggests that clinical reproductive factors, particularly number of children and breastfeeding, could be incorporated as predictors of BMD levels in women. Given the controversial results obtained in different studies, longitudinal studies should be carried out to enlighten the importance of these factors and the rationale of their use to predict BMD values in different settings.


A time-evolving hierarchy (TEH) consists of multiple snapshots of the hierarchy (collection of one or more trees) as it evolves over time. It is often important to test reachability between a given pair of vertices in an arbitrary (possibly past) snapshot of the hierarchy. While interval-based indexing has been a popular strategy for reachability testing in static hierarchies, a straightforward extension of this strategy to TEHs is impractical because of the exorbitant indexing overheads. In this paper, we propose SCISSOR (selective snapshot indexing with progressive solution refinement), which, to the best of our knowledge is the first time and space efficient framework for answering reachability queries in TEHs. The main idea here is to maintain indexes only for a selective interspersed subset of TEH snapshots. A query on a non-indexed snapshot will be answered by utilizing the index of a temporally-nearby indexed snapshot and analyzing the structural changes that have occurred between the two snapshots. We also present a experimental study demonstrating the scalability and efficiency of the SCISSOR framework in terms of both indexing costs and query latencies.


Abstract As more children survive childhood cancer, the long-term emotional sequelae of the disease and its therapy become of considerable importance. This study investigated the overall psychosocial functioning and specific concerns of 36 children who were long-term survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia or a solid tumor that did not involve the central nervous system. Findings from the Deasy-Spinetta Behavioral Questionnaire reveal that children treated for leukemia were functioning at a level below school peers. Differences between parent and teacher appraisal of the cancer survivor underscore the importance of ongoing communication. Finally, the results indicate a possible relationship between cognitive and emotional problems.


Four newly developed solar absorber coatings are to be evaluated with the help of thermal cycling and optical characterisation. An initial round robin campaign reveals the need of a standardisation of the calculation procedure of solar absorptance and thermal emittance derived from optical measurements at room temperature. The implementation of a common processing of spectral hemispherical reflectance values enables a reduction of standard deviations to 0.2%, both for solar absorptance and thermal emittance. The calculation procedure proposed within this paper corresponds to DIN EN 22975–3 and enables the verification of measurement reproducibility according to ASTM E 691 – 05.


In recent years, Laser Diode have been used in various applications. Initially, Infrared and Red Lasers began to be used for optical desks and optical communication applications. Blue‐Violet Laser was developed and adopted for Blu‐ray Disc. Since then, Blue and Green Lasers have been developed and Viable Laser Diode have begun to be used for various Display applications. This paper introduces the Laser Diode that have been developed so far, their applications, and various Display applications that are expected in the future.


This paper seeks to answer remarks by Frank Hausler and others minimizing the significance of Baudouin de Courtenay's contribution to descriptive linguistics. The author emphasizes the psychological orientation in the development of Baudouin's work in phonemics and morphology, and seeks to reconcile Baudouin 1 s theories with later criticism based on antimentalist grounds. Differences with the Prague School f s emphasis on "meaning-differentiating" function are also considered. (VM) From: linguistic Communications. 3, 1971. THE PHONOLOGY OF BAUDOUIN DE COURTENAY


The plasma-sprayed amorphous ceramic coating and CNT-reinforced amorphous ceramic coating were successfully developed by plasma spraying process. Also, the microstructure, mechanical, and chemical properties of the plasma-sprayed amorphous ceramic coating and CNT-reinforced amorphous ceramic coating were systematically investigated. The formation mechanism of plasma-sprayed amorphous ceramic coating was involved with rapid quenching of the fully melted ceramic splats via ultra-high-temperature of plasma jet. The plasma-sprayed amorphous ceramic coatings showed the characteristic lamellae microstructure composed of individual splats containing rare microcracks and microvoids. The mechanical and chemical properties of the plasma-sprayed amorphous ceramic coating were effectively improved from the plasma-sprayed crystalline ceramic coatings, such as Al2O3 and Y2O3. Moreover, the plasma-sprayed CNT-reinforced amorphous ceramic coating characterized by a nanocomposite comprising uniformly dispersed CNTs embedded in amorphous ceramic matrix. The mechanical properties of plasma-sprayed CNT-reinforced amorphous ceramic coating, such as micro-hardness, elastic modulus, fracture toughness, and wear resistance were increased with increasing the uniformly dispersed CNTs addition compared to those of plasma-sprayed bare amorphous ceramic coating without CNT addition.


Climateand environmental-proxy time series obtained from different archives, such as speleothems, allowed for major leaps in the understanding of past climate and environmental dynamics. However, age uncertainties that arise from the applied dating techniques and from the proxy sampling methodologies, respectively, are often neglected. These age uncertainties are important when leads and lags between different proxy time series are examined or if the relationship to climate-forcing is investigated. This is most pronounced when examining data that detail events of sub-centennial down sub-annual resolution, where noise is not smoothed by a low resolution sampling (e.g. conventional dental drill), or in records karst systems where the noise is inherently high (e.g. water-limited environments).


Software-defined radio (SDR) is a self-contained, embedded software system with hardware components and real-time constraints. SDR is the basis for many of today's wireless communications systems. Because SDR combines basic digital signal processing, circuitry, and software elements, it is the perfect project for multi-disciplinary, undergraduate teams. This paper explains both the SDR system created by computer science and engineering undergraduates at Grove City College and how SDR projects can help undergraduates acquire the skills to succeed on multidisciplinary teams.


Due to the problems of the traditional mixed injection molding production,such as the dispersed devices which take up too much area,the low production efficiency,the large number of labors,and the high-costs of the production,we designed a new mixed injection molding production system by using the CAN-BUS.This system employs two sets of injection molding production equipments and a specialized controlling conveyor.In order to meet the demands of automatic production,this system,adopting the CAN-BUS,can achieve a high-speed communication and a supervisory control with a Man-machine interface.From the application effect,this system can not only be good at shortening the cycle-time of the production,reducing the basic costs and downsizing the area for devices,but also can fulfill the function of real-time monitoring for both of the equipments and status of the production,which will enhance the level of site management for production equipments.


The Vortex formed at the inlet of water/oil supply facility causes an intensive pulsating velocity, directly affecting the flow quality, and hence causing the cycle pump vibrate in the circulatory pipe system. A vortex breaker designed by the authors is introduced. Experimental results show that this methord can both straiten the streamlines and slightly decrease the total flow drag.


Ring-opening polymerizations of [3.3.1]propellane derivatives, 1,3-dehydroadamantane (1) and 5-butyl-1,3-dehydroadamantane (2), were carried out with CF 3 SO 3 H in CH 2 Cl 2 at o °C for 6-42 h. The central σ-bonds in 1 and 2 were exclusively opened to afford novel poly([3.3.i]propellane)s, poly(1,3-adamantane)s, in 52-95% yields. The resulting poly(2) possessing flexible butyl substituent was soluble in chloroform, THF, and 1,2-dichlorobenzene, and the degree of polymerization was estimated to be greater than 30, while the poly(1) was hardly soluble in the common organic solvents. All aliphatic poly(1) and poly(2) showed high thermal stability, their 10% weight loss temperatures were 421 and 486 °C, respectively.


Chapter 7 focusses on Statesman 287b4-290e9 and treats the Eleatic Visitor's claims that dichotomous division is not always necessary or possible (287b10-c5), and that applying the paradigm of weaving to the city will reveal the nature of statecraft (287a7-b2). This chapter attempts to make good these claims by showing that the Visitor's way of proceeding is substantially informative in a way that dichotomous division would not be. Following the weaving paradigm's non-dichotomous division enables the Visitor to lay bare the functional parts of the city, and to show that what is necessary for political life ought to be organized for the sake of political life – and, conversely, that it is the business of statecraft so to organize the necessary conditions for its own existence. Finally, the hierarchy of causes of the city lays the groundwork for determining which polis-constituting activities can lay best claim to care for the city in the way distinctive of statecraft.


In view of the widespread demand for training in online information retrieval, the paper proposes a computer-based self-training approach and explores some of the key issues which will condition teaching behaviour and courseware choice. The elements which could be used as a structure for computer-based preparation (hypermedia techniques) are considered. On the diffusion side, possible solutions related to hardware and distribution policy requirements are discussed.


Most studies on modelling ash deposition in pulverised fuel boilers focus on inertial impaction as the main deposition mechanism. Effects, such as thermophoresis or heterogeneous condensation, are often neglected. However, there are several studies indicating that thermophoresis plays a key role during the early stages of deposit build-up on a superheater tube. Presented results obtained by numerical simulation show the dominant role of thermophoresis for small particle diameters, below 20 µm. It is shown that the capture efficiency increases by more than three orders of magnitude for particles in this size range and a temperature gradient of 380 K/mm in the boundary layer of the superheater tube. Furthermore, it is predicted that small iron-rich particles do not deposit due to the increased thermal conductivity, compared to aluminosilicate particles. This behaviour was confirmed by measurements in a power plant.


This research paper deals with the analysis of politeness strategies
used by the main characters in Brick Mansions movie. The objectives of
study are to find out types of politeness strategies used by the main
character in Brick Mansions movie and to describe the way politeness
strategies are employed by the main characters in Brick Mansions movie.
The study applies qualitative research. The data were taken from the
transcript of Brick Mansions movie. They were analyzed using the theory
of politeness strategies as proposed by Brown and Levinson (1987). The
results show that there are four types of politeness strategies used by the
main characters in Brick Mansions movie. They are bald on record (40),
positive politeness (128), negative politeness (22) and bald off record (9).
In employing those politeness strategies, the main characters use various
sub-strategies, positive politeness (3 sub-strategies), negative politeness (3
sub-strategies) and bald off record (2 sub-strategies).


Several studies in the literature have argued that price transmission in vertically‐related markets is imperfect, i.e. that farm input price changes are not fully passed‐through to the final product price. Market power, notably oligopoly, is presumed to be the principal source of imperfect price transmission. To date, the impact of oligopsony (buyer) power on the degree of price transmission has not been evaluated using a formal theoretical model. Moreover, neither has the combination of oligopoly and oligopsony despite the fact that its influence has been formally acknowledged in both the UK and some European food markets. This paper makes a contribution to the literature by developing a model of price transmission where both oligopoly and oligopsony power co‐exist and where industry technology is assumed to be characterised by variable input proportions. It shows that taking the degree of price transmission in a perfectly competitive market as a benchmark, oligopoly and oligopsony power do not necessarily lead to imperfect price transmission, although they can. Indeed, they may counteract each other's impact on the degree of price transmission. The key to these outcomes is to be found in the functional forms for retail demand and farm supply.


There is still a gap between the traditional curriculum system and teaching mode of "Interchangeability and Technical Measurement" and teaching needs of Engineering certification. In order to meet the standards of engineering certification, the course "Interchangeability and Technical Measurement" in our university have been reformed and explored to meet the needs of engineering certification. Mainly reflected in the following aspects: Comparing with the "Engineering Education Certification Standard", the training plan of "Interchangeability and Technical Measurement" was revised comprehensively, the overall level for teachers of teaching "Interchangeability and Technical Measurement" was improved, laboratory construction was strengthened, cultivating students' ability, Strengthen the coincidence of multimedia courseware and engineering professional certification.


Aiming at healthcare information data set does not support semantic integration,automatic processing and reasoning,it proposes a Knowledge Base(KBS) processing architecture based on ontology database in the mathematical fundamentals of Description Logics.It makes building digitalization of healthcare information bring into track of knowledge engineering,provides an astronomical,normative,dependable,maintainable KBS.It uses the data sets of the pre-marriage medical examination as a case reference,result shows that the processing architecture can implement the automatic disposal and reasoning of knowledge.


ABSTRACT This article explores responsiveness in peace education practice. It develops the concept of territorial peace education to emphasize the situated nature of responsive approaches in peacebuilding. With this conceptual framing, the study examines four case studies of pedagogical innovations for peace in Colombia. It describes how educators engaged specific and emergent conflict dynamics in their respective settings. The findings show the various ways in which territorial dimensions informed the design and implementation of these initiatives. They also highlight the role of relationality, resourcefulness and positionality as components of responsive practice. This study contributes to research on the role of the local in peace education and raises avenues for further research.


An investigation by a Hiroshima newspaper into nuclear pollution around the world, and the human costs of "peace-time" usage of nuclear energy.


1 In a body of research spanning three decades, Janet Starkes and her colleagues 2 have produced a wealth of empirical evidence on the importance of deliberate practice in 3 the development of elite performers. Within this corpus of work, a number of studies 4 have alluded to the important role that self-focused attention plays in helping skilled 5 athletes to refine inefficient movements during deliberate practice. Unfortunately, these 6 studies have largely under-represented the role that somatic awareness plays in 7 facilitating further improvement amongst sports performers who have already achieved 8 elite status. In seeking to address this issue of continuous improvement in elite athletes, 9 the current paper marshals evidence to suggest that reflective somatic awareness plays an 10 important role in the practice activities of elite performers. In particular, we argue that 11 such awareness enables elite athletes to consciously and deliberately improve their 12 movement proficiency. More generally, we propose that Shusterman's (2008) theory of 13 "somaesthetic awareness" offers expertise researchers a potentially fruitful theoretical 14 framework for future research on skill advancement at the elite level of sport. 15


Dehumanization—a process by which certain individuals and/or social groups are denied complete human status—has been researched extensively in psychology. Previous research on dehumanization has identified several social groups such as the poor (Haslam & Loughnan, 2014), immigrants, refugees (Esses, Medianu, & Lawson, 2013), women (Rudman & Mescher, 2012) and Black people (Goff, Eberhardt, Williams, & Jackson, 2008). Through frameworks such as the Infrahumanization theory (Leyens et al., 2003) and the dual model for dehumanization (Haslam, 2006), it has been found that out-groups may be implicitly dehumanized. The social group of interest to the present study is Black individuals. This groups tends to be denied "uniquely human," or secondary emotions, which subsequently qualifies them as animals; in their case specifically as apes. This specific phenomenon is known as "animalistic" dehumanization (Haslam, 2006). Furthermore, evidence suggests that the media may work as a mechanism through which dehumanization of Black people, as apes, is spread (Goff et al., 2008; Santa Ana, 2002). The present empirical study assessed the effects of implicitly dehumanizing towards Black people present in the media in a manner that, to my knowledge, has yet to be tested in the literature. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. They were either exposed to or not exposed to implicitly dehumanizing words towards Black individuals, and shown either a Black, or White assailant, followed by a dehumanization IAT and an explicit measures questionnaire. Results suggests that overall, people tend to associate Black individuals with apes, and that Black people, at least in this study, tend to so more than White people. EFECTS OF IMPLICIT DEHUMANIZATION IN THE MEDIA 2 Literature Review In his book The Nazi Doctors, psychiatrist Robert Lifton (2000) speaks of the processes that enabled Nazi doctors and scientists to perform atrocious experiments on concentration camp prisoners, recognizing 'doubling'—the creation of 'another' self—as a main mechanism. Through this, a Nazi doctor would create an original, or ordinary self, in addition to what Lifton calls an "Auschwitz self," which subscribes to a different set of ideologies (mainly guided by the realization that Jews were not human) to facilitate their actions without the psychological burden of considering themselves killers (Lifton, 1986). Implicit in this 'doubling' mechanism, and beyond the construction of multiple selves, is the removal of a group of individuals (in this case, Jewish individuals) from the Auschwitz doctors' moral community. For them, some people were considered patients who should be cared for and healed, while others—by the invention of the other self—were not acknowledged as 'human,' much less as 'medical patients' worthy of ethical and humane treatment (Opotow, 1990). While extreme and abominable, the Holocaust is a powerful example of the potential outcomes of dehumanizing an outgroup. Dehumanization is the act of denying an individual or social group complete human status. This process has been identified by psychologists, as well as experts of other fields, as a necessary step in the development, acceptance and normalization of violence toward a particular group (Opotow, 1990). Previous research on dehumanization has identified several social, ethnic and racial groups that are dehumanized. The poor (Loughnan et al., 2014), immigrants, refugees (Esses, Medianu, & Lawson, 2013), Japanese (Andrighetto, Baldissarri, Lattanzio & Volpato, 2014), women (Rudman & Mescher, 2012) and Black people (Goff, Eberhardt, Williams, & Jackson, 2008; Eberhardt, Goff, Purdie, & Davies, 2004) are among the outgroups that in one form or the other are dehumanized by certain groups. EFECTS OF IMPLICIT DEHUMANIZATION IN THE MEDIA 3 It has been proposed that the process of dehumanization in general occurs through moral exclusion; that is, when a particular individual or group of people is perceived as "outside of the boundary in which moral values, rules, and considerations of fairness apply" (Opotow, 1990, p. 1). Those who are perceived as outside the boundaries of one's moral communities come to be seen as a plague, undeserving and expandable—through intergroup conflict, disconnections triggering negative/aggressive attitudes and behaviors, etc. (Opotow, 1990, p. 7). As this becomes a collectively held view, psychological and physical harm toward their group becomes more appropriate and normalized. In its most extreme cases—as mentioned above—dehumanization takes the form of a blatant, explicit and direct denial of humanness. For instance, Middle-class Romanians in a discussion regarding the Romany (gypsy), stated the following: "they like living in the dirt... there is... a block especially built for them and they have eaten it from the ground like rats" (Tileaga, 2007). In this specific case, the distinction between 'them' and 'us' imbedded in the language used draws a moral boundary and situates the Romany as transgressors. Furthermore, their humanity is to some extent denied through the explicitly demeaning language that is used— outright comparison to a rat. Research on human-animal comparisons suggests that although not all animal metaphors are considered offensive (e.g. those directed at ingroup members), metaphors categorized as highly offensive can be distinguished as either disgusting or degrading (Haslam, Loughnan, & Sun, 2011). In a context of intergroup tension, the use of the rat metaphor is especially troubling due to its content of depravity and disagreeableness; those towards whom these metaphors are directed begin to be perceived as morally disgusting, arguably because of the comparison to an animal that is disliked and evokes disgust (Haslam, Loughnan, & Sun, 2011). EFECTS OF IMPLICIT DEHUMANIZATION IN THE MEDIA 4 Many early socio-moral discussions of moral exclusion and other markers of dehumanization have argued that adverse social circumstances are responsible for the conditions necessary for individuals to dehumanize and subsequently harm or otherwise oppress others. These circumstances, although not explicitly identified, foster the development of negative stereotypes that go on to inform interpretations of the behavior of the group towards which the stereotypes are directed, creating a perceived distinction in moral values (Schwartz & Struch, 1989; Bar-Tal, 1989). Indeed, research on this has shown that aggression towards outgroups was mediated by perceived dissimilarity of values by ingroup members (Schwartz & Struch, 1989). Dehumanization, however, is not always as blatant as to indicate a perceived distinction of values, helpfulness and/or honesty that incites—or further perpetuates—intergroup aggression, like suggested above. Nowadays, actually, dehumanizing views appear to be employed in a much more subtle manner and—contrary to what some of the earlier socio-moral theories of dehumanization had hypothesized in regards to what drives 'ordinary people' to dehumanize (Opotow, 1990; Schwartz & Struch, 1989; Bar-Tal, 1989)—these views are present even in the absence of significant intergroup antipathy. The research on social cognition is especially relevant for the understanding of dehumanization in the absence of intergroup tension. Social cognition refers to a higher-order cognitive process consisting of the acknowledgement that a target has an "internal life;" that is, understanding that a certain individual has independent cognitive and emotional experiences (Harris & Fiske, 2011). Research done under the framework of the stereotype content model (Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, & Xu, 2002; Harris & Fiske, 2001), suggests that societal groups are considered in terms of intending help or harm—which they identify as warmth—and simultaneously as either capable or not of acting in accordance to said intentions—which they EFECTS OF IMPLICIT DEHUMANIZATION IN THE MEDIA 5 identify as competence; these can be assigned in terms of low or high warmth (or competence). Furthermore, the four possible combinations in these dimensions produce four different emotions toward social groups: pride, envy, disgust, and pity. This research has identified different social groups and the place they occupy within this framework. For instance, rich people are stereotyped as high on competence, but low on warmth; this specific combination fosters envy (Harris & Fiske, 2006). Considering the neurological basis of dehumanization, evidence suggests that individuals fail to engage in social cognition when dealing with members of highly stigmatized groups (e.g. homeless, immigrants). When viewing photographs previously tested to reliably elicit disgust (as evidenced by attributed ratings of low-competence and low-warmth), participants showed no significant activation in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), an area typically recruited for social cognition, and showed an exaggerated reaction of the amygdala and insula, which is consistent with disgust (Harris et al., 2006). Furthermore, outwardly negative attitudes toward these groups need not be present for these results to be observed, suggesting that dehumanizing views may be present and exercise an active role below the threshold of consciousness; that is to say, dehumanization may occur at an implicit level. Inability to infer the emotional state of outgroup members—thereby attributing to them a lesser human essence—may also constitute implicit dehumanization. In a study conducted two weeks after Hurricane Katrina, White and nonWhite participants were asked to make inferences about the emotional state of ingroup and outgroup victims; these inferences were then examined to see if they predicted willingness of intergroup assistance. Results indicated that both White and nonWhite participants were less likely to attribute uniquely human, or "secondary," emotions (e.g. anguish, grief) to outgroup members; this suggests an inab


Published methodology used to determine psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) erythemal action spectrum does not reflect current clinical practice for psoralen sensitization. We re‐evaluated the PUVA action spectrum using aqueous 8‐methoxypsoralen (8‐MOP) 2·6 mg L−1 as used routinely in current clinical practice.


on the other (e.g., Renzulli, 1980). This theoretical distinction is reinforced by, and to some extent is responsible for, differences in the prototypical contents of tests purporting to measure intelligence or creativity. Intelligence tests typically require students to demonstrate large vocabularies, high reading comprehension, rapid and accurate spatial visualization, facility in solving mathematical problems, and the like; creativity tests typically require students to generate unusual uses for products, to think of unusual questions, to take givens in pictures and incorporate them into


Abstract Introduction: Thyroglobulin (Tg) is used as a surveillance marker in those with a history of differentiated thyroid cancer. Thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) interfere with Tg measurement. Here we present a case with transiently elevated TgAb and Tg levels in a patient receiving intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Case: A 36-year-old female with a history of SLE transitioned her medical care to our facility. She had previously undergone total thyroidectomy following discovery and fine needle aspiration of a 1.7 cm thyroid nodule. Pathology at that time demonstrated a follicular adenoma and micro papillary thyroid carcinoma for which she underwent radioactive thyroid ablation according to practice prior to the 2015 American Thyroid Association guidelines. She remained in remission for 7 years. During this time, surveillance Tg and TgAb were negative using an immunometric (IMA) assay. Her exam during the visit revealed a palpable left cervical lymph node. Tg and TgAb were drawn and returned detectable via radioimmunoassay (RIA). Repeat levels were similar. Although unlikely, this raised concern for cancer recurrence. Neck ultrasound obtained showed a benign-appearing lymph node and no suspicious lesion in the surgical bed. Detailed history revealed that the patient had recently begun monthly IVIG infusions for her SLE. The most recent infusion being 4 days prior to TgAb and Tg levels. Given the reassuring neck ultrasound and the fact that patient's TgAb and Tg had been undetectable previously, the elevated Tg was thought to be secondary to transmission of TgAb via IVIG. The patient was subsequently followed clinically with serial TgAb and Tg. IVIG therapy was discontinued, repeat Tg levels were undetectable and remained so 4 months later confirming the diagnosis (Table 1). Table 1:Tg=ng/ml TgAb=IU/ml08/10/18 Tg=<0.1 TgAb=<20.0 via IMA 05/31/18 Tg=<0.1 TgAb=<20.0 via IMA 04/11/18Tg=3.70 TgAb=7.0 via RIA04/04/18Tg=4.90 TgAb=7.2 via RIA(Last dose IVIG 4 days prior)12/07/12 Tg=<0.1 TgAb=<20.0 via IMA 10/19/12 Tg=<0.2 TgAb=<20.0 via IMA Discussion: IVIG is known to be associated with passive transfer of antibodies. Elevated TgAb levels have been reported with subcutaneous immunoglobulins. TgAb cause inference when IMA is utilized and can lead to underestimation of Tg levels. In the setting of these Ab, RIA has less interference but is known to cause false elevation in Tg levels. Elevated Tg levels can be problematic for thyroid cancer surveillance. However, as shown in our patient's case this elevation is only transient. We suspect that there was passive transmission of TgAb in our patient via IVIG leading to detectable Tg levels using RIA. In such patients, IMA could still be used if drawn before IVIG. We recommend reassuring patients in these situations and obtaining serial TgAb and Tg. Especially checking levels a few days prior to the IVIG infusion to help avoid unnecessary work up.


Deep borehole controlling blasting is one of the most popular methods which used to improve permeability of low permeability and highly gassy coal seam. Proper interval between blasting hole is the critical factor. On this paper, the theory and insufficiency of each method are discussed by theoretical analysis and field investigation. The result shows that, because of the complexity of outburst coal seam, the measuring result got by different methods is relative and declinational. We need to make a right choice according to the actual demand. And the method of gas flow index is quickly, visual and reliable, which to be worth paying the utmost attention to.


The Australian and South Pacific External Studies Association (ASPESA) – the predecessor of the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia, Inc. (ODLAA) – was founded in 1973. From the outset, ASPESA adopted a broader‐than‐Australia focus for open and distance learning that included New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the member countries of the University of the South Pacific. Its interest was firstly on 'professional' matters (i.e., an identity for distance education, distance educators, and their professional development). ASPESA forums and workshops spread through various Australian 'external studies' institutes and developed the practical and intellectual infrastructure for ASPESA's aims and objectives. ASPESA acknowledged its regional and international focus in various ways. The 1981 ASPESA forum was organised jointly by the University of the South Pacific and Massey University, New Zealand, and held in Fiji. Thereafter its regional members played a larger role in ASPESA activities and regional issues appeared on forum agenda. ODLAA and its companion associations around the South Pacific received from their predecessor, ASPESA, a heritage of professionalism and participation in regional and international open and distance learning. In due course, however, differences in distance education environments led New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and then the Pacific island countries to form separate distance education associations, while maintaining links with ASPESA.


Background- Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) is associated with fewer renal and bone toxicities than tenofovir disoproxil phosphate (TDF). Hence, most experts suggest switching to TAF. We examined factors associated with switching to TAF in the US Military HIV Natural History Study (NHS), a cohort of people living with HIV who have unrestricted access to care and medications.

 Methods- The first formulation of TAF received FDA approval on 1 November 2015; hence, we included all NHS participants with visits between November 2015 and March 2019. Patient factors including race, gender, CD4 count, antiretroviral therapies (ART), viral load, HIV diagnosis era, presence of comorbidities (cancer, heart disease, dyslipidemia, kidney disease and obesity), were assessed for association with a switch to TAF with a logistic regression model.

 Results- Of the 1678 eligible participants, 1324 (63%) had received a TDF-based regimen. Participants who received a TDF-regimen were 94% male 44% African-American [AA], 39% Caucasians and 17% Hispanic. About half the participants who received TDF-based ART switched to a TAF-based regimen (n=682, 52%). Of the 425 (32%) participants receiving TDF/FTC co-formulated with efavirenz, 48% (n=206) switched to TAF. The proportions switching to TAF were higher in those receiving TDF/FTC co-formulated with rilpivirine [59%, n=90] or elvitegravir/cobicistat [68%, n=146]. The common ART regimens after the switch were: TAF co-formulated with elvitegravir/cobicistat (46%), rilpivirine (16%) or bictegravir (12%) and TAF/FTC combined with dolutegravir (15%). In an adjusted analysis, older participants, and participants receiving TDF/FTC in combination with efavirenz, dolutegravir, raltegravir, boosted protease inhibitors or a combination of boosted protease inhibitors and integrase inhibitors (other) were less likely to switch, table 1.

 Conclusions- Despite the unrestricted access to care and ART in the NHS, only half of the participants switched to TAF. Participants on efavirenz-containing regimens were less likely to switch to a TAF-based regimen, possibly due to the lack of a co-formulated single tablet. These trends need to be followed and barriers to switching to TAF (both patient and provider) need examination.
 Table 1- Factors associated with switching to a Tenofovir Alafenamide Based Regimen

 All Authors: No reported disclosures


Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus ) is one of the most widely cultured species globally and has successfully colonized much of the world. Despite numerous studies of this exotic species, how differences in native communities mitigate the consequences of Nile tilapia invasion is unknown. Theory predicts that communities that are more diverse should be more resistant to exotic species, an effect that is referred to as "biotic resistance", but these effects are spatially dependent and organism-specific. Field surveys and laboratory experiments were conducted to test the theory of "biotic resistance" and ascertain the relationship between native species richness and the invasion of Nile tilapia. In the field, we found that as native species richness increased, the biomass of Nile tilapia was significantly reduced. Consistent with results from the field, our manipulative experiment indicated that the growth of Nile tilapia was negatively related to native species richness. Thus, our study supports the theory of "biotic resistance" and suggests that species biodiversity represents an important defense against the invasion of Nile tilapia.


– The increase in population has an importance to increase in sprawl. The accurate analysis and detection of urban sprawl has been a major challenge. In this paper an effort has been made to summarize all the technique for detection of sprawl. The known shortcoming of all the methods can be removed by a combination of them. The GIS and RS can be combined to obtain more accurate results. The primary benefit of the use of tool is that it provides accurate data for city planners. Nowadays a hybrid tool is developed which is combination of GIS, RS and Shannon's Entropy. The primary benefit of all the three methods is combined with hybrid technique.


The present invention relates to a device and a method for managing and repairing the external wall of a building using the discrimination of a work area. A movable body for managing the external wall of the building stores work information to be performed on the work area and takes a photograph of a heat image for the building. And then, the movable body determines the work area according to the heat distribution of the heat image and performs corresponding works. Accordingly, the device for managing and repairing the external wall of a building can accurately grasp the work area to perform the work so that the management efficiency of the building can be increased. [Reference numerals] (11) Storage module; (12) Photographing module; (13) Determining module; (14) Operating module; (15) Position grasping module; (16) Moving module


A device for preventing the theft or unauthorized use of an outboard motor, of the type having a remote fuel tank and a detachable fuel line, locks to the fuel line coupling of the outboard motor, thereby preventing the unauthorized connection of the fuel line to the fuel line coupling so that the motor cannot be used. The device includes a body having recesses or sockets therein for receiving and covering members, including a fuel nipple, which extend from the fuel line coupling; an engaging member that selectively engages with a projection on one of such members, or another facet of the motor or housing; and an arrangement for lockably holding the engaging member in engagement with the projection or facet. One version of the device fits an Evinrude or Johnson outboard motor; another version fits a Mercury outboard motor.


Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, 1088 Budapest, Hungary Unit of Theoretical Chronobiology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium Department of Mathematical Sciences, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, South Korea Biomedical Mathematics Group, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon 34126, South Korea Quantitative Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK Mathematical Modeling of Cellular Processes, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125 Berlin, Germany Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Free University, 14195 Berlin, Germany


There is little room for doubt about Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) as a strong tool to be used in many domains, such as cognitive science, etc. Concept lattice is the basic data structure in FCA, and it is induced by contexts. A context is an incidence matrix that shows the relationship between objects and attributes. Attributes often share hierarchical relations which decide the form of objects. Based on attribute hierarchy, valid/invalid object were defined, the judgment method of valid/invalid object was developed on the relation between reachability matrix and valid objects, and valid object was explained from the perspective of graph theory. The judgment algorithm of valid object was proposed. The analysis of the algorithms also showed linear growth with respect to the number of valid objects. Mathematical models with 10 attributes were built for the algorithms by linear regression analysis.


We present a simulation of magnetosphere transparency for cosmic rays in the last two millennia. Simulations were done in the COR system, in a module for cosmic rays trajectory evaluation in different models of geomagnetic fields for the period 0 to 1900 CE. The COR system available at cor.crmodels.org is also briefly presented. The global and local trends for cut-off rigidities and cosmic rays intensity evolution in the last two millennia are analyzed.


Characteristic electrical curves of GaN HEMT devices from Infineon and Transphorm are compared at different X-ray radiation dose. It is shown that the device with pGaN gate is more robust having a stable threshold voltage (Vth). The Vth of device with MIS gate shifts towards negative direction firstly and shifts to forward direction then. A qualitative analysis is performed in the paper. Such dynamic phenomenon is caused by releasing and trapping effects of radiation induced charges both in the dielectric layer and the interface of the device. It is summarized that pGaN gate based GaN HEMT is a promising solution for further space use of electric source


Sir: The recent article by McCall1 is a thorough and well-written review of sleep in the elderly. An important aspect of the assessment and treatment of insomnia in the elderly is the use of alternative medications including herbal products. The use of alternative medications is increasingly popular, and the elderly population is no exception.2 Alternative agents such as melatonin, valerian, passionflower, and chamomile are commonly used to treat insomnia. Although they are widely used, their use is controversial due to the fact that few studies have documented their efficacy.3

It is important for clinicians to inquire about use of alternative medications, as they may elicit changes in mood, behavior, and thinking4 that may all contribute to the sleep complaint for which the patient is seeking help. Alternative medications may also have interactions with more conventional treatments, with potentially harmful outcomes. Clinicians should inquire about, document the use of, and be familiar with alternative medications to enhance the care of their patients.


Rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) chemoresistance against anti-tuberculosis drugs is a major challenge of any Pulmonology department. The aim of the study was to synthesize the epidemiological features of multidrug resistant (MDR), rifampicin resistant (RR) or extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB, for estimating the extent of MTB resistance pattern and severity of tuberculosis (TB) disease. Between 1 of March 2013 to 31 of December 2017, all 1,643 inpatients with positive diagnosis of pulmonary TB active disease were evaluated by specific methods consisting in phenotypic and genotypic investigation of MTB strains. The frequency and pattern of MTB resistance to anti-TB drugs were assessed. The prevalence of MDR-TB was low (1.95%). Delayed diagnosis of MDR-TB was frequent (71.87%) and more common in active smokers (53.12%), unemployed and uninsured patients. The secondary pattern of chemoresistance was prevalent (62.5%), but primary resistance pattern of MTB was related to younger individuals mean aged 38 years (p < 0.03). The prevalent broadspectrum of MTB resistance against first line of anti-TB drugs was noticed in majority of cases (87.5%), with the predominance of isoniazid (H) and rifampicin (R) pattern (53.1%), and supplementary gaining XDR profile. Although MDR-TB prevalence was low and HR pattern dominated the spectrum of MTB resistance, the progressive extension of MDR to XDR profile of resistance occurred.


Most automobile catalysts consist of a CeO2- and Al2O3-rich washcoat deposited on a porous, honeycombed cordierite support block. The active ingredients in the automobile catalyst are several noble metals (usually Pd, Rh and Pt) contained in the washcoat. Rapid, precise and accurate quantification of noble metals in automobile catalysts is desirable for noble metal tracking and accountability. Determination of Pd, Rh and Pt in the catalysts by ID–ICP-MS is possible only after extensive treatment with highly corrosive acids in sealed quartz tubes at high temperatures. By contrast, GDMS permits the direct determination of noble metals in the catalysts without prior dissolution. Although the auto catalyst powders are non-conducting, they may be combined with a metallic binder and analysed. Aluminium powder was chosen as the binder material for its superior gettering abilities, and because the Al mass spectrum in the vicinity of the Pd, Rh and Pt peaks was clear of interferences. Results from the GDMS analysis of noble metals in NIST Standard Reference Material 2557 Used Auto Catalyst (monolith) are precise and accurate to <10% RSD for Pd, Rh and Pt. The current generation of auto catalyst materials also contain significant amounts (≈0.3% by mass) of ZrO2, which causes isobaric (ZrO)+ interference on m/z 106, 107, 108, 110 and 112. A simple mathematical peak-stripping routine was devised to eliminate the (ZrO)+ interference.


This paper proposed an integrate method for image segmentation based on two-dimensional(2-D) histogram using wavelet transform multi-scale space analysis.The results show that the proposed algorithm is effective with the experiment analysis.


The new chiral derivatizing agent (CDA), α-cyano-α-fluoro(2-naphthyl)-acetic acid (2-CFNA) 1 was prepared in optically pure form by chiral HPLC separation of racemic 2-CFNA methyl ester (2-CFNA Me ester) (±)-2. The ester was obtained by fluorination of methyl α-cyano(2-naphthyl)acetate with FClO3. 2-CFNA 1 has proven to be a significantly superior CDA for determination of enantiomeric excess (ee) of a primary alcohol when compared to α-methoxy-α-trifluoromethylphenylacetic acid (MTPA, Mosher's agent) and α-cyano-α-fluoro(p-tolyl)acetic acid (CFTA). The ee of (−)-3-acetoxy-2-fluoro-2-(hexadecyloxymethyl)propan-1-ol (−)-9, a fluorinated analog of anticancer active ether lipids, was determined using (+)-2-CFNA (+)-1. Chirality 12:458–463, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.